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Home of the Deep Fried Mars Bar
Albion set foot on Scottish soil on Saturday morning April 12th, knowing that a long, enervating and sensational week lay ahead. After we had found our ways to the hostel and had moved into our temporal home, we enjoyed a first introduction to the lovely city of Edinburgh. The one and only Koen Sebregts hosted a city tour, showing us Edinburgh’s highlight-packed medieval Old Town, as well as its carefully planned New Town. It was very interesting to note the contrast between the medieval unorganised beauty of the Old Town and the exquisite result of 19th century city planning in the New Town. Our walk ended on top of Carlton Hill, Edinburgh’s very own Acropolis, providing us with the required monuments and statues, and a wonderful panoramic view of Edinburgh.
The hike that was planned for the next day would have been a mere stroll in the park if the weather would have been as lovely as it was during the rest of the week. However, the Scottish weather gods had chosen this day to unleash their strongest winds, making our climb to the top of Arthur’s Seat a true adventure. We fought and suffered and played in a scene that would fit any Lord of the Rings film perfectly. The breath-taking view that awaited us at the top was ten times worth the effort we had put into the climb.
We might know a thing or two about Scotland’s desire for independence, but the William Wallace Monument in Stirling, a small town on the border of the Scottish Highlands, actually learned us more about Scotland’s patriotic roots. Scotland’s strong sense of nationalism was once more emphasised during our visit to Edinburgh’s own Edinburgh Castle. The interactive history lesson took us through some medieval history and even gave us a glimpse of the Scottish crown jewels.
Next to beautiful views and cultural highlights, our week in Scotland was also packed with a considerable amount of refined Scottish cuisine. Next to various lagers and ales, we enjoyed true Scottish whisky – at least some did, since whisky is not really my cup of tea. Haggis, Scotland’s national dish, didn’t at all taste as gruesome as its ingredients might suggest – on the contrary, it was outright delicious. But we only discovered the mother of all food experiences halfway the week: the deep-fried Mars bar. It is, indeed, a deep-fried Mars. It looks like a turd, but tastes like divine ambrosia. Please do try this Scottish invention whenever you visit Scotland; you won’t regret it.
I could write an entire novel about the amazing week we had in Edinburgh and about my experiences as a member of the travel committee, but I won’t. Instead, I would recommend everyone to join Albion on its trip to a yet to be announced location next year. I enjoyed every bit of Dublin in 2013 and of Edinburgh this year and I’m already looking forward to next year.
by Jos de Groot
Chairman Grote ReisCie ‘13-‘14
