So, you know, we just went to Scotland for
the weekend… nbd.
28
March, 2014
As has become the normal routine lately, I
left straight after lab on Friday, rushed home, grabbed my rucksack, and tried
to cram as much food in my mouth as possible before the price/calorie ratio
skyrockets as is the norm with travel food. Then it was off to the coach
station to meet up with my fellow Californians before we set off to the
airport.
The plane ride to follow was another of the
shortest in my life. But hey, taking a train would have actually been a lot
more expensive. The logic of that is still a mystery to me. Honestly, feel free
to leave an explanation in the comments if you happen to have been blessed with
knowledge on this phenomenon.
Anyways, we were landing before long and
were then off to find our hostel, getting a glimpse at the beautiful city of Edinburgh as we went.
Unfortunately, a trip that was advertised
as the ‘Edinburgh trip’ was soon discovered to have nothing to do with
Edinburgh at all. It was 10:30pm and we were scheduled to leave at 8am the
following morning. Needless to say, with my list of Edinburgh must-see’s in
hand, I was right back out of that hostel door, regardless of how tired I was.
I first must emphasize that this city is truly so so so beautiful. You know what,
this point only has a fighting chance at being made if you see pictures… so
here you go!
Hmm... apparently I didn't take that many pictures... Just look at the video people! It's really beautifully beautiful, okay?
Aside from seeing Edinburgh castle (or at
least, getting a distant view of the outside) and many other important
landmarks, I was also in the city that the dirt-poor, single mom, Joanne
Rowling wrote the beginning of the Harry Potter series, and the now rather
richer author currently resides. This fact naturally led to the pictures below,
involving me freaking out and taking selfies in front of a coffee shop in the
middle of a deserted street like a crazy person. #proud.
Though that particular coffee shop is the
best known birthplace of Harry Potter, another Rowling-frequented café existed
a few blocks over, but has since become an all you can eat Chinese restaurant.
I would now like to officially express my disappointment in the Edinburgh
branch of Potterheads for not preventing this travesty. Either way, I did find
the place, however disappointing it was.
The Potter train’s next stop was at
Greyfriar’s Kirkyard. Here lie the gravestones of the real father and son,
Thomas Riddell (Riddle) and Thomas McGonagall, who inspired the naming of some
of Rowling’s characters. Though the trend has developed to leave notes by these
gravestones, I unfortunately found the kirkyard to be closed. Seeing as that it
was about midnight, and I was determine to go wandering into a graveyard alone,
I think the locked gate was probably some sort of sign. I could already hear
Ron’s voice in my head, expressing in what was probably logical soundness, ‘she
needs to sort out her priorities’.
Though the graveyard was a bust, I did at
least get to see Victoria Street, which was JK Rowling’s inspiration for Diagon
Alley.
On my way home, I decided to redeem my
seeming lack of self-preservation instincts and stick close to the pair of
policemen who were conveniently patrolling the area back to my hostel. When I
did finally arrive, it was 12:30 and I was happy to be tiptoeing back into my
room, careful not to wake the five already comatose fellow travellers.
29 March
Saturday started bright and early so we
could get ready, have a nice hostel breakfast, and be on the coach by 8am. Yet
again, I was blessed with an amazing tour guide - decked out in kilt and all -
that sure to make this trip a great one. The first stop on our journey was at
South Queensferry, just outside of Edinburgh and home to a great view of the
Forth Road and Railway Bridges. On the way, the tour guide pointed out the
neighbourhood that contains JK’s estate. Needless to say, these houses were huge,
and I’m sure hers was even bigger, hidden in the depths somewhere…
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| I'm flying, Jack! |
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| Our tour guide. |
After the toilet break/photo op that was
the bridge stop, we were off to Blair Castle. Though the outside didn’t really
look like it, our tour guide assured us it had already been renovated to look
more like a traditional castle. Our tour of the inside didn’t last long, as we
were much more interested in exploring the grounds.
Our adventure continued with yet even more
driving. Though we were having a great time and everyone else was enjoying the
time to sleep, we soon became convinced that this trip was about nothing more
than getting us as far north as possible. Finally, we did stop in Aviemore for
free time and lunch. It was here that I (drumroll, please!) officially became
British and had my first plate of fish ‘n’ chips! I have been on a quest to
find veggie fish ‘n’ chips since arriving in this country and had been
unsuccessful until this day. I literally gasped when I read it on the menu and
– after staring at the words for a good minute – promptly threw aside the
laminated paper and looked up expectantly, thoroughly pleased with my decision.
Though the food itself was nothing really
special, I was just happy to have been able to get the country’s signature dish
at some point during my stay in the UK.
Stomachs full and legs stretched, we
trooped back onto the coach where we stayed until reaching the Culloden
Battlefield. This place was super cool, not only for the crazy stories that
came with it, but also for its casual placement against the beautiful backdrop
of a Scottish mountainside. I’m honestly convinced this type of thing has just
become no big deal to Scots. I mean, is any place of this country not
absolutely gorgeous? Is everyone just walking around like, ‘yeah! They’re
beautiful majestic snowy mountains, what’s the big deal?! … Dumb Americans…’.
Yupp, pretty sure they are.
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| Highland Cows! |
Our resting place for the night was
Inverness, only a short drive from the battlefield and placed conveniently
right next to our first destination for the following day; (spoiler alert!)
Loch Ness!
We arrived at our hostel with enough time
to settle in and clean up before heading down to dinner. For most, this
involved traditional Scottish food, but for me, it was half-traditional,
half-pasta. I’m not complaining, though; cool as it would have been to enjoy a
traditional Scottish dinner, some foods are just meant to go uneaten… haggis
may be one of those foods.
After dinner, we enjoyed some traditional
Scottish story-telling, then were off to a pub :D
30
March
Sunday started with another rushed morning,
eating and packing quickly as to get right back on the coach. Thankfully, we
were only a short ride away from Loch Ness, which was our first destination for
the day.
*The sun rises over Loch Ness as dazzling
beams of sunlight dance brilliantly across its surface. From the distance,
Christy approaches. A tear glistening in her eyes, she gazes across the
expansive waters and – as a mighty wave crashes ashore – she opens her mouth to
sing.*
Nessie?
Please, I know you’re in there
People are thinking you’re not real.
They say ‘you’re crazy’ and I’m really not
I’m trying to prove them wrong, just come ashore
We only have each other
It’s just you and me
What do you wanna do?
Do you wanna swim in the Loch?
It doesn’t have to be in this Loch
Okay, bye
*Ahem, ahem* ANYWAYS…
After Loch Ness, it was back on the bus and
off to Fort William ... or really, Edinburgh… because, who are we kidding, we had to book
it south. Any stops from then on were sure to be little more than bathroom and
snack breaks. If it weren’t for the fact that the deaths of 30 young travellers
would have been bad for business, who knows if there would even have been those
stops.
Nonetheless, we did eventually make it to
Fort William, where we fuelled up before moving on to Glencoe! (Or, Glen coe-coe…
as I like to call it :) )
When we were all finally dragged away from
that truly beautiful location, our entourage proceeded full force back into the
city, stopping only in Callander - on the border of the Highlands - for
toilets. Though I wasn’t in need of the Loo, I did de-board to stretch my legs
and meet this strapping fellow.
We did finally reach the airport. Granted,
we were about four hours early, but with a group of our size and varied talents
of charming weirdness, it was easy to keep each other entertained.
***
I’ve officially become accustomed to
leaving right after lab on Fridays. In fact, as I write this, I’m a little
freaked out that it’s Thursday and I’m not packing. Clearly I’m gonna have some
issues when I return to my humble, normal life in California. But not to worry!
This Wednesday marks my departure for the most sleep-deprived, luggage
deficient, whirlwind of an adventure I will ever have. Only one part of this
trip is certain; it is sure to be one of the greatest times of my life.
I lied. Two things are certain. The second;
it’ll take me a whole other month to blog about.
Has anyone noticed these keep getting
longer and longer? Every time I sit down to write, I tell myself this one’s
gonna be short and sweet… then promptly write 2,000 words, (oops, sorry).
There’s just so much to say! Solution: I’ll just make this into a book. A book
nobody will want to read :P
