Scotland

So I haven't been able to blog in the last few days because we moved to the Ellersey Hotel in Edinburgh, which didn't have internet. I spent my last few days in Edinburgh sight-seeing and visiting many of the historical sights. We toured Dublin Castle, which is located at the top of the Royal Mile, as well as Her Majesty's Official Residence in Scotland. I think the Palace (the Queen's residence) was my favorite. Come to find outIt was full of old history about Mary Queen of Scots and King James. Much of the jewelry and bedding had still been preserved from the 16th and 17th centuries. I loved looking at the jewelry. Everything was so intricate. I also probably could have stared at the detailing on the ceilings forever. I already know that I am going to LOVE Versailles. Yesterday was our last day in Edinburgh. Before our final tour, my friend Alex and I tooled around the grass market, shopping in little vintage stores. We found so many great clothes, old hats, shoes, clutches, even wedding dresses! It was a lot of fun. I wish I would have had more time to explore. In the afternoon we toured Mary King's Close, an underground city from the 17th century that is still preserved under the Royal Mile. It was pretty dark and smelly. It boggled my mind to think of how many people, many of which died from the plague, had walked down these streets hundreds of years ago. Around 9 pm, the golden light from the setting sun hit the sides of all of the old and beautiful architecture as we emerged from the underground city. It was a perfect ending to our stay in Edinburgh. Then of course we all had to stop it off by stopping for a McFlurry at McDonald's. I had a great time in Edinburgh. I feel like our group is getting a lot closer. We're all finally comfortable being ourselves and letting lose... now we just have to learn how to control the volume of our voices before we get to London.

Last night we did the haunted tour. Pretttty spookyyyy. Not really. We took a tour through this grave yard and jail and had to stand inside a huge tomb called the Black Mausoleum where thousands of Scots had been killed. Supposedly angry spirits often attack people on the tours. People have reported waking up the next day with bite marks and burns on their body. I walked through the grave yard smiling in an attempt to think happy thoughts. I didn't want to release any fear pheromones, because supposedly those attract the poltergeists. When the tour ended, we went to a club called The Three Sisters and had a little dance party with our teacher Danny. So much fun. Along the way, we scooped up a few interviews. I met a boy from London who had been to Disney World Orlando EIGHT times! He just thought it was the greatest place on earth. I thought that was too funny. It was nice to talk to some friendly people again. Once the bar closed we began walking back to the hotel with plans to stay awake for the hike to Arthur's Seat. I'm not sure how, but we met two young guys, one from Wales and one from Scotland. The walked us home, and we all attempted to imitate each others accents. They gave me a 3 out of 10. Haha. They also informed us that we've been staying in the gay district. Hmmm this explains a lot. We hung around the hotel and until 3 and then set back out for our sunrise hike. In typical late night fashion, our group of girls began singing in the streets. This time we sang "Father Abraham" in honor of our favorite rugby team. As we marched by the clubs, which were beginning to close, a guy on the street jumped in the song. Sure enough, we found out he plays rugby for a team in Edinburgh. Apparently this is quite the traditional rugby song. As he stumbled along with us, we explained where were going, and he offered to take us. So he took us through a short cut, which in my opinion was scarier than the haunted tour. Haha. When we reached the foot of the hill, the sky began to turn blue. And with the help of our new very drunk friend, Adrian, we began the hike to the top. It was the coolest thing... as we hiked through the tall grasses, we suddenly saw TONS rabbits scurrying all over the place. I have never seen so many rabbits at once! it was crazy. The hike was miserable though. It took us about an hour to get to the top, and when we finally reached the peak, we were all heaving and panting. Every muscle in my legs was burning. I couldn't get enough air. We had all stripped out of our coats and were dripping with sweat. As the sun began to rise around 4:30 a.m., the wind began to blow and the temperature must have dropped 15 degrees. So we bundled up, sat down, and popped open a bottle of champagne. We all felt exhausted but incredibly accomplished. Adrian had no idea how he ended up at the top of the mountain with us or how we even met. He is going to have one hell of a story to share with his friends... "Yea, I met 15 American girls and hiked to the top of Arthur's Seat at Sunrise with them." Haha. When it was finally light enough, we could see all of Edinburgh and the surrounding cities and mountains. It was the most beautiful view and a moment I will never forget. After resting for a while, we began out descent down the mountain. Half way down, we departed ways with our new friend Adrian and headed down the path toward our hotel. Around 6 a.m., we finally reached our hotel. My bed has never felt so good.

After traveling eight hours by bus through the hills of Scotland, with several stops in small towns for fish and chips to hold us over, we finally arrived in Edinburgh, Scotland yesterday afternoon. It is good to be back in a big city. As beautiful as the Isle of Skye was, I definitely couldn't see myself staying there for more than a weekend. It was too lonely. Edinburgh is much bigger than Dublin, but has a similar feel. In my opinion, the architecture here is much more beautiful and extravagant. Everything about the buildings are over done, but it makes so interesting to just take a stroll through the streets. Once we got settled into our hotel, we all got ready and decided to explore Edinburgh's night life. We settled on a pub called the Tron where you can purchase a student discount card. Check. It was a very different feel from many of the other places we'd been. I almost felt like I was having cocktails at Starbucks. We have found that the Scots have not been quite as welcoming or approachable as the Irish. However, the bar we went to was full of local college kids, so they probably did not appreciate Americans coming onto their turf. We're still working on getting James, the bartender from Liverpool to crack a smile. Guess we'll have to return Saturday for round two. We headed home around 1:30 am, and in typical "stupid American" fashion, we sang a rendition of several songs from Greece while dancing in the streets. We were actually pretty well received by the few locals walking home. We actually got one request from an older couple walking home: ABBA Dancing Queen. Haha. If you can sing that, anyone will love you here. It's like the unofficial anthem over here. We may have to test it out at a karaoke bar soon.

Today we had class in a park. In PR class we did a group project coming up with a campaign to promote the Isle of Skye. I presented for our group and we won. Woo Hoo! I think I hooked Danny, our teacher, with the "Adopt a Seal Program" to promote stewardship and interact with people who visit the city. Anyway, tonight we're headed to Old Town for a haunted tour called City of the Dead. Eeeee!!!! I am already getting freaked out. This town is full of old haunted churches and jails. I am going to pee my pants. Once the tour is over, we'll probably head to a bar until 3 a.m., so we can stay awake to climb Arthur's Seat to watch the sunrise, which I am extremely excited about. It's supposed to rise around 4:30 a.m., so we'll see if it's a success.

Tuesday morning we departed Glasgow for an all day scenic bus tour to the Isle of Skye. I am still in awe of the weather here. The sun seems to follow us where ever we go. It's amazing and very unusual! Our ride consisted of one-lane winding roads that meandered through the valleys of the mountains. At the foot of the mountains were rivers and lakes, with clouds and snow dripping over the peaks. There were also sheep everywhere! Every now and then we'd have to wait for a sheep and her lambs to cross the road. They were too cute! Along the way, we made stops at two different castles. The first was the castle used continuously through Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Don't worry, coconuts were provided and video was taken. Haha. On another stop we saw a wild deer and I got to walk right up to him! (Also got tons of pics of the deer.) Unfortunately, pictures can't even begin to capture the beauty of Scotland, but hopefully you'll get an idea. Today was absolutely amazing! This morning we woke up, took a boat through the glacial valleys of Skye and hiked through the hills for hours (if you can even call them hills... 3,000 feet). I also got to see my first sea lions of the trip. This place is full of wild life and livestock all over the place! When our hike was over we were greeted by our Scottish captain who provided hot chocolate, short bread cookies, and rain jackets (to keep us from getting sprayed.) I must say, I have become quite the short bread connaisseur, haha. Everywhere we go in Scotland, they offer us shortbread. With my tight budget, it is quickly becoming one of my favorite snacks because it's free! Tomorrow we head to Edinburgh. As much as I am enjoying this quaint hotel on the water, I am looking forward to better internet service and pubs! Haha This place is dead. Even the locals had no suggestions of what to do for fun. Thankfully, we've been keeping busy taking pictures and climbing mountains so I haven't gotten bored. I love Scotland

So we finally said goodbye to Dublin at 4:30 this morning. I was sad to go. Now we're in Glasgow, Scotland. This place is greener than any place I've ever seen. It's exactly the way you would picture it-- foggy, with lots of green hills and livestock. This hotel is a MAJOR upgrade from the Kinley House, but I have to say, I am going to miss the little community we had back at the hostel. We shared everything from toilets and showers to the kitchen and bread. We had to do our own dishes and cook our own meals, but it was a great experience. We made so many new friends that were not on the trip. I now understand how people can backpack through Europe alone because it's so easy to meet people in Hostels. I hope to do that one day. Today the group has been taking it pretty easy. My eyes are burning from being so exhausted from the early flight. We went to a VERY authentic Greek restaurant for lunch. Everyone there spoke Greek, and we met a very friendly customer from Greece named Demetri. He was probably one of the friendliest people I have ever met, and one of the first people over here to admit that he was a right-winged conservative. We talked for a while about his views on the Bush administration. It was interesting to hear his views. After lunch we took a walk to a Museum down the street. It was fun. We got to see a few Monet's, Van Gogh's, and Dali's... a little sneak preview before Paris. Now I'm just sitting in the hotel, enjoying clean sheets and trying not to fall asleep before bedtime. Tomorrow we head to the Isle of Skye for a 3 day tour, which I am very much looking forward to.