24 October 2009

I know, I know, it has been a LONG time since the last post. And trust me, A LOT has happened. This may get a wee long winded, so I apologize in advance! ;-) I left off with my family stay in Insch. The following week, it felt like my classes were finally starting to get rolling. The basketball team was starting games (we won our first against Stirling by 2!), and I was meeting new people every single day! The following weekend, I went with my study abroad program on a weekend tour of Inverness. We visited the stunning highlands, watched the "Hogwarts Express" cross the famous Glenfinnan Viaduct, visited the grounds of the battle of Culloden, stopped by a sheep dog farm, took a boat tour on Loch Ness to hunt for Nessie, toured a castle or two, and stopped to take pictures at some amazing sights! :-) I stayed in a hostel for the first time, and no, i promise it was nothing like themovie! Unfortunately, the pictures are not nearly as amazing as the sights are in real life!














I went with another girl from my study abroad program up to St. Andrews the weekend after that. It is a tiny little town about 2 hours north of Edinburgh, but absolutely breathtaking. The University there is the oldest in all of Scotland and is where Prince William went to school. We visited the famous cathedral, toured St. Andrews Castle, stopped at the sweetest little bakery I have ever seen, walked along the pier, and then swung down to the golf course. St. Andrews golf course, in case you didnt know, is the very first golf course EVER. There was a tournament going on while we were there, but got called about an

hour before we got there on account of the insane winds. Luckily, that meant the course was free for people to walk around on, and take pictures of. It was beautiful! Again, these pictures don't even being to do the city justice.


It is getting to be about midterm in classes, so the last few weeks have consisted mainly of lots and lots of reading. I go out once or twice a week with the basketball girls, and somehow, every week, we manage to out do ourselves! It is fantastic!



Today I went with a couple of girl up to Stirling. It rained. A LOT. We didnt stay long, but did manage to get a chance to tour Stirling Castle which is in the process of being restored. Stopped in an old Scottish pub for lunch to try some traditional foods! Yumm! Then, of course did a little shopping!


Am starting to feel like I have gotten a really good Scottish experience and am looking forward to getting to other parts of Britain and Europe! (i.e. trip down to Manchester with Ali to go to a Taylor Swift concert! Soooo Excited!!!!) This didnt end up being as long as i thought unfortunately. It is hard to find the words to describe most things. Especially the feelings you get when visiting some of the older historical things. Bah, i promise it wont be nearly as long before i post again! Until next time...