A windy, wet, beautiful weekend in Scotland

Up bright and early Friday morning, we left London from Kings Cross Station (Hogwarts Express where you at??) to go to Edinburgh. One thing I didn't realize was just how far away Edinburgh is from London, but after a four and a half train ride later, we arrived. First impression was WOW this city is absolutely beautiful. The city rose up in the hills with old, intricate architecture that made me feel like I was in a fairytale. However, one thing we learned very quickly was that it's a little difficult to navigate the city. Google maps may say you're on the correct road, but then you quickly realize the road you need to be on is below you, because the city is built in levels upwards. Because of this, finding our hostel was a little more difficult than it needed to be but we made it there in one piece in the end. I stayed in an eight bed room with seven other girls who are in the program. I haven't stayed in a hostel before but was overall happy with where we stayed. We were right in the middle of the royal mile, so everything was in an easy walking distance.

After we settled into the hostel, the group made our way to Edinburgh Castle. The history there was wild and so fascinating to learn about. But once again it was the architecture and design of the castle that truly blew me away. I loved exploring and seeing the views from the top. We explored some of the shops in the area afterwards and went to a local pub for drinks before heading out for a ghost tour we had booked for the evening. I'm not exactly of fan of scary things, but I figured a little ghost tour in Edinburgh couldn't spook me much. I was WRONG. After telling us about torture and murder in Edinburgh's past, the guide took us underground into very dark, uneven tunnels and told us the stories of what happened in those very tunnels hundreds of years ago. And let me tell you: it was spooky. There was a point where we heard a short scream from somewhere up ahead and it nearly gave me a heart attack. So long story short, I was very happy when we finally emerged from the tunnels.

On Saturday, we left the hostel at 8am to leave for a 12 hour highlands bus tour. We rode through the winding roads of Scotland all day, through the small town of Pitlochry, to Inverness where we made a stop to see Loch Ness. We took a boat tour down Loch Ness to Urquhart Castle, which was a very old worn down castle that was really cool to explore. We then wove our way back through the mountains, stopping in other small towns along the way. My favorite stop was just a roadside stop to take in the views at Glen Coe. I felt so small at that moment surrounded by some of the most beautiful mountains around. Another stop included looking at some highland cows, and they were so cute and fuzzy! I was extremely tired by the time we made it back, but it was well worth it.

Sunday morning, I woke up early with Abby (my roommate- yeah, same name, crazy) to see Edinburgh without the crowds of people in the streets. It was so worth dragging myself out of bed. The streets were empty and had a really cool looking shine to them from the rain the night before. Later in the day we went on a whiskey experience tour, where we got to see how scotch whiskey is made and were able to taste some at the end. Update: I'm not a fan. But still, cool experience!

Now I'm on the train back to London, getting ready for classes tomorrow. Check out some of the pictures that I took this weekend below and check back in a few days for another update!!