I have returned back to me old blog spot. I took a wee holiday to the Highlands of Scotland, and I've been swamped since my return. (Okay, enough of the crappy Scottish accent).
In all seriousness, Scotland was beautiful! My roommate Cathy and I took a three-day bus tour with Haggis Adventures. After an annoying nine-hour bus ride from London to Edinburgh, Cathy and I jumped on ANOTHER bus and started our tour by driving from Edinburgh to Loch Ness. Over the next three days, we drove from Loch Ness to Fort Augustus, from Fort Augustus to the Isle of Skye, from the Isle of Skye to Glen Coe, from Glen Coe to Stirling, and from Stirling to Edinburgh - whew! I personally loved the Highlands, and I would recommend visiting them over Edinburgh for any future travelers.
We kicked off our first day by visiting the castle William Wallace stormed in Scotland's fight for independence. William Wallace is viewed not as a hero, but as a nut in the eyes of many Scotsmen. For any Braveheart fans, I believe Mel Gibson played him in the movie. I wouldn't bring up Braveheart if you visit Scotland though, apparently it's incredibly inaccurate. We then made a pit stop for a wee bit of haggis (which I am not a fan of - it tastes like icky ground beef) and to see Scotland's sexiest male - Hamish.
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| Hamish and me |
We then continued our tour by driving past the mountains where Pontius Pilate lived before he moved to Rome to find his father who abandoned him as a child. The mountains were truly picturesque and every shot looked like an amazing postcard.
After stopping briefly to snap some photos, we drove to Glen Coe, which was a major battle scene for several Scottish clans. It is also extremely beautiful, and our guide led us on a brief hike.
After the breathtaking hike, our tour group stopped for lunch at a local restaurant. Everyone raved about the Cullen Skink soup. In all honesty, it tasted just like New England clam chowder. I also had the Scots' favorite soda, Iron Blu. In fact, more people drink Iron Blu than Coca-Cola in Scotland. Sadly, I wasn't a fan of the Iron Blu soda either. I thought it tasted like bubble gum.
To warm us up from our chilly hikes, our tour guide took us to a local whiskey brewing company. I learned that each whiskey has to sit in a barrel soaked in either wine or beer for eight years so that it absorbs all the flavors. The company ships internationally, and 90 percent of their whiskey goes to America to make Jack Daniels. Represent! The rest goes to Italy and France I believe. It was neat seeing where the whiskey was stored because the warehouses have been featured in several films, including, you guessed it, Braveheart.
Now, I knew of course that I had to try the whiskey, but truth be told, I HATE whiskey. Throughout my college career I have sampled my fair share of beers and liquors (mostly cheap stuff), and I knew I did not like Jack Daniels. However, I just knew that my Uncle Tom would be disappointed if I passed up on this opportunity to sample some fine alcohol. When drinking whiskey, you're supposed to drink it like wine. You should smell it and drink it in about three sips - holding the whiskey in your mouth so you can taste the wine and the beer from the barrel. Let's see how I did...
Thankfully, we were able to erase the bitter taste of whiskey from our tongues with a delicious home cooked meal at our hostel. The ginger bartender was a fantastic cook and quite the comedian. He also taught us how to make a traditional Scottish kilt after dinner, and out tour group had what was basically a toga party in kilts in the hostel's bar. It was a ton of fun!
We had an early start the next morning and drove to the Isle of Skye. It was absolutely gorgeous. We saw castles, waterfalls, dinosaur footprints, and we learned many Scottish myths along the way. One of my favorite myths occurred at a "magical" stream.
After the breathtaking hike, our tour group stopped for lunch at a local restaurant. Everyone raved about the Cullen Skink soup. In all honesty, it tasted just like New England clam chowder. I also had the Scots' favorite soda, Iron Blu. In fact, more people drink Iron Blu than Coca-Cola in Scotland. Sadly, I wasn't a fan of the Iron Blu soda either. I thought it tasted like bubble gum.
To warm us up from our chilly hikes, our tour guide took us to a local whiskey brewing company. I learned that each whiskey has to sit in a barrel soaked in either wine or beer for eight years so that it absorbs all the flavors. The company ships internationally, and 90 percent of their whiskey goes to America to make Jack Daniels. Represent! The rest goes to Italy and France I believe. It was neat seeing where the whiskey was stored because the warehouses have been featured in several films, including, you guessed it, Braveheart.
Now, I knew of course that I had to try the whiskey, but truth be told, I HATE whiskey. Throughout my college career I have sampled my fair share of beers and liquors (mostly cheap stuff), and I knew I did not like Jack Daniels. However, I just knew that my Uncle Tom would be disappointed if I passed up on this opportunity to sample some fine alcohol. When drinking whiskey, you're supposed to drink it like wine. You should smell it and drink it in about three sips - holding the whiskey in your mouth so you can taste the wine and the beer from the barrel. Let's see how I did...
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| Clearly, not well |
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| Cathy wasn't a fan either |
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| One of the best meals of my study abroad experience - veggie pie |
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| me working on my kilt - you had to fold it into pleats |
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| Kilt party |
According to the tale, there were two clans that owned the two halves of the Isle of Skye. One clan had the most beautiful daughter in all the land, and the other clan had the most handsome son. The two clans decided that their children should meet in hopes that they would one day get married, and the two clans could share the land. So, they handcuffed the son and daughter together (this was before the days of Match.com) and sent them into the woods for five days. When the couple returned, they announced their engagement. So, clearly the handcuff technique worked.
On the day of their wedding, the beautiful daughter, Mary, crossed the magical stream with her servant Duncan (who had always been in love with her), her dog, and her gallant white horse. While riding across the stream, her horse's hoof slipped on a rock - causing the horse to fall and Mary to bang her head against a jagged rock. Mary's face was destroyed. Her face was completely cut open and bloody, and she her right eyeball popped out of its socket. (WARNING: the story will get more graphic, but good). Duncan cleaned Mary up, popped the eye back into the socket, and convinced her to go to the church where her loving fiancee would still take her to be his bride, despite her appearance.
With the veil draped over her face, Mary went to the church and the wedding ceremony was performed. Once the priest told the son that he could lift the veil to kiss the bride, the son screamed in horror, and thought someone had pulled a cruel prank on him. Clearly, sensitivity was not his strong suit. He hit Mary across the face, and popped out the eyes of her dog and horse. Seriously, what a loser! Horrified, Mary went to the stream and wept.
All of a sudden, a fairy (the Scots are very big on fairies) appeared. The fairy told Mary that if she dipped her face in the stream for seven seconds, her beauty would be more glorious than before. Mary, her dog, and her horse stuck their faces in the stream and, sure enough, their faces became radiant. Mary then dunked Duncan in the stream, and he came out a handsome stud. Mary and Duncan married and the lands remained separated. Clearly, this story is not one of those fables that conveys that true beauty lies on the inside. Shows like The Swan and Bridalplasty later picked up this story line. Kidding!
On the day of their wedding, the beautiful daughter, Mary, crossed the magical stream with her servant Duncan (who had always been in love with her), her dog, and her gallant white horse. While riding across the stream, her horse's hoof slipped on a rock - causing the horse to fall and Mary to bang her head against a jagged rock. Mary's face was destroyed. Her face was completely cut open and bloody, and she her right eyeball popped out of its socket. (WARNING: the story will get more graphic, but good). Duncan cleaned Mary up, popped the eye back into the socket, and convinced her to go to the church where her loving fiancee would still take her to be his bride, despite her appearance.
With the veil draped over her face, Mary went to the church and the wedding ceremony was performed. Once the priest told the son that he could lift the veil to kiss the bride, the son screamed in horror, and thought someone had pulled a cruel prank on him. Clearly, sensitivity was not his strong suit. He hit Mary across the face, and popped out the eyes of her dog and horse. Seriously, what a loser! Horrified, Mary went to the stream and wept.
All of a sudden, a fairy (the Scots are very big on fairies) appeared. The fairy told Mary that if she dipped her face in the stream for seven seconds, her beauty would be more glorious than before. Mary, her dog, and her horse stuck their faces in the stream and, sure enough, their faces became radiant. Mary then dunked Duncan in the stream, and he came out a handsome stud. Mary and Duncan married and the lands remained separated. Clearly, this story is not one of those fables that conveys that true beauty lies on the inside. Shows like The Swan and Bridalplasty later picked up this story line. Kidding!
So of course, our guide told us we had to dip our faces in the stream in order to have everlasting beauty. It felt so good and refreshing!
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| Our guide, Leo, showing us how it's done |
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| The water was cold, but felt great. Hopefully, it worked! |
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| Beautiful view from tallest mountain |
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| The group - Cathy and I were the only ones not from Australia or New Zealand. Our guide called us Team America |
Finally, we hiked to one of the tallest, and most beautiful, mountains in Skye. The pictures I took truly don't do the scene justice, but it was absolutely breathtaking.
Our final day in Scotland was just as packed as the first. We started off with a tour of a forest that inspired author and playwright James Barry to write about Neverland in Peter Pan. I found the forest to be completely mystical, and I could definitely see where Mr. Barry got his inspiration.
After blissfully walking through Neverland, the tour headed toward Loch Ness to find Nessie - the Loch Ness Monster. There have been many scientific studies conducted to determine whether Nessie is real. MIT conducted a study and claims that there is a significant lack of fish in Loch Ness that appears to have been eaten by some sea creature. There are also several theories disproving the Nessie tales. For instance, the road near Loch Ness used to be a local circus route, and circus performers used to let their elephants swim in Loch Ness. It has been hypothesized that the famous image of the Loch Ness Monster sticking its head out of the water is actually an elephant's trunk. Our tour guide made us do a dance and chant in hopes of getting Nessie to come out, and sure enough, I found her...
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| In front of Loch Ness |
Overall it was a wonderful trip, and I feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to see such beauty. Until my next blog (who knows when that will be) :)
-Elyse
Sounds like your trip to Scotland was fabulous. Looking forward to hearing all about spring break in Greece. Hugs. Auntie Linda
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