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Now, we know what you readers at home are thinking about us. It seems from these previous blog posts that our lives here in Edinburgh are all play and no work. This is FAR from the truth! From Monday to Friday, we spend our time between classes at Napier University or working at our various internships. Although we gain valuable knowledge about ourselves and the Scottish culture, we look forward to the weekends when we have our own experiences with Scotland and its national treasures. Last weekend, we discovered everything from a flock of spotted Jacob’s sheep to a buried human body part to a hollywood cinema set!
On Saturday morning, we hopped on our stagecoach bus and ventured on our day-trip to the Borders. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Scottish geography, The Borders refers to a collection of towns stretching 1,800 square miles in the Eastern part of the Southern Uplands of Scotland. Picturesque views of the countryside rapidly streamed past our bus windows as we climbed higher and higher into the more discreet towns of rural Scotland. The first stop we made along the winding roads was a beautiful overlook of the Scottish countryside (complete with some interestingly shaped hills) where Sir Walter Scott , the famous Scottish author and poet, would stop everyday on his horse to seek inspiration among the scenery.
We continued on through the plush, rolling hills to the gorgeous ruins of Dryburgh Abbey and Sir Walter Scott’s final resting place. One of the most remarkable differences we have noticed between Scotland and the United States is their difference in age. Since Scotland has an extensive history, every turn seems to take you to a relic with a story to tell. As we wandered through the ruins of the Abbey, we followed the footsteps of the monks who lived there many years ago. We learned how life as a monk at Dryburgh was very strict: mass was done routinely six times a day and only one room was allotted for talking (this would have been a truly difficult restriction for our chatty Furman group!).
Our next stop on the journey was lunch in the quaint town of Melrose. The Abbey of the town is well known for being the location of Robert the Bruce’s heart . Upon Bruce’s death, his heart was taken on a crusade by Good Sir James Douglas. When confronted by the Moors traveling through Spain, Douglas threw the heart before him and shouted :
“Lead on brave heart, I’ll follow thee!”- Sir James Douglas
Even though the battle did not end well, the heart was recovered and finally brought to Melrose Abbey. Although Bruce was portrayed in the film Braveheart as being a coward alongside William Wallace, it seems like his heart ended up in the right place after all.
Before finishing off our journey, we made a quick stop at Abbotsford, the residence of Sir Walter Scott, and then ended our day at Rosslyn Chapel. Construction of the Chapel began in 1446 by William St. Clair. After a long period of abuse from both Oliver Cromwell’s and the harsh Scottish weather, the Chapel still stands! Rosslyn is now Episcopalian and has a rich history including a dramatic story involving a murderous, vengeful mason who is said to be in the chapel, forever gazing down on the work of his apprentice. Although it boasts some stunning stonework, Rosslyn was not nearly as popular until its debut in The DaVinci Code. One of the greatest mysteries of Rosslyn is the contents of the vault that lies beneath it. Visitors have claimed the Chapel hides the Holy Grail, Elvis, and some even say proof of extraterrestrial life is buried underneath. Each of us Furman students has our own hypothesis as to what the vault contains, but for now it still remains a mystery!
We would like to end this blog post with a special thanks to Dr. Armstrong. For the past month, he has had every group of Furman students over to his flat for a home-cooked meal. This week, he cooked chili for our flat and it was delicious! We believe Dr. Armstrong could have a new career as a Scottish chef! So, thanks Dr. Armstrong, for making us feel like one big family!
Cheers!
Rachel and Jordan 🙂