Hetal Chirag
During our final exams of mechanical engineering at McMaster University, Canada, we decided to go on a month long Euro-trip covering Switzerland, Spain, France, Italy, Netherlands, Scotland and Germany. I still remember planning the trip at 2 am while taking breaks from studying and searching for hostels and rental cars.
When I look back and think about how much fun we had in Europe, I am so glad I decided to go on that trip before starting the next chapter of my life. I urge all students to save some money during their college lives and explore the world. Travelling with a free state of mind during your student life can be a life changing experience. I don’t remember how many straight A’s I got in college, but I can never forget the crazy things we did in Europe.
When we were travelling through Scotland, we visited the iconic Edinburgh Castle in the Scottish Capital. If you love history and architecture, you are definitely in for a treat. Since this fortress is built on top of an extinct volcano, its geographic location made it one of the best defended castles in history.
Over the course of more than 900 years, this castle has been a key part of the rich Scottish history. Did you know that the Edinburgh Castle was the residence of the royals till the 16th Century? Afterwards it was used as a military barrack and military base till 1920s. After 1930, it was opened for tourists and since then it has been a famous tourist attraction of Scotland. You have to plan your day carefully when you are inside the Edinburgh Castle since there is just so much to see. If you want to avoid long line ups at the entrance, try to start early.
There is a gigantic 15th-century siege gun inside the castle that can blast a 150 kg gunshot for over 3 kilometres. Besides historic military equipment, there is also a display of old prisons in the castles dungeons that highlight how prisoners of war used to live inside the castle. The castle also offers a breath-taking “bird’s eye view” of the city of Edinburg.
