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.

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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.

Aberdeen football and beach

Tuesday night the group went to the Aberdeen football club soccer game versus the Raith Rovers. It was raining all day Tuesday, so I wasn't looking forward too it. Then when we got there we saw that the seats all had covers on them so I was excited. We had 3rd row seats. It was a crazy game. The other teams fans were crazy, singing the whole time and making so much noise. I kinda wish I was on their side haha. The game was no where near as awesome as Clemson football games, but it was fun regardless. We lost the game 1-0 because the ref didn't call a bunch of calls that should have been made. The people there have some potty mouths, although it made for an entertaining night. When the game was over, the coach walked by and people literally threw food at them. I've never actually seen someone do that, but the coach just stood there and took it. Afterwards, we went to the bobbin and had a drink and hung out. We ran into some guys from the Raith Rovers and they kept asking us if we were drowning our sorrows because of the loss. One of the guys gave me his yellow card, which is a discount card for certain drinks. He also said I had pretty eyes.

Wednesdays I don't have class anymore! WOO! So I cleaned my room and did laundry. Suzanne and I walked down to the beach since today has been the prettiest day in a while. The walk was really nice and we climbed up a hill and just looked out to the city and beach. We acted like seven year olds and just played on the grass and in the ocean. I had a lot of fun. I still haven't gotten my package and it has been exactly 2 weeks since my parents shipped it. What the heck US Postal Services, what the heck!?!?

I kinda wish I had the energy to go out every night, but I've been so tired lately and then the group that I would go out with, our schedules don't really match up. Like some of us have early mornings on certain days while some don't have anything at all. So it never works out to go out to a club or pub. Plus having to pay to get places and to get in is really starting to piss me off. I don't want to blow my money on alcohol or going to clubs just to experience Scotland.

I have nothing to do right now, so I'm kinda bored. Which sucks, but we're going to hang out in the tv lounge later tonight I do believe.

Valentine's Weekend in Dundee

Thursday night...
I played beer bong for the first time. It was tons of fun. I was pretty good at it, if I do say so myself. We only played for about an hour because they lock the tv room at midnight.

Friday...
Stacey came and picked me up and we went to Starbucks and had hot chocolate before I left for Dundee. She took me to the bus station and I got on the bus around 4:30. We got stuck in a lot of traffic so it took about 30 minutes extra to get to Dundee. I listened to music and looked at the scenery until it got darks. The sunset was really pretty because it was orange and purple and was setting behind mountains. When I got into Dundee, Trey was there waiting for me and we walked to his dorm. When we got to his room 45 minutes later, he had my valentine's present on the bed. I unpacked some and we made pasta for dinner. It was pretty good, the kitchen however was absolutely disgusting. We went to a martini bar downtown that Trey liked but they were full so we went to Drouthy's and had a Koppaburg, which was pretty good. That was pretty much it for that night.

Saturday...
We figured out the bus system and made our way to Broughty's Castle after we had pouridge for breakfast. We didn't know where to get off, so we had to walk a little ways to get to the castle. It wasn't as impressive as the Dunnottar Castle, but it was a castle regardless. We got to go inside and look at the museum. After, we went to the Fisherman's Pub and had a cheeseburger and watched Scotland vs Wales rugby. Scotland was doing pretty good, but apparently they lost anyway... :-(
We waited for the bus and headed back into Dundee. We went to a cute souvenior shop and we bought a Scottish flag and some other touristy things. We also went to a second hand store and looked around and we also got ice cream from a cute ice cream parlor. Saturday night we went on our Valentine's date to Madina's and had a pizza. We went back to the room and had some wine and watched Kung Fu Panda.

Sunday...
We got up and made a picnic of tuna salad sandwich, cheese and crackers, some raisen bars and then chips. We made our way to Dundee Law and in the process saw another castle... not sure if you can consider that a castle, but whatever. And hiked the law. It was a super pretty view from up there and the hike was fun. It rained on us a little bit but it wasn't so bad. After our hike and picnic, we stopped at a mall and bought Trey some tacks so he could put stuff on his wall and went back to his room.
We planned a couple more trips and then I left on a train to head back to Aberdeen. I met up with the girls when I got there and I got McDonald's for dinner and then unpacked.



I had a fun weekend with Trey, but I'm not going to lie... I am disappointed in Dundee. It was a smaller than Aberdeen and it seemed for commercialized and modern, which bothered me because I like the older look of Aberdeen. I was also upset because I didn't get to meet many of his friends. They all seemed to have been in hiding that weekend. I mean all Trey talks about is how crazy and fun his friends are and how awesome Dundee's parties are and how cheap the drinks are.... but I experienced none of that... so it was disappointing.

This is Sledgehammer. It's the cat that hangs out at Trey's flat and it's the cutest thing, second to Oscar of course.

I finally switched out of the Philosophy class and into a Music class with a lecture on Tuesday and a Tutorial on Friday's which isn't so bad. I probably will need to do laundry this week :(

I'm going to Loch Ness on Saturday for a day trip with the international society. Then Sunday I'm going back to Dundee and then Monday, Trey and I are going to Edinburgh and going to do a bus tour. http://www.timberbush-tours.co.uk/edinburgh_tours/one_day/rosslyn_chapel.html that's the link of what we're doing

Nothing new really

I don't really have much stuff to update everyone on. But I figure I should type out a blog anyway. Trey left yesterday, and it felt like the whole apartment thing all over again. We had a fantastic weekend together with all the international people. Sadly, the ran us out of the watering hole, so we didn't get to watch the whole super bowl, not that I care anyway. I've never been a big fan of NFL.

I'm especially glad and thankful for the people that God has put in my life here. It's amazing at how completely different we are, but how much we click and how quickly we've become invested in each others lives. I truly don't know what I would be like without them. my family

We went to the watering hole last night to celebrate Suzanne's half birthday. It was fun, we played drinking games and just laughed a lot and got stared at. i didn't actually drink all of those :)

Today was a long day. I really miss home today. I miss the comforts of the classes back home. The clean air (this cigarette smoke everywhere, will probably kill me.) I miss sweet tea. I miss Chick-fil-a and I miss my friends and my parents. Today has really been just a crappy day. I feel the need to go shop and take a bath. But since I can't take a bath, I will probably go shop tomorrow after my tutorial.

Please just keep me in your prayers that I can start to focus on school work and not think about home so much.

Weekend with Trey

Friday, I had anatomy from 2-3 and then I met Liz and Katie and we walked to the train station so that I could surprise Trey. I definitely didn't know how the train station worked, but now I do because I walked around and I figured out train times and such. When Trey got there, I cried, just a little haha, it was super exciting! We met Katie, Liz and Grace in the mall that's connected and walked back to the bus and took it to Hillhead. Trey and I went to the bobbin for dinner and both got bulmers cider which was super good. I got fish and chips and he got smothered chicken. We went to tesco's after and bought groceries for this weekend. We went to the priory that night (katie, colleen, grace and trey and I). Let's just say creepy. There were SO MANY older guys dancing with younger girls. So we basically got in a corner upstairs and just chilled and drank and laughed at people. We got a free bus ride back to Hillhead because the guy was super nice. Saturday, we toured Aberdeen. We went to a cute Victorian tea house and had lunch. Trey and I had a tuna salad sandwich. It was pretty good. Afterwards, the group went to the Art Museum and toured. Trey and I found the pound saver and I bought bowls and cups and such. We came back to Hillhead and just hung out. We went to the watering hole, and just drank a little bit and came back. Today, we tried the Dunnattor Castle. We took a bus (4.80 round trip) 15 miles to Stonehaven. It was a 2.5 mile hike and it was realllllly pretty. We didn't get to go into the castle because it closed at 3 and we walked in at 3:10. I was pissed, but the view was amazing regardless. We walked around some more and then looked at the WW2 monument and went back into Stonehaven. We went to a pub and had a late lunch. Trey and I split a chicken platter and it was very good. We waited for the bus and headed back into Aberdeen. Trey and I walked back to Hillhead and just took our time. It was really pretty weather today and I enjoyed the time regardless of whether we got to go into the castle or not. Pictures are up on facebook, so look there.

We're going to try and watch the superbowl. Hopefully we'll be able too. Trey leaves tomorrow afternoon. We're gonna go to a bakery for breakfast and then he's leaving. I'll be heading to Dundee on Friday afternoon. Hopefully this week will go by super fast.