The weather in Scotland hasn’t exactly been consistently spring-like and any trace of sunshine and warmth has been like gold dust. So when the sun did begin to shine last weekend, Chris and I jumped at the chance to enjoy it as much as possible. We hopped over to Waverly and took the train to North Berwick, a seaside town just under an hour away from Edinburgh. I’d been to North Berwick once last year during my data collection, but I’d never really had a chance to explore. We immediately made our way down High Street and followed the sounds of the waves until we reached the shore. We walked along the coast, digging our shoes into the sand and admiring the bravery of all the children in swimming costumes chasing the waves. Let’s be honest, it was sunny and lovely but it certainly wasn’t hot. Those kids are clearly heartier than we will ever be. As we walked along the sand and looked for crabs among the rocks we chatted about the upcoming summers and all the summers already past. As a result of me spending the summer months in Ireland, Chris and I have very different summer memories. To him it meant camping and barbecues and bonfires, while to me it meant fish and chips, the sea, and 99’s with my dad. It was fun to exchange stories and to see the bemused look on Chris’ face as I described my seaside picnics with sandy sandwiches and frozen toes. Summer in Edmonton is a tad hotter than the British Isles. We made our way to the dock and parked ourselves at one of the sunny tables by the Lobster Shack. We polished off shrimp and crab cocktail smothered in Mary Rose sauce, along with a massive order of salty fish and vinegary chips. Once completely stuffed with the taste of the ocean, we continued past the lighthouse and onto the rocky water’s edge. We braced ourselves against the wind, again this is Scotland we are talking about, and we admired the misty view of Bass Rock. We walked back along the beach, dodging sandcastles and scampering dogs, and picked up some ice cream to complete our seaside experience. We inhaled as much of the sea air as possible and made our way back to the train station to await our ride home. We were only out for a few hours but we felt enlivened and galvanized, refreshed by the salty air and sounds of the sea.
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April 2019
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