God didn’t build anything like Arthur’s Seat in Louisiana. I learned this geographic lesson and got an advanced session on Scottish hiking culture as I lumbered up Holyrood Park’s best known “hill” during my time with Southern Miss’ British Studies Program. I use quotation marks because I think I need to file some sort of official motion with whoever determines what is designated a hill and what classifies as a near-insurmountable-mountain. I am told the 823-foot “seat”, which is about 300 feet higher than the highest point in my home state, is but a hill. Over the summer, my lungs insisted that Arthur’s Seat sat atop a mountain. My geographical quibbles aside, I was struck by the fact that not only do the folks of Edinburgh not seem to mind how high this particular summit is, they are awfully keen on walking up the hill with regularity. At one point, as I sat trying to convince my heart that inside the chest is more fashionable, I was greeted by a pair of college-aged Scots who paused on their descent, lungs full of oxygen and eyes full of joy, to ask “Taking a break?!” I was too tired to put up a masculine front and admitted I was from a flat place in the States. We shared a laugh and upward I walked. When a man and his wife, who couldn’t have been younger than 70, passed me with a wave, I assumed their smiles hid their judgment. But credit to the good people of Edinburgh, who have to get tired of dodging visitors. Everyone I met was kind, even encouraging, to the incline-challenged. As I neared the peak of Arthur’s seat, a middle-aged fellow and his dog passed going the opposite direction. The gentlemen, in a baritone so pure as to make all of Edinburgh proud, boomed “Almost there, lad!” as his dog wagged its tail and stopped long enough for me to scratch its ears. I am glad I got that last confidence boost. Had I not kept climbing, I’d have returned from my study abroad having not experienced the breath-taking beauty that only Arthur’s Seat affords.
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EuropeFind stories from students who studied abroad in Europe. These locations range from England, France to Spain.
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