By Erin Loury
Edinburgh, Aug. 25 -- Though the city center is a tangle of often congested streets, Edinburgh is also home to a large number of public parks and open spaces, making it "one of the greenest cities in Europe."
A glance at my color-coded city map proves just how true this is. These parks include the impressive hills and cliffs around Arthur's Seat, and a tree-lined grassy expanse called the Meadows, where a little carnival is currently in operation.
One of my favorite places in the city is Princes Street Gardens, the site of a drained loch that sits just below the castle, and is now home to a carousel, a fountain and an outdoor venue that offers much free music this time of year.
Though the sounds of sirens and bus brakes are never far away, passing through Edinburgh's greener areas is often a relaxing breath of fresh air.
Visit to the Royal Botanical Garden
Being a great lover of plants, I was excited by the chance to visit the Royal Botanic Garden, which is open to the public. The garden paths meander almost of their own accord, which discouraged my tendency to cover a "place of interest" with an agenda, and in the most expedient way possible.
Instead, I was able to wander about without a sense of urgency -- at least, as much as this is possible when looming gray clouds are constantly threatening to burst any minute with rain.
The gloomy weather may in fact have worked to our advantage by dissuading any presence of crowds. Instead, we were able to explore the dripping "herbaceous borders" (even flower gardens in Europe sound cultured), the scrubby rock garden and the lush Chinese Pavilion in relative tranquility.
Unlocking pungent garden smells
We took shelter under trees during the intermittent showers and admired the brightness of the flowers set against a gray sky, and how the rain brought fresh smells into the damp air, unlocking the pungent or musty fragrance of plants.
While stopping by the pond, a family of swans and cygnets climbed out of the water to parade before us. I have to admit that swans are birds definitely more suited to gliding on water instead of lumbering about on the lawn.
Our ramblings took us between the trees of the garden's arboretum, to which one of my friends remarked, "It feels like we're in Davis" -- and suddenly I was. Though there is more grass growing in the Scottish version, at that moment, one arboretum might as well have been the other.
Forgetting how far away I am
It's little moments like this, when I forget just how far away I am, that I realize that many of the elements that connect people and places are universal. And it's comforting to know that, though the plane ride to get here is long, in some respects a foreign country is not so foreign after all.
I received some more food for thought on global relationships and the natural world when I discovered that the garden is home to a photography exhibit called Earth From the Air.
This display perhaps captures the essence of "Nature and Culture" more perfectly than any one thing I've seen on this trip.
Wonders of the natural world and human race
This series of breathtaking aerial photographs are the work of French photographer Yann Arthus-Bertrand, and capture wonders of both the natural world and the human race -- aquamarine coral reefs, harvesters working in grain fields, shadows on sweeping desserts, the vibrant colors of crowded market places.
Coupled with the photos were statistics about the state of the world and our relationship to it -- the percentage of the world's population that cannot read, that has never made a phone call, that lives on £1.5 a day. There were pictures of forests and garbage dumps, as well as information on how our consumption and waste production have increased, while our natural resources continue to diminish.
Putting the Earth into perspective
The aim of the project was to educate and inspire, to increase awareness of the great beauty of the planet that we often take very much take for granted. I thought the display was visually stunning, and it made me realize how many vastly different and incredible places and lifestyles, from the buildings of Manhattan to village on stilts, exist on this one planet.
It made more glad than ever that I've taken this trip, because it's given me the opportunity to look at myself from a global standpoint, and opened me up to what lies beyond my doorstep.
Staring at these bold photos, I was assured that if this first journey has started a ball rolling that will one day lead to others, there is certainly no shortage of awe-inspiring places to discover and to explore.
Erin invites readers to send her comments and questions about her experiences at ekloury@ucdavis.edu.
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