The Glorious Highlands

The Highlands of Scotland are what most people picture when they think of Scotland. Barren mountainsides spotted with sheep and heather. Streams of clear, fresh, water flowing down from the mountain springs into the valleys that taste delicious. They are right, that is what is in the Highlands, but it is very different than what can be found in the Lowlands of Scotland. Last weekend the House left for a trip up into the Highlands of Scotland. We had four days planned traveling around northern Scotland. To maximize our time in the Highlands we woke up early on Thursday morning and got on our bus. The itinerary consisted of multiple stops each day and from 30 minutes to 2 hours between each stop and ending the day at about 5 or so except one day when we were done at 1.

Thursday started with Doune Castle, the ruins of a small castle that was used in the filming of Monte Python and the Quest for the Holy Grail. It was an interesting castle and we were able to explore most of the ruins without problem.

Then it was back on the bus and off to our next stop, Glencoe Visitor Center. In the Center they had a nice gift shop and an exhibition on the mountain range there. I decided to buy some small souvenirs and then Hannah, Gabby, and Lael and I took a walk trying to find a monument. Sadly we walked until we hit a fence and were unable to find what we were looking for but it was a beautiful trail that we were walking on. After the Visitor Center we stopped at a road side view of the Three Sisters. They had some paths down into the valley and towards a stream. We managed to spend almost an hour there and saw seven red deer run around the valley with us.  Gabby and I walked in the opposite direction of everyone else and ended up finding a waterfall and having the deer run toward us instead of away. We decided that we took the better way.

That night our hostel was located at the foot of Ben Nevis, the tallest point in all of the British Isles. There was nothing near the hostel so we stopped in Fort Williams, the town, to pick up dinner before heading to the hostel. It was beautiful. There was a river right across the road and just beyond the river was a mountain. The mountain side was speckled with sheep and we were able to walk up the mountainside on a path. It was beautiful. That night after dinner we had twenty people join us in our room to play Cranium, the room was huge. It was a lot of fun.

The next morning we woke up early once again and drove over Neptune’s Staircase. The plan was to stop and take a couple pictures but we got stuck in traffic and were a little behind schedule. Neptune’s Staircase is a series of locks that connect the east side of Scotland to the west side. It was interesting to see five or six locks right next to one another. After the locks we stopped at the Glenfinnan Viaduct. For all the Harry Potter fans it is the bridge that the Hogwart’s Express goes over.

Across the street there was a loch with an amazing view and a monument as well.

Then it was the highlight of the day, Loch Ness. We had an hour long cruise on the loch and then we could either spend some time in the gift shop or go for a swim with Nessie, the Loch Ness Monster. Even though the water was a toasty 5 degrees Celsius I decide to go for a swim. The bottom of the Lock is very rocky and not with little pebbles but larger rocks that are hard to walk over. Even though the loch gets deeps very quickly there was not dock for you to jump off of you had to walk into the loch and then walk back out.  It was a lot of fun but it was very cold, it felt like needles poking you when you went in. I made it in to my shoulders though and was not able to touch the bottom. Then I quickly worked my way out to get into my towel. (I need to get a picture from someone who did not go into the water. I will put one up soon:)

After Loch Ness we went to Urquhart Castle located on the shores of Loch Ness. It was in ruins so that the Jacobites would not be able to use it and it was snowing when we were there. Even though the weather was not in our favor when we were there the ruins were still quite beautiful and they had a great view of Loch Ness and the surrounding mountains.

Then it was off to the hostel and a good night’s sleep in Inverness.

We were able to sleep in a little bit on Saturday and our only stop on the itinerary was Culloden Battlefield. Culloden was historic battle between the Government and the Jacobites led by Bonnie Prince Charlie. In the span of 60 minutes there were 1,500 rebel Jacobite soldiers killed and only fifty Government soldiers. After the battle those who still survived were run down and killed. It was a massacre due to bad planning and luck. The Jacobites had been up all night long in a failed surprise attack and had not eaten in two days. The field was flat with little cover and a wall running perpendicular to the battle lines that was not covered by Jacobite soldiers so they could be attacked on multiple sides. It was thought provoking experience standing among the mass graves of so many people who died fighting and whose names have been forgotten.

After the battlefield we went to the river side to see if there were any dolphins there.

We waited for about a half hour and did not see any so it was back to the hostel and Inverness for our open afternoon. We had the rest of the day to do as we pleased so I decided to go with some other people to an organic brewery nearby. We took a taxi to Black Isle Brewery and had a free tour complete with samples of their four major beers. It was really peaceful there, it was in the country and the weather was beautiful. After the tour some of the girls bought a beer or ice cream and we went outside to sit on the picnic tables that were there. There was also a couple of dogs running around for us to play with. After a taxi ride back into town we spent some time shopping at the Eastgate mall and Victorian Market in town. Then it was out to dinner before our Crime and Punishment Tour in Inverness. We ate at The Exchange and then walked to the start of our tour.

The tour started outside of the old prison. Our guide was waiting for us and his name was Cameron. He really made the tour much more interesting. We learned a lot about the town and its history from him. We went from the old prison to the merkat, which is an old gossip spot to catch up on all the news in town, to the castle where we heard a horror story where a King was murdered and his wife punished the murderers in horrendous ways. Then it was off to an old grave yard where our tour ended. We then walked back to the hostel and spent the night relaxing before our last day in the Highlands.

Sunday morning we left the hostel and headed out to Fort George, the best preserved fort in Scotland, mostly because it is still in use today. We were able to walk around the fort and take some pictures then we went up on the wall to watch for dolphins.

Our luck was not so good once again because we did not see any. Then we drove to the town of Pitlochry to walk around and grab some lunch if we wanted. It was a cute little town. After that we went to a distillery called, Aberfeldy Distillery.

 
We walked through the process of making whisky. We were not able to take any pictures due to the amount of evaporated alcohol in the air. Then we were able to sample one of the whiskies that they make. I had the single malt Aberfeldy. It was very good and I ended up buying some as a souvenir. Our final stop was a waterfall called The Hermitage. It was gorgeous.

 
We walked up the path along the river to come to the bridge that crossed the river right after the waterfall so we could look over the falls.

After that we drove back to Dalkeith to our last week of classes.

Day With The Family

Today Lael and I spent almost the entire day with our host family. We saw many new and exciting things and were able to spend some quality time with our host parents before we come back home. To start the day off they picked us up and drove us to Dryburgh Abbey and hotel. We walked through the ruins of the Abbey before stopping for lunch at the hotel. The Abbey was beautiful and is described as romantic ruins. You are able to see what the Abbey once looked like and its former splendor.



Here is me in my new red boots at the Abbey!

After lunch we saw Smailholm Tower. It was very interesting and set deep in Border country of Scotland. We were able to walk up to the top and see both an amazing view; some cows were dotting the hill side underneath us as well as the green roof of the tower.

There were also some dolls located within the tower that represented Sir Walter Scott when he stayed there with his grandfather while recovering from polio. There are also some dolls that depict fairytales. To finish off this history filled day we walked up the hill side to see the William Wallace Monument. It was a giant statue of Wallace in the middle of nowhere.

The closest things to him were sheep. From where he is located he has an amazing view though.

While driving to all of these places we drove past Scott’s View multiple times. I was able to get a photo this time and also a story from my host dad. He said that when Sir Walter Scott died his horses were the horses used to pull the hearse. When they came to Scott’s View they stopped on their own accord because every time Sir Walter Scott drove by he stopped his horses.

It is a little foggy, but what can you expect. It is Scotland.

We then came back to their house for a quick supper and then back to the Palace for us.

The Craziness has Begun

After my family left I realized that I only had four more weeks to experience everything else in Scotland. It is amazing how quickly time can fly. For starters all the final projects and papers are due at the same time. This means that you have to plan your time really well if you want to be able to sleep, go to classes, eat, do homework, and experience Scotland. I am doing pretty well at all of them besides keeping up with my blog. For that I am sorry. There is never enough time.
The weekend after my parents left was busy, roommate night with Chelsea and Jessica, and the Rock'n'Roll half marathon with Nikki and others in Edinburgh. For roommate night we decided to go see Mirror Mirror on Thursday night. We rode into town, saw the movie, and came back to Dalkeith. Even though the movie was not that long, the previews before it lasted for about a half hour. It makes the movie much longer then. Friday me and Chelsea decided to visit Cameron Toll, a shopping center that we ride past when ever we go into town but had never stopped at. It was a cute little shopping mall and we found some good deals. Then it was back to the Palace for homework.
Nikki had been training all semester to run and to support and cheer her on some of us went to watch. I went to pick up her bag with her that Saturday and we stayed for the Red Hot Chili Pipers that were performing that afternoon. Then we had a pasta bake that night so she could carbo load. Sunday we woke up to get down to the race so we could see Nikki at mile 8 and then again at mile 11. At mile 11 I ran with her until the last hundred yards or so for some company. She did great. She finished her first half marathon in 2 hours and 18 minutes. That was pretty much my entire weekend besides for writing papers.
The next week was fairly uneventful. I went to classes and worked on homework Monday through Wednesday besides for the couple times I went out for a drink. On Monday night with Whitney, Songe and Chelsea and again on Wednesday night with Chelsea and a bunch of other people.

Tuesday was big day though, I signed up for my classes. The difficult part about signing up for classes when you are abroad is the time difference. Luckily I could sign up at 8:30 in the morning Wisconsin time meaning 2:30 in the afternoon here. I managed to get all the classes I wanted with just a couple glitches. The problem with AP credit is that you technically have not taken the class. That means when one class has a pre-requisite it does not always allow you to enroll in the class. And also when you place into a class from placement testing you have not taken the class before it or taken the test out. This means that you need to call the registers office and talk to them. Thankfully I was able to get into the classes. That means I will be taking 18 credits next semester and if I get a “B” or better in one of them I will have 14 reciprocal credits. It looks like it will be a busy semester.

Tuesday also entailed a tour of the Dalkeith Park with Cameron, the resident park ranger. We learned a lot more about the area that we are living in. For one thing there was a battle on our grounds and 30,000 people were killed. The river ran red for a week after the battle. The bodies of the soldiers are still buried here. Then on Thursday I woke up at the crack of dawn with Chelsea so we could go pick up her friend from the airport. We got there early but were unsure when her plane got in so we waited for awhile.

After picking up Chelsea’s friend we took the Airlink bus back into town and I went shopping. I picked out a pair of Hunter boots and then I came back to Dalkeith. That night was Host Family Quiz Night at the house. We invited our host families and had a small quiz night. Sadly my host parents were not able to make it but on a happy note, the team I was on won! We did not even have any Scottish people on the team. It was a lot of fun and to continue our luck some of our team headed out to see how we would do at Mayson’s quiz night. Sadly they were not having a quiz night that day. We still won a bucket of candy at the Dalkeith quiz night, so I would call it a good day.

Friday the house visited Bowhill and Melrose. Bowhill is one of the properties owned by the Duke of Buccluech. It used to be a hunting lodge but has been turned into a mansion over time.

It was amazing what we were able to learn more about the family that owns Dalkeith and see the amazing grounds of the property. Sir Walter Scott once told the Duke that a lake would look good on the land so he build one. It was spectacular.

After our tour there we visited Melrose Abby, resting place for the heart of Robert the Bruce. It is currently in ruins but we were able to walk around the grounds and take some pictures. The Abby was beautiful and we had time to walk around the town afterwards.

To finish our day trip we stopped at Scott’s View, a truly amazing view of Scotland. Then we hopped back on the bus to come back to Dalkeith. It was a long day so I took a nap then relaxed the rest of the night since it was the first night that I had no papers to write.

Saturday was fairly uneventful. I went into town with Jessica and picked up my boots and some scarves. We tried to find a farmer’s market but we were too late. So instead we went shopping along Princes St. and at Cameron Toll before picking up some pizza and a salad for dinner that night. I watched some movies while eating dinner and relaxed with the other people in Willies. Sunday was a free day planned by Gina, our resident director. It started at 9:30 in the morning and consisted of taking the bus to the beach and a farmer’s market. The beach was nice but a little cold. And sadly we did not know that the market was not every weekend, so there was no market. Our next stop was the Botanical Gardens. We ate lunch at Wetherspoon’s and walked from there to the gardens. While on our walk we passed the Stockbridge farmer’s market which was nice. Even though we were not able to see the original market we still got to go to one. The gardens were beautiful as well. There were a couple of flowers that had bloomed otherwise everything was still hibernating or just green, but it was beautiful day out and we had a great time. Jessica and I decide to use up our coupons for a movie that afternoon as well. We saw Battleship before heading back to Dalkeith for a quite night in.

Monday was full of classes once again and I handed in my final essay for one class. And that brings to today were I am going to see my host parents and spend the day with them. I will make sure to blog again tonight to tell you what happens today with them.

The Last Two Weeks

It has been a while since I last posted, but it is with good reason. My family came to Scotland for ten days to visit me. We had a great time together experiencing all that the UK has to offer. It started with a beautiful day on April 1st. The plane arrived early in the morning and I took it upon myself to keep my family awake and on the move. It was a very busy day. After they got off the plane I took them back to the city center and their apartments so we could drop off their bags before walking all over the city.
We started by walking down High St. and then over to Princes St. to visit the Tourist Information Center. Then we walked up Calton Hill to take some pictures and the views. It was gorgeous. Then to keep them awake we walked to Arthur's Seat and walked up to the peak before walking back to the apartments.

We checked in at the apartments and went out to eat at Deacon Brodie's Pub. Grace was falling asleep at dinner so we went back and relaxed. The next day I had class and my family spent it around town. They saw the Castle and many other parts of town before I met up with them for dinner.

I took them down to the Grassmarket to eat. It was great just to be able to relax with them and experience Scotland. The next day we visited St. Andrew's in the rain. We ran from place to place after getting off the train and most of the exhibits were closed due to the weather, but it was still great.

Wednesday I once again had class and my family went to a couple of museums before I met them to get on the train to Manchester. It was a long ride, but we met some interesting people along the way and made it to our hotel safetly. That night we ordered pizza in to the hotel and relaxed. The next morning we walked to the Spectrum Brands facility located about a mile from our hotel. We took a wrong turn and got lost but we made it there. It was amazing to see the old factory turned into office space and showrooms. Then we rode to the Manchester Stadium and the town center for sightseeing and some shopping before our tour by one of my dad's co-workers. It was a beautiful day and the town was spectacular. That night they took us out to dinner at a very nice restaurant were I at Scottish mussels and scallops for dinner. They were delicious. Friday we woke up early to hop on the train to see Stonehenge. It was breathtaking.

Then we walked around Salisburg before catching the train to London. Once there we checked into our hostel and went to dinner. After dinner we walked to Buckingham Palace to see it at night. Then back to the room to get some sleep before waking up to see more of London. We toured Westminster Abby and walked across Tower Bridge just to name a few things.

Then we went to the train station to catch our next train back to Edinburgh. Sadly due to engine problems we had to wait about an hour and a half to get on the train and then it was a mad dash to get a seat. Complete craziness, but fun. Sunday was relaxing, we went to Easter service at St. David's and walked round the Dalkeith County Fair. It was quite entertaining to see all the dogs there.

Monday I once again went to class while my family explored town. We ate our last dinner together at Blacksmith's Forge before heading back to the Palace so they could head off early the next morning. I woke up to see them off them crawled back into bed. They made it home safetly and currently awaite my return home.