Tuesday, July 7, 2009

SCOTLAND!

Hello!!!!!!

So, I have returned from a weekend trip to Scotland!

Scotland = Epicness

We went to Edinburgh, which is the capital of Scotland and a very pretty city. The bus ride took about 12 hours. There was a bit of traffic and we stopped at Hadrian's Wall for half an hour. Sadly, the weather has now turned back into good ole UK weather and it rained on us. Fortunately, when our bus arrived at Hadrian's Wall, the raining had stopped...I can't say the same for the bus that had arrived before us = ).

Hadrian's Wall...well...it's a pretty view = ).
Yea...we could have gone straight to Edinburgh, but the thought was good, right?

At Edinburgh, we stayed at the University of Edinburgh in Pollock Halls. The dorm rooms were very nice, each with a sink, provided towels, desks, drawers, and a comfy bed = ). Once there, we decided to explore the city! Of course, we were all famished at this time, but one thing...everything closes much earlier in the UK. Yea...so what did we eat?

Pizza Hut

It's all good cause the next day was when we were able to explore more of the city! = D We visited Rosslyn's Chapel (I guess it was filmed in The Da Vinci Code).


Very beautiful! The history is very interesting. Each column and carving is different. It must have taken ages to construct the chapel.

After the chapel, we headed to old town where we visited the National Museum of Scotland, the Castle, and The Elephant Tea Shop (where JK Rowling originated Harry Potter!!).


There was so much to do! We ended up walking around town and going on an Underground Tour where there is supposedly supernatural events...I'll let you guys discover if it's true or not = ).

You would think that we'd be tired after the day...we were. = ) BUT that didn't stop us from the rest of the night! We ate a traditional Scotland meal...which didn't seem very different from any other meal we had eaten...= ) and we had a dance!!! We learned many Scottish partner dances!!! I had sooo much fun! I shall try and remember the steps and bring them back to the states = ) I guess dancing to Scottish dances is a good way to celebrate the 4th of July = D.

The next day, we hiked. My tennis shoes smell awful now. This hike was no ordinary hike. It was pretty muddy, weedy, grassy...and FUN! = ) A lot of it reminded me of Jurassic Park/Lord of the Rings = ). Actually, a lot of Scotland reminded me of LOTR.
The view from our final location on the hike was beautiful.

You would think that after a full day of hiking, we'd want to rest. Nope = ) More hiking! Jessi and I decided to hike up Arthur's Seat. This was EPIC! = ) (that was our word for the weekend). You have a complete 360 view of Edinburgh!

What was even crazier was that there were 2 rain clouds that surrounded where we were at and everyone was scared that the rain would pour down on us because it was washing over Edinburgh. We decided to brave it out...

and it went around us!! Both of them! That was probably one of my most memorable nights. There were a few of us left on the top and the sun had almost set. The city lights were twinkling around us as we sat atop Arthur's Seat. Someone started playing "Chasing Cars" in the background. It was like a final scene in a movie of conquest, where the camera pans around the group of travelers sitting atop their feat. It was epic = ).

Of course, the night couldn't end there. On the way down, we rolled = ). Well...for a bit of it, played a bit of tag, and THEN said our goodnights. 'Twas a good night.

Sunrises in Scotland? Let's just say God is the best artist ever!


I really liked Scotland. I shan't forget it. = )

On the way back, we stopped at Fountains Abbey where Pride and Prejudice was filmed. I didn't get to see the water area though = (. I guess there simply isn't enough time for everything, BUT the trip was an incredible experience. Unfortunately, I came back to my room and immediately went back into school mode...I wrote an 1800 word short story on minimal sleep...I'm sleepy now. = )I thought the quarter system was fast...this is even faster.

Anyway, I hope all is well back home! Off to do some critiquing! = )

Love,
Christina

2 comments:

  1. Christina!! Sounds like you are having a BLAST! :) I'm infinitely jealous! All the pictures are beautiful, I hope its not getting TOO hot out there! Can't wait to keep reading about your adventures! Miss ya!

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  2. Wow, the picture by themselves are EPIC! But your adventure sounds SUPER EPIC!! I wanna go to EUROPE!

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