Scotland!!!

So sorry blogosphere, as it's been about 3 weeks since my last post, but I've been pretty busy!! Let's see, a few weeks ago me, MK and Nicole took of to Scotland for the weekend! (Can I just say, I still find it hard to believe that while studying here I'm entitled to go to a different country over the weekend instead of just a different city or state!)

SCOTLAND WAS AMAZING! Let me repeat myself: I LOVE SCOTLAND!! We had a later flight there on a Friday night and got to our hostel around 8PM. After laying in our beds at our hostel for an hour and realizing we hadn't eaten dinner (I was snacking on M&Ms the whole time), we realized we were too lazy to get out of our beds and walk to get food, so we didn't lol. The next morning we had to wake up earlier than any human should have to to walk up to the Royal Mile and catch our bus to the Highlands and Loch Ness! This was actually kind of nice though because we got to see Edinburgh at sunrise and had some really pretty views! We even walked by Elephant House Cafe (for all you who don't know, this is where J.K. Rowling wrote part of Harry Potter!!) and since we are all such big fans, it was a really big deal. But we caught our bus and were on our way. It was a beautifullll scenic drive on the way there, mountains and valleys galore. Our tour guide was really quite fantastic too, and he told us lots about how the movie Braveheart with Mel Gibson was basically all lies haha.

 Glencoe, it means 'the weeping valley'

 This is where the Glencoe Massacre happened in 1692.

 First picture from a boat on LOCH NESS!!

 Couldn't believe I was actually there!!

 SHEEP!! And Mountains!! Most beautiful country ever!

 I give you more proof.

 Highland Cows!! So adorable.

So after a truly magical day in the Highlands, we went back to Edinburgh for the night and had the entire next day there.

We wandered around that night once we were back in the city for somewhere to eat, and ended up eating at Deacon Brodies' Tavern. Unknowingly to us, Deacon Brodie was actually the real life inspiration for Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. How cool is that?? We went back to our hostel for the night and decided to let ourselves sleep in a bit t next morning.

We woke up and ended up having to ask the guy working at our hostel's front desk a couple questions. (He was adorableee and very nice; although apparently I made him feel like a bad receptionist because he didn't know the answers to my questions hahaha.)

Below are some pictures of the walk through the Meadows towards the Royal Mile: 

A four leaf clover!!

 

Before we started the tour, we decided to check out the graveyard where it is said that J.K. Rowling got the inspiration for some of her character names, such as McGonagall, Harry and his parents and Tom Riddle. Unfortunately, it was bigger than we realized and only Nicole ended up seeing McGonagall's grave. It was still a nice walk though, albeit haunting. Apparently the church in front of the graveyard, (which houses Greyfriars Bobby's grave) has a mausoleum at the top which is haunted. I believe it.

Across the street from the graveyard, there is a memorial for Greyfriars Bobby. In case you don't know the story, Bobby is a dog that after his master died, slept on his grave every night for 14 years, until he died.

We walked up towards the Royal Mile and decided to do a bus tour of Edinburgh first, so as to maximize our time there. It was a pretty short tour, but still a nice way to see the city in a short amount of time. We learned about the Scott Monument, the Scottish Parliament and Edinburgh Castle (as well as a lot of other stuff)! And most importantly, I got to re-create one of my favorite moments from Simple Plan's DVD, A Big Package for You, when Seb is riding on the bus with no top!

''When there's no top on the bus, it's windy!'' -Seb Lefebvre

So then we decided to head to lunch and where else would we go but the Elephant House Cafe??

 Hoping some of J.K.'s inspiration will rub off on me.

 I am now officially part of Dumbledore's Army!

''I solemnly swear I am up to no good.'' And the Deathly Hallows sign! People leave HP messages on the bathroom for J.K. in case she stops by!

No big, just the view that inspired Hogwart's and probably the same spot where J.K. used to sit herself and write.

Then we went to Edinburgh Castle to end the day! The views were spectacular and worth the horrible uphill walk.

 Haddd to get a picture of my plaid shoes on a cobblestone street in Scotland. Had to.

One last group picture before we got some quick dinner and made our way back to the hostel early. We happily stayed in bed and watched the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air marathon that was on TV. The Scottish have good taste!

All in all, I had the most AMAZING time in Scotland, and I adore it! It's certainly now one of my most favorite places that I've ever been. We didn't have nearly enough time there, and I will be going back!!