The Adventures of Karen & Annie: Scotland Edition

Over three years ago, I went to a Saturday morning breakfast with a group of people I would spend the summer working with at camp. That day I met a quiet girl named Karen who was in her freshman year at Grove City - little did I know she would become one of my best friends.

On Thanksgiving day, Karen boarded a plane and flew to Edinburgh to spend a few days with me. Being the incredible friend she is, her goal wasn't to see as much of the city as possible, but to spend as much quality time with me as possible.

Friday morning, I took a bus to the airport and met Karen as she got off her plane. As we rode the bus back toward the city, Karen looked around at the green hills and said, "Hey, this looks just like Pennsylvania."

Unfortunately, I had classes on Friday, which I would have skipped (sorry Mom & Dad) if they weren't my last official classes of the trimester. Karen did come right in the middle of when my final assessments are due, but I worked ahead so I wouldn't have to worry about it while she was here. While I was creating a storyline for a satirical comic book set in Brad Pitt's house for a class exercise, Karen wandered around the city and saw the Castle and the Royal Mile. She met up with me back at campus when my last class ended at five, and we got dinner at Nandos (reported to be Tom Holland's favorite restaurant. Sadly he was not there).

After a quick stop for snacks, we headed back to my flat and watched What a Girl Wants, a classic early 2000s chick flick with Colin Firth and Amanda Bynes playing father and daughter. Also, Karen agrees that UK Netflix is objectively better than US Netflix.

We slept in Saturday morning and got lunch at Piecebox, my favorite little cafe. We stayed there for several hours, enjoying baked goat cheese salad, prawn-stuffed avocados, and tea. The afternoon was spent walking through charity shops, where we found sweaters and earrings and a nice boxed set of the Lord of the Rings books (only six pounds!!). It seemed as good a night as any to go see a movie, so we headed to Fountain Park and got dinner in Frankie & Benny's, which serves New York Italian food. Two of my friends from Uni were studying in a nearby Starbucks, so they joined us for dinner, and I had so much fun introducing my old friend to my new friends!

The movie we saw was Knives Out and it was SO good! It's a murder mystery, essentially like a game of Clue, but with a bunch of twists. Everyone I know who has seen it has loved it. Also Chris Evans is in it, and you can't go wrong with Chris Evans.

Sunday was our big day. Karen and I hiked up Arthur's Seat, Edinburgh's inactive volcano and best vantage point, to watch the sunset. I couldn't find the path I took with my parents, so we made up our own and freestyle hiked up a random side. The top of Arthur's Seat is always windy, but it was especially cold. We were freezing. But it was absolutely worth it - the view was as beautiful as ever, and the sunset was incredible. The sky all around it was painted in perfect pastels, pink and orange and purple. Once the sun disappeared, we started hiking back down while it was still light.

This turned out to be the right move. Because we were so high up and because there was some frost on the ground, the path back down was super slippery. I fell multiple times. So did the guy walking in front of us. The only person who wasn't concerned was a man who literally bounded past us, jumping in big, long steps, before sliding to a stop next to a friend. Meanwhile, I ended up sliding on my butt because I was so nervous about falling. Karen was endlessly patient with me while I whined about how slippery it was, and our reflexes were fine-tuned by the time we made it down.

From there we went straight to the Christmas Market to meet my friend Pim from Uni. The three of us wandered from booth to booth, eating Bratwurst and waffles and crepes. It was as bright and exciting and packed as ever, and we had a great time chatting and browsing.

Karen and I retreated to the warmth of my flat to watch more movies, and were treated to one of the harsh realities of living in University housing: the fire alarm going off. I like to forget I still live at Uni, but the fire drills and the lack of candles always reminds me.

Monday was our last full day. We went to Montpeliers for lunch and chocolate cake, and then walked down Princes Street to do some window shopping. Dinner was at a classic pub called the Auld Hundred, where Karen had fish & chips and we watched some live music.

This morning we woke up at 5am and I walked Karen to the bus stop to say goodbye. We've had a lot of great adventures over the years: working at camp together, driving to New York for a hot air balloon festival (the weather was terrible and we didn't see a single hot air balloon), going to each other's family-only graduation parties, and of course, getting meals at Eat N Park. I'm so thrilled we got to add Edinburgh to the list!

While we did get to see and do some pretty cool stuff, and by the end of her trip Karen felt totally at ease in the city, the trip was primarily about spending time with each other. The fact that we were in a foreign country was just icing on the cake. These are my favorite kinds of trips: the ones where you take a break from a packed itinerary to just breathe and catch up.

So here's to my pal Karen: may we always sing Hamilton, roast and then compliment each other in the same breath, and drink tea together. Until next time!

Book recommendation: The Lipstick Gospel by Stephanie May Wilson. SMW is our favorite Christian blogger/podcaster, and this book is the story of how God captured her heart. Her ministry is mainly aimed at women, and she speaks with so much wisdom and love; Karen and I absolutely love her. SMW talks a lot about the importance of good friendships, and how she has a group of friends she calls her Pocket People - friends who are always available to talk and laugh and cry and give advice with her, who she can keep in her pocket (via her phone) for whenever she needs them. Karen, my sister Eliza, our friend Quincy and I are each other's Pocket People, and we are bonded by our love of God, Pine Springs Camp, and Stephanie May Wilson. Her podcast, "Girls' Night", is also worth listening to!