After summer studying abroad in England, I knew I had to go back. However, I didn’t know I would get to go back so soon. This summer, a trip to Scotland sort of fell into my lap and I moved things around to make it happen. My partner and I spent two weeks in Scotland, driving around the country to hit a few major landmarks. Each night, I jotted down notes about our day. It’s nice for me to read through them and remember, but it also makes it a lot easier to share with you guys!
I really don’t mind planes. I was used to the ride across the Atlantic from my study abroad, but my partner had never been on a plane for so long. He was extremely nervous and nauseous. We landed first in Dublin, then took a regional flight to Edinburgh. I had never been on a plane for so short of time! It was also much smaller than I was used to. After the hours of overnight travel, we were exhausted, but jumped right in to Edinburgh–we actually went to the zoo first thing!
All of our time in Edinburgh centered around the castle. It is huge, beautiful, and impossible to miss. On our last day in Edinburgh, we decided to visit it for real. I’m not sure if I’d recommend this. Seeing the royal bedrooms was amazing, but the Edinburgh Castle was tourist heavy–more than anything else we did on our trip. I will admit, seeing the city from the castle was incredible. There are lots of great views in Edinburgh.
I think I preferred the views from Arthur’s Seat in Holyrood Park. Climbing up the inclines was more exercise than we had anticipated so we took quite a few breaks. At each pause, we’d sip water, snack, and take in the city. If you’re thinking of going, I would highly recommend it, but you should absolutely wear work out clothes and sneakers.
We spent a few nights in Perth to visit the Highland Games. Although the day was quite rainy, we had a great time watching the tug-o-war and other events. After the day spent watching large men throw very heavy things, we walked around Perth at twilight. The city itself is very pretty, but especially these views from the bridge.
One of my favorite things we did in Scotland was a three-isle excursion through Staffa Tours. We went on a ferry from Oban to Mull, crossed Mull in a bus, boated to Staffa, then Iona, and back across Mull to Oban. It was definitely a lot of travel time, but the experience was so worth it. Our bus driver made the trip across Mull hilarious and enjoyable. The beauty and isolation of Staffa was well worth the rocky waves it took to get there. My journal entry for this day is three times longer than the others; there were so many things to see and describe and remember.
I’m not sure what we were doing when we took this picture. Or what city this was. Or even what day. I do remember spending a full two weeks in a place I had never been before with my partner, Tom, and the countless moments that stick out. Like driving through national parks and having to stop when I got nauseous or the fiasco at the hotel that forced us to change rooms. I was very lucky to go with him and will certainly never forget it.
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