Bressay, Scalloway and the ride home

We got up Monday morning and had a full Scottish breakfast. It's starting to grow on me, not going to lie. We were running late, so we took our time packing before leaving for the ferry. We got to leave our stuff at the B&B and left for the ferry. We went on the 10 oclock ferry to Bressay. Bressay was 5 minutes away and kind of lame. We walked around, saw more seals, and that was about it. We got on the next ferry out not even an hour later. I feel like if we had had a car, it would have been easier to get around, but we really didn't want to spend 3 or 4 hours walking around Bressay. We got into town and walked over to the Viking Bus Station. We got picked up 5 minutes later and went to Scalloway. The bus driver pointed us in the direction of the castle and then headed to find the key. We had to ask the Scalloway hotel for the key. Once we got the key, the castle was like right there and we unlocked the door and went in. It was really creepy. The roof was missing and the walls were leaking. It was really cool, but creepy nonetheless. After about 30 minutes, we went back to the hotel, returned the key and got some more fish and chips. They were super good. We got finished like 4 minutes before the next bus into Lerwick and ran to the bus stop. We made it just in time. We got dropped off in town and then walked back to the B&B. We hung out there for about 45 minutes because we wanted to rest because we were exhausted from all the walking. We got out the map of Lerwick and found an easier walk to the ferry. Thankfully that walk only took us about 10 minutes instead of the 30 to 40 minute walk we were expecting. We topped up our phones and the post office and then went to the grocery store and got tuna, crackers, cheese, and candy for dinner. We got to the ferry early so we couldn't check in yet, but as soon as we checked in we headed straight to a table and played cards and ate crackers and cheese. The captain came up to us again and gave us the keys to the same room, which we were not expecting. But we took it gratefully. We bought some post cards, movie tickets and some good smelling soap (because Shetland apparently makes its own soap)... We hung out in our room for a while. We watched Valentine's Day and as soon as it was done, we went straight to bed. We woke up at 7:30 this morning. Got breakfast at the bus station (blueberry muffins) and Trey left at 8:35 and I got back to Hillhead around 9. I have a full day of classes and then I'm heading to Dundee for tonight.

Sumburgh

This morning Trey and I were up at 7 to have breakfast at 7:30. I had cereal and yogurt and toast and Trey had all that with eggs. We left Breiview at 8 and headed to the bus station. We got there early and the bus didn't get there until 9:15. We headed off for a 40 minute bus ride to Sumburgh. We got off at the wrong stop farthest away from the lighthouse, but it was whatever.

Once we started walking, we walked on the beach. And then up past a farm with Shetland Ponies.



The hike to the lighthouse wasn't too bad. We got up there in about 30 minutes. It was kind of sad because we had just missed the killer whales. But that's okay. We were super hungry so we hurried down to the hotel for lunch. I had a cheese and tomato quiche and Trey had barbeque chicken. It was very good. Sumburgh is also famous for it's archaeological site, but it was supposedly closed. But we walked down there anyway and the gates were open. It was actually kind of lame. I guess because there was no one working there. The bus didn't come until 1:50 so we sat at the bus stop and just played games until it came. On the ride back to Lerwick, we actually saw a whale playing around in the ocean. I couldn't get a good picture of it, but we definitely saw it.

We got back to the bed and breakfast and took a three hour nap. When we woke up we decided to go find dinner. It was like a ghost town in the city centre tonight. And the Queens Hotel was too expensive. So we had Chinese... haha, but it was actually very good.

Tomorrow we plan on catching a ferry to Bressay and then go to Scalloway castle. Our ferry leaves out at 7 again. We're not too sure if we'll get so lucky as to get another free room...

I'm going to Dundee on Tuesday night and then St. Andrews on Wednesday. This is going to be a very long week.

Lerwick

Yesterday, Trey and I got on a Northlink Ferry in Aberdeen and headed towards Lerwick, Shetland. We got on the boat about an hour and a half before it was set to sail off. We sat around and ate our dinner of a sandwich and potato chips. We then went and hung out and watched the simpsons on the tv. There were about 50 people on the ship, if that. So we bought a movie ticket to watch The Princess in the Frog. While we were in there waiting for it to start, the captain came and talked to us and told us that they just put in the new tvs and made it an HD tv. The movie was super cute. When it was over, we went back and sat in comfy chairs and watched tv. The captain came up to us and asked us where we were from and kind of got to know us. Randomly, he asked if we were staying in a cabin and we told him we were not. So he left and came back with a cabin for us. For free... when normally we would have had to pay 45 pounds for just a bed. He took us to the cabin which had 2 beds, a tv, a shower and everything. It was so nice. So we were incredibly grateful. After we got settled, we went to the bar and got something to drink. While we were up there the bartender asked us about home and then a guy named Matthew came and talked to us. He's from Shetland and works in Aberdeen as an engineer. We talked for about an hour and a lot of stuff. It was really interesting just to hear about what his life was like here. We talked about mission trips and Edinburgh and Aberdeen. It was a lot of fun.

We went to bed around 1. The ferry arrived in Lerwick at 7:30 but Trey and I didn't get up and leave until 9. When we got up we thanked the captain one more time and left. As we were leaving, we realized the last bus into town had just left so we talked to the lady, Evette from the front desk about how to get into the city center. She was trying to tell us with a map how to get to Breiview guest house and was like.. you know what, I get off work in 15 minutes, how about I just drop you off. Trey and I literally couldn't believe our luck.

We got to Breiview and unpacked and stuff. Our room is so big. We have a double bed, a tv, a twin bed, a huge closet and a big bathroom. We took showers... but the water was too hot so I ended up just washing my hair in the sink, haha. We headed off into town through the scenic walk. As we were walking past the coast we saw some rocks we could climb on and we started climbing and then we saw a sea lion hop onto one of the rocks. It was so amazing. We tried walking over to it and by the time we got close enough it slid off the rock. We walked around for a while and then ran into sea lion jackpot. There were literally about 30 sea lions just chilling out on the rocks and in the ocean. We ran into the owner of Breiview and he told us that yesterday there apparently were orcas spotted here that had the sea lions for a snack. We walked around more cliffs and ran into a pretty kitty. The cliffs were amazing to see. About an hour later, we ended up in the city center and had to get food. We got a pizza and a milkshake and had a picnic. We went to the Tourist Info center and got a lot of info on what we could do here. After, we went to Fort Charlotte and then the Shetland museum. We then went to find a place to hire a bike for the day because we want to try doing that on Monday.

When we got finished with that we went to a fish and chips shop and got some to go. We went to Tescos and got some drinks for the night. I am trying to upload pictures up on facebook and Trey and I are just watching tv and relaxing. We're going to head to bed early tonight so that we can get up early tomorrow to head to Sumburgh tomorrow morning.

Edinburgh

This blog is coming way too late, but this is the only free time I have. And I only have about 30 minutes before I peace out to Shetland for the weekend.

Our bus was a little bit late coming into Aberdeen because of snow. And then half the group didn't even realize it was our bus. Psh, they need to listen to me, I'm the queen of traveling. Anyway, when we arrived in Dundee, we had to switch buses and finally I got to see Trey. We got to Edinburgh about 30 minutes late and it was pouring down rain. So we checked into Brodies Hostel. We tried to do a ghost tour but by the time everyone had checked in it was too late. So we went to pubs instead. Trey, Liz and I partied with some 50 year old man for his birthday, it was loads of fun. Saturday we did a free tour that lasted 3 hours. We learned a lot of interesting stuff about Edinburgh (check out the pictures on facebook, it has a bunch of explanations). After that Trey and I did the Scotch Whisky experience, which was loads of fun. I do not like whisky by itself, but I don't mind it in coke. We then walked down Royal Mile and saw a bunch of little historical places. That night we ate at the Bank Hotel (3.50 for dinner) and it was pretty good, I had mashed potatoes and a roast. We then did a pub crawl were we had 3 shots, a pint, whisky coke, vodka coke, vk, jaggerbomb and lots of laughs. We also went into Frankensteins which was a lot of fun! We also went to espionage, but it was way too crowded. That night when we got back to the hostel every bed was full, so that kind of sucked so we had to be super quiet while getting ready and stuff. Also, the room next door had a huge party untul about 4 am and kept Trey and I up. So we got maybe 3 hours of sleep. One of the guys from the party was so drunk he fell down 3 flights of stairs, sucks to be him. We had breakfast on Sunday and went to the castle. The rest of the group didn't go, but that is their fault. The castle was really cool. It was really windy and snowy but that didn't stop us from experiencing it. Pictures are also up on facebook. We then went to that National Museum of Scotland and it was interesting to see all the history of Scotland and everything that they have gone through. It was definitely worth 5 hours. At that point it was almost time to leave, so we met up with the group at the bus station. There were several things that I didn't get to do like hike arthurs seat hike, do a ghost tour and visit palace of hollyrood house which is where the queen lives when she comes here. OH at the castle, I did get to see the crown jewels (some stupid american college student was like are those real?!)

Classes have been good this week. This week has gone by so freakin slow. But I'm off to Shetland until Tuesday. Then Tuesday night I'm going to Dundee with Liz to party, Wednesday we're going to St. Andrews. Thursday is Liz's 21st birthday and Friday I'm going to Dublin for the weekend. Can we say busy?!?!

Oban, West Highland Lochs and Castles

Sunday morning my bus was leaving at 10:35 for Dundee. I left an hour before to get there in time and it ended up being way too icey so I slid everywhere and was getting late. So I took off my scarf and jacket to start running to the bus station. By the time I got to the bus station 5 minutes before the bus left, I checked for my scarf and it was gone. I was very upset because it was my favorite scarf. Of course I cried and was very mad at myself, but I got taught a lesson that material things aren't what is important in life. So I have to just remember that it's just a scarf and maybe someone who needed it picked it up and is using it now

Anyway, I got to Dundee at noon and Trey and I ate KFC and it was pretty good. We then went to primark to buy a new scarf and i also bought a cute pair of shoes all for 4.50. We got back to his room and hung out for a bit. We got a phone call from the timberbush tours saying that our tour to the Rosslyn Chapel had been cancelled and that there were 2 other tours that were going, one to loch ness and one to oban. we decided on oban since i had just been to loch ness. we were quite upset about that happening, but oh well. We also booked our trip to Shetland islands the weekend of march 5-8. We got a cute little bed and breakfast that we're going to stay in. We looked into going to Barcelona, because I would LOVE to find a sun and 60 degree weather, but it didn't work into our budget right now... maybe in May, when it's super hot. We then booked a trip to Dublin for March 12-14. We then checked out a bunch of tours for other weekends or day trips for us to go on. That night, I finally got to meet his friends. I really enjoyed them. They were difficult to understand but were funny. There was one that I'm not fond of, but I don't have to hang out with them, it's Trey who does.

Monday was a long but good day. We got up at 4 to get ready and head to our bus at 5. We pulled out at 6 and left for Edinburgh. We had to change buses at Perth and then got into Edinburgh around 8. We found a McDonalds and got breakfast and headed to where we were to meet our tour bus. We looked at the castle some because they were beside each other. Our tour bus got there around 9:15 and we met 3 people from France, 2 from Germany and a girl from Austria. Our driver was Alli, and he was really cool. He told us a bunch of interesting stories about Edinburgh. Like how they used to have to pay a window tax so people put up boards to cover them so they wouldn't have to pay it. We also passed by Murrayfield which is where Scotland plays Rugby, it was kinda funny because it only holds about 67,000 people. We passed by Stirling Castle and Wallace monument. We passed by several castles and I tried to get pictures, but he was definitely driving super fast. Our first stop was Duone Castle, which was where Monty Python was filmed. We then went to meet Hamish. I'm not entirely sure what kind of cow he is, but he was cute. He is 17 years old and supposedly this is the cow they use for the meat here. We had a little coffee break where Trey and I had a scone and hot chocolate. After this we started to get into the Highlands. We passed several Lochs, all frozen. Alli told us that birds get stuck in there when it gets frozen and the foxes come and eat them while they are stuck in the loch. As we got higher into the Highlands, everything was covered in frost. We got some amazing views of the mountains

In the Highlands, they still speak Gaelic. Every single road sign there had both gaelic and english written on it.

As we headed towards Oban, we passed by the Atlantic Ocean. Oban was a cute town. It was a fishing community. Apparently, some dude wanted to build a roman colliseum and he died before it was finished, so they never finished it. I wish I could remember the exact word, but the name of it is gaelic and means unneccessary or something like that. Trey and I got fish and chips that were pretty good. We had to pay to use the bathroom, which I find ridiculous.

\
After we went to Dunstaffnage Castle. It's supposed to be haunted. Alli told us that a couple of Americans paid to go in and they saw children dancing and asked why they were there and the lady at the ticket office said there werent any children here that day... We then went to the Kilchurn Castle. We couldn't get out too it because it was on a peninsula without any road leading too it. It makes me sad that most of the castles here are just ruins now.

Inverary castle was amazing. Although it's not the original castle... the last duke wanted to build one that was more for show of money than for protection. It resembles a French Chateau. The Duke actually still lives there with his family, we didn't get to tour it because it was closed but that's okay. We took another bathroom/ coffee stop and Trey and I got an Irn Brew and some candy to keep us awake.

Our next stop was at a rest stop called Rest and Be Thankful. It had amazing views of a valley and some mountains.



After we went to Loch Lommond. It's the biggest body of water in Scotland, I do believe. The sunset was reflecting into the loch and it was absolutely breathtaking.




On the way back to Edinburgh, the bus played a game to win a mini bottle of whisky. Alli had 17 songs from movies and we had to guess what movie they were from. Trey and I played together and we totally won. We got 6 songs right... most of the songs were from movies in the 80s so that's why. We were ahead of schedule, so Alli took us by 2 bridges on the outside of Edinburgh. One was a newer suspension bridge and the other was a bridge from the 1800s that trains used. They were both really pretty at night.





Since our first tour got cancelled, we had to buy a new bus ticket. We got back at 7:30 and our next bus back home didn't leave until around 8:45 or so. We had McDonald's for dinner and just hung out until we had to head to the bus station. Luckily, Trey got to ride with me until we hit Dundee and then I switched buses and then headed to Aberdeen. I didn't get back till midnight and I took a taxi back to Hillhead.

Classes on Tuesday were good. I have no class today and the weather is super yucky out. I was supposed to get my fridge today, but Stacey forgot the chord for it, so I'm not sure when I'll be getting one. I really just want to stay in my room all day and do homework and relax because the weather is so gross.

Trips

So I'll update about my weekend in the next post probably tomorrow...

This weekend I'm going to Edinburgh.

March 5-9 Trey and I are going to the Shetland Islands. We're staying in a guest house (http://www.breiviewguesthouse.co.uk/index.html). Taking an overnight ferry Friday and Monday

March 12-14 we're going to Dublin and gonna see some of the St. Patty's Festival

We're also looking into doing several more bus tours because the one we did was awesome. We got to see so much in the little time and I feel like if we had done that by ourselves we would have never seen that much stuff. We're probably gonna go see Stirling Castle/ Wallace Monument on our own, do a bus tour to Melrose Abbey and then a bus tour of Isle of Skye/Loch Ness

Weekend # 4

Thursday: Class all day, but it wasn't too bad. We didn't go out but instead we watch Shirlock Holmes all together on my bed. It was a good movie.

Friday: I didn't have class until 2. So I slept in, which was REALLY nice. I woke up to snow, so that kinda stunk, but it wasn't so bad.

Friday night: Rob invited us to go out but he didn't know where he was going, so we kinda just decided to leave and go wherever. When we got on the bus, some girl gave us a discount card to Tiger Tiger. So we decided to go there. It was a 2 pound entry fee and had cheap drinks all night. I had my first shot, it tasted like black licorice and started with an S. I also got a vodka cranberry. But that was it for the night. We got there at like 10:50 because it was cheaper before 11. We kinda hung out until the downstairs portion opened around midnight. Downstairs was where everyone was, it was more of the dance club we had been looking for. Colleen, Suzanne and I went out there and started dancing. There were a lot of interesting characters out there, like a bunch of gay guys and lots of slutty girls. I ended up dancing with some random guy, which was interesting to say the least. I left before things could get any more awkward than they were getting. Before we left, a group of guys tried to start dancing with us. I probably would have stayed had we not had to get up at 7 am and it was already 1:15. We ended up walking back because we didn't want to wait for the bus, but the bus caught up with us and so we got on it for free. I love that bus driver.

Saturday: I didn't get to bed until 3, but that was okay because I got like 3 hours to sleep on the bus ride. We got there around 11:30 and got to explore the Urquhart Castle, which was super pretty with the mountains and all. We then did about a 30 minute boat tour. I didn't see Nessie, but they did do a little story telling during it explaining all of the popularity that Nessie has gotten over the years. The view there was absolutely amazing. We then went into a gift shop and left at 1:30 for a place called Baxter's soup village. It was an hour bus ride and we spent 2 hours there. It was interesting, but definitely wasn't worth spending 2 hours there. We tried some of their soup (potato and leek was what I had) and then went into their museum/store. They had a bunch of tasters and I really liked their salsa that they had. I was tempted to buy some kind of chutney to take back home but I didn't know how well that would have played out. We watched Cool Runnings, which I had never seen before. We didn't get to finish it because we arrived back to Hillhead at 6:25, 5 minutes before dinner ended. So we sprinted downstairs and got our dinner, thankfully. I had macaroni and cheese (not as good as moms, but oh well) and chips. I have updated facebook with pictures and now I'm not sure what I'm going to do. I'm slightly exhausted and I know that the next 2 days will be long days as well because I'm going to Dundee tomorrow morning and then Edinburgh Monday.