Spellbound!
Boo! And it really is spooky season here, because we've been fighting for our lives against Storm Boleo this past weekend. In the time-honored tradition of not turning the heat on until November, I'm bundled in at least two blankets at any given moment. Despite the rain and the wind and pervasive chill, there's still been of adventures this autumn.
Last year, I spent most of October feverishly reading and writing. I had only been in Scotland for a handful of weeks, and I was still settling in to the city and to the school. A year later, I'm feeling particularly grateful to have time to really enjoy the season out and about in Edinburgh. There are so many hidden gems here, and it's been such fun discovering them :)
Prettiest Pumpkin in the Patch
Perhaps the most classic autumn activity: going to a local pumpkin patch! Many of my non-Midwestern friends were confused about how determined I was to get out to local Craigies Farm, but if you know you know. It's not fall without a corn maze, fresh apple cider, and a hand-picked pumpkin (or the matching jack-o-lantern earrings!).
Craigies was, as expected, absolutely adorable. It's about a half hour from the city center, very close to the airport, with those wide open skies I've come to miss. While there was a lot of deja vu as I walked through their cornstalk welcome tunnel (Stuckey Farms I miss you), that was quickly overshadowed by plain, pure fun. Maybe it's because I grew up going to pumpkin patches, but something about them just unlocks your inner child. Who doesn't love stumbling across the witches' house in the haunted maze or making your own sparkly potion??? I was also a huge fan of the marshmallow toasting stations because duh, few things are as lovely as a gooey, golden marshmallow on a crisp autumn evening.
walkway into Craigies the Witches' House! potion making! Elle & I in the pumpkin patch chilling with the skeleton! pumpkin patch swing!
Although, on the subject of growing up going to things like this: as we went through the different activities at the pumpkin patch, I was really surprised at how Instagram-ready everything was. There were at least ten different photo spots—a giant light-up sign, a harvest swing, photo cutouts, etc.—and there was a distinct aesthetic woven in across the farm. On one hand, yes, I absolutely took a gazillion photos with my pumpkin and my friends; on the other hand, I kind of hated the feeling that I was so conscious of trying to get a good picture, knowing that I would be posting it here or on my own social media. It creates a completely different atmosphere for the pumpkin patch experience as a whole. For contrast, take this photo of Ava and I at Stuckey Farms circa 2010 (my best guess based on A. the lack of braces and B. the length of hair):
This is one of my favorite photos of us as kids because it's so classically Little Kid Candid—that is to say, it captures a moment of genuine play, not a moment of posing, if that makes sense. All these years later, I can still remember how obsessed everybody was with milking the wooden cows, and I love that this is photo captures us in the moment. It wouldn't be the same if we were just stood in front of it, you know? Craigies put a lot of care into crafting their pumpkin patch aesthetic, and they did a fantastic job. It's an absolutely adorable outing for families and twenty-somethings and everyone in between...I just found myself wondering how present the kiddos who were roaming Craigies during my visit felt they could be. Maybe I'm reading too much into everything, maybe I'm still reassessing the presence of social media in my life after watching The Social Reckoning last week...Regardless, I had loads of fun and wouldn't hesitate to recommend the experience to a friend. Anytime I get to listen to live music, toast marshmallows, and roam about a farm with the perfect pumpkin, I'm pretty much having a fantastic time :)
Getting in the Spirits
So helpful to have friends in gold places! Elle worked as an Au Vodka bartender for the Edinburgh Cocktail Week this year, which meant I had a built-in tour guide for the Cocktail Village. We spent the better part of a Wednesday afternoon (and then a Friday evening) chatting away under the tent, listening to live music and enjoying our glittery Au cocktails. And, as promised in my last post, our fake celebrity sighting:
For reasons unknown, Dwayne Johnson's tequila brand had a booth at the Village! It was one of those things that isn't really all that funny, but you can't help but giggle when standing next to the cardboard cutout. Of course, we're all left wondering if this is truly to scale or not...
If the Wednesday Village visit was more of a chat-and-sip, Friday night's was festival version. There were good DJ sets and questionable DJ sets and photo booths and people dressed in costumes that did not hold up well in the wind and the rain, but still a very fun time. Plus, you know, free merch from Au! Go for the Gold!
Friday Night @ the Cocktail Village Au Shimmer Cocktails Elle & I in the photo booth :)
From Rosslyn, With Love
It wouldn't be autumn without a trip to my favorite village near Edinburgh :) I've written about Rosslyn many times before, but it's just magical. I adore it, truly, and I always encounter a sense of peace when I'm walking around the Glen or sitting in the Chapel. It's impossible for me to pick a singular favorite place in Edinburgh, but Rosslyn is a serious contender.
For this visit, I ended up rotating into the Chapel at the same time as two large tour buses full of vacationing seniors, so I spent less time inside than I had originally planned. Instead, I grabbed a takeaway panini from the café and hiked around the Glen. Previously, I'd stayed pretty close to the castle ruins when exploring, but this time I took a winding trail up and around the grounds and stumbled across this lovely clearing covered in autumn leaves. I had an impromptu picnic against the tree and listened to the ambience. It was the most relaxed I've been in ages, just totally at peace with my surroundings, reading my book and hearing the wind whistle through the leaves. I do think I startled a few hikers who crossed through the clearing and were not expecting to see a twenty-something girl sitting under the tree like a Halloween ghost, but hazard of the adventure!
hiking in Roslin Glen Rosslyn Chapel my picnic clearing!
Wrapped up my Rosslyn outing with a classic small village interaction, chatting with a local grandmother at the bus stop. I meet the best characters in these outer towns, and Norma let me know all about her upcoming trip to Belfast and how her daughter (who lives next door) has planned this whole vacation so Norma doesn't get lonely when her daughter's family goes on holiday to Germany at the same time. Shout out Norma, I hope you enjoyed Giant's Causeway.
And that's most of October wrapped up! No spoilers for my Halloween costume this year, except to say I'm confident the faithful will get the reference ;)
November may very well be the busiest month yet. I've got four visitors scheduled, not to mention some rather exciting life events...doing everything I can to stay busy and let those banner days creep up on me!
That's me done for now. Happy Halloween!
cheesing at Craigies! at the pumpkin patch! exploring Roslin Glen
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