However glowing an individual’s depiction of the Scottish capital, they seem bound to an unspoken convention that requires, in equal measure to their compliments, the inclusion of deprecating footnotes. Narrations of the city’s picturesque setting, its architectural beauty, or its welcoming atmosphere, are inevitably caveated by its supposedly detrimental attributes. Be it the cold winds whipping the engulfing haar throughout the streets, or the temperamental daylight, disappearing depressingly early in winter, only to overindulge in its welcome during the summer, none of the city’s features can be celebrated without bemoaning others. In conversation, these particular peculiarities were framed as uncomfortable idiosyncrasies, shrouding the city I was preparing to move to in intrigue; how would I fare in such a cold, dark, and windy place? By packing plenty of warm clothes in my suitcase, of course.
Descending from the clouds, an hour-long flight concluded with a pilot’s announcement that visibility had dropped to such an extent that even aeroplane mode was not sufficient to avoid interference with the plane’s systems. The skies outside were plagued by the characteristically thick murk that hung laden with moisture in the air. A typical welcome to Edinburgh. Not one phased by a slight drizzle, I remarked to my Uber driver that the weather seemed no different from the Welsh weather I am used to. I was not the only one with home on my mind; he sheepishly confessed that despite loving Edinburgh, he himself preferred the climate of his native Pakistan. Regardless of whatever weather I would encounter, I could only lose myself in the wonder of having an entirely new city to explore.
That evening, I strolled to Bennets Bar, a nearby pub highly recommended online. Avoiding the clusters of other students huddled around standalone tables, I settled myself at the bar with the intention of appropriating the image of a solitary drinker for one pint. Tiring quickly of such a pretentiously depressing image, I soon struck up a conversation with the other actor to my left. Over a few drinks, I subsequently received a warm welcome to Edinburgh from the Irishman adjacent to me, himself a resident close to a decade. He shared with me his own experiences of the city, growing ever envious of my opportunity to discover the city anew the more we talked. It was an unexpected conversation of the variety only in drinking establishments, whose participants might never interact again. I will, however, remember the formal commencement of my whisky apprenticeship at the hands of my new Irish friend.
Strolling home from an unexpected evening spent at Bennets, it was indeed cold, dark, and windy. But with whisky warming the ears bitten by the cold, the rain blown in my direction was hardly enough to dampen the spirits, all trepidations about moving to Edinburgh had been dispelled. Regardless of Edinburgh’s frustrating characteristics, its inhabitants adapt, mitigating any bad with all that is good.
“Edinburgh Skyline” by marsupium photography is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.