The Beginning

My trip began with my Aunt Lil and I leaving from Tulsa on Jan. 22nd. We flew from Tulsa to Houston to London to Aberdeen. Yes, it was a long day of travelling. Actually the flights were really pretty good. Our longest flight was about 8 hours or so, and it wasn't a packed flight so we didn't have to sit by anyone and had plenty of room to spread out. When we landed in London the security was very thorough. Our passports were checked twice, and at one point I wasn't sure I was getting through. They were very skeptical as to why I would be there for five months without a Visa. I had to show them my returning flight details and my acceptance letter from the university to assure them I would be studying while I was here and leaving within six months. The lady wasn't very nice to say the least but that's okay. We got through and that's all that matters!

When we arrived in Aberdeen we immediately climbed in the car we rented and took off! Just keep in mind they drive on the opposite side of the rode and don't have stoplights, instead they have roundabouts which are quite confusing. Aunt Lil did all the driving and got to be quite a pro at it we were driving about 60mph by the time we turned the car back in later in the week! Haha! After we dropped my luggage off at the university which they kept in my room for me, we quickly sought out our first B&B in Alford, Scotland and stopping on the way to see a castle. We were exhausted and only got lost a couple of times before we found our way and got in bed by about 6pm that evening sleeping the whole night! The second day we began by enjoying a wonderful Scottish breakfast at our B&B with a lady who was also staying there. She was from Scotland and was so pleasant to visit with that we spent almost an hour just talking to her after we finished eating! Then we headed out for the day. The first thing we wondered upon was a castle that sat atop a large hill and overlooked the countryside. There was still snow on the ground, but just enough gone so that you could see the green grass showing through it. It was a beautiful scene from the top of the hill and the castle was beutiful too. It was a more modern looking pink castle (modern as in 1600 instead of 800 haha). We left there and sought out to see another castle nearby in a town called Mossatt. By town I mean coffee shop, antique shop, and small boutique. The castle was kind of closed so we opened the unlocked gates and climbed our way through the snow to the castle which was actually just ruins but still really nice. Needing to warm up and get out of the rain we ventured into the coffee shop where we met another local woman who owned the shop and bought a few nice things that she makes herself there. She knew we were Americans, but thought we were American wives of men in the oil business that live in Aberdeen. She said she gets lots of American wives from Aberdeen who come to her store and many of the things she makes like throws she makes specifically for them. Our next stop for the day was in Elgin at the Johnstons woolen mill. They sold wools and cashmeres made in Scotland. It was a really nice shop and I got a blanket for my bed at school there. Finally to end the day we travelled up the coast to Lossiemouth and walked on the beach and had dinner. Overall this was probably our favorite day of the whole trip. Between the people and sights we saw it was all just pretty amazing.

We stayed a second night at the same place in Alford and left the next morning towards Inverness. On our way we took a different road than the day before and travelled through some intense snow. The road was single laned and snow on both sides of us almost up to our head in the car. Might I add that we were in some high hills or low mountain region. It was really scary, but obviously we survived. We didn't really stop along the way too much or in Inverness because since we were driving we tried to avoid any and all big cities! We did make it down to Loch Ness and Urquhart Castle which sits on Loch Ness. It was stunning. The lake was so beautiful and ideally located winding through the mountains. I'm pretty sure we saw Nessie too...it was hard to tell but I'm pretty sure I saw the monster! After that we finally made our way to the next B&B which was quite interesting all within itself...trust me! On Tuesday we drove to the Isle of Skye. The drive was another long one through the mountains but yet again beautiful. We stopped off and on along the way to take pictures and once we even looked over to see goats just wandering the side of the mountain almost an armsreach away! It was really neat. Once we reached the island we shopped around a little and climbed to the top of a hill to look out to the water. In the water we did get a view of an otter or seal...not sure which.

After staying another night in the highlands we headed south to Edinburgh on Wednesday morning. On our way we saw heard of deer...big ones...just sitting on the side of the mountains way up high. I know we have them at home but to see them just grazing the mountains like that was something else. Although we didn't have a lot of time in Edinburgh we made use of the time we had. We checked into our hotel and headed up the Royal Mile to visit Edinburgh Castle. It was definately the best castle I saw. It was so cool and has so much history. I think the best part is that it's still used today for their troops. There is also a POW memorial there in which the tour guide told us how the Americans were kept there during the Revolutionary War. The rest of our time in Edinburgh consisted of shopping a bit and walking around to take it all in.

Thursday afternoon we took a train from Edinburgh to Aberdeen so that we would be there to move me into my dorm Friday morning. When we got to Aberdeen we took an adventure on the public bus to ASDA which is a grocery store similar to Wal-Mart and owned by them. We got some of the basics that I would need for my room considering I didn't take anything but sheets. On Friday we moved in to my dorm and tried to orient ourselves a little better with the city. Tired from our trip, we retreated back to the hotel where we rested and watched the terrible UK television shows. This was the end of our trip for us. Aunt Lil left early Saturday morning, and I returned to campus for orientation and advisement.

It was a great first trip for me. Having her there with me and coming a week early helped so much to settle me in before classes began. It was an amazing trip and we saw so many things including lots of sheep and highland cattle! It was just the beginning to my many adventures here in Scotland, and I'm so lucky to have shared that time with her. Thanks again Aunt Lil :)