From the get go in Edinburgh I loved it. The people were friendly and the city was beautiful and clean. I wish were able to spend more time there but in the few short hours I was there I can say this: I will go back.
Our tour was only three days which meant it was alot like the tour Deb and I did: drive a ton and sleep in a different place each night. We left London at 330p last Thursday and got to Edinburgh at about 830p. By the time we got off the train and checked into our hostel it was about 930p and we were all starving. One of the girls had been there before and recommended a Mexican place (yeah, yeah I know, but it was late and we were hungry) and it was pretty good and fairly cheap. After that our AIFS rep took us to a pub where we hung out for a little bit then headed back to the hostel for the night. Even at 1am I felt completely safe in Edinburgh... not a feeling I often get in London.
The next day we started out at the Wallace monument. It was a really nice day so I decided to hike up to the monument even though I hadn't taped my knee. 15 minutes later, my knee was the least of my problems. It was kind of cold and I hiked up the hill pretty fast and am pretty sure I had some form of an asthma attack. I could not breath and it felt like someone was sitting on my chest. Then I started wheezing and if I talked or laughed even a little bit I started coughing like I'd been smoking for years. It was awful. Ann walked with me down the hill and I got some water but it didn't help much. I had coughing fits for most of the rest of the day and because of all my coughing I just felt like poo for the rest of the day. The Wallace Monument was really cool and the views from up there were amazing.
After we were done at the Wallace Monument, our tour guide took us to the castle that was used in Monty Python (Holy Grail). At this point, I still couldn't really breathe so I got off the bus and sat on the ground while everyone else went up to the castle. I've never seen the movie so it wasn't that big of a deal to me and I got a couple cool pictures from where I was sitting.
Next we stopped to see Hemmish the hairy cooo (cow). He’s kind of a mascot for Scotland and responds to his name when called.
Scotland reminded me alot of Oregon. My guess is that if I showed people some of the pictures I got and asked them to tell me where they were taken, most would say Oregon... especially once we got to the Highlands.
Next was a stop to see Ben Nevis, the tallest mountain on the British Isles. So pretty, but the pictures don't do it justice! There is also a Veteran's memorial at the look out where we stopped.
Finally after a long day of driving, we made it to our hostel in Loch Ness. We got to go to a show where a guy explained us how traditional kilts were folded worn and then did a weapons demonstration with Erik and Tyler. Although they look scared, neither of them were harmed. :)
After the show, Ann and I stopped off and took some pictures with Nessie. Alright, not the real Nessie, but it was so cute... and the baby too!
Once we were done with the wire Nessie we headed down to thee Loch Ness. The sun was just setting so it was beautiful, and again the pictures don't do it justice. The water was really calm and I looked as hard as I could for Nessie, but never saw any signs of her. :(
As I was standing on the rocks in Loch Ness, it hit me (again) how lucky I am to be doing what I'm doing right now. Not too many people from little Lebanon can say they've stood in Loch Ness. Even though I was feeling awful that night, I was in awe of everything that I'd seen and done in Scotland in the last few hours. I'd spent the day with one of the best groups of people I've ever met, doing things most people can only dream about. One lucky girl indeed.
Katie - Your pics are fantastic! And what a wonderful experience. Scotland is one place I would really love to go! Thanks for posting so many pics! - Bev
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