'Tis the season! Read how I celebrated Halloween abroad.
Halloween might be more of an American holiday than a Scottish one, but there are still plenty of options to get into the scary spirit.
I was a bit surprised by how many Scottish students I saw out in costumes the night of the 31st, especially because Halloween fell on a Wednesday. As it turns out, the clubs in town hosted costume parties throughout the entire week. This year's top costume seemed to be red tutu devils, with almost as many white shirted angels by their sides.
I didn't want to stay out late on a Wednesday, so instead my friend Kylie and I threw together matching costumes that we'd been brainstorming for the past week or so and went to the pub in the student union. There was live music and a special Halloween cocktail menu. Dressing up gave us a little taste of home, (minus all of the candy) and this turned out to be a great low-key way to celebrate.
Last night, I finally went back to Edinburgh to take one of their famous ghost tours. There are plenty of options to choose from, but I knew that I wanted to take a walking tour to really immerse myself in the experience. October is the perfect month for this because if I would have waited a few more weeks, the bus tours definitely would have won in the cold weather.
Our Murder & Mystery tour with Cadies & Witchery Tours was an hour and fifteen minutes long, with about 5 different stops within Edinburgh's Old Town. Our guide (Adam Lyle, deceased*) knew a lot about the history of Edinburgh, but there were a lot of cheesy theatrical moments that kept us laughing as well. He covered stories from the witch trials, the plague, grave robberies, murder, and public executions along the way from Castle Hill to Saint Giles' Cathedral. We were also given a free small book with more information on these subjects.
This weekend was also the perfect time to check out the Bastion Thieves' Pot in Stirling's Thistles Shopping Centre. Down a narrow spiral staircase is a small, free exhibit in what remains of a 16th century jail. This section of Stirling's historical City Wall also served as a defensive tower. There are audio reenactments that play on repeat and there are plaques that explain the history of the jail, as well as key figures like Stirling's very own Hangman.
Unfortunately, I just missed the chance to visit the last spooky attraction I had on my list for Halloweekend. A few of my friends toured the Old Town Jail several weeks ago, and based on their recommendations, I was very excited to take the tour myself. I was so disappointed that their season ended October 28th, just days before I looked at their website! If I am ever in Scotland during the Autumn season again I will try my best to finally experience the theatrically informative guide in action myself.