CASTLE CONNECTIONS
📍Vennel View Point, Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
I have decided at some point in my life I will live in this stunning city. I don’t know when or how but I will. It has been written into the fiber of my being. Not only from my ancestry but also from my personal experience. I truly believe seeing the Edinbrugh Castle from this view is – along with other things – an eye opening experience. Edinbrugh is known for many things, one of which being it’s historic charm. The people, the place and the culture make it, in my opinion a least, one of the greatest places in the world.
Many people have their things they struggle with. Personally, I have a little devil on my shoulder who tells me all the things someone wouldn’t want to hear. When I stepped foot off the train I took a in deep breath of the Scottish air and instantly that voice was snuffed out like a candle flame. I kept remarking to my mother through out the duration of our two weeks there how clear my head was. How I could finally think freely. My creativity and happiness soared. I have only ever felt that in two places in the world – Edinbrugh, Scotland and Boston, Massachusetts.
I don’t regret for a second this hike up to the Vennel View Point. Yes, the stairs are intense both down into the center from the castle and then back up to the top of the steps. However, photos cannot possibly do this spot justice. When you’re there everything is out of proportion. Suddenly you feel as though you could touch the castle from the top step. You’re instantly transported to a whole other world, one where fairy tales and dragons exist. Who knows . . . maybe you’ll see a bean stalk start to grow.
TRAVEL TIP 💡
To make sure you get the best photo from this stunning spot I recommend going around 3pm. Locals and toursists are usually having lunch so you’ll be able to get a photo relatively free of too many people. Make sure you prioritize this spot on your travel list as it is truly iconic! To get a photo like this have your buddy – or tripod, if you’re venturing alone – up on the top step and zoomed in on the background then you jump into the bottom of the frame. This will make the castle the focal point with you right there along side it!
Every now and then when I go back to this photo I’m hit with this realization that I can’t imagine what it must have been like for my ancestor to leave this stunning country. I know a lot of folks – especially Americans – can’t ever imagine leaving this place. What I try to think about is how bad would their conditions have had to have been for the only option be to leave everything they know to start over. If I stop to think about it for too long I almost being to have an existential crisis when I think about how we know absolutely nothing about my Great, Great Grandfather who left Scotland. All we have to tie us back to him is our DNA. What must his life have been like for him to chose to remove himself from our history. A part of me is frustrated, I want to know as much as I can about our family lineage as I can but the other, more adult side of me recognizes the gravity of a choice like that and how it must not have been taken lightly. Maybe one day I’ll be able to trace our history but for now, at least I know theres a small part of me tied back to the place that changed me forever.
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The Cat's Curiosity 
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