Sunday morning the LIS group gathered in the courtyard of King's College to make our way to the train that would carry us to Edinburgh, Scotland. The five-hour train ride went off without a hitch and we arrived in Edinburgh about 2:30pm. With two other groups travelling with us, a coach was hired to take the students and faculty to Dalkeith where we were to stay in an 300 year old estate, about thirty minutes from Edinburgh. for the four days of our trip. Once the coach entered the grounds of Dalkeith Castle, I was in awe and bursting with excitement. It was unreal to me that I would get to spend four days in such a place. It was quite fantastic.
The estate is used by Wisconsin University throughout the year as a study program for students. The staff of Wisconsin in Scotland, as it is referred, greeted us with warm smiles and helping hands, directing us to our assigned rooms. I was in room 203, three flights up, and bunked with Jen, Jessica, and Lauren. It was a good sized room with six beds, dressers, armours, a table, and a walk-in closet. It was great! I loved that room. One downside to the accommodations was having to share the bathroom with those on the third floor. I didn't mind it that much, but, understandably, a lot of other students did not like it.
Once we were settled in our rooms, we met in the dinning room for an introduction from the staff. After that, we split off into three groups of twenty for a tour of the estate. The interior of the house was just as exquisite as the outside and surrounding grounds. Improvements are being done to the outside of the estate, but even with the scaffolding around the entire house, it was easy to see the beauty of the building (The photo above of the estate was taken before the work began).
Upon entering the front door, you come into the Center Room. To the right of the Center Room is the library, computer lab, and stairs to the bedrooms. To the left of the Center Room is the Marble Hall. Adorned with solid marble tables and a statue of the Duke of Wellington, the Marble Hall leads to the dining Hall and Servery. The tartan stairs lead to the first floor ballroom and living quarters.
The estate was equipped with a weight room, laundry rooms, game room with ping-pong and pool table, a movie room, dining room, ballroom, kitchen, library, and computer lab. Every door leads to more than one room, the maize like halls lead you to places other than where you intended, and stories of souls long past linger in the halls of Dalkeith Palace.
Upon entering the front door, you come into the Center Room. To the right of the Center Room is the library, computer lab, and stairs to the bedrooms. To the left of the Center Room is the Marble Hall. Adorned with solid marble tables and a statue of the Duke of Wellington, the Marble Hall leads to the dining Hall and Servery. The tartan stairs lead to the first floor ballroom and living quarters.
The estate was equipped with a weight room, laundry rooms, game room with ping-pong and pool table, a movie room, dining room, ballroom, kitchen, library, and computer lab. Every door leads to more than one room, the maize like halls lead you to places other than where you intended, and stories of souls long past linger in the halls of Dalkeith Palace. Staying in the castle was my favorite part of our trip to Scotland. That experience alone will stay with me for a lifetime to come.
Until next time.
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