Howdy!
On this the second morn of our adventure in anticipation of the first full day in Edinburgh, the sunlight beamed through the glass window, clear as crystal, tilted ever so slightly to allow the chill of the breeze to serve as natural air conditioning. The courageous among us, overcoming the jetlag at an unfathomable pace, woke up at 6:00 AM to go for a brisk early jog. An intrepid group broke off from the main pack in pursuit of the coastline. After reaching the ten kilometer mark (that’s roughly six miles for you folks at home), they realized they might be late for breakfast if they went further. Luckily, after turning around, they arrived with minutes to spare.
Entering the cafeteria, the delicious smells immediately complemented the scrumptious sights of what was to be consumed: Hash browns, sausages, various fruits, eggs, both over-easy and scrambled, haggis, baked beans, pancakes, buttered croissants with marmalade. After an hour of dining, we made the trek towards the Hogwarts-esque classroom for the first course of the trip.
The faculty, the student leaders, and the students gave succinct introductions. Dr. Crick began his first lesson. First, we split up into randomly assigned teams of six, and created monikers for ourselves, as well as deciding on team symbols and colors. Back in the lecture hall, ethos, one of the Aristotelian modes of persuasion, was the primary focus of the Socratic dialogue which the professor conducted. We learned how virtue, practical knowledge, and goodwill constitute three methods of establishing one’s credibility. Further, we explored the concept of identification, with its resulting assumptions from one’s audience sometimes causing a feedback-loop that can amplify the originally claimed identity, and its relationship to con-substantiality, which led to a short deviation to a theological discussion of the Holy Trinity in the Christian tradition. Next, the student leader, Rudolf, led us in a team-building exercise in which we built increasingly complex structures out of simple office supplies. Success and struggle were commonplace, but together we bonded.
Before exiting the grand hall reminiscent of the architecture from Harry Potter, we were introduced to a simple seeming game that would soon turn into a passionate competition. The Goose-Chase: A selfie scavenger hunt consisting of twenty-eight challenges ranging from participating in a thumb war with a stranger to locating a unicorn, the national animal of the great country in which we reside. As we descended down the steps towards the coach for our imminent castle tour, the race was on.
Our tour guide led us up the cobblestone pathways, through the arches, and inside the walls of Edinburgh Castle, home to the Scottish Crown jewels. At precisely 1:00, a member of the Scottish regiment fired a canon, signaling all locals of the hour. Separating into smaller groups, we explored the centuries of history beneath our feet and grabbed a quick bite to eat. We roamed the cells where Prisoners of War were confined, the Great Hall, the oldest building in all of Scotland, St. Margaret’s Chapel, and much more. (Fun Fact: if you’re named Margaret or a similar derivative, you can get married free of charge in that church and join the guild of Margaret).
Then, the walking tour. We explored the Old Town along the Royal Mile, through a balcony overlooking the street that inspired J.K. Rowling’s Diagon Alley. We witnessed several statues including Adam Smith, the father of economics, David Hume, a famous Enlightenment philosopher, King Charles II, heir to Charles I and crowned upon Oliver Cromwell’s murder of the king. Inside the National Museum of Scotland, we found both another statue of the great physicist James Clerk Maxwell and the first mammal to be cloned, Dolly the Sheep. Scottish influences are pervasive.
Ending the tour at a recommended local restaurant, many of us enjoyed the traditional Fish and Chips. Subsequently, we split up and freely explored the wonders of the city on our own. Whether it be visiting the National Library of Scotland and its enclosed museums or the nearby French consulate, walking through the shops within Diagon Alley itself, taking a Gelato break, searching the graveyard for the famed inspirations of Harry Potter characters and at last finding Tom Riddle’s resting place, sitting down at a pub and trying Heineken Zero (I hear it tastes awful) or simply wandering the city, we immersed ourselves in Scottish culture.
At last, with the sun in the final stages of its descent, one group began heading back towards Pollock Halls (our dormitories), at first passing by the park upon which we played ultimate frisbee the day prior, but failing to resist a detour to the adjacent playground. As chance would have it, another group ran into the first and joined. Climbing, sliding, ziplining, and experimenting with a merry-go-round to prove the conservation of angular momentum (thankfully none of us threw up), we all lived in the moment.
An unforeseen consequence of this final escapade was that one of the writers for this piece was tardy to the previously agreed to rendezvous for the purpose of making this brief blog post. Nevertheless, we hope you enjoyed. Signing off for now.
Oidhche mhath!
– Andrew et Andrew
