5 Day Isle of Skye and Highland Fling(day3)

We left at 9am(as always) and our first stop was this river. I dont recall what the river was called but the legend goes that the faries of the Isle of Skye blessed this river, so it you put your face in the river for a full 7 seconds, you will be given beauty(something along those lines). interesting huh? our tour guide did it, along with quite a number of others. I did not. one, I have been made beautiful by God and two, it was cold and rainy that morning. however,it was still a neat place to go to and an awesome little legend to hear. I love myths and legends like that.

Our next stop was at a small town called Portree. we were there for 1 1/2 hours so it was a nice long-ish stop. The first I did was take out some cash. I loved the money! Scotland uses pounds as well but the actual notes are different. You can see them in the pictures below! They were so colorful and attractive, they did not look real, as a guy who was on the tour with me said when he saw them. After using the colorful, fun, nice notes over here, I am so worried that I am going to go back to using dollars and think they are so ugly! all green...one color! anyways, after that, I went a cafe/restaurant and ordered some breakfast:fried eggs and sausage(did not eat those) and a coke. I also bought a bottle of water and a ham sandwich for my lunch(take-away). I then went to this cool store that is a mix of Celtic and Sri Lankan culture. I bought a wallet there. the colors are bright and it is made of cloth. so beautful! in another store, I also bought this pendant with a marble that is from the same marble that the men used to carry with them when they left home on often dangerous journeys for luck and courage, and also so that in case they never came back, they would always have a piece of home with them. cool huh? it is so beautiful! they had stones, to carry in pouches and keychains, but I chose a necklace in the end(more expensive though, 10 pounds=$15). I love it!!the picture above of the street is the town centre, or part of it. good break. I liked it. oh, in another store I bought a tartan hand warner with lavender inside!!

Our next stop was not a stop because none of us got out. It was to this waterfall that the faries of the Isle of Skye have blessed, just like that river we stopped at earlier that morning. this time, the legend is that for every second you hold your head underwater, you get one good year of sex. none of us did it because it was muddy and we would have sank in the mud halfway up, according to our tour guide. Funny huh? :)

Our next stop was to this place called "Old Man of Storr." it it this free standing rock that legend says is the man part of a giant who got turned to stone and the wind came and shattered him and his head landed farther away. however, to get to it, it is ONE VICISIOUS UPHILL HIKE!! plus, it had been and was still raining, so the path was all muddy. I am not a hiker, climber,etc. I am a biker. and I am also not in super good shape, so needless to say, this was horrible for me! I did not go all the way to the stone, as a matter of fact. I stayed behind after more than 3/4 of the way up. my legs were burning so bad!the view from where I was was good though and I loved it. the view of a loch behind us was also amazingly good! so calm and peaceful! the pics above are of a piece of the uphill battle/hike, the view from where i stopped, and the free standing stone.

The next place I cannot tell you what it was called or anything because I forgot and was not paying much attention to the guide when he was explaing, but it was this cliff on the Atlantic side of the ocean and I recall thinking that "home" was that way; way on the other side of that ocean. made me a bit homesick.

Our next stop was up another hill except this time we drove up, thank goodness. it was a little scary though: as you can see from the picture to the right, the road was so narrow that the an incoming car had to pull over for the other coming car, it was so narrow! and it was right on the edge. however, the view from the top was amazing! everything looked so small and tiny and yet so beautiful! from above, everything looks different. it was VERY windy upthere as you can imagine which made it cold-ER. however, it was a beautiful view and I loved it. the picture to the left is of me up there. see how high it is!

Our last stop for the day was Fairy Glen. It is hard to describe what it is. it is one of those places that I feel you have to go to be able to truly understand what it is, like a pub. it is this glen where there are rocks making different shapes, etc. by people of course, but it is said that it is where the faries lived. this high hill/rock is called "Fairy Castle" and it is where I am on that picture above. it is a little scary climbimg it and to get on top of it you have to pass through this super skinny crevice between two rocks. you have to lift yourself up and then pass through it and it is pretty high up and during the climb, there is a section where there is nothing on either side of you. small section, but a bit scary. i did not know this was the castle, I thought it was where the Fairy Glen was, but I loved it!! the Glen itself is pretty cool. there are this stones shaped like a heart and it is said that if you put something in, the person of whom you're thinking of at the time, your love will grow stronger. within reason of course. no celebrities or anything. has to be someone in your life. I did that and I left my movie watchers card from Massachusetts there. unique huh? everyone else left coins, but I wanted to leave something different, so I chose something that brought me happiness: going to movies. there is also this spiral made out of stones, and it is said that if you think all your bad thoughts while walking in, and then walking out thinking all your good thoughts, then you are taking the good thoughts/energy with you and leaving the bad thoughts/energy behind. cool huh? i did that one too. it was such a cool place! I LOVED it!!! the top picture above is me with Fairy Glen in the background and the bottom one is me on top of Fairy Castle(or a small section of it). one cool thing about Fairy Glen is that as you can tell from the picture of it, it does not look like anything. a bunch of rocks in patters. yet everything is there for a reason, a purpose. every thing inside the stone heart for example, is a thought of a loved one. and each shape has a meaning and a reason,even if we dont know what it is. such a cool place! :) :)

that was the end of day#3

5 Day Skye and Highland Fling(day2)

We left a little bit after 9:00am and our first stop was this place called "Hope Hangs in the Branches." It is this place where people from all over the come and they dip something(article of clothing) into the water in a "well"(a box thing placed in a stream that acts like a well/fountain)that is believed to have been blessed and make a wish for something they want to come true. then they take it and tie it around a tree. there are a lot of things tied! it looks like some sort of alternative reality, or a secret-city-in-the-woods type of thing. the picture to the right is just a small section of it. it was kinda cross being there, but it was neat too.oh, you cant take anything hanging or remove it because then you will take the bad energy with you. it was neat because each item was a wish, a prayer. it made me think that maybe, prayers dont have to be words. they dont have to be lighting a candle. or even singing. prayers can be anything you want, no matter how...unusual. prayers are the way we talk to God, and not all of us talk to Him in the same way. it was neat to think that I can offer a prayer in any way I wish to, even if it is unusual.

Our next stop was The Rogie Falls. We went on a wee bit hike through these woods. again, actual woods, not just parks to get to them. the second picture above shows the falls. they were really neat. I am reminded each time I see a water falls or rapids or waves how strong and powerful nature really is, more so than we, yet we are in charge of nature. makes me think that power is more than just being the strongest. the picture of the bridge above is this suspension bridge that only 25 people are allowed on at the same time. it goes right over the river, about 50ft I would say(I dont know, I did not look down). it sways from side to side and bounces...scary for me in other words. It was not required, since it was not part of the path to get back to the bus, but I did not know that at the time, so I went on it. I was scared, especially when people were bouncing to make the bridge sway. I made it through to the other side and also a second time to get back across. I was proud of myself.

Our next stop was a lunch break in this small fishing village called "Ullapool." it was SO beautiful! It was right on the Loch and was in the midst of all these hills(it was in the Highlands of Scotland so obviously...).we only had an hour there so I ate some lunch(pizza, ham and cheese, 8 pieces, I ate 4). the picture to the left is the harbor, and it is so beautiful! I always think I would love to live in a small town like that,yet I feel that is in theory, because another part of me knows that I would be bored after 1 week. or not, maybe if I was not alone...I am learning that you can love a place, but if you dont have friends, it will never really home. this was a good lunch break; too short but good. and that pizza was GOOD!!!!

Our next stop was the "Corrieshalloch Gorge." This gorge was 250ft and it has a bridge like the one I mentioed, although you can imagine, scarier because of that 250ft drop.only 6 people allowed on it at the same time. our guide himself would not cross it.I did not either, although I did get about 1-2 feet into the bridge, so I was ON the bridge, the part where the grasssy cliff side was still under the bridge. this man that was there said that he had been coming back for 25 years and it still terrified him. he didnt go all the way across either. I had already lived up to my daring tattoo for the day and 250ft gorge, on a suspension bridge that swayed? no thanks honey. there is a picture of it to the right. now, imagine...250ft drop below that bridge.

Our last stop for the day was Eilian Donald Castle. apprently, it's been in maid of honor and some james bond movie along with a ton of others. it is not the original, the original was burned down and this was a restoration project. anyway, we had a tour of it, and it was good! they had a different guide in each room. only two rooms, but it was so good and the last one, made it so good! the small peep holes that they used in those days was brilliant! keep an eye on suspicious yet maintain your hospitality.

After this we crossed over into Isle of Skye. the bridge in the picture to the right is the bridge used to get to Skye. it is a beautiful island! oh, and "kyle" means "a small stretch of land." funny huh?

and that was the end of day#2.

5 Day Skye and Highland Fling(Day1)

Today was the first day of my five day tour of Scotland. The getting picked up was a wee bit chaotic because there were people there from two tours:The 3 day Isle of Skye and the 5 day tour. Each tour had two buses, so as you can guess it got kinda crazy. I was originally supposed to be on Bus#2, but they asked me to switch since two people that were traveling together ended up in separate buses, so I switched. no big deal, it was the same tour. although, I was a bit annoyed because bus#1 had not arrived yet and I wanted to leave already! The bus arrived(driver's name is Colin) and we went to Castle Rock Hostel to pick up the other people(the pick up points were those two hostels) and we were off!
The first thing we did was go on a walk through the woods. The grounds were called "Hermitage" as you can see from the picture to the left. It was really neat because these were actual woods. they had paths on them of course but it was not a park or something. you could seriously get lost in those woods! there different trails you could take, some longer than others. the longest one is about 1 1/2 hours, according to our tour guide so we did not do that. We took one of the trails to this place(it has some kind of history but I dont recall what our guide said)where there were these rapids/small waterfall. It was really cool;there was this terrece right above it where you could see them. it was a little scary, because there was a rail but if you fell...you would certaintly smash your head on one of those rocks(you can see a picture of it on the right; the picture of the trees is to give you an idea of what the woods looked like. they kinda reminded me of the Forbidden Forest a little bit. apprently, the way it was planted was that they took all the seeds, all of them-didnt separate them- loaded them into a canyon...and BAM!! that is why in some parts, the

trees are close together and other areas are open in a way). those rapids were loud and also...powerful. It's kinda amazing to think that nature is so powerful and strong; she doesnt need our help at all to survive while we need her to survive. yet, God put us in charge of her, to take care of her.yes, I did just have that thought right now, but I like to reflect on things later and take them in at the time.

Our next stop was a lunch break at the small town of Pilochry. It is really small according to our guide, it mainly has a senior citizen population. it is right before you get to the Highlands, so it is known as "the gateway to the highlands." It had one main street(picture above below is a small glimpse), which seemed to be where all the action was in the town(by this, I mean where

most of the shops, restaurants,etc where). We only had 50 minutes, so I bought a ham and cheese panini at a deli-type shop I found(pictured above ) called"splitz." dont know why and I did not ask). I ate about 3/4 of the panini, then bought a small soft ice cream and did not have time to finish it sadly,but it was so good!that was about it. while I ate my sandwich I walked on the main street and it seemed like a good town to spend a night, but not more than that.

Our next stop after this was a destroyed barracks. The name of it was "Ruthven." The picture to the left explains the history of it. It was weird, walking around these ruins, knowing that once, soldiers lived there. the doors to and from the barracks were so so tiny! they were like...3ft tall. no kidding. We had to double over to walk through them; I pictured my friend Tate(who's 6'9)walking through those and I smiled because it would have been...hilarious!!:) :) As you can from the picture to the right,it is built on a huge mound. That mound is not man made. it was formed by glaciers millions of millions of tears ago. pretty cool huh?

Our next stop was a distillery(might be misspelled), which is where they make whiskey. we got a brief tour of it(2 pounds) and then a small sample at the end. I did not try the sample because A)my decision where alcohol is concerned and the main reason because B)my stomach was kinda empty and even though the sample was 3/4 of a shot, I did not want to risk upsetting my stomach. The tour was...okay. I did not hear much of how the whiskey is made because it was so loud, but the storage place where the whiskey matures was pretty cool(pictured to the left). as big as this looks, it is a small one(or so the lady giving the tour said). it was okay, but I feel like we did not get to see a lot and the guide lady was reading from a sheet of paper. although, we got to see and smell moonshine. lol...anyway, the smell of the whole place was SO STRONG!!!!

SIDE:

the guy I was sitting next to on the bus was Hunganrian(he was traveling with 2 other friends, both guys) and I think he found me...funny because the driver asked who had never drank whiskey and I raised my hand(and also when he asked if anyone had not tried the sample). He offered me Scottish whiskey from the bottle he had with him(twice). something else that was funny(and good for my confidence concerning my body) was that we get free t-shirts with this tour and when our guide was handing them out by size he started with small and when he came to me(I was sitting at the front of the bus)he started handing me one, assuming I wanted a small and I said no, that I wanted a medium and he(and the guy next to me)was surprised and said something about using it as a night gown. same thing happened when I bought a t-shirt a few weeks ago. anyway, just didnt want to forget that! lol)

Our next stop was the battlefied of a battle(duh!)called "Culloden." I did not catch a lot of the history of it but it apprently made a difference because after they lost, the highlanders were forbidden by the goverment(they fought the goverment in this battle)to speak Gael, wear kilts, play bagpipes...all the things we think of as "scottish today." also, a lot of the clan chiefs went elsewhere for safety and that is why so many people have scottish blood in them around the world.it was...interesting to be there because it is just a green field, yet I could not keep from thinking that men had died, that blood once stained the ground red.

after this we went to Loch Ness. the place where we went, there is this guy named Stephen and he sold his house to become a "monster hunter." seriously. he lives there full time. he handmakes these nessie figures(I bought one for 5 pounds, so beautiful and I love it!!just worried it'll break before I go back home but I will do my extreme best to make sure it doesnt, and it is not made of glass). some people, 2 guys and a girl, went "swimming on the loch(the temperature is constant year round since there is so much water...between...5-6 degrees!). I so did not do that! :)

we went to our hostel in Inverness("inver" means at the mouth of,so the name is: at the mouth of ness. neat huh?). we checked in and I went out to dinner at this spanish restaurant with another american girl(there are 3 americans whose name I just forgot. I had chicken in majo(something like that)sauce. it was SO GOOD;I was sad when I was done! It was nice, having dinner with her. I dont eat with others often and it was nice. daring even, since I asked her if she would mind if I went with her. lol...

Day#1 of this tour was good.I love not having everything crammed in one day but instead having it spread out. Day#2 begins tommorow morning at 9am....

Western Highlands of Scotland Adventure

Yesterday(Sunday 17 May 2009) I went on a day tour. It was called "Western Highlands Lochs and Legends." Obviously,it went to the western highlands of Scotland. We left around 8:45 in the morning. I was so worried that my alarm clock would not work. well not work because it does work but I was worried that it would get accidently unplugged by the other girls who are sharing the room with me. I woke up so many times during the night and checked to make sure it was still properly set. Nothing happened to my alarm clock. however, one of the girls in the room snored the last 1-2 hours so I was not fully fully asleep so I did wake up about 10 minutes before the alarm. I went out and bought a box of jaffa cakes(the most amazing cookies in the world...they are chocolate mixed with orange, a combination that is so so good!) and a chocolate muffin(that I never ate) and a coke. Then I went to check in at the tour office(which is right across the street from my hostel) and we left around 8:45am. the picture to the left is the bus we were on! isnt it cool? there were only 5 of us, which I found nice. plently of room on the bus and very relaxed ride. The tour guide was named Dan and he was so so cute! I wanted to take a picture of him but I did not have the nerve. He had long hair, which I am such a sucker for(if the guy can pull it off of course) and these increably light blue eyes....they were almost clear. plus he had the thickest scottish accent! think of the sterotypical scottish accent...that was his accent. so...hot! LOL :) He was a good tour guide though. He really knew his material and it was obvious that he was interested in the things he was talking about. It made it so much more interesting.

Our first stop was Loch Lomond(to the left). It is 23 miles, so it is big but not as big as Loch Ness. however, Loch Lomond is the 2nd largest Loch in Scotland. BTW, "Loch" is a Gael(ancient scottish language that is now dead sadly. when the tour guide told us that the language was deas I felt like crying) word and it means, of course,"lake." We were only there for 30 minutes. that is the only bad part about doing tours like this, you see a lot of interestin things but dont stay at one for very long. there is this beach type area on the shore and it was so beautiful! Here is a a link to a video of it that I shot to this blog: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/video/video.php?v=100064831517 I highly recommended you watch it. not very good quality, I will admit but it should give you a slight idea of what it was like. at the very least give you a picture of what I am talking about. It was the first Loch that I had seen and that made it special for me. The day was so good: sunny warm with a slight cool wind. of course, being that close to water it was a bit more breezy. anyway, it was so so beautiful! I stood on the shores and I even put my hand in it! I took a picture of my hand in the water. that water was COLD!!!!!! as I stood on the shore, I was so...amazed by how so many aspects of creation were present, were connecting: water, sky, clouds, animals(there were seagulls),people, wind, sand, hills, trees...I know this will sound silly but I felt like it was a tiny little bit(as small as a neutron compared to the size of the universe)preview of what Heaven will be like. just think: in Heaven, everything will be together and connected. lions right by lambs, mountains right by oceans...cold right by hot, and of course, all people together, all religions together, angels and humans...wont that be great? I always knew this of course, but I guess that it really hit me when I saw that Loch. it was in the highlands, so the loch was surrounded by these grassy, green hills, and above there was sky, with animals, humans...it seemed like so much of creation was present. dont mind me: I am a new Christian so I am finding that I am seeing God everywhere! lol...Loch Lomond was so beautiful! I really loved it!

Our next stop was called "the rest and be thankful." it is this place in the Western Highlands where the ancient military in Scotland would rest. the picture to the right is the road. you see, back then, this is the road that the military would use when going through the highlands. as you can see this road does not go straight but it curves and zig zags, and when you thrown in the hills(trust me, Scotland has a lot of hills) and the fact that it gets windy in Scotland, and let's just say that those soldiers would get tired and fast! so when they would get to this spot in the highlands, they would Stop, and be Thankful for the rest, ie, rest and thankful. our tour guide told us that in scotland, the mentality when naming is: name it as you see it. :) we were only here for about 15 minutes and ut was nice. I actually saw the sun moving across one of the hills. it was in shadow except for the bit of sun that would shine through the clouds and as the cloud moved so did the spot where the sunlight would be on the hill, and one time I looked at the hill and saw the sunshine moving across it. it was a beautiful sight!

Our next stop was our lunch stop and it was at the village of Inverary. The town's main attraction was Inverary Castle(to the left). what happened was that we would spend about 15 minutes at the castle then go back to the village for lunch. however, if you wanted to stay at the castle you could but you had to walk back to the village(it was 1 mile so it was not bad at all and the walk was through the castle grounds so it was beautiful). I decided to do that, along with about 3 others. The castle was so beautiful! like the tour guide said, it is right out of a fairy tale. I have seen enough castles to know that they are NOT what fairy tales make them out to be at all. however, 2 of the ones I have seen are: Leeds Castle and this one. as you can see from the photo(that I took lol) it does look like your stereotypical castle in a fairy tale. couldnt you just see rampuzel letting down her hair from the top of one of those towers? I did not go inside the castle but just walked around outside. The grounds were stunning! not as beautiful as the grounds at Leeds Castle but still gorgoeous.there were these flowers everywhere that were so alive and full of color! I included a picture of some of the flowers that I saw. it was in a private garden, so I could not go in so I took a picture throgh the gates. arent they gorgeous?!so much rich color!

Our next stop after our lunch break was the ruins of another Clan Campbell castle(the first one was Inverary Castle). It was a farther that it looked and the ground was all grass. We did not go right to it but just to the bank across from it. as you can see from the photo the left it is abandoned and destroyed. it was a little strange, knowing that what is now ruins for us was once a home and a castle for a clan of people.

Our next stop following this was The Falls of Dorchart. they are not "falls" they way we would think of falls; they are small. however, they care...colored I would say. as you can see from the picture to the right, the water looks like it is a dark green/yellowish color. may sound silly but that is why they are a big deal. they are better in winter according to the tour guide, when there is more water but I still thought them beautiful.

Our last stop was to see Hamish,who is what the Scots called a highland cow. he is more like a bull,actually. as you can see, he is huge! you can buy bags of carrot to feed him, although I did not do that. a few years ago there was this disease spreading through cattle, so the goverment was killing all cattle under 7 or something(Hamish is now 14 years to by the way) to keep it from spreading, so poor Hamish would have been killed! but this farmer lady who lived nearby took up a petition to save him, and she did! the conditions were that he never leave that pen and his reproduction organs removed. I LOVED him!! He was so cute(in a strong bull kinda way) and I felt sorry that he was there all alone, although he is fed a lot because of all the tourists that come through. He was so beautiful! his hair was so long that you cannot see where his eyes at all! I kept looking for his eyes, even a glimpse, but no go! lol...he is adorable and I totally love him!

That is the end of the tour. we drove by Sterling Castle on the way back to Edinburgh,but I did not catch a very good glimpse of it. It was a really good tour and I enjoyed it! :) :)

Different Approach To Goverment

I went to see the Scottish Parliment "in action today."it was really interesting for me. the more I look at the way they approach goverment here, the more obvious it comes that their approach is more open than ours. In america, they would never televize goverment meetings once let alone weekly the way the UK parliment televises the Prime Minister Questions every week. and would do never allow the public to come and watch their sessions, let alone do it with free tickets. they also call each other. they are not hostitle or mean or anything but they call each out on issues that are actually relevant to daily life, like school reparing, and budget to help small business. I might be totally wrong but it just seems that in america, goverment talks about things and the people dont know what, and they dont really discuss issues that affect daily life. it is refreshing to see a goverment that is so open and honest with itself and the people they represent and serve. we could learn a thing or two from them.

Kilts and Wee World Cafe

(yes this is a copy of my blog entry from today from "good things per day.")
I slept in today, as I will most mornings here. except the morning of my scottish parliment tour this friday and the day I leave for nottingham. however, I feel that sleeping in on vacation is always a good way to start the day.
I know I said no more souveniers, but I made an exception. you guys will totally understand this...I bought a Scottish Kilt today. the guy said that most stores on Royal Mile that they say they are "scottish made" but the wool is made in India...at least 85%of them. however, he said that he guranteed that it was Scottish made, the kilt and the wool. I bought a Kilt(I think it looks pretty good. it is a size 14, but it is not that I am fat, it is that the sizes are different here). I love it!! I am going to wear it for the first time on my first day of junior year at ACU. since we get two first days of schools, my purple skirt will be the second day. I also bought a Scottish shall (I dont know the official name of it), kinda like what Sherlock Holmes wears in pictures of him but longer. I also bought a Scottish blanket...it will be so good for cold nights(since I dont have a boyfriend, need something to keep myself warm lol)and for picnics/hanging out on the lawns at ACU and studying at night in the library...my blanket is packed away in my suitcases, as well as the shall and blanket(all in the same suitcase). my blanket is packed away at the bottom since I figure I dont need it since it is summer. I might in nottingham though. cold and rainy summer nights in england...and my kilt is at the top of that suitcases. I wont wear it until the first day of school but I am paranoid about leaving it at the bottom of my suitcases. my shall I will SO wear, so it is at the top as well. it is cold here, especially so close to the ocean/water bodies but i am planning to wear it a lot. it is a bit warm but summers here are cooler so I can still wear it. I am SO excited! it cost $101 total, but I know it is worth it. scottish kilt, blanket, and shall...made in scotland including the wool! so worth it!
I went to the story telling centre today and it was so good! the guy I went to hear spend 96 days with some other guys hiking the Atlas mountains in Moroco. the pictures were amazing! there was this one of a like....in the middle of a mountain. you would see plants, flowers glrowing in these baren places. live really does survice, despite its environment. it was good. I bought a ticket(different things obviously)for today, tommorrow, wednesday I am going but they said a ticket was not necessary since it is not held in their theatre so seating is not restricted, thursday and friday. only today and tommorow cost money, about 4 pounds with the student discount(even though i told them that i am not a student here in Scotland they still gave me the discount. so nice. saved me 2 pounds). I am really excited. a whole centre dedicated to storytelling. this month's "theme" is travels,so that is really perfect and exciting. you know,before modern technology and before people could read/write, telling stories was how things were told, passed down. it is a lost art and a skill that is a important to have(a scottish woman, heather, that i met at the Wee World Cafe, told me that tonight when were talking about it. it is true. I want to be good at storytelling and I love telling stories! why do you guys think I talk so much about myself? lol
I went on a city tour of Edinburgh. only about 30 minutes but it was nice. Queen's Park near the Holywood Palace is...amazing. beautiful. I'll post some pics soon. tommorow problaly. after storytelling center tommorow I am going to maybe grab some snacks and then come back to the hostel and work on that INTS 241 paper, so I will be uploading a bunch of pics at the same time.
I went to the Wee World Cafe tonight and it was a really good time. I talked to this woman named Heather for a good amount of time about my time here, england, scotland,kilts, guys wearing kilts, the shack,etc. I also talked to this guy named David(he was from england according to his nametag)the size of cities and oxford and it was also a good time. then everyone played this game called "gobbler"(i think that is how you spell it). basically, everyone writes down two letters in separate pieces of paper(or a deck of cards in this case)each letter not the being the same. then we turn them in and each team is given a 16 square grid, and the cards/papers are shufftled and we write down the letters read from left to right in the grid, then we have to find as many words as you can, at least 3 letters, and the letters must connect in some way, so not just straight but must connect somehow. it was fun. my team lost :) then there was this optional bible study with the guy named David. it was good. we ran out of time MUCH too quickly, but we'll pick it up again next week. i must confess that I found him cute. really. his eyes were such an intense blue color that i found it harder than usual(you guys know how i am with looking people, especially guys, in the eye). lol...so i am only human. however, it is so not going anywhere. i have given up on guys. it was a good time. i really liked it. i am sad that i am only going there about 3 times.
this is not really about today, but I saw this beautiful dress in a kilt store, made of the same patter style and same concept, and it is so beautiful. i want to take a picture of it, but i am afraid to. it is purple plaid and I so want it as my wedding dress. the heck with white! I also saw these fancy dress-up, formal kilts for men, the kind they wear at weddings(most scottish guys wearing formal kilts at their wedding. isnt that hot?), i even saw one like a suit but had a kilt instead of pants and they were all so beautiful! i have decided that the guy i marry is wearing one of those at our wedding. whether he's scottish or not, he is. so if you dont like wearing kilts, dont marry me ok?i have decided that i think it is totally hot and a total turn on for me when a guy wears a kilt. lol...seriously though, so hot and sexy.

the guy who sold me my kilt was so so nice and so sweet. I was looking at a kilt and he said that it was too long for me and got me two to try on. he was so nice. when i was looking at the blankets,I picked one and he said that I had "good taste but expensive taste" because the one i picked out was about 15 pounds and there were some right next to it that were 10 pounds. i did chose one from the 10 pound pack after he told me they were only 10 pounds. i love my scottish blanket, and kilt, and cape. i want to buy some scottish wool socks to go with it, but I problaly wont. i'll just wear some tights with them or something. he also asked me what country i am from and when i said american he said that he thought i was another nationality because i was so quiet. later when i was looking at the blankets he said that was the nationatilty i was, spanish. he said i had a mediterinian/spanish look about me. it was nice to hear that. i dont look like i am hispanic or sound it, so it is nice to hear that i do sort of it look spanish.

also, during that bible study at the wee world cafe, I said something! lol...we were looking at Genesis 3 and David asked what methods of temptation did the snake use that we could see, and i said that it was not lying because everything the snake said would happened did happen so the snake never lied but it was questioning God's motives. it was totally obvious but I felt proud of myself anyway. lol...it was a good day today. so far, Scotland is amazing and beautiful and I love it. it just reinforms my wanting to live in the UK- Great Britain specifically since I have not been to Ireland and wanting to work with international people. England is so amazing and I love it, and I am coming to love Scotland too. they seem very proud of their country, their culture. they still wear their kilts you know. Heather told me that it would be unusual to see a guy wearing a kilt on a normal day, but on special occasions like weddings, rugby matches sometimes, they do wear them. that is customary. i love that. i love a country that loves itself and its culture. we do in the USA I guess, but...we are lacking on the culture part I think in a way. we do have a culture, but...not like over here. I love it here. I really do want to live over here after graduation. maybe this is why i am not mean to be with Trevor, as much as i want to. because i meant to be here and he isnt. anyway, i love Scotland! words do not do this place justice nor do photographs. tommorow, i am going to "The Elephant House" which is where JK Rowling wrote most of her earliest Harry Potter books and where she got inspired by it! i will have lunch there. then go on the Edinburgh Castle for a bit, and then relax for a bit, dinner maybe, then go on the storytelling centre and the my paper. i do want to go to the Queen's Park, so maybe wednesday i will do the Holywood Palace and Queen's Park and maybe the Childhood Museum. I am having a good time so far. I am happy and comfortable.

My First Night in Scotland

I am typing this from the lobby/reception area of High Street Hostel. it is actually on Blackfrair's street, which is off of High Street but oh well. anyway this is my first night in Scotland, so I have to make an entry of this on this blog. besides, this way my whole journey to Scotland is talked about. you have the whole picture. the train ride here was gorgeous! Scotland is so beautiful it is not even funny. it is more hilly (with a rock-ish feel)than England.Edinburgh is on the east coast of Scotland so the train passed by the ocean(the north sea, I just googled it). beautiful! you would see these gorgoeous views of lochs, the ocean,etc. right next to green countryside.... you would not believe how gorgoeous it is. pictures wont do it justice.

anyway, the train arrived around 6:50pm, slightly delayed) and I got my heavy and large suitcases and got off the train. to get out of the station, I had to go up this crazy steep hill/bridge. it would have been tough without the two heavy suitcases, but with them...oh wow. it made it so tiring. I might be sore tommorow...between the heavy suitcases and my backpack and that hill...but it was so so worth it! anyway, I got a taxi to my hostel, checked in(room 5b, all the beds have names that match the locker you have, and i am on a top bunk-8 beds total). so I put all my stuff out of my backpack and put it in there. I am going to carry my laptop and its cords, my password with my SSN card inside, camera(duh!) and wallet(duh!) with me all the time in my backpack. I feel safer doing that and I think it is safer. even in the hostel I am keeping that backpack on me. after that I set out to get something to eat and explore a little. I stuck to High Street, and on that street alone I found so many of the things I have on my list to do while I am here. both the storytelling centre and Wee World Cafe(where its held-its not an actual cafe)are less than 2 minutes walk from my hostel! and there are so many kilm shops! granted most are expensive- about 150-200 pounds, and a discount in one store that made them 60 pounds!) but I did see one less expensive, 30 pounds or so. I want a kilm. I think that would be a nice souvenier of my time in Scotland. i know I promised myself no buying anything else that would take up room, only keychains of special places and postcards, but a kilm would not take up a lot of weight in my luggage. the heavy one is 49 pounds when I weighted them last, and I was wearing my tennies shoes so that made it heavier so I can spare some weight for a kilm. maybe even the socks if they have them. we'll see. it might look weird without the shoes, but it would still look cool. I did see some nice scarves and things to wrap around them,etc. i know, carried away. i will leave it at...i will see. if i get a kilm i will get the socks at least. i will see. i had dinner at pizza hut, then came back to the hostel. the wi-fi was being stubborn for 1-2 hours, and after I payed to use the internet on the computer here(80 pence per half hour)it started working! go figure huh? so that is my first night in Scotland! within my first hour i locked myself out of my room, ran into an ACU student,and found so much cool stuff on high street(also known as the royal mile since it connects Edinburgh Castle with Holywood castle(queen's residence). it is a scottish mile, so it is definetly longer than one mile. in my opinion anyway. so that is it for my first day here.btw, high street is a high street! it is also on a steep hill!

On The Train to Edinburgh

a train. window seat. first class. beautiful countryside outside the windows. destination: Edinburgh, Scotland. passager: ME!! that is the setting for this blog entry. that is where I am. and yes, that means that the train has wi-fi. free wi-fi. seriously, in england, buses have free wi-fi! I am really excited, guys! I'm headed for Scotland! for 3 weeks! this is the closest thing to a vacation that I have ever had in my life. I will admit that I am worried that it will go by really slow and that I wont find anything to do and that I will spend too much money. however, those are normal worries when you're traveling somewhere that you have never been before. other than those worries I am so excited and ready to be in Scotland. granted, tonight I will be tired(not to mention sore from dragging around my two huge suitcases and my backpack)so I am planning to check into the hostel and stay in for the night. okay, so I will check in to the hostel and go explore a bit...and yes, try and find a cheap place for dinner.

The journey with my two large and heavy suitcases has not been as difficult as I expected. first, my suitcases made it onto the train! yay!!!! I was worried last night that they wouldnt let me taken then onto the train but they did. there was even a nice secutity guy in Oxford that helped me with one of my suitcases to the platform to wait for the train. it was a hassle but not the diffucult one that I had imagined and worried about you know?funny how that is....you worry and worry and stress about something being difficult and not working out and when it comes, it is still hard and a hassle but not as hard as you imagined it to be. from paddinton station I took a taxi to king's cross. I thought it would be easier and cheaper than taking those suitcases onto the tube but it was 15 pounds(about 22 dollars). however, it was easier than working the tube with those two heavy and large suitcases. I waited at king's cross for about 2 hours for my train(I used the ladies's room and I had to drag my suitcases up and down a flight of stairs, and I put in a pound coin for the charge, yes you have to pay 30pence to use the restroom in most train stations, so that was another hassle. I also had two ladies help me on each suitcase bringing them up. i brought them up one at a time and each time a lady helped me. they are so nice in England). my train was finally called, platform 5 not 9 or 10 as I was hoping, but hey, c'est la vie. getting onto the train, a nice man helped me fit my suitcases on the luggage rack. I just ordered lunch, bangers and mash...

the bangers and mash were so good! yes, hot food on a train. that is the beauty of first class. lol...first class is nice. the seats are comfier and there is a lot more leg room and it is quieter. plus you get hot food. I love it...but I wouldnt get first class for a short journey. for a long journey like this one, yes it is a good idea. for a short journey, not so much. granted i might do first class again when i go to nottingham and then at the end of the summer, just because of my suitcases. first class has a lot more room in it for large luggage. plus it is nice and I like it. lol... :)

that is pretty much it for my journey to Edinburgh. I am going to the wee world cafe tommorow night 8-10pm, but I will write more about that tommorow. but just to let you guys know what it is...it is like globe cafe at St.Andrew's in Oxford(I wrote about it at the start of the semester in my main blog). they have different themes each week and they also have a discussion each week about life questions and what the bible says about them. it will be so interesting to hear to hear people from different cultures and countries talking about life questions and what God and the bible says about them. maybe I will be changed forever by something that I hear someone else say. anyway, I want to listen to music for about an hour and a half before I start on my INTS 241 five page paper on my study abroad experience. shouldnt be too bad. i am actually looking forward to really thinking about my semester in england. it is weird since for me, my time abroad is not yet done. part I is, which was the study abroad semester. part II is Edinburgh, Scotland and part III is my World Wide Witness internship in Nottingham, England. you could say that my night overnight in London night (when I will ride the london eye for a second time but this time at night) before I head back to Texas could be counted as part IV but I am not sure. that is it for this entry. and next time I write...Scotland!!!! jelaous much? lol..I must sat that I find it so much easier to talk about my travels and time overhere to people who have also done study abroad, because i dont feel like I am bragging. which will make it interesting when I go back in the fall. lol...love y'all!

Oxford Hostel Update

I am at a Coffee shop that limits wireless useage to 20 minutes and I have 12 minutes so this entry will be quick and short. the hostel that I am currently at in Oxford is...doable for a two night stay. it is not a long term hostel at all but for two nights it works. I am in a 4 bed female only dorm and I am currently the only one in the room. the hostel is also right near the train station, 5 minutes or so walk, so that works in my favor as well. tonight I will set my alarm clock for 8am, be out of the hostel by 8:30am, and at the train station at 8:45am and take the 9:50am train to london paddinton which will get me there by 11am, then I will take a taxi to king's cross and so I should be there by 11:30am or so, and then wait two hours or so for the train to Edinburgh, scotland! it leaves at 1:30am and I am so excited! first class...I will admit that I am worried about my luggage situation. I am terrified they wont let me take then on the train so keep that in your prayers! other than the luggage situation I am so looking forward to getting on that train to Scotland tommorow! my time is almost up on this wireless, so next time that I make an entry will be from scotland!!!

My British Summer Begins

I am not in Edinburgh, Scotland yet but I think that this is when my British summer starts: when most everyone else is on a plane flying home. it is exactly 11:40am as I am typing this so their plane back to Texas is literally taking off as I write this. today I am going to hang around the house probably and tonight go to dinner and a movie with a friend. it will be fun :) My British summer has begun. It is weird being in the house right now. it is so empty and quiet. usually you cannot find a quiet space where there any no people around. to quote Colin "there is no such thing as privacy in this house." that was very much true. now, it is not true anymore. it is quiet and pretty empty. Monday the maymester students arrive and I must say it feels strange to think that people other than us will be here. I will miss them. as annoying as they sometimes where I liked them a lot. I got used to being around them almost more than I wanted. we have been around each other everyday almost all day for the last 3 1/2 months. now we are not anymore. it will take some getting used to. i mean a few minutes ago one of the cleaning people walked in and I thought it was Austin. however, I am not totally upset. it is nice to not have to be constantly around 36 people anymore. plus i am excited about my upcoming trip to Scotland. there are so many cool things to do in that city! and some of them are at a pretty good price. they have some really neat and scary haunted tours. I want to do one. you guys know me and how easily I get scared. they also have some awesome city tours and some awesome parks. I will try and keep expenses down. I am so excited! I wanted to do this 3 day tour that goes around Scotland(including the lake where Nessie is supposed to live-loch ness monster). it is 59 pounds but it does not include hostel(they book it, and you pay there) or food. however, that is still pretty good. and worth it in my book. however, I knew that this is a costly summer for my parents my being here so I emailed my dad asking if it was okay and he said yes! I am very very excited. it even goes to the isle of Skye. it is going to be so beautiful and so much fun.
I will admit that this summer as exciting as it will be it also scary for me. i have never been in place by myself like i will be in Scotland and working as an intern at a church will be interesting. I am nervous that i wont do a good job. It's not like I've been going to church for years you know? it will be good for me though. it will not only be fun but it will be challenging and will help me grow and get to know God better. I guess that is what I want to get out of this summer. or one of the things anyways. I want to get to know God better and in a new and different way I guess. I also want to become a degree more outgoing and become more of a leader or at least get some leadership experience. This summer will be very different than last summer. This time, no tears and no therapy and no feeling abandoned. and this summer, I will have stories to tell about my summer unlike last summer.
The idea for this blog came from one of my study abroad roomies,Bailey Brown. she told me last night that I should start a blog only for my summer internship and i thought it was a brilliant idea. that way I can look back on this summer with ease and anyone else can too. since my main blog is restricted, this will allow anyone that wants to follow my summer adventures in Scotland and England can. I called it "British Summer Advetures" for obvious reasons but the term "british does refer to people from Great Britain, which is: England, Scotland, and Wales. so "brits" are not just people from england, hence the title of my blog. I will be in Scotland and England this summer. I hope y'all follow along with me this summer and I also hope y'all have awesome summers as well.