Top 10s

Hey everyone! Here are just some lists I've made of my top 10s while being over here. 

Top 10 things to do in Edinburgh:

1) Arthur's Seat. Great views of the city, exercise, fun, would be a fun picnic.
2) Royal Mile (from top to bottom). Just a fun walk, great gift shops, castle and Holyrood palace are phenomenal experiences. Edinburgh Castle. The 15 pounds are totally worth it to see this place. It includes a very interesting/informative guided tour and the rooms are set up really nicely. You can spend a couple of hours there easily. Don't miss the prisons! They are a little out of the way but very interesting to peek at.
3) Stand on South Bridge and look over Princes Street Gardens and Calton Hill.
4) Have a conversation with your taxi driver
5) Explore! There are so many things to see and do, you just gotta get out there and find them.
6) Go to a show at the Playhouse. Tickets are fairly cheap (25-40 pounds) and it was fun! but I'm obsessed with musicals and Broadway soo may be biased.
7) Drink a Ghostbuster.. This is a cocktail/pitcher at the Black Rose on Rose Street that is heavenly. It includes Baileys, Amaretto, Vodka, Kahlua, milk, and chocolate syrup. yummyyyy.
8) Go out to a pub with live music. My favorites are actually 'Irish' pubs, Malones and Dropkick Murphys both near Greyfriar's Bobby. (There is a pub crawl that starts at Bank Bar for 12 pounds. Totally worth it if you want a fun night on the town!)
9) Try on a kilt. Whether you want to buy one or not, they are fun to see yourself in!
10)  Camera Obscura. Seems kinda childish, but I was 20 years old and had the best time there. Just a good, family-friendly fun time!
 (Christmas Market in Princes St. Gardens is in my top 10 but felt I didn't want to limit it to a particular holiday, so keep that in mind if you're around in December!)

Top 10 places to go in Scotland:

1) Edinburgh, of course!
2) Rosslyn Chapel...you can only imagine. It is superb!
3) St. Andrews. Great day trip, absolutely beautiful.
4) Inverness. Walk the path along the river across the islands and finish off at Gellions Bar/Pub.
5) Linlithgow Palace. Medieval castle with amazing views, interesting to think about people living there. Lovely walking path around a loch with swans!
6) Melrose Abbey. Ruins of the abbey that was once there. Breathtaking, invokes curiosity.
7) Stirling. Lovely city, cool to think about William Wallace and hear the true story. Probably the best castle in Scotland here, was the most strategic and sought after castle.
8) Loch Lomond. Lovely scenery. wish I had more time here.
9) Aberdour. Perfect city on the sea that you can walk around in one hour. Cliffs, a castle, beach..perfection.
10) Loch Ness. We did this 30 minute river cruise...wasn't that great but was fun to say I was on Loch Ness. 

Top 10 things about University of Edinburgh:
1) Old College. Stunning and the Talbot Rice Gallery was interesting (Darwin used to study there when it was a Natural Museum of History). Supposedly Playfair Library is beautiful but I could never get in.
2) Societies. Tons of societies to join or go to events of.
3) Promoters. You'll always know whats going on or where to be because there is always someone handing out flyers! Can be annoying the first week, but I liked it.
4) Modern Scottish History. Seriously one of the coolest classes I've ever had the pleasure of taking.
5) Architectural History 1A. If you have electives to burn this course is interesting! The exams are hard but worth it to learn all about the varying periods and reasons for architectural design.
6) Tutorials. Definitely help with the large classroom setting. Can seem tedious but great.
7) Teviot. Coolest student union ever. Wish I would've hung out there more.
8) Potterrow Dome. Love going in there and having a coffee or lunch. Great atmosphere.
9) Feel accomplished at the end of the semester because of the essays and super tough exams.
10) Anytime you tell someone you're studying there they say "you must be a bright girl!"

Top 10 countries that I would visit again and recommend based off sites and people (just happens to be the number of countries I've visited over the past 5 months):

1) Scotland- stunning, all around great experience no matter where you go.
2) Austria- not a country you think about often, but it is one of the most beautiful places I've ever visited and there is lots to do!
3) Ireland- only saw Dublin, but met the nicest people and it just gives off this vibe that is so inviting. Ireland is my number 1 place to go back to and experience more of.
4) Germany- The power of German Engineering is so true! Munich was efficient, holds history, is beautiful and includes some cool stuff, like the 1972 Olympic Park.
5) Norway- Gorgeous scenery, not tons to do. Def would like to go back and try to catch the Aurora again though..our 3 minutes wasn't enough.
6) Spain- I love Madrid. This was the best place to go to welcome us to Europe. The city is easy to navigate and has some beautiful sites. Need go back and refresh my memory of it and see more of the countryside.
7) Czech- Getting here by train from Spain was a pain (sorry for the rhyming)..but Prague is an incredible city. Probably my most favorite city because it is so vast and so beautiful nestled around a river. The countryside was beautiful too. I doubt I will ever canoe in a more beautiful place.
8) Italy- Venice was great, but definitely touristy. I think I heard more English than Italian. However, it was super cool to see that there can be a large city with no cars! It is such a picturesque place. I still prefer Florence though ;)
9) England- I love London, but didn't really do much in the area this trip around which is why it is towards the bottom. However, my friend Madelyn went to Oxford and her pictures and stories sounds wonderful!
10)  France- ehhh Paris is Paris for me.. Has some incredibly beautiful sites and architecture but just doesn't really fit into my ideal place to visit. Don't get that personal connection with it like you do in Ireland or Austria.

Note: Study abroad students, I suggest buying the Annual Membership Pass which includes Edinburgh Castle and 77 other sites around Scotland. I think it will pay off if you want to go see and do things. I only had it for a month and used it 5 times, I think it saved me at least 10 pounds. May not use it a full year, but worth it.