Scotland and it's Highlands

I am going to try and sum up this entire weekend on one blog post, so try and bear with me, lol.

Thursday had a pretty terrible start. I had a morning class--Comparative European Politics--which was very difficult to get through, the lecturer was monotone and the seminar leader didn't know what he was doing. The next class was a bit better--Britain in Decline: 1920's to modern day--the lecturer was a fun guy...seemingly cold and bitter but witty...like Dr. House toned down. We watched a movie for the seminar, for which I had an older gay atheist seminar leader that was ever so pleasant. I think the 6 hours of straight lecturing and listening was what made the day so long. When 10:00 rolled around, I was excited to get my butt on the bus.

Julia meets me at the tube station a bit late, so we have to jog over to the bus station that isn't too far away. We are the last two to get on. Julia hands over the tickets to the driver and he says, "This is for tomorrow, not tonight." Julia nearly screamed at the guy thinking that is was possible she made a mistake. But he was pulling our leg. Wonderful big British bus drivers. They know how to lighten a situation. So we get on the bus and after the driver tells two guys that they cannot sit behind him, he asks us if we would like to. Hahaha. We politely declined. While he was giving out instructions some idiot was making noise, so he got up and kicked him off the bus...without warning. Wow. This was the start to an interesting bus ride. The guy was power hungry. We got to a part in the road where 3 lanes had to merge into one and our bus driver was driving in the middle of two lanes to prevent people from getting over. Lol. The rest of the journey was long and tiring...got a little sleep here and there.

When we arrived in Edinburgh it was early. So we headed to the hostel and dropped off our luggage. There we met a Canadian called Jezebel that wore a kilt and had tattoos. Nice. We got breakfast downstairs, where I convinced Julia to try Marmite the dreaded cousin to Vegimite. So gross. It had like layers of awfulness. That ruined the appetite, lol, so we went outside to explore. This is when we found Hume's grave. Around 11, we did a free walking tour, which was great. Learned that there is a lot of history in Edinburgh and it has a dark past. For a snack we got a haggis appetizer--Haggis, tatties, and neeps--which is haggis, potatoes, and butternut squash--so surprisingly good and warmed up with a hot toddy--hot whiskey with clove, cinnamon, honey, and lemon. Once the tour was over we went to a famous cheese shop and bought a few cheeses to eat with bread and wine, for a late lunch. One was a Garlic Blue cheese, another was a sharp cheddar, and the last a slightly tangy milder cheese made from sheep's Milk. It was all quite good. Got some baguettes and Devil wine--Castillio de Diablos--and enjoyed a nice, simple meal. Later that night we went to a place that sold mussel pots--where you buy a kilo of mussels and have them cooked however you want. We got the traditional--white wine with shallots, garlic, and cream. So good. Shared this and a Creme' Brulee for about 15 pounds. Cheap! On our way home, we heard some music and decided to stop in. It was cool. Everyone in Scotland is so friendly...or maybe it was because we were American girls. lol. We were talking to guys for about two hours or so while we listened to some traditional folksy music. Julia ordered us the local drink--15yr old scotch with a little water--very strong. But good. It was a good ending to the long day. When we got home, we crashed.

We got up at 7 to head over to catch our tour into the Highlands. The tour guide was so cool. He knew so much, but was also very fun. He told us stories about the Haggis animal which is a small creature that on one side of its body has shorter legs so, it only moves in counter clockwise circles, lol. Silly, gullible tourists. Or how everyone is Scotland has a tree outside their window that prevents bad fairies from getting inside. He said he saw a documentary on this and told his parents only to find out that they had planted one outside his room when he was a boy. He told us the history of William Wallace and Braveheart and where battles were fought and why. We even made our way to Loch Ness, where, unfortunately I didn't spot Nessie. On the way home Kevin, the tour guide pointed out to me the hunting Lodge in Monarch of the Glen. I couldn't get a pic, unfortunately, but it was cool, I promise. Then we watched Braveheart on the way home. What an awesome ending, right? This really was the highlight of my trip to Scotland, I felt so alive, so awe striken by everything, by every battle, by every mountain. It is steeped in so much tradition and sense of heritage; it was moving. When we got back, Julia and I finished off the bread, cheese, and wine and added some meat and olives and enjoyed some whiskey at the bar downstairs before going to sleep.

Sunday was our last day and after several days of walking and sleep deprivation, we just decided to take it easy and shop. Got a few things, a traditional shawl, another coat, and Scotland Mugs for the Starbucks collectors. Got some traditional food as well today--Scotch pie which consisted of "meat, fat, and spices...", A Mexican hot chocolate drink at Chocolate Soup, and a Vegan Baked Potato with curried corn topping.

After we got our luggage, we headed back to the bus station to catch our London National Express. I swear, Julia and I must have GULLIBLE tattooed to our heads because THIS bus driver tried to pull the same..."oh you have the wrong day here", we told him it has already been pulled on us, lol. Oh well, fun times. On the way home we started getting snow...I didn't realize it would continue. When we arrived in London 8 hours later, snow covered the ground. Apparently this is rare--only happens once every 5 years or so. Because of this, everything has shut down. I was getting ready to get on my tube and a lady came on and announced that all bus services are canceled, and 12 tube stops and like 6 lines were closed. Nice, right. Thankfully, mine was still running. But man...the entire city. Closed. I had a snow day today. I have never had a snow day, lol.

It was funny, I was going to head out to get food since I didn't have anything...and sister Patricia stopped and and pleaded with me not to go out in the snow. She made me go downstairs with her and she MADE me lunch. I got tea, sugar, milk, bread, butter, cheese, and tomato. Oh my goodness, I felt overwhelmed with gratitude. She went through all this so I didn't have to go out, lol. So, dad, there you go. I didn't go out, I have been in all day resting. I met up with another nun and she said "Oh, Megan, be careful if you go out in the snow; Put lots of clothes on."

I love this place!!! I feel like I am living with a bunch of Bongas, lol.


Okay, so, here is the deal with pictures. I am making a myspace site where you can access many more of my photos at once. I will email you the username and password of the account so you can see the photos.