Scotland

Leaving the Castle

Ah Fall

After Finding my friend in the Elephant House!

Cookie from the Elephant House!

At the Scotch Whiskey tasting

Edinburgh

Trying Haggis

Streets of Glasgow

On our way to Glasgow

Edinburgh

Great park!

Cemetery and Fall Leaves

St Giles Cathedral

So the only reason I was not depressed leaving Dublin was because I knew that I would be back in Scotland in only 4 short days! We left after our class in Florence was finished and hoped on the train to Pisa. From there we got to the airport, had a snack and waited for our flight. I decided that I really love flying out on Thursday nights and leaving on Sunday mornings because A. I get more sleep and B. it was a lot less stressful.

The flight there was so beautiful flying over the snow covered alps while the sun was setting. When we finally landed it was dark but still an hour earlier than Italy because we were in the UK. We got off, went to the ATM to get out pounds and hoped on the bus to the city center... the only problem was, not all of us made it onto the bus! We turned around and the rude bus driver had not let Bevy on saying that it was full and she could take the next one. I was really upset because there were PLENTY of seats, and the guy was just being rude! So we yelled at Bevy to get on the next one, but we didn't know where we were going so we couldn't tell her where to meet us and her cell was dead!

Luckily we found out there was WIFI on the bus so we were able to Facebook her and she was able to check it and find out where we got off. But we weren't sure if she had received the message, so when we got to Princes Street I jumped on the bus that came after ours and asked if I could look for her, and the driver said no! I was pretty unhappy at that point so I just yelled for Bevy and it turned out she was only a few seats back so she got off happily. Needless to say, do NOT take the airbus from Edinburgh to the city center!

We went to the apartment we had rented next and it was probably twice as big as the one in Dublin! Huge fluffy couches, big screen tv, big kitchen and three bedrooms and it was only a little more expensive than staying at a hostel. We met David's friends who study at Aberdeen who were very cool and they took us out to show us the night life.

It was FREEZING but so pretty that you had to get over it. We went to some pubs and saw lots of locals in Halloween costumes and tried the local beer, Tennent's, and then returned back to our awesome apartment.

The next morning we woke up, went to the cutest little stand in the park to get coffee, and then went to the train station to go to Glasgow. We bought our tickets, got a bagel (which I was happy about because they don't have them in Italy) and then hurried to get on a train.

About five minutes out the ticket lady came by and took our tickets, then told us that we were on the wrong train going the opposite direction! Whoops! So we had to hop off at the next station and get back to Edinburgh, luckily the next train back came quickly and that ticket lady had a good laugh about or situation.

When we got on the correct train, we headed out to Glasgow and passed all of the beautiful Scottish countryside. But as we approached the actual town it started to rain :-(. We really had to idea what to do in Glasgow either so we started wandering until we found one of their famous squares, but it was not even close to how pretty Edinburgh was. We looked in some shops, stopped and had haggis and appetizers for lunch, which was not all that bad, just a little bland, and sat in a big red pub watching it rain and laughing when we realized we were A. the only girls in the pub and B. the only people under 30!

We headed back to Edinburgh a little sad that Glasgow hadn't been as great as we had hoped, but were cheered up quickly when we returned to our fluffy beds and american television. When David and his friends returned we went to dinner at a little chinese restaurant and then went to a pub close to our apartment where they were playing live music which was so fun! We found seats and watched him perform all sorts of great oldies and had a pint of Tennents. In front of us there ended up being a guy from Texas talking to a Scottish guy who eventually turned towards us and we all chatted for awhile about how funny it is that we run into people from all over.

The next day was my favorite because we got to explore all of Edinburgh. We woke up early and headed out towards the castle, eating breakfast at a cute little place called the Deacon and it had a little story behind it where this Deacon made chests for people and got keys to their houses robbing them at night. Eventually he got caught and was hung on the gallows which he had actually designed for the city the year before. ... ok Maybe it wasn't that cute, but it was still kinda cool.

Next we went and checked out the castle but decided not to go in because it was very expensive and the line was really long. Instead we went to a whisky distillery for a tour which was so worth it even though I hate scotch! The tour started with a little ride that described the whole process and I sort of felt like I was at Disneyland. Then we had a presentation where we learned about all of the different areas that produce Scotch and got to try them and smell the differences, for me none of them tasted different because I couldn't handle the taste anyways, but it was interesting to smell the different flavors. Then we got to see the largest whiskey collection in the world and finish our tasting in a great location over the whole city.

After our tasting we found the coffee shop where JK Rowling wrote Harry Potter, the Elephant House, so we obviously had to stop in and get an elephant cookie and hot chocolate! While sitting and talking who should turn around and say "Holly?!" but my great friend Lauren Weaver who has been studying in Bordeaux this year. I could not believe it! We ran to each other and laughed for about 20 minutes about how crazy it was that neither of us knew that we were going to Scotland and yet here we were in the same coffee shop... we both must obviously love Harry Potter!

We made plans to meet up that night and then headed out to keep exploring. We literally just walked all over the city seeing the beautiful parks, the schools, cathedrals and everything! It is honestly the most beautiful city I've ever been to because everything looks lovely and it is not like Italy where you find graffiti all over the place. Also the fact that it was fall and the leaves where changing made everything that much better.

The school that inspired JK Rowling for Hogwarts was on the way home so Alison found a Harry Potter book, bought it and took a picture in front of it. That was a great moment of the trip.

That was the day before Halloween so I went out and bought a kilt and matching hat to wear that evening because it just felt appropriate. I met up with Lauren and we went to dinner to catch up then met up with the rest of my group to go out to one of the Halloween parties. We went to a place called the Three Sisters which was celebrating and while walking around who did we run into but another OU student abroad and friend of mine Nathan Crain! This was just too weird!! Two friends in one day in one city when I had no idea they were even there. That was just too funny.

The next day we had to take a train down to Newcastle to fly back to Italy and that was yet another gorgeous ride with scenery like something out of a movie.

In Newcastle it was around 10am but Alison's favorite beer is NewCastle so she obviously had to have one at the airport, that was pretty funny as well. That was a long day of travel and made me relieved that I will actually be staying in Italy for the next weekend!

Dublin for my Birthday!

Birthday set up!

Trinity College Library!

Trinity College

Christchurch

So Pretty!

Cliffs of Howth

How I picture Ireland!

A bit windy!

Guiness Factory

At the top level

Inside the factory

Hiking the Cliffs... in heels!

So pretty!

Before I had even left the states to study abroad I knew that I wanted to spend my 21st birthday in Ireland for a few reasons, 1. because I'd never been and it was the top of the list of places I wanted to go, 2. because it actually matters at some of the bars in the Temple Bar section whether or not you are 21 so I might actually get carded, and 3. my family is Irish which has made me familiar with the country since I was little and had a soft spot for it!

We woke up early on Friday and took a plane from Pisa to Dublin and arrived at 8:40am. Instead of staying in a hostel, I found an apartment for the 5 of us to stay in which was so much nicer and more fun for my birthday and also my roommate Alison, whose birthday was the day before mine.

The first thing we did after checking in was visit the Guiness Factory which was down the street. Like I said in my Munich post, I'm not exactly a big beer fan, let alone Guiness the darkest beer out there! But it was not bad and for the experience you obviously have to have one. The tour was huge and showed how it was made, the history, how to pour a proper pint, and then a great rooftop bar overlooking all of Dublin. We had fun sitting around up there and got some great advice from the workers there on where to eat and what to do. They told us that the best fish and chips in all of Dublin were right down the street from our apartment and also to go visit a small fishing village outside Dublin called Howth if we wanted to experience the real Dublin like people picture.

Next we got some food and did a little wandering around the Christchurch area and Trinity College. After, since we'd had a long day of travel, we just sat in our apartment appreciating couches (we don't have any in our apartment at home) and american television... in english! Watching friends and drinking Dr. Pepper may have been one of the biggest highlights of the weekend....

That night we went down to Grafton Street which I had heard is supposed to be the big pub scene with typical irish people but I was sorely disappointed. Most of the "typical pubs" turned out to be clubs and they were full of lots of old people.... who weren't even Irish!! We had fun anyways and I did find a nice Irish couple that Alison and I were able to chat with for awhile that was fun, but we decided we needed a new location the next evening for our birthday celebration.

In the morning Alison and I went to get breakfast and found bagels! Something I had not even realized I missed. They were delicious and we sat drinking hot chocolate for awhile deciding what to do with our day. This was actually Alison's birthday so we had to make it special. We headed back to the hotel, got ready and then headed out to the bus station to go to Howth. Along the way we were not sure where we were so we stopped and chatted with a sweet little Irish lady who gave us even more great information about the best ways to get there, where to go when we got there and even told us some cute stories. The irish hospitality was really unbelievable, the next day we had 2 different people give up their places in a starbucks so that the 5 of us could sit together!

We drove along the coast on a double decker bus out to Howth and got out at the port. We walked along the water and what did we see but several sea lions! They were playing and looking at the people on the dock. They were so cute! We walked to the end and took some pictures and then it was lunch time. We went into this little restaurant called the Oar House not expecting much because it didn't look to crowded or fancy, but on the inside it was so cute and full of people! It worked out perfectly because apparently you need reservations to eat there, but they just so happened to have one 4 person table left just for us!

I ate the more fresh and delicious salmon for lunch as well as oysters with Alison. AND! The water was even free, with ice, and free refills! This is a big deal in Europe! After finishing one of the best lunches I've ever eaten we went to the tourist office and got a map of hiking the cliffs.

I didn't exactly realize we were going to be hiking on scary tiny paths along steep cliffs that day, so I was wearing my heeled boots that are several inches high. It was a bit scary, and not the most comfortable, but you sort of forget about pains and scaredness when you turn around and see beautiful cliffs, hills, old walls, and green just all around you. It was truly breathtaking and something I'll never forget. It was also a very long hike and we needed to meet up with our fifth friend that came with us so we had to book it for the last kilometer or so which was a little on the scary side!

We got to the end of the trail, found the bus and just collapsed on the way back because we were so mentally and physically exhausted. We started chatting and laughing about the silliest things and being the one thing I seriously try to avoid being.... loud americans, but sometimes it is unavoidable when something is funny enough! I had been laughing till I cried about silly little comments Bevy had been making about a "swamp" that was outside the window and eventually everyone joined in. Taylor said she heard an irish man behind us say, do you think they're drunk? By george it's only 2pm! Obviously we were deliriously tired so we got back and took a long break before going to dinner.

For dinner we got chinese food which was the first I've had since leaving the US and it was pretty good! We had a good time talking about our days adventures and Alison's birthday, then we went home and got changed to go out and celebrate my 21st and Alison's 22nd. My mom had sent me a large Happy Birthday banner, a black and gold boa and an obnoxiously huge crown to wear on my birthday, so I pulled them all out, hung up the banner, put on my outfit and headed to temple bar.

We first went to the actual Temple Bar and it was packed! We had fun just pushing through to the bar, getting a beer and then finding a place to stand. As we passed we met a lot of people from all over the world. Obviously when you're wearing a huge crown that says 21 on it people notice and start conversation so that was fun and interesting!

As it got closer to midnight we moved to a different pub with a live band and I had my first official drink of my 21st birthday which was a beer.... who could believe it?! The band played lots of songs we knew and we had a lot of fun watching them and chatting until the place closed at 2 and we went to sleep.

On our last day, and my birthday, we had to wait till 12 to get any of the things we wanted done because it was Sunday and nothing was open! First we had the best fish and chips of all time, they were sooo greasy but amazingly good! Then we toured Christchurch which I loved! I had been getting a little sick of the Italian churches lately. Finally we went to Trinity College where I was able to go to the Library and see the Book of Kells!! This was a big deal for me since I did so much research on illuminated manuscript last semester so I spent probably a solid 20 minutes just staring at the pages they had open. The ticket also let us into the library above which was seriously the most beautiful library I've ever seen!

We still had a few hours left so we went to Starbucks and then I bought the book Pillars of the Earth because I have been talking to my dad about reading it for some time now and with all of the focus on cathedrals now. After the past 2 weeks of traveling I am through 740 of the 1100 pages if that tells you how much time we spend on the road!

Leaving Dublin was depressing because it is just never enough time but I was comforted by the fact that I would spend the next weekend in Scotland which should be equally beautiful!