Scotland

Scotland was great and hopefully I'll be able to write more about it later. After arriving in London from Spain at midnight and having a feeling of deja vu as I tried to sleep in the same coach station my mom, Sarah, and I were stuck in, I managed to get a coach from the airport to the Tube station and catch a subway to the train station just in time to board my 6:00 am train to Edinburgh. Once in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, I met up with friends from UEA and we settled into our hostel before going off to explore the Castle, a cafe where J.K. Rowling wrote, and the Royal Mile- a street filled with shops with Parliament and the palace at the end. Our tour began the next morning at 8:30 am when we met up at the Haggis Tour office and boarded the bright yellow bus. (Haggis by the way is a traditional Scottish delicacy-- a scrumptious combination of oats, onions, suet, and the lungs, heart, and liver of a sheep, all boiled together in a sheep's stomach.) It was a 3 day/2 night tour and a great way to see a vast area of the country. We definitely learned a lot about Scottish history and saw the way that things we may think of as typical Scotland, like kilts, Celtic motifs, plaid, etc is so ingrained in the culture. We toured castles and visited various monuments. We went all the way up to Skye and had so many scenic views of the snow-capped mountains, the lochs, and the sea. It was interesting getting to know everyone on the bus too as they had come from all over. Unfortunately, though we had our eyes wide open the whole time, there were no Nessie sightings...

I've been back in Norwich for two days and tomorrow I am off again for more travelling! I'm liking this lifestyle : ) I am spending the weekend with a friend whose grandmother lives on the Isle of Wight, and island in southern England. I'm excited!