Edinburgh

Hello again everyone! I hope you all had a lovely Easter :) Well today marks the last day of long weekend for us here in YWAM...and what a great long weekend it has been! Thursday was our last day of lectures on Spiritual Warfare which was surprisingly not that terrifying haha. I am quite happy to report that the week went very well and only a few times did I get uncomfortable (which is saying a lot :P).
Friday morning(6:20am) Kari and I left the base for the train station where we would start our long journey to Edinburgh. Ok it wasn't that long...Two 1 hour train rides really wasn't so bad haha. The trains here are actually very cozy. We arrived in Edinburgh around 9:30am and then had to proceed to find out which bus, out of the practically 50 buses we could take, was the right one to get us to our hotel that was about 4-5 miles away from the city center. Luckily some nice locals helped us out and directed us to the right bus stop :) Because we couldn't find any hostels with openings due to the busy weekend we were staying at the Holiday Inn. It was so nice! Kari and I both loved the fact that there was a pool, hot tub, and sauna to relax in. We also had our first experience with UK television :| Wow! I don't know if we just got the bad luck watching UK soap operas or if it was their actual regular programs but Kari and I spent the whole time watching them laughing and making fun of every scene haha.
Throughout our stay we just explored the city :) Edinburgh is the most beautiful city I have ever seen! There is so much history there. All the architecture and buildings are very old and absolutely breathtaking. There are monuments and statues on practically every corner documenting Scottish history. It was so much to look at...I wish I would have had a month there instead of just 2 1/2 days. Edinburgh castle was amazing to look at. We didn't actually get to go in cause it was a little pricey and SO crowded we decided that pictures from the outside would suffice. I think my favorite was the Scott Memorial...it was incredible to behold! I will be posting pictures later on today :)
It was a much needed break from base life and I am so happy I got to go :) We both needed the chance to relax and not be worrying about what task we must complete next or where we have to be in the next hour. It was good to just go with whatever seemed good at the time. We both got a chance to just sit and talk about God and life and what God has been teaching us since arriving here. It was a lot to process but in a relaxing and beautiful environment :) I hope that if any of you every get the opportunity to go to Edinburgh that you will go!
Up next is a chaotic week with no particular subject. Then the week after that is our last lecture week on missions...and then Saturday the 17th we leave for Istanbul, Turkey! It is coming up so fast I can't believe it. I haven't heard much about how the Internet situation will be like there but I will be trying as often as I can to update on my blog while I'm there. Well that is all for now folks...be looking out for pictures of Edinburgh on my face book very soon! Loving and missing you all like always :) God bless

-Kaitlyn