Stew pie? Oh, you mean steak pie!

For the second time this semester I flew out of the country! I ventured out to Scotland to visit some of my friends from summer camp. Thank goodness that Jenny met me at the Glasgow Airport because I probably wouldn't have been able to find my way to her house. On Saturday we took a train to Edinburgh, again I was very happy to have had Jenny with me because I'm directionally challenged. We made our way through Princes Street Gardens to the Edinburgh Castle, which I learned was built on an extinct volcano!

Jenny and I also visited the birthplace of Harry Potter! JK Rowling first thought of and wrote Harry Potter in a cafe in Edinburgh called The Elephant House. I wanted to grab a coffee from there, but of course the line was out the door. In addition to visiting The Elephant House, I also saw Greyfriars Bobby's statue who was a dog that guarded the grave of his owner for 14 years until he also died. Apparently rubbing the nose of the statue brings good luck! Jenny introduced me to Nando's! I loved it, but who doesn't love chicken and spicy food? Later in the afternoon I was fortunate enough to visit my new favorite animals: Highland Cows! Basically they are just fluffy dairy cows.

On Sunday I spent a few hours in Glasgow. I took the train by myself and somehow managed to remember what stop I had to get off at without missing the stop. I was met at the station by my friends Dan and Gemma so that we could grab lunch together. Of course they wanted to go to an American Bistro! Glasgow is much bigger and more city-ish than Edinburgh, so I think that I will stick to Edinburgh. If you're looking for shopping, then I'd suggest Glasgow. Jenny's mom made steak pie for dinner! I was so happy to have had homemade meals this weekend. Steak pie is traditionally made in the United Kingdom and consists of stewed steak in a pastry shell. It was absolutely delicious! Later that night, Jenny and I visited The Kelpies. These are giant horse head structures and the largest horse sculptures in the world!

I stayed in Glasgow at my friend Gemma's for the night, instead of Jenny's, because it's closer to the airport. I was very nervous because my flight back to Ireland happened to be when Hurricane Ophelia was just beginning to hit Ireland, but don't worry folks because I made it home safe and sound!