Monthly Archives: August 2013

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Our flight was delayed slightly less than it was on the way to England, which was good. It was a little bumpy I guess, but I have to worry about unpacking/repacking and learning how to do laundry now! It’s off to college…

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Day Fifteen: The Journey Back

Our long day today went quite well. We stopped in “the cutest town in Scotland” (according to Queen Victoria), Culross. We went to the abbey, which was really nice, and then we drove down the little tiny streets. Driving down the coast of Scotland was nice, we passed by John Muir’s birthplace! Dunbar was nice from the car. The cliffs were awesome leading straight down to the sea. We stopped once we got to England to go to Evensong at Durham. They also have the Lindisfarne Gospels, which we carried around for hundreds of years. They were really cool. Then we headed all the way back to Derby.

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Day Fourteen: Fort William to Dunfermline

We took the long route to our destination tonight. First we took a trip to a monument to all of the soldiers who died in WWI who trained in this one area. Then we stopped in one small town where we took a short hike around some white water rapids. Daddy showed me how to make the water look all flowy on my camera, so I took some cool pictures. We drove through the national park, and up the shores of Loch Ness. No signs of the monster. We drove by a bunch of other lakes too, and the scenery around everything is so nice. Inverness seemed like a nice town on our way by. And then we stopped quickly at the Culloden Battlefield. Tomorrow is going to be a pretty long day, but we’re going to stop a few places on the way back down.

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Day Thirteen: Fort William

Our journey north today was great! We stopped just north of Oban at Glencoe, which is part of the National Trust of Scotland, kind of like a national park. We took a short hike around, we didn’t see any badgers or feral goats though, and we were (sort of) looking. This was the site of a big massacre all because of some misunderstanding and poor timing. In the park overlooking another lake was also the site of some Harry Potter filming. We arrived in Fort William to take the Jacobite Steam Train to Mallaig. It’s the train that they use in Harry Potter to get to Hogwarts, and it passes over the viaduct (aka the bridge). It also goes by the lake with the island that they used for the White Tomb, Dumbledore’s final resting place on the grounds of Hogwarts. From the train we saw adorable baby deer, cows, and you guessed it – sheep! We got off at the end of the line and wandered around Mallaig for a bit, it was raining though and foggy so we didn’t get a good view of the Isle of Skye. We did however get scones at a tea house. There were so many people along the tracks taking pictures of the train (foamers according to Daniel haha). We also went by Neptune’s Staircase, which is a staircase lock with 7 chambers. Now on to our accommodations. This hotel is beautiful. We have the biggest room ever, and the bathroom is bigger than my room at home. Dinner tonight was one of the most interesting meals I’ve ever had. We got complimentary little tiny appetizers (a little tiny piece of venison, salmon, and something on an oatcake…and a little tiny cup of butternut squash soup). Then I got an actual appetizer…tomatoes with mozzarella but then in the middle of the plate there was, um, gazpacho sorbet? For dinner I had venison with currant and raspberry and liqueur sauce (and pesto which I avoided) and a potato cake. Then for dessert I had cheesecake with mango and kiwi…and sweet chilli frozen yogurt (which I only tasted, I didn’t eat it all). I’m looking forward to breakfast tomorrow morning.

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Day Twelve: Isle of Mull and Iona

Today was awesome. That’s all. We took the big ferry over to Mull, and on the way we passed by a seal, a small pod of dolphins, some jellyfish, and a bunch of sea birds. On the island, we took a bus tour over to the other side to catch another ferry. We saw huge Roe Deer stags, lots of sheep, some herons, and some really nice lochs and glens (lakes and valleys). The next ferry took us over to Iona, where there is an old abbey and a bunch of nice white sandy beaches with crystal clear water. The water was also moderately refreshing haha. I put my feet in anyway. On Iona there were lots of farms too, with adorable fuzzy cows (highland cattle or something), more sheep, horses, and some goats. Apparently tomorrow we’re going on the Harry Potter train!

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Day Eleven: Stirling

We drove across the country today, starting from Edinburgh and ending up in Oban. We stopped in Stirling along the way, where there is another really awesome castle on top of a rock. After waiting in the extremely unorganized parking line for a spot, we finally got into the castle and took a tour. Our guide was awesome, really all of the guides that we’ve had the whole trip have been really great. The castle was really interesting, and super nice. After the castle we continued on our way, stopping by Loch Loman, the second largest lake in Scotland. The mountains slope straight down into the water in most places, which makes it pretty awesome. I took some pictures of a very happy dog chasing his ball into the lake. I emailed them to his owner because they came out so well. We ended up in Oban, the fish capital of Scotland apparently, and I had ribs for dinner haha. They were good though. Tomorrow we’re taking a ferry to the islands!

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Day Ten: Edinburgh

We had fun storming another castle today! This time it was Edinburgh’s castle, which has apparently been taken before by only 30 men. The castle is built on an extinct volcano, so the men climbed up the rock the castle is on and over the walls and killed everyone at night. (Our tour guide was awesome, so I’m regurgitating what I learned haha.) We saw the crown jewels of Scotland, where Mary Queen of Scots had her son James, the Scottish National War Memorial, and the Regimental Museums. Then we made our way down the hill to take a tour of an underground close, the Real Mary King’s Close. It was closed off in the 1700s when they decided to build a commerce building over it. There are still houses down there, not inhabited of course (it’s illegal in Scotland to live underground), but houses that were on the close. That was pretty interesting, if not dark and a little creepy. We walked around the bottom of the castle and through the gardens and a little bit along the Royal Mile for a bit of shopping. I had pig roast for lunch. With haggis. I’m not sure how I feel about the haggis, but the pork was good. Oh and for dinner I found something better than chicken parm! It’s hunter’s chicken: chicken with mozzarella, bacon, and bbq sauce. YUM. Mommy and Daddy went with Aunt Maureen on a walking Literary Pub Tour, but my knee opted for a rest. Tomorrow it’s off to the west coast of Scotland!

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Day Nine: Edinburgh

Okay so Edinburgh is officially a really really really really nice city. We didn’t see too much last night, and it was dark and rather sketchy since the Fringe Festival is going on for the whole month of August. Today, however, in the light of day with the fringites (endearing term, no?) diluted with the rest of the regular tourists, the city was really nice. Oh and breakfast this morning was good. The scones with orange marmalade were really good. We (Daddy and I) started this morning with a hike up Arthur’s Seat, which gave us a really nice view of the city of Edinburgh, the artificial ski slope, the Firth of Forth, the sea, and the surrounding Salisbury Crags. The wind at the top was lowing at least 40 mph, but it was so nice out. We all took a walking tour of the Royal Mile, from the castle at one end to the palace at the other. Our tour guide was really good, and she told us all about everything! We stopped quickly in the Queen’s Gallery for an exhibit of Mechanics by Leonardo da Vinci. It contained a bunch of pages out of his notebooks where he just focused on the human body and how it works and movies, which is crazy to think that he could figure all of that stuff out on his own. I took the trail back to the Bed and Breakfast over the Crags, everyone else went around or took a cab, but it was worth it. The view from up there was awesome too. Tomorrow’s another busy day, and tonight we are going to sleep way earlier than last night!

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Day Eight: Journey to Scotland

We started off (not really) early this morning to head to Hadrian’s Wall, built around 100 AD. It separated the Roman Empire from the tribes that lived in Scotland, but now it’s been taken down and used for stone in lots of places. There are sheep everywhere in northern England and Scotland!!! It’s awesome! They’re really cute. The fort we went to on Hadrian’s Wall has some really cool views and old artifacts. We continued on our way into Scotland, and when we hit the border the scenery changed immediately, which was kind of cool. In Edinburgh we are staying at a super nice Bed and Breakfast, well I’ll reserve judgement until after breakfast tomorrow morning. It seems nice though. They have a bowl of fudge on the table when you walk in. Tonight was the tattoo though, which was just about one of the most awesome things I’ve ever seen. Bands and dancers and lights and fireworks and motorcycles and horses… It was really sweet. We all sang Auld Lang Syne at the end and did some Scottish holding hands thing at the end, it was awesome.

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Day Seven: Stratford-upon-Avon

Stratford-upon-avon is a really nice little town where Shakespeare was born. He is also buried there alongside his family. The houses that they lived in are mostly there also, but we didn’t go in. We did take a walking tour through the town though with a really nice lady who was really knowledgeable and awesome. We also got ice cream…and “LAST CAKE OF THE DAY A POUND EACH!” Tomorrow we’re getting an early start to head off to Scotland!