Scotland

For this fourth and probably last article, I'm going to talk to you about the wonderful Scottish landscapes I discovered this year thanks to my studies. In fact, after my two-year diploma, I have decided to study for a Bachelor's degree at the University of West of Scotland. So I am a Glasgow resident since September now. 

Glasgow is a big student city full of tall buildings, shops and nightclubs. But it’s also a city with many parks and museums, mostly free. Most of the time, the city is always lively and the Scottish people are friendly. Concerning lifestyle habits, they are very different from those in France. Scottish people eat very early and start partying very early too. About their eating habits, they are also quite different. I can say today that living without bread and cheese is very difficult in the long run. 

If you move a little further away from Glasgow, the landscape can quickly become breathtaking. I had the chance to visit the isle of Bute and the isle of Arran which I really loved. To do this, we took the train to the seaside and then we took the ferry. Luckily, transportation are very well organised in Scotland although they are a bit expensive. This excursion allowed us to discover unusual landscapes with an air of mysticism. I think the island of Arran from where the pictures were taken will remain my favorite one.

During the beginning of this semester, I also visited the city of Edinburgh, where I spent a night. It's a very pretty city that easily competes with Glasgow. The streets look very authentic in the old town and can also be very modern in the new town. For our part, we walked to the top of Arthur's seat hill to enjoy the view of the city from above. It's really great to get a breath of fresh air in the middle of a city. Edinburgh is full of history and as Glasgow counts many museums. I highly recommend the National Museum of Scotland which is huge and covers a lot of varied and interesting topics. 

At the end of November, I went back to Edinburgh a second time to visit the Christmas market. It was one of the most beautiful Christmas markets I've ever been to. There were lots of small stands that extended into a park in the center, with also lots of activities. 

With the beginning of the year 2020, I have continued my travels throughout the United Kingdom. The school system is different in Scotland and we have fewer hours of classes than in France which leaves us more time to travel. Thanks to that, I was able to visit London, Manchester and Liverpool but also many of Scotland's lakes such as Loch Lomond and Loch Ness. So I have no regrets about going abroad to study, and if you ever have the opportunity, I only have one thing to say, do it!