This morning was our second to last day before the symposium to explore Scotland. Our first stop was downtown Dundee. We first stopped in town to explore some of the shops. Most of them were closed, but some of us went to get coffee at Black Sheep Coffee, a popular coffee shop chain in the UK. 

After our brief exploration, we all met up to head to St. Paul’s Cathedral to take a group photo and attend a 10:30am church service. 

This was an Episcopal church, so it was a different kind of service for a lot of us. At the beginning of the service, the reverend recognized all of the new faces in the crowd and explained how the service and communion would work. We had the option to come up and take communion, just receive a blessing, or stay in our seats, and about half of us elected to take communion. After the service, there was time for tea and biscuits, and we had a chance to socialize with the congregants. 

One of the clergy even told us that it was the most participation they’ve had in the hymns in a long time. Following church, we all walked to the V&A museum, where we had the opportunity to walk around the museum and also have lunch. 

One of the exhibitions in the museum was about Scottish designs that had a global impact. The displays were about architecture, fashion, engineering, healthcare, and even video game design. 

We left the museum, and it was time to get back on the bus and head to our next stop. 

After visiting the V&A we drove up to Dunnottar (sounds like “dont know her” in a Scottish accent) Castle on a rocky cliff overlooking the North Sea near Stonehaven, Scotland. The site has been occupied for centuries and became an important stronghold of the powerful Earls Marischal. During the Scottish Wars of independence, it was associated with William Wallace and in 1651 the castle protected the Honours of Scotland (the Scottish Crown Jewels) from Oliver Cromwell’s forces. Although the castle later fell into ruin, its dramatic setting and rich history make it one of Scotland’s most famous castles. 

To reach the castle you have to descend about 180 steps (we counted) then ascend about 75 steps that are carved into the rocky cliff. In total, today we climbed over 450 steps. Fun fact: Dunnottar’s setting was the inspiration for the fictional castle DunBroch in Pixar’s Brave. 

After Dunnottar we drove to Aberdeen and checked into our final hotel, which is right next to the symposium. After checking in we had to quickly drop off our bags and get ready for dinner which was at a restaurant called Amarone. Some of us had fried haggis balls in hot honey and those who are vegetarian had a mozzarella fritta. For the main entree it was chicken that was stuffed with haggis and a side of potatoes and green beans. Dessert was a chocolate mousse that was to die for. 

All in all a really good and calm day. However we are sore from all the stairs but we can’t wait to see what the next day has in store.

-Julia and Morgan 

Today was another exciting day in Scotland! This morning we woke up at our current hotel, the Holiday Inn in Edinburgh, and had a delicious buffet breakfast that was provided! After breakfast, we quickly headed to the heart of Edinburgh on the coach bus and indulged in an on-bus tour. We learned about important and famous statues, historic buildings and the city itself. After our interesting drive we went over to the Edinburgh castle. We were given the opportunity to explore the castle, with or without an audio tour guide. All sections of the castle were beautiful, and fortunately the sun was shining for most of our time there! 

Next, as the Edinburgh castle was our last activity as a group, we were given the freedom of choosing what to do for three hours. Some people were eating lunch at one of the variety of restaurants, shopping, going to cafes, touring the heart of the city, and seeing architecture from hundreds of years ago. 

After meeting back up with the entire group at the National Library of Scotland, we got back on the bus and headed to the Palace of Holyroodhouse. This is located at the end of Edinburgh’s Royal Mile and has extensive history as the official residence of the monarchy. As we walked through the palace, room by room, we listened to a different audio for each room which would explain its history and importance. The palace and its garden that covers about 10 acres was absolutely beautiful and very interesting. 

After taking another short bus ride, we had about an hour to get off and freely walk around Edinburgh before we met back up to begin unloading the bell cases into the Greyfriars Kirk. This amazing church was in the heart of Edinburgh and was our location for our second concert on the tour. We rehearsed for a short amount of time, got ready and then performed at 7:00 for a crowd of people. 

After receiving a great round of applause, we packed everything back up onto the bus and drove to our hotel. Ending our night together, we all had dinner at the Holiday Inn as soon as we got to the hotel and then all headed up to our rooms!

-Brie and Anna

We began the day on our tour bus, we met our wonderful tour guide Ian whose incredible sense of humor lightened the post flight mood. We drove from Edinburgh to Stirling, where we made some stops at different memorials and sights. We started by seeing the kelpie statues, 2 shape shifting water spirits known to haunt deep lochs, rivers, and pools. The statues’ names are Duke and Baron. We then visited the battle ground at Bannockburn, where King Robert the Bruce of Scotland defeated King Edward II of England. This marked the turning point in the first war of Scottish independence. We made a quick drive past the original Stirling bridge, where Ian told us how this bridge played a role in the Scottish win. The bridge is surrounded by marsh land, which caused the English cavalry to sink in all their heavy armor and weapons. The Scots had the upper hand here as they knew the land and were able to “stab, jab, jab and poke” the English. We then took a quick photo with the Wallace monument, erected to commemorate Sir William Wallace, who is the Scottish hero and patriot who defeated the English army at the Battle of Stirling Bridge. Along the whole way, we saw many highland cows and sheep, the cows are known here as a “hairy coo”. We all really enjoyed the hairy coos, much to the dismay of Ian. 

After visiting the Wallace monument we all split off in the town center for lunch. There were plenty of restaurants and pubs to choose from, which is where most of us went. Following lunch, it was time for us to head to Stirling Castle. Upon arrival, we were given our tickets by Ian and then we were allowed to freely roam the castle grounds. There were so many places to see, and even if it felt like you had seen everything, there was always one more room or one more exhibit to visit. Inside the castle, we saw the Great Hall and the Royal Palace, which has since been refurbished. This was the childhood home of Mary Queen of Scots, who became queen as an infant when King James V died. There was also a room filled with the Stirling heads, portraits of kings, queens, nobles, Roman emperors, and biblical figures. The palace interiors have been recreated to how they might have looked when the King lived there. Outside, there were beautiful gardens filled with flowers and herbs. We even saw flowers and topiary designed to look like the Scottish flag and unicorns (the official national animal of Scotland). After the castle, we got back on the bus and headed to our hotel, where we tried not to fall asleep before dinner. We met in the hotel restaurant for a wonderful 3-course meal of tomato soup, chicken, and cheesecake, then headed our separate ways to get some much needed sleep. 

— Julia and Kayla