Jump In Loch Ness? I Think I'll Pass

EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND/ THE HIGHLANDS- 

You know that feeling you get when you have to be somewhere at a certain time and you’re not… in fact lets say you are 15 minutes late. It’s not the worst feeling one can experience but it’s definitely near the top of the list. The reason why it’s so stressful is because all the little factors that are making you more late are out of your control (traffic, waiting for people to get on and off the bus, buying tickets at the tube station, etc). That morning the only thing my roommate and I were able to rely on was a small ounce of hope, praying that the people in our group leaving for Scotland would still be waiting for us at the train station.

We planned accordingly to make sure that wouldn’t happen. In fact we left an hour and a half before to give us some more time. Once we got dropped off at the tube station we literally ran inside got our tickets and waited at the platform constantly looking at the time. We had to sit on the tube for 11 stops, each one felt like an eternity. As soon as the doors opened at our stop we ran through the herds of people up the escalator and two flights of stairs. In the distance I could see the platform where we needed to go and right beside it was our group! We made it just in time.

The train ride to Scotland was about 4 hours and half hours. But it went by pretty fast. We played cards, had lunch, and I watched a movie on my friend’s computer. As we got closer to Scotland the scenery became so beautiful. Out my window I could see the coastline with an occasional lighthouse and pretty fields with wild flowers.  

We finally arrived in Edinburgh. Our tour guide was wearing the traditionally Scottish kilt with a sweatshirt and tennis shoes. He had long brown and grey curly hair. After getting settled in our hostel we had a walking tour around the city. 

Soon after that we had free time to do some exploring on our own. We went to some souvenir shops and then The Elephant House, which is where J.K. Rowling wrote her first ideas of Harry Potter down on a napkin.  The café was adorable and I had delicious hot chocolate. 

That night, we all hiked to the top of this enormous hill to get a better view of the city, it was gorgeous. Then some of the braver ones of the group went on a haunted ghost tour, and few others and I went to a local pub for about a half hour, we were all so tired from traveling all day. It was funny because as soon as we walked in I couldn’t tell you how many looks we got. Clearly they knew we weren’t from Scotland.

They next day we headed toward The Highlands. It took about two hours. The views from my window were fabulous. We stopped halfway to get better pictures, but it really doesn’t give the scenery justice. I got chills as soon as I got off the bus.

On the way there we got to feed a highland coo also know as a cow. It was this huge beast like creature that was ugly, yet really cute at the same time. His name was Hermish!

It didn’t take long before we made it to Loch Ness, home of the Loch Ness Monster! It was beautiful! And I'm proud to say that I put my hand in the water which was freezing cold! But there were 3 others in my group who decided to take it a step further and jump in! I must say that was quite an accomplishment for them, but I don’t regret not jumping in. I was much better off taking pictures while staying dry and warm on the dock.

 That night we stayed in a town called Inverness. For dinner we went to a local pub that was know for its traditional Scottish music and Thai food. I never thought I would be eating Thai food in Scotland but it was delicious, and such a fun atmosphere! Speaking of the unexpected, I saw someone on the tour group who looked oddly familiar but I didn’t think twice about it. Well, we found later that night that we were both from the same state, practically the same town, and went to the same high school, and are currently both studying abroad in London! Talk about small world.

It didn’t take long before people starting dancing. I danced with this older man who tried to teach me a Scottish dance, but let’s face it I am a little uncoordinated haha. It was still really fun though! Everyone was so friendly, and there so many people there of all ages.

On Sunday we went to the smallest Whiskey Distilleries in Scotland. It was really interesting to see how it was all made. I had a sample of the Scottish cream and it was so good. We left Scotland around 5 p.m. that day. But I didn’t get home until 1 a.m. It took us awhile to locate our bus after we walked around in circles for 20 minutes with all of are stuff. But we made it! Overall, I really enjoyed Scotland and all its beauty.

I just got back from Paris two days ago, so I will update you all on that very soon! I’m leaving for Ireland on Friday but next week I will actually be staying in London… finally! It will be nice to have a weekend free of traveling. That way I can rest up before spring break and get some homework done.

Hope all is well!

-Britt

SHOUT OUT: Hey Brian and Liz! There is a blizzard in Minnesota right now! Hope you are staying warm in sunny Florida. Did you get my post card I sent you? Looking forward to chatting with you both on Skype! Love you. <3