As much as I enjoy the idea of traveling with my friends, sometimes you just need to take a break from that and have some precious time alone. No, I’m not talking about locking yourself in a room for hours on end while lighting scented candles and listening to Boys II Men. I’m talking about doing some Ponce de Leon-type exploring, taking on a travel destination and flying solo the entire time.
Two days ago I had my best companion-less journey in my twenty three years of life on this earth. As my friends from Germany and France were boarding a train to Glasgow, I was heading the opposite direction. Destination: Stirling.
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| The National Wallace Monument |
I’ll tell you why, because that day behind a wall of white fog stood the work of giants. It appeared to be the spear of a God sticking out of the Earth; the monument of William Wallace. To be brief, Wallace was one of Scotland’s greatest freedom fighters. Most historical figures never fill the shoes of their supposed legends, but standing well over 6ft tall (At a time when the average man was less than 5’ 8”) and wielding a sword bigger than me, Wallace came pretty darn close. Not only was he physically intimidating, he was a baller when it came to military tactics. Standing in the midst of his tower, I couldn’t help but feel powerful as if his ghost was looming above me.
After taking in a final view of the breathtaking Highlands, I scampered back down the hill towards town. Meanwhile, I started a podcast The Battle of Stirling Bridge narrated by Neil Oliver. In short, Neil Oliver is a Scottish historian and one of the best story tellers since Homer. I have to admit, I do have videos of myself trying to impersonate him at the fields of Bannockburn. It’s a fun accent so I couldn’t help myself. As I walked and listened, I realized there was nobody around me. It was two days after New Year’s Day and there were no tourists in sight. It was like a gift sent down from travel heaven. For a few moments I was standing on a hill between Stirling Bridge and the castle overlooking the battlefield. You couldn’t ask for a better view, and as Neil was finishing up his story of how Braveheart led the outnumbered Scots to victory over the English, I could hear the soldiers cheers in the distance, “Wallace!...Wallace!...Wallace!”
All this walking around called for a high dosage of Scottish cuisine A.S.A.P. I had read about a place called the Corn Exchange and was still looking for my chance to try the famous dish of Haggis. I walked into the place and was immediately impressed. They had a dance floor upstairs and a restaurant downstairs with bars on both floors. It definitely looked like a place where party seeking students tear it up every weekend. So, I ordered a shot of whiskey to warm up and asked the waiter for his Haggis bread bowl special. For those of you who don’t know what Haggis is, it’s a blend of sheep liver, heart and lung, simmered in stomach and mixed with oats among other spices. Now stop, before you go lose your lunch in the trash can, let me assure you that this national delight is one of the most savory dishes I have ever tasted. I didn’t just eat it, I inhaled it. Eating that along with peas and mashed potatoes had me feeling like I could charge the fields of Bannockburn brandishing my two-handed broadsword, hacking at anything, or anyone, that got in my way.
As the day drew to a close, the sun began to creep its way to the horizon and I knew it was time to head out of town. I smiled the whole way back to the station, content with my successful detour for the day, walking the stomping grounds of one of my favorite heroes, William Wallace. (Cue the closing theme music from the movie Braveheart, you know with the flute and bagpipes.)
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