Festivals, Castles, and More in Scotland!

Another eventful day abroad. Today, our group was lucky enough to meet with a representative from the organization Festivals Edinburgh. One way for Edinburgh to attract tourist to the area is through festivals. Of Edinburgh's twelve major festivals, the representative presented on two: Edinburgh International Festival and Fringe Festival. The majority of our group was enlightened to find out that these festivals were more than music, they were opera, dance, theatrical performances, and more. It was interesting to learn that Robin Williams actually performed in one of these festivals, which ended up being his gateway to attaining success.

After the presentation, students left to explore the Edinburgh Castle. On the self-guided tour students saw the Scottish Crown Jewels, the National War Museum, and the building where the prisoners of war were housed. The tour was almost as amazing as the location of the castle. The land the castle is built upon was formed from the eruption of a volcano. Today, the castle serves as a national monument for Scotland.

Photos below are from our self-guided tour at the Edinburgh Castle:

The Glenkinchie Scottish Distillery was the last, but not least on our agenda. Students went on a behind the scenes tour and learnt about the history of the distillery and the process of making whiskey. The distillery is unique because it is home to two of the largest copper pots used to make whiskey in the industry and it is distinguishable by the building's Victorian style architecture. At the end, students had the option to partake in a whiskey tasting at the distillery.