I was in Scotland for the last school placement I had. In total, I was there from April 30-May 8. While there, I stayed in Falkirk, which is halfway between Edinburgh and Glasgow, so I got to visit all three cities (though I had been to Edinburgh before with my friend Dave when he visited in March).
Edinburgh
I was only in Edinburgh on Monday, May 1 mainly because I had to go to the doctor. Don’t worry, it’s all sorted now, but let me say that getting a doctor’s appointment in the UK is not easy, especially if you are not a resident. They have National Health Service (NHS), which is great in a lot of ways, but it is more difficult for visitors to get in. At the moment, however, it seems difficult for residents to get appointments because lots of doctors and nurses are on strike. I did learn, though, that Scotland is doing much better than England on this front. Perhaps that is why I was able to get an appointment here and not in England. But because I had a doctor’s appointment in Edinburgh, I was able to be a tourist for the day as well.
I wandered around and saw areas I had not seen before. I wandered around an area called Dean Village, which was where my doctor’s office was. There was a beautiful creek that ran through it, along with quaint buildings.
I also wandered around a cemetery at a different old church yard than I did before when I was here. It was called St. Cuthbert’s Kirkyard. The word “kirk” is an old Scottish word for a church. It seems that near many of the big old churches, there are cemeteries surrounding the churches. It’s a beautiful scene, to be honest.
And then I sat in a coffee shop and did a good amount of work. I didn’t go up to the Royal Mile this time because I had already seen it and I wasn’t feeling super energetic that since I have been sick. I got a train back to my hotel in Falkirk in the mid-afternoon and took a nap. Rest has been so important recently because I was moving around so much in April. It’s nice to be here and be able to rest a bit.
Falkirk
I stayed in Falkirk while I was shadowing the teacher at Larbert High School, whose name is Andy McClean. Falkirk is halfway between Glasgow in Edinburgh and quite close to the school, so a central location for lots of things. Falkirk has a decent town center and the place I stayed was also quite central, and walkable from the train station. I stayed at the Orchard Hotel, which is a hotel with rooms above a pub, so a very British place to stay, I thought. It was not the Hilton for sure, but it was a particular experience. All of the staff at the hotel were so friendly and accommodating to me. They made my experience even better simply because they were so friendly and welcoming.
Because all during the week I was sick with what I thought was strep throat, I did not do much exploring around Falkirk. Though it does still have a decently nice high Street with some good shops, it is another one of these cities that looks like it has seen better days. I went to several cute little restaurants around while I was there, so it’s not as depressed as the towns of Worksop or Castleford. At the same time, Falkirk is also not a touristy type of place so there wasn’t very much to do. I will say, though that every single person I have met in Scotland has been nothing but super warm and nice.
The one cool thing I did do while I was in Falkirk was go see the Kelpies, the largest equine sculptures in the world. They are located at Helix Park, which is a beautiful park area you can walk around and sit and just be. I walked around the park and took pictures and just sat and enjoyed the day while I was there.
What are the Kelpies, you ask? From the website: https://artuk.org : In Scottish folklore, a kelpie is a dangerous shape-shifting water creature that can appear on land as a horse. The kelpie appears to their human victims as a grey or white horse, entices them to ride on their back, then carries them down to a watery grave.
Stirling
Another cool thing I got to do while I was in this area of Scotland was go to the town of Stirling. Andy took me up there on Friday after school so we could have a wander around town and have a beer. He wanted to show me Stirling because it’s a pretty cool town but not a place that is easy to get to. It’s such a beautiful and quaint little town with a castle that you can see from far away. We had a beer at the oldest pub in Stirling, called the Settle Inn, established in 1733. It was a cool bar, a cool town, and it was also nice to hang out with Andy for a bit out of school. This week has been so crazy in so many ways, but I’m glad we got to have some informal chitchat Friday afternoon. Andy is a super nice guy who also has quite an entrepreneurial spirit. It was great to chat with him about business ideas and such, as well as get to know more about his thoughts on teaching and Musical Futures.
Glasgow
On The Saturday after my week at Larbert, I went into Glasgow. I wasn’t planning to do that, but Andy lives near there, and he kept talking it up. The other music teachers at Larbert also talked it up and told me I should definitely go for a visit. They explained how it is not as touristy as Edinburgh but it’s more a typical Scottish city. So I went! I enjoyed walking around for the afternoon. There are lots of cool places to explore, and if I had felt better, I would’ve stayed for longer (still fighting strep or whatever it is I had). I did the hop on hop off bus so I could see a lot of things. It rained for the first hour, so it was nice that I was on the bus. When the rain stopped, I ended up being at the West End area, which was a place that several teachers told me I should walk around. So I got off there and had lunch and a beer at Tennants bar which is kind of a thing to do, and Tennants beer is a traditional Scottish beer. Today happened to be the day of the Coronation of King Charles in England. It was on earlier this morning, but while I was at the bar, they were playing clips from it. I think it’s surreal to be in the UK while this was happening, even though I was not in England on the day of. It is also interesting to see how people in Scotland think about the coronation – most are either not fans of it or could not care less about it, since it does not actually relate to them. Anyway, it was interesting to be in this Scottish bar and watch clips of it from that morning. After lunch at Tennants, I walked up to the botanical gardens which is also very near there. It’s a beautiful place. And that part of town is really cute with lots of interesting shops.
I got back on the bus and decided I wanted to get back to the main part of town and go to the Necropolis which was by the Cathedral of Glasgow. I am so taken with all of the really old cemeteries that exist in Scotland. I’m sure they exist in England too, but they are so prominent and they seem to invite you to walk in and explore them in Scotland. I walked around there and soaked it in and took some photos. I wish I could’ve gone into the cathedral because it was MASSIVE, but it was not open.
I walked back to the train station on random alley ways, so I could see more of the city. I found some really cool murals that had been painted on the sides of buildings. Again, if I felt better, I would’ve stayed longer and explored more, but I just felt like I needed to go home and rest. But I’m super glad that the teachers talked me into going to Glasgow!
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