Haggis, Hamish, Harbours, and Heavy Winds

Just got back from our 3-day trip to the Isle of Skye and Loch Ness! Or, I got back last night, but have been busily uploading pictures and catching up on sleep. I've got TONS to write about my weekend. My amazing weekend. But before I get carried away, here are some updates:

Smiling at the cheesy quotes on the side of the Parliament building

Don't I look wiser these days? (Or maybe the right word is stupid!)

I'm pretty much settled into my new place. It's spacious and well-located, and I think I've finally figured out the heating.

View from my bedroom. Calton Hill and the Firth of Forth in the distance. I'm about 5 stories off the ground.

Our kitchen/ common room. Two small but comfy couches, a "cooker" and oven, fridge, and my cabinet open. Can you see my Oatabix and porridge oats?

My bed with a blanket I picked up at the Free Shop! 

My desk and shelf

I've noticed that the Scots are very into cleanly toilets. Each toilet stall EVERYWHERE has a toilet brush in it, and there are signs about flushing. Maybe it's a big problem around here? They also banned paper towels from most public restrooms and have installed hand dryers. However, there are no seat covers anywhere. Hm.

Living in a city definitely has its perks. There are grocery stores everywhere, so it's not a big deal to just pick up some bananas or apples, instead of showing up with a big list. In fact, it's much easier. Carrying four heavy bags is not a good plan. Also, I've started getting in the habit of looking at the sidewalk when I walk, as I've found almost 2 pounds of change so far! I guess that's the advantage of having coins worth more than a quarter. They have a 50 pence piece, a 1 pound coin, and a 2 pound coin.

Not too much graffiti in Edinburgh, but it definitely exists

On Thursday, there was a huge Sports Fair and a Societies Fair. I think I'm going to join the Hares and Hounds Running Society, the LangSoc (Linguistics), and possibly the SocieTEA (to meet some tea snobs!). I went to the first social event for LangSoc on Thursday night. There were only about 10 people, out of a 150 person society, but it was still pretty fun. I had a heated political discussion (with my very limited knowledge...) about US affairs with a kid from Lithuania, and then headed home to pack.

So, on to my big Haggis Adventure! That's really what it was called- our travel company was Haggis Adventures, and our yellow bus, driven by our hilariously entertaining guide Tony, had "Awesome" across one side, and an even bolder statement across the other:

Alex and I left Edinburgh on Friday morning, along with 27 others (from Spain, Brazil, China, Germany, Korea, Australia, Canada, Chicago, and Northern California), and we headed to the Highlands of Scotland. We passed fields and fields of unbelievable green and cute little sheep.

Not quite the Harry Potter Bridge, but it looks like it!

Our bus- lots of traffic because of a big cycling race going on. We started hating those bikers for taking up our lane!

Our first stop was the William Wallace Monument, the hero of the movie Braveheart.

Amazing view. Amazing wind!

Then we met Hamish, the famous Highland Cow (pronounced "Hailan Coo" in these parts). He was disgustingly foamy at the mouth, but still charming in his way. The rest stop also had a pretty cool exhibit about the different tartans are made- those wool patterns are a huge deal, and different colors and widths represent different clans.

Baby Hamish!

We drove on to a ski lodge for lunch. It was pretty cold, but pretty gorgeous. Seems to be a theme around here...

Rain means rainbows!

Back on the road, we drove through the hills of Glencoe and heard about the huge massacre which gave the Campbell clan a bad name in the Highlands for being traitors. I was much more interested in just soaking in the sights, though, than soaking in the history of the tons and tons of battles which have taken place in this country. The land used to be covered by glaciers during the Ice Age, which means lots of dainty waterfalls and streams run down the cliffs. It's stunning.

In the background, the little house is known as the most expensive in Scotland. One of the bosses of Shell Oil offered to pay any amount of money to buy it, but the owner refused to sell. Being in the hills of Glencoe: priceless.

We continued on the road to Fort Augustus, a town on the banks of Loch Ness. On the way, we stopped at Inverlochy Castle, one of the thousands of castles in Scotland. Our bus driver said we'd get the ABC's by the end of the trip ("Another bloody castle!"). But climbing the ruins hasn't gotten old yet. 

Although we did a ton of driving, the trip wasn't bad at all. Tony played mood music for every leg of the route- the speech from Braveheart, bagpipe music, fiddle and accordion tunes, pump-up songs for when we were getting restless, and Beatles songs that everyone knew, regardless of their English abilities. It was also really fun to have such an international group. He referred to us as Team USA, Team Aussie, Team Germany, Team China, etc., and loved to tease the Spaniards for always being late, even though they couldn't understand a word of what he said. They called him "amigo". The Chinese tourists did goofy poses at every stop, the Aussies were both 19 and became friends of ours, and Team Germany was three young sisters who were pretty reserved but very funny. A young woman from Brazil spoke 5 different languages, a married couple from Chicago told great stories about their travels, and another young woman from Virginia said she packed up and moved to Aberdeen, Scotland after the death of a friend- a reminder that life is too short not to do what you want to do... like take a trip to see the trains that they used as the Hogwarts Express!

And go to a harbour where the Atlantic Ocean touches Scotland.

We finally arrived at our hostel. It was cozy, safe, and comfortable. Alex and I shared a room with Rae from China, and we had an empty bed.

They had a big dining room with a homecooked meal for us, and it was delicious! I had the veggie pie, and Alex got the chicken stuffed with haggis- both very Scottish. (These pictures don't do the dishes justice, trust me.) Haggis is definitely not as bad as it sounds.

The night was still young! We played some Snakes and Ladders and Trivial Pursuit, which was pretty interesting with such a diverse group. But alas, when in Scotland, do as the Scots do- Pub Quiz! I was on Team Justin MacBieber, and we did quite well. This is me during the last round, dressed up in anything Scottish that we could scavange up from around the hostel. "For Scotland!"

Singing and dancing were the next part of the evening. One of the bartenders took out his acoustic guitar and taught us some Scottish folksongs, and I was persuaded by our guide Tony to dance. It was one of those surreal experiences- dancing and singing in a pub on the banks of Loch Ness. In a room full of strangers, so far from home- yet so comfortable.

Not to be outdone by its precedessor, the next day was full of more great moments. We headed out early to the Isle of Skye, stopping at the beautiful medieval castle Eilean Donan on the way. 

The bridge to the Isle of Skye was a bit windy, but luckily the weather was still clear. The whole island reminded me a bit of Greece- very seaside-town-ish and charming. 

We ate in Portree down by the water, fighting off ferocious seagulls, and then explored a bit with Team Aussie. I bought some handmade soap, because I just can't help it when I see that stuff, and we met an old couple from one of the Carolinas (or some other southern state). As we were saying goodbye to them, the wife said "Nice to be young!", but I thought she was going to say "Nice to meet you!". So I'd replied "You too!" to this 70 year old woman before I realized that that was not an appropriate response. Oops.

I tried to conquer the Isle, but the weather conquered me instead!

We passed some beautiful little houses that I think you'd especially like, Mom. I'm saving up to buy one for you!

When we got back to Fort Augustus where our hostel was, we wandered around a bit. I love this sign! So many languages in one place... A linguist's dream come true.

The view of the canals in Fort Augustus

Then our pal Tony arranged a private show for us with his old friend Ken, a Highland recreationist. Ken showed us how to fold a kilt, how smelly the huts used to be with 20 people, livestock, and hanging meat, and how to use medieval weapons. (They were super brutal! They had swords that could decapitate 5 guys in a single swing and sharp hooks to take off a soldier's "manhood" in a single swipe... Ouch.) Two members of our group got dressed up and modeled for us. 

Sidenote: Ken has climbed Mount Everest TWICE, and he went to school with John Lennon. He's certifiably cooler than me.

We got back to the hostel and spent hours singing karaoke. I learned that no matter what country you're from, you know exactly what to do when the YMCA and Macarena come on.

The next day started with a trip to Loch Ness to try to spot Nessie!

This picture is not actually from Sunday, as it was raining at Loch Ness... This celestial sun was from Saturday, but I'm pretending.

The lake is super touristy, but super fun! 

We then started heading back, and passed an idyllic train along the way. 

Tony then took us to an old yard of mystical standing stones. The stones were arranged in perfect circles that were aligned with the sun, and the big stone rocks apparently contained spirits of the past. We were told to meditate against them. It was a bit eerie but very peaceful.

We stopped at a battlefield, but we were all pretty pooped out on Scottish history by that point, so we just sat in the cafe. I love this menu, as it is so quintessentially Scottish. Sunday roasts, fizzy drinks, and traybakes! The other menu had lox and cream cheese, baked beans, and haggis as baked potato toppings. 

Our final stop was the Bell's/ Blair Athol Whiskey Distillery. We had a private tour around the facility. The process is fascinating and so time-tested, and the whole place smelled very... barley-y. I can't say I was a huge fan of the taste, but it was fun to learn the proper tasting technique.

And that, my friends, was my trip to the Isle of Skye, Loch Ness, and every place in between. It was much more than I was expecting when I booked the silly-named Haggis Skye High trip on a whim! I met lots of people, saw tons of Scotland, and learned how to not gag on whiskey. 

Today was my first day of class at the University of Edinburgh. I had Origins and Evolution of Language, a lecture with half undergrads and half postgrads. Our assessment is completely based on a single paper and a single test. Pretty intimidating. But the content sounds awesome, so I'm hoping for the best.

Then was the first meeting of the Haries running club. I never get tired of discovering new streets around here, and running with a group will hopefully allow me to meet new people. I feel like I know Edinburgh, but I don't know very many students... I'm hoping to fix that this week!

There are no Jews here. I was one of two people who signed up for the Jewish Society! But Happy Rosh Hashanah, everyone.