EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND

When Dani told me she was going to be studying at the University of Edinburgh last year, it really came as no surprise. The girl is a firecracker, always going after her dreams (that look to me like stuffing her brain with as much knowledge as it can hold, which in her case is much more than the average human's brain can) and living a purposeful and intellectually full and impactful life. So, I knew I'd go visit right away. It was just a matter of buying some plane tickets and picking the proper time.

So at the beginning of March, I hopped on a plane to Boston, to London, to Edinburgh, and spent five (ish) glory-filled days with my closest friend since college, my kindred international spirit and fellow caffiene addict.

I flew a couple airlines I'd never tried, JetBlue and WOWair. I knew from friends that JB was totally fine. And I was impressed. Wifi, exceptional staff, and that free bag check (carry-ons at the gate). WOWair had less exciting reviews on the internet, but after flying in Asia and Europe for as many times as I did, I wasn't that bothered by the small seats/no leg room/have to pay for water deal. The one hostess who let me have a cup of ice for free is my favorite person in the world. Once WOWair got me to Gatwick, I saw the Cooper Black and blazing orange of easyJet and instantly felt like I was back traveling Europe with Pattie in the first couple weeks of 2016.

Arriving in Edinburgh was simple enough, and when I headed to the trams to take me to the city center (you knew Dani had to live in the center, don't tell yourself otherwise) I got a little turned around not realizing how they operated... same thing happened with my last tram experience. Seems like I must really just struggle with that method of transit. While I was trying to figure it out, a sweet old man–-he must have been in his sixties, says, "Yew're goain' th'rong whey, sweetheart!" And he proceeded to direct me to the proper door. Not one to enjoy being found out that I don't know what I'm doing (who does?), it was a new experience to decide I truly loved a person simply because they corrected me. Scotland was already the best place I'd ever been.

With Waze as my companion, I walked from the tram stop on Princes Street to Dani's adorable flat, lovingly marked by a green door and snugged between a coffee shop (naturally) and a Mexican cantina (maybe not so naturally, but I'll take it). Up up up the stairs we go (5 points if you read that in an Andy Serkis rasp) and I finally arrived in her adorable and oddly spacious flat. I took some pictures later in the week that you can see below, but all I wanted to do right at that moment was take a hot shower and eat something, anything. After I didn't look like a monster, we settled on Asian tapas at Wagamama, a place that would drain my wallet every month if it existed in Nashville. We filled our bellies with spicy seafood and edemame, and headed a few steps down the road to Innis & Gunn Beer Kitchen, where we chatted with the friendly bartender about what sorts of things American girls want to do in Scotland, and how we probably weren't going to do much of that.

In the morning we began the hike to Arthur's Seat, hoping to make it to the top. But because we did not realize that so much mud would be present and I wasn't prepared with my city boots, we made it as far as St. Anthony's Chapel ruins, soaking in the spectacular view of the city. I was technically Dani's visitor guinea pig, so all future visitors now know: bring hiking boots. Also, it should be noted that we carried our to-go coffees from Coletti & Co for more than two miles and still were able to balance and take as many pictures as we wanted. Talent. Also Dani began the puddle-tapping trend that followed us for the rest of the week.

We walked the Royal Mile back to eat breakfast at Kilimanjaro Coffee, a place Dani had been very much looking forward to taking me. The bacon, brie and cranberry ciabatta was to die for (thank you Drip Columbia for ruining me for ever ordering anything else on a menu if something with brie and fruit and bread exists), and Dani ordered her usual: zucchini fritters with avocado and poached eggs. Because we are creatures of habit, our next stop was Machina Espresso, where we began the first of many "Dani has to read for class so we'll just stay here for a bit" moments. There was an adorable little creature behind me and I'm thankful I could pet him without his owner really seeing my facial expressions (crying), because missing my own pup had come with a vengeance. 

Sometimes I really love leaving the walking of a new city to my eyes only. In Edinburgh that was nigh impossible. Each new alleyway had something beautiful about it, be it the light, some abandoned bike or some shut up store front. The light was constantly changing from cool to warm with the amazing amount of fluffy clouds that non-normal Scotland weather was bringing us. This means that almost all of my shots are under- or overexposed in some way, but there was absolutely no way I could stop myself from documenting some of the lovely views inside Edi. I've been told that J.K. Rowling spent a load of her time writing the Harry Potter series in Edinburgh and that plenty of her inspiration for the look and feel of the setting was borne from it. I could see so many pieces and parts of frames from the movies that hit the city spot on. For example, Candlemaker Row is the real life inspiration for Diagon Alley, and (seen in a picture later) the café where Rowling liked to park and write is a huge draw for tourists, and even it has a whimsy about it that's hard to pinpoint. The bathrooms are COVERED in notes written on the wall thanking Rowling for her writing and her brain.

In the evening we headed to the Scotch Whiskey Experience. Lucky for us it was right next to the castle for some fun sunset sightseeing. We had a lot of fun here, and it all began with the Disney-esque ride in a "whiskey barrel car." Dani wouldn't quit humming the Haunted Mansion theme from Magic Kingdom, and it was oddly fitting due to the "ghost of a host" we had teaching us about the process of making Scotch whiskey at every turn of the tracks. Once that portion of the show was over, we filed into a viewing room where we watched a beautiful film about the five regions of Scotland and how the whiskey distilleries in those regions differ in taste and notes. We were offered a scratch-and-sniff card to help us learn about each region. Ingenious idea. We each selected a whiskey to taste at the end, learning what all the different factors of a whiskey taste say about the way it was distilled and what sort of cask it might have come from. We did this inside a vault containing the largest collection of Scotch whiskey in the world, funnily enough collected by a Brazilian. My limited knowledge of whiskey comes from my first job out of school while managing a volunteer team for GAWF, and I was informed (along with all the other semi-offended but mostly amused Americans) that we are too impatient and prefer bourbon to actual whiskey so we can drink it sooner. Am I surprised by this statement? No.


Definitely hungry, we stopped at Thai Orchid, a tiny little red-fronted restaurant. Ordering all the best: Massaman, larb, spring rolls and sticky rice, I got my fill of speaking with the ladies who were working and working up an appetite to spend the night exploring more of the city. We went to Panda & Sons, a sneaky dive bar hidden by a barbershop storefront  that feels like you're stepping into another world where animals talk and completely unnecessary garnishes and niceties make total sense. Sorta like Narnia. I don't remember what I ordered and I don't know if Dani does either, but I know that mine came with some chai incense just hanging out on it. And they serve popcorn. We also stopped for a little bit at Tonic, a pop-art-ish cocktail bar with super comfy leather booths and an atmosphere I can only describe as vibey. The bartenders here took a few pages out of Panda and Sons's book, the making of drinks was a spectacle to behold.

The following day found me exploring a little in the morning alone while Dani did some classwork. Per her recommendation, I headed to Lovecrumbs for breakfast, and like you do in any country that isn't the US, I had cake and espresso. The place was gorgeous and made me think of old books with quirky characters and farmhouse grandmas who make all their cakes from scratch. There was also a way to sit in the window, which I'm sure was a surprise for unsuspecting commuters outside to walk past what they believe to be a regular storefront display only to discover its moving occupants.

While in Boston the few days before Scotland, I had begun reading Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go at the public library, and, unable to put it down without severe regret, I headed down the street from Lovecrumbs that morning to a little used bookshop called Armchair Books to pick up my own copy. I've been to many bookstores, but my favorites are always the ones like this: shelves piled high with books to the ceiling, creating a hedge maze of information and an weirdly comforting sense of booklaustrophobia.

I swung back by Dani's flat to pick her up for lunch at Coro: The Chocolate Café, and after essentially submitting ourselves to a chocolate coma after their to-die-for crêpes, walked a little bit of that off as we ran in circles at the Cath Kidston store, unable to decide what to purchase. Dani then left me on my own while she headed to her class for the afternoon. She didn't leave me empty-handed, however, she decided to give me a list of coffee shops to visit. I definitely got lost searching for a few of them, but ended up happily visiting Artisan Roast and Cairngorm Coffee.

Cairngorm was a refreshing place, full of bright light bouncing off the white walls and those coffee cups you see in all the trendy shops. Artisan Roast had a college shop vibe, but no counter when I walked in so I just felt, well, intrusive? The barista proceeded to dig through a chest of different coffee beans when I asked what coffee they had brewing that day, so I settled on something Ethiopian on a whim since I wasn't used to having this choice. It ended up being a fantastic cup of coffee, and while I was there I met a charming Australian named Alex who was also studying in Edinburgh. 

Once Dani's class was finished, we furthered our Harry Potter themed trek around Edinburgh and ate dinner at Under the Stairs, a cozy and quirky restaurant that was, literally, under some stairs. In true fantastical fashion, we ordered a couple of pints (which we actually didn't expect to be pints, and I may or may not have sang the song from the Green Dragon...) of St. Mungo's beer, brewed in Glasgow.

Dani had done a little research before I arrived on Scottish cèilidhean, which are dances that could be the equivalent of American contra dances for Scotland. She'd been to a couple before but had told me that there was a cèilidh (pronouced kaylee) happening on the Tuesday of my trip. We were pretty excited about going, and my new friend Alex from Australia (who we affectionately nicknamed "Aussie Al") had mentioned he enjoyed them as well, so we planned to see him there and just generally enjoy our time figuring out some Scottish dance moves. Little did we know how popular of an event this cèilidh would be, and we showed up without tickets to a sold-out dance.

After the dance let out, we met up with Alex at Finnegan's Wake, where we impressed him (most likely not) with our knowledge of whiskey from our class the other night, and he showed us his favorite spot in town, Divino Enoteca, an Italian wine bar of such epic repute that my head was in a spin. I know nothing about wine, but when we walked down into the cellar like place, we partook in a wine tasting where I simply followed Dani and Aussie Al around the floor, nodding at their mentions of different tastes and acidities and thinking the whole time, this just tastes like fermented grapes. 

On our last day in Edi, the day I'd head to London, we began our morning at Pumpkin Brown, a place I recognized from all of the instagrams Dani has posted of their colorful açai bowls (here, here, here). I picked one aptly named the unicorn bowl, and it had more colors than I'm used to eating at one time when it's anything other than a cup full of sprinkles (I don't actually do that, ever). They had turmeric lattés, matcha lattés, and a wide assortment of organic and health foods, and the place itself was energizing and filled with lovely light (though that may have been the unreal sunny weather that would not stop following us around).

As the sun kept getting higher and my plane escape kept getting closer, we headed to Edinburgh Castle once more, this time we could actually see the castle and not be blinded by the sun or looking from afar (from most places in the city you can see the castle looming and gorgeous above everything else). We made the mandatory stop at Rowling's Elephant House, sitting at the table that looked over at the castle, probably where our dear author sat a bunch. I was regretting not scheduling my departing flight for weeks later when we realized that this lady is trying to get our attention to film us. The Today Show was just hanging out there in the café with us and they were filming portions of this spot on Scotland. We didn't actually make it on TV, but we were close!

My last stop before packing and getting on the tram was Mademoiselle Macaron, where all my memories of toting macarons away from the malls in Thailand came rushing back to me. I tried a few different ones and couldn't stop myself from eating them all while I waited for the tram for all of ten minutes. I have no self control when it comes to sweets, it's true.

Edinburgh you were so welcoming, I think if I had spent anymore time with you I could have called you home after just a week. Visiting my dear friend and seeing how she lived life in the shadow, and in the light, of such history and impressiveness was so much fun. Living in another culture changes you, I think mostly for the better, since you're merging your life with its life, you're learning to find yourself wherever you are, adapting to and enjoying a new idea of home. The artsy and quippy literary historian that Dani is is the perfect version of Edinburgh expatriate and I wouldn't mind becoming one of those myself.

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS

When I returned to the US last year, I made a little promise to myself that I would go visit more cities in my own country that I hadn't yet made it to. While I lived overseas people asked me which places in the states I'd visited and I always ended up saying I hadn't been to the places they asked about. Boston was a place I'd been wanting to go for a while, and I had the opportunity for a couple extended layovers there on my way to the UK.

While I wish I'd had more time there, I also wish I'd gone a little more towards the spring months, considering my camera stopped focusing because of the cold, and I ended up stopping at six different stores before I found a pair of gloves to protect my hands from the wind.

I booked a night at HI Hostel, which was as risky a decision as it was good. I was right by Chinatown, extremely close to Boston Common and really everything I had a mind to check out. I will say, however, that the first thing I saw when I walked in the hostel to check in was a man with no pants on. This being my first real experience in American hostels (besides Asheville's Sweet Peas, to which no hostel can come close), all I could do was laugh. Asian hostels differ greatly, and my suspicions of that fact were confirmed throughout the night. I met some lovely ladies who shared my bunk room, and I was up and out before the sun got too high and before I could see too many people, but those people saw me in my rawest, most embellish-less form and that doesn't even happen for my neighbors. 

One thing I try to do when I travel is see the city as a local. Some close friends of mine connected me with Zak, who was just about the best version of a local I could have asked to meet. Zak has been in Boston for about a year as a dentist, learning the ins and outs of getting around and getting the most (or the best) out of a few things the city has to offer. Due to his expert directions, my first experiences with Boston's public transit (affectionately named the "T") were uneventful and full of seamless transfers. We met up my first morning (at Thinking Cup) in town to chat about where I should go, and I'm also thankful we seem to be at least 80% the same type of person, so when he suggested I spend the majority of my day in the library and walking streets full of brownstones, that's exactly what happened and I have zero regrets.

Like I mentioned, I spent a little time wandering around. I passed through Boston Common with it's gumdrop trees and this is when I first noticed my camera starting to act up. I found that I could take a few pictures every few minutes if I put my camera inside my coat after every couple snaps. Hence the lack of pictures for the entire five days I spent in Boston. Every single day was 8 degrees and no I am not exaggerating.

Boston's Public Library was stunning to say the least. Inside, outside, all of it. I spent at least two hours wandering and learning about the history/goings on before I finally sat down in the more modern portion and found a book to start. I ended up reading the first four chapters and then in Edinburgh (my next stop) I found the book (Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go) at a used bookstore and read the rest of it while I traveled, finishing it in Boston on the way home.

I got back on the T without any directions and then followed a man who'd obviously traveled through time to a part of town a little bit away to visit the Public Market where I was introduced, well––forced, to try apple cider donuts. I wasn't expecting much, but I'm obviously hooked. If you've ever tried them, you understand. Red Apple Farm's booth was right at the front of the market, so I didn't waste much time getting a few donuts (they're mini, okay!) and wandering the rest of the vendors and shops.

Besides finding a local guide, the other thing I consider a must in every city I visit, is to find a good Thai place. Usually this involves recommendations, but since I didn't know many folks who frequented Boston, I went to my backup plan: Google. Or, looking at the storefronts of Thai restaurants on Google Maps and deciding which look more hole-in-the-wall (and therefore delicious) than others.

I settled on Rod-Dee 2 Thai Cuisine in Fenway. The girls who ran the place were from Chaing Mai and it was so fun seeing the mashup Thai vibe the place had. I also had the best bowl of Khao Soi I've had in the western hemisphere, so I'd say it was a winner.

So I basically got on my flight to the UK immediately after that Thai food and a quick target run (a two-story Target, I might add, that had a very European air to it). Since my first little layover had for sure whet my appetite for Boston (read: apple cider donuts), I was happy for a full weekend to see the rest. Be warned, I took about four pictures of this portion of the trip because my camera lens kept sticking just like it had the time before, but also because I was having such a dang good time that taking pictures didn't really matter? I don't know that I've ever said that. 

Upon arrival, I got to my Airbnb, which ended up being in a sort of boarding house in the heart of Cambridge. Honestly it was me and a bunch of Korean tourists, which was super fun, and I met some sweet gals around the place and laughed a little at the noodles that were set out for breakfast beside oatmeal and Special K.

Zak and I reconvened at Harpoon Brewery, which was a slippery obstacle course to get to considering the plentiful snow falling from the sky (insert rolling eyes emoji). We ordered pretzels and a couple drinks before heading to Little Italy in the North End. We ate a delicious dinner and at Panza, where I ordered the butternut squash ravioli. Google labels Panza as a "snug eatery with Italian specialties." There is no better description, especially snug, the place was so cute and felt like a world of its own. Dinner was followed by cannolis at Mike's Pastry, apparently a Boston tradition. I'd never had a cannoli, so it was quite the experience as Mike's pastries are not small. Just go prepared to look like you're stuffing your face no matter what. It's practically unavoidable.

After experiencing some more snow on my walk home from the T, I slept in for the first time since I'd left for this trip and it was absolutely glorious. I'm convinced that the sun is three times brighter when it snows, and there was no exception when I was blinded by the white blanket of ice on everything when I left my little room late that morning.

While doing some research for this trip (read: looking for good coffee shops to visit) I read a review for Loyal Nine calling it "reminiscent of the open-air coffee shops in Chiang Mai." If you know me at all, you know that after reading that, there isn't a force in this world that could hace kept me from visiting that shop. It did not disappoint, and I knocked out several chapters in the book I'd bought in Edinburgh. It was the perfect peaceful morning, and afterwards the day was filled with getting lost at the MFA with Zak and maybe once or twice poking fun at a few of the exhibits but mostly enjoying them. 

For lunch we hit up Beantown Pub, which I learned is the only place you can "have a cold Sam Adams while looking at a cold Sam Adams." Fun fact: the pub is located on the Freedom Trail across the street from Sam Adams grave. Although I deemed it too cold to walk the trail in its entirety, Zak showed me a couple of his favorite spots, including the Boston Athenæum, an independent library founded in 1807. The library has a pretty sizable portion of George Washington's personal library, some busts of some very important people, and also a few South Carolina books of an incredibly specific nature. 

As any proper Gilmore girl would, I had to see Harvard University in all it's snowy glory. We wandered around Harvard Yard and the surrounding areas and visiting the King Bhumibol Adulyadej Square per my nagging. As any pair of nerds might, we wasted time by browsing the Harvard Bookstore. I'd imagined that I'd feel overwhelmed by Harvard, thought I'd be so aware of my lack of smarts, but I actually felt like I got smarter by visiting. Only time will tell if it had any effect. I could also just have been incredibly jet lagged, and honestly that's more likely, because I'm pretty sure I hit the most solid wall there ever was right after our stop for coffee just off campus.

While taking the T that evening, we ran into "Keytar Bear" a local musician haunting the underground. True local flavor, here. And in true me fashion, I later found butternut squash soup at a local shop and just took it home and ate it in bed while I stared at my suitcase not wanting to leave.

Because you never leave a place without brunch, we chose Worden Hall (the brunch spot of my dreams) to close out the weekend. I ate another cider donut (as if I hadn't had enough) and an omelette the size of my head while I booked last minute flights to South Carolina and gushed over how much I would love Boston if the weather were just ten degrees warmer.

Moral of the story: take gloves to New England in the winter.

DENVER + BOULDER + FORT COLLINS, COLORADO

I am a very lucky person. Why, you ask? Because two people I love very much married one another and moved to a place that I've never been but always wanted to visit. Sam and Tyler moved to Denver last May, and in January I figured they'd surely have explored enough to have a visitor. Sure enough, visiting them was an adventure full of city views I wasn't used to, mountains I could have never fathomed, and bucket list items. Also beer-tasting. And food halls. And a giant German Shepherd.

I flew to Colorado via Frontier Airlines, and with as many complaints as I saw online, I was impressed. Though, being used to Asian airlines, the lack of space wasn't annoying. I guess it just made it more natural to chat with my seat buddies, who ended up giving me a million recommendations and gushing about their recent vacation in Nashville.

When I arrived in Denver, Sam met me at the airport (surprised me at baggage claim, actually!) and took me to her and Tyler's charming townhouse in Aurora. I met Mosby (scroll down for more cute pictures of this creature), and after being lazy for maybe a little bit too long, we headed to Avanti F&B for some of the most delicious sushi and local beer I've ever tasted. Bamboo Sushi, you will see me again.

In the morning, Sam and I slept in before dragging ourselves up to go to Black Eye Coffee for brunch. The Cap Hill location absolutely screamed Gatsby, something modern and lovely in every corner. Sam ordered the breakfast sandwich and I tried shakshuka for the first time and fell deeply in love. Think breakfast chili meets baked eggs.

After we left with our bellies full, Sam and I headed to Union Station where we poked around for a bit to waste time until her meeting. While she met, I walked over to visit the Artifact Uprising offices. AU is a printing company I've used for several years now, producing some of the highest quality work I've ever seen. It was so fun to chat with them about the importance of the tangible and to see the sleek offices they call home.

I meandered around the area and found myself back at Union Station, where I met Sam before heading back to her house for a break. That night we went to Denver Central Market for dinner, selecting a super fancy pizza to chow down on. The team who made our pizza accidentally left the walnuts on it, but after realizing, offered to make us a new pizza and gave us a choice of a drink, too. Thanks for taking care of us, Vero. Also, the goat cheese, arugula and fig pizza was to die for.

After dinner we headed to another food hall called The Source, where we tried a sours bar called Crooked Stave. I've only recently become a fan of sours, and being able to try several at a time was a fun experience. They're not everyone's glass of beer, but the atmosphere of the place was industrial and open and a few of the options were less tart than your average sour. 

On the third day of my trip, Tyler had made it home from a trip to build fences out in rural Colorado, so we made a day of it and headed to Boulder. I'd been told by several to go check out the little town, and none of the views disappointed. This place is gorgeous. I met up with one of my favorite adventure and lifestyle bloggers, Erin, and we talked about everything from travel to doubt to faith to next steps.

Per Erin's recommendation, we headed to Avery Brewing to check out another brewery and grab some dinner. It seems to me (especially in Colorado) that breweries always have the best food and the vegetarian tacos I ordered didn't change that opinion.

The following day Tyler went to build another fence, so his sister–who lives in CO Springs, joined us for a trip to Fort Collins and Red Rocks Amphitheatre. I'd never really heard of Red Rocks until I began working at the Half and Half and began shipping and numbering prints with beautiful illustrations of the park. I swore one day I'd see it, for something musical or not. Seeing it just to see it only made me want to attend a show here that much more.

One of my favorite things from the entire trip was our visit to New Belgium Brewing in Fort Collins. It was jam packed, but we were able to try so many different brews, including one (1554 Black Lager) that I haven't seen outside Colorado, and unfortunately made it to my top list. There were about 35 dogs hanging out, and with food trucks and dollar tasters, it was hard to leave.

Someone once said that Main Street, U.S.A. in Disney World is loosely based off the main drag in Fort Collins. I didn't get many pictures of it, but it's cuteness overwhelmed me. Even more overwhelming, might be the Asia vibe I got from the Jessup Farm Artisan Village. Little eating-drinking-shopping villages pop up all over the place in Thailand especially, and there are even some in Nashville now. We dropped in on a few of the shops and had our final cap to the evening at the Farmhouse, where I tried a delicious chai mule and we celebrated Tasha's birthday with a fancy way-too-small dessert.

Well, Colorado. You're the farthest west I've ever been, and you're the most mountainy I've ever seen. There's a lot of you I didn't get to, but you've whetted my appetite for mountains in the middle of the country instead of the little buddies we call the Blue Ridges. Hopefully I'll see you again soon...