My favorite part of our Scotland trip was going on this tour to see Loch ness, Glencoe, and the Highlands. I love nature and the outdoors so it was very peaceful and breathtaking for me to see the valleys and vast green land. If you did not know already, in Scottish "Loch" means lake and the name of the Great Lake is "Ness" therefore "Loch Ness" came to be. The Loch Ness monster named Nessie is also believed to lurk the waters... (or so they say).
After a long bus ride (and long naps) in between each stop, the tour guide gave us around 1-2 hours to explore the stop we were at. Loch Ness and the Highlands were fun to explore and I am really happy I was able to see the rural area of Scotland rather than just the Edinburgh City. (I am hoping the next time I go to Scotland I will be able to see the Isle of Skye). As we neared the end of our tour, the guide showed us a spot to get the best whiskey ice cream. This was my first time even hearing about whiskey ice cream. It was refreshing and I would say it tasted in between vanilla and butterscotch!
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When we arrived in Edinburgh, the first thing we did was walk around old town. The architecture was beautiful and vintage and it kind of reminded me of London in a way. Around our airbnb we passed by a few older men in kilts playing the bagpipes. It felt so authentic to listen to them play and I found it very intriguing. Later in the day we checked in to Edinburgh castle and walked around the entire castle, stopping to read the history of each exhibition. Although history is not quite my cup of tea, I enjoyed going through the castle and taking in all of its beauty. One thing I did learn was that the chapel that stands in the castle is Edinburgh's oldest building and it still hosts weddings to this day.
A few other places we visited was the National Museum of Scotland, Portobello Beach, and the Harry Potter walk around area. The National Museum of Scotland had many trinkets and modern historic exhibitions of Scotland. My favorite area was the technology area on the ground floor, it was fun to play with the interactive tools and gadgets. One robot sat in the middle of blocks with letters on them. You could type a word or your name on the screen in front, then it would spell that word out in front of you and put the blocks back. As for Portobello Beach, it was my idea to go to the beach (LOL). I must say, it was refreshing to see the ocean for the first time since leaving Maui. Although it was drizzling and cold outside, the beach was long and peaceful nonetheless. Finally, while walking around the Harry Potter area, we stopped at a pub to try BUTTER BEER. I have always wanted to try authentic butter beer; it was so sweet and delicious. I believe it is made with butterscotch and your choice of beer. The Alchemist is a popular bar that serves really cool drinks with different "science" effects for each one. I heard about it from a friend who studied abroad the semester before me and I was excited to see what it was like. The one I ordered was a color changing drink. The bartender had two beaker shaped glasses and when he mixed the two the liquid turned pinkish compared to its original clear color; the dry ice made the effects even better. Kaycee ordered one with a bubble filled with smoke that rested on the top of her drink. When she popped it all of the smoke slowly cascaded down her cup. It was a fun experience for me because the bartender made all of our drinks in front of us so we could see the effects and how each one was made. My favorite was watching him heat up the concoction over a flame and when he sprinkled this dust over the smoke it lit up and looked like a firework. The drinks are expensive however, it is definitely worth going to once if you have never been before.
I am grateful we had two weeks to settle into our rooms and the city before school started. During that time, I was lucky enough to connect with a few other students who were studying abroad from UH. Everyone was willing to travel Europe and had desires to see many other countries which made me very happy and excited. Me, Kaycee, Kaylee, and Dwayne wanted to squeeze in one trip to Scotland before school started. It was perfect because it was a good first trip close by within the United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland). We decided to go up for four days and planned out our itinerary to see Edinburgh and its history through the museums and popular streets. I was happy to have good company while taking my first trip to start off the semester.
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