Teresa in London: When can I go back?

After an amazing weekend in Scotland, I am back in London and missing my time off!

Last week, I got a last minute ticket to WarHorse with the foreign study group I am with. They are able to get tickets at a really discounted price. I was in the last row, but the show was definitely worth it! I have never been and really enjoyed it! I had heard beforehand that it was with puppets and was a little nervous, but i was amazed as to how realistic the puppets were!

This weekend in Scotland was so much more than I had expected it to be. I don't think I will be able to top that trip! I went with a group of St. Thomas students and a guide from our foreign study program. Almost everyone came on the trip and I am so glad I chose to go. If it hadn't been for this trip, I probably would not have thought to go to Scotland and it was absolutely beautiful. There was not one time where I didn't enjoy the scenery. We drove across most of the country and were able to see a good amount of things over the weekend. I was really surprised by how little civilization there is there, especially as we drove further north, which made it even more beautiful.

On Thursday, we left the train station after class and arrived in Edinburgh later that evening. The train ride was about 5 hours. I had my first hostel experience, which was not too bad. The hostels were a lot like a dorm, and I am sure over the next few months I will be seeing hostels that are in much worse shape! We spent the first night in Edinburgh, second in Kyleakin and the third in Fort Agustus at Loch Ness. Our tour guides really made this whole weekend. The tour was really informal and I can tell they often have younger groups coming through. If we saw anything along the way we wanted to take pictures of, all we had to do is ask and they would pull over. All along the way, we were told Scottish stories, not sure if they were all true or not, but it made the time go really fast. I was amazed that we actually looked forward to going on the bus because we were able to see so many pretty things along the way and the guides made it enjoyable. We also stopped about every 45 minutes along our routes, sometimes for the restroom and sometimes just to take in the views. Literally everywhere we stopped, even if it was for a bathroom break, there was always a cool view or a waterfall within a few minutes walk, which we had to stop and see as well. We also stopped in small towns along the way, which had small shops that I could have spent hours in. I can't believe that so many pretty things could be put into one small country. I was also able to see a lot of castles as well. I wish we were able to go inside some of them, I would have really liked that. Since we went so many places along the way, I have a list of everywhere we went in order. It would take me a few hours to explain all of them, but I will add the list in here.

Edinburgh
Wallace monument stirling
Kilmahog

Tyndrum
Black mount
Glencoe
Spean bridge
Glen Garry viewpoint
Kyleakin Saucy Mary's

Kyleakin
Moll waterfall
Uig
The quiraing
Kilt rock
The old man of storr
Portree
Sligachan river
eilean dovian castle
Fort Augustus Morags lodge

Fort Augustus
Clausman hotel
Culloden battlefield
Pitlochny
Hermitage
Dunkeld
Edinburgh

I found it really surprising that the Scottish actually wear kilts. I know I shouldn't be surprised by that, but I saw a few people walking around town wearing them. I also really enjoyed seeing a group of women all leaving a wedding wearing fascinators, which I am a big fan of. There was a lot of Scottish tales and stories of history I learned about over the span of the weekend. Turns out that Friday the 13th is unlucky because of a battle that occurred on Friday the 13th in Glencoe. Also, if you hold your face under the Sligachan River for 7 seconds, you will become 10 times more beautiful. It is hard to tell, but I think I might look ten times as good after the dip in the river! On Sunday before leaving, we were able to summon the Loch Ness Monster by doing a dance and waking it up. Glad to say none of us were snatched up by the monster.