Kilts, Bagpipes, and the Highlands

My last trip for the semester was to Scotland for two days.  Wednesday night I packed all my bags and moved out of my flat since I wouldn’t be back on time on Saturday when we needed to check out. 

It was a very short plane ride to Edinburgh.  From there we hopped on a bus and made it to the city center.  Our hostel was right by Edinburgh Castle, which we could see out of our window.  When we landed it was raining and the sky looked very grey.  I was really disappointed because I had hoped for very nice weather this time of year but I predicted wrong.

{Edinburgh Castle}

By the time we adventured out the city the sky had cleared.  It was sunny out so I was very happy.  Also looking at the weather report it said the weekend would be sunny so it ended up turning out to be decent weather.  Lucky us!

For the day we moseyed around the city.  We really had no idea what to do or see in Scotland so I quickly googled Edinburgh and found Calton Hill.  I remembered seeing pictures from my friends going there so we decided to check it out.  It was a short walk from our hostel and was a very pretty park.  The biggest attraction is the National Monument.  It is Scotland’s national memorial to the Scottish soldiers and sailors who died fighting in the Napoleonic Wars.  The building was modeled after the Parthenon in Athens but funds ran out and they never finished the building.  As we walked along the park you could see the coast along the Firth of Forth, which is where the River Forth runs into the North Sea.  You could also see the Holyrood Palace and Arthur’s seat.  Holyrood Palace is the official residence of the British monarch in Scotland.  Queen Elizabeth II spends one week at the beginning of each summer in this palace.  Arthur’s seat is the number one thing to do in Edinburgh according to Tripadvisor but it looks like huge mountain to climb and I was very happy seeing it from afar rather than hiking.  It was very fun walking around the park and taking pictures. 

{Scotland's National Monument}

{Holyrood Palace and Arthur's seat in the background}

For Friday we pre-booked a bus tour to Loch Ness, Glencoe, and the Highlands.  I was very nervous because it was a 12-hour bus ride starting at 8 am and returning at 8 pm but I really wanted to see the highlands and the Loch Ness monster.  I took Advil before boarding the bus and hoped for a pleasant journey.  It turned out to be an excellent trip.  We stopped probably every 2 hours for a small break, which made the trip feel shorter. 

The trip started in the lowlands and after an hour we had crossed into the highlands.  15% of Scotland is lowlands where 90% of the population lives while 85% of Scotland is the highlands where only 10% of the population lives.  We first passed Stirling castle while we drove on the highway.  It is one of the largest castles in Scotland.  Then as we drove through the highlands we passed many mountains and beautiful scenic shots.  Unfortunately I had picked the wrong side of the bus to be sitting on.  Then we stopped in Glencoe to take a picture of the mountains called the Three Sisters.  It is three mountains all in a row except I could only fit two of the mountains in my pictures.  Then we got back in the bus and our next stop was at the Ben Nevis Mountain.  This is the highest mountain in the British Alps.  It measures 4,400 ft. tall.  Finally at around 2:00 we had made it to Loch Ness.  Here we took a 2-hour break to explore the Urquhart Castle and take a boat ride on the Loch Ness. 

The castle was frequently fought over and in the 17^th century the Urquhart castle was blown up by William Troops to make it useless to the enemy.  In the gift shop there was a model of what the castle would have looked like.  Now all that remains is some of the outer walls.  Then we went on a 30-minute boat cruise on the Loch Ness but we weren’t lucky enough to see Nessie.  We hopped back on the bus, drove through Inverness, the capital of the highlands, and then made our way back to Edinburgh.  It took about 4 hours to get back to Edinburgh but I, along with most of the bus, slept. 

The bus driver/tour guide was very entertaining.  He threw in lots of little jokes here and there and filled us in on popular culture in Scotland, including where many movies where filmed.  My favorite part was that he would play Scottish music as we drove along the highlands.  He has been doing this for 18 years and has worked very hard getting the music to match perfectly with the scenery, which it did.

We were very lucky with weather.  It was a clear sky while driving through the highlands.  When we made it to Loch Ness it looked like it was going to rain but it waited until we made it on the bus.  There were a few moments when it rained but we were asleep on the bus so it didn’t matter. 

{Highland Cattle- His name is Hamish}

{Eric and I at the mountains called the Three Sisters- only two made it in the photo}

{Ben Nevis in the background- Tallest mountain in the British Alps}

{Urquhart Castle}

{Urquhart Castle viewed from Loch Ness}

Now I have one last week in London where I have planned to fit in everything I haven’t done yet.  Stay tuned to hear about The London Zoo, Abbey Road, Harry Potter Studio Tour, and a football game!