More Cool Stories | #tripupdate #London #Edinburgh

Good afternoon, my fantastic blog readers! I hope all is well with each one of you.

I would again like to share with you all the triumphs and stories of my trip. Praise God, this trip has continued to be a fantastic experience!

LONDON

Buckingham Palace

Last weekend, I met up with two of my aviation buddies from Jacksonville University (who are studying abroad in Germany) in London. It took nine hours on the bus to get there - good thing I brought some snacks.

When I arrived, the three of us spent four hours in The Steam Engine, a little pub behind our hotel, just catching up. It was mind-blowing that we were 4,000 miles from home, meeting up in a city we've only seen in movies.

South Bank. Representing the Jacksonville University Flight Team.

Shoutout to our Jacksonville University Flight Team for making it to the national competition while we were in London! 

Before we left, we walked along the South Bank, rode the London Eye, visited Westminister, the Horse Palace and Buckingham Palace, watched street performers, and crossed the Thames River at dusk with the city all lit up.

The city lives up to all the hype, in my opinion. The landscape was spectacular, and it was even better spending it with friends. I actually got a little emotional when I hopped in a taxi for Victoria Coach Station, because I was leaving my friends. London was one of the highlights of my entire experience here in the UK.

LARGS

A close friend of mine recommended I travel to Largs, "eh wee toon" (a small town) on the west coast of Scotland, about an hour away from Glasgow. So, two weeks ago, I decided just to hop on a train and "go west, young man."

Largs - City Centre

Chicken and Rice Soup, with Ham and Pineapple Toastie and Salad

Largs was beautiful - surrounded by islands on one side, massive green hills on the other. I stopped in a souvenir shop and the owner told me to drop by The George for lunch. I had a nice, relaxing meal. 

I walked the town and along the beach, until a storm rolled in that had the locals running for cover. I didn't get a chance to cross to the island on the ferry, but I still had a wonderful time. The wind off the water during the storm actually made me unsteady on my feet, it was that strong.

Largs and Cumbrae Ferry

E&Y INSIGHT DAY

Flip the Fin! City of Glasgow College Riverside Campus

Thanks to my wonderful mentor, Steven, I had another unique experience at an Ernst & Young Insight Day. It was an invitation-only event, held at E&Y's Glasgow headquarters downtown. The event brought together fifteen or so local high school and college students for an evening of career training.
The staff also took time to fully introduce us to all the company does and give us a personal invitation to apply for the young-workers programs. If you don't know E&Y, they're one of the "Big 4" accounting firms (one of the top four in the world). I was able to represent both myself and my university at the event; I'm proud to represent Jacksonville University through my travels.

EDINBURGH

Just this past Saturday, the International Department at City of Glasgow College took a bus-full of students on a trip to Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. The most famous landmark of the city, and our first destination, is the Edinburgh Castle. 

Edinburgh Castle

 

View from Edinburgh Castle

The locals were not very friendly.

The Edinburgh Castle was immense, but not how I imagined it. I envisioned a symmetrical castle out of video games and movies, with immense walls and guard towers. This castle, originally constructed in the eleventh century A.D., followed the curve of the land, and was anything but symmetrical. On three sides, it was defended by sheer cliffs. Only one side had an entrance, and that side was defended by a moat, an outer wall and an inner wall.

Scottish National War Memorial

Inside the castle, along with all the history and architecture, my friend Moses and I also got to see the Scotland Crown Jewels and the breathtaking Scottish National War Memorial. The Memorial is dedicated to the Scots fallen in battle since the Great War (World War I). There are books inside that list every known Scot killed on the battlefield, housed in a memorial you'd have to see to believe. At least 200 artists (stone, painting, sculpture, plaster-work) built the structure. Photography was prohibited in the memorial, but Google has some fair images (see http://bit.ly/1vhRwGg). 

View of Holyrood Park towards Edinburgh.
Photo credit: University of Edinburgh Website.

Moses and I also got to see the Scottish Parliament and its debate chamber and Holyrood Park before we left. Both are amazing to see.

TROON

Oh, and here is a short video I made of my trip to Troon a few weeks ago! I am excited to see Duncan and Linda one more time before I leave.

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Soon, this trip will be over and I will again be in the U.S. of A. This week will be packed full of last-minute trips, events, meetings. There will be at least one more blog before I finish up, though, so...

Until next time,

God bless!

Zacchari Gale

#jutocogc