A Weekend in the Most Beautiful Place on Earth

The highlands are the most magnificent thing I have ever seen in my life. I will never tire of the views I have seen here in Scotland and just when I thought they couldn't get any better I go to the Highlands and am stupefied. My journey to the Highlands started bright and early Thursday morning when we hopped on a bus and took off at 8 am heading north. Our first stop of the weekend consisted of a stop to Scone Palace. Scone Palace is the place where the Stone of Destiny lies. The Stone of Destiny is a stone that sits under a chair.

Scone Palace

RIley, Kyra, and i at Hermitage Waterfall

Bus Buddies!

The group at the barracks.

This was the place where all the royals used to be crowned. The estate was huge and we wandered around it for an hour. They had a maze in the yard that we did and they had a little zip line as well that we went on. It was more directed towards kids, but what can I say I'll always be a kid at heart and it was fun. After we left Scone we continued to travel north. We stopped at Hermitage to see this beautiful waterfall. We had to walk on a trail for 15 minutes to find it and it was breathtaking. That area reminded me of what Oregon looks like with the tall trees, moss, and everything being so green. I felt like I was transported into a Narnia movie or something, it was quite magical. We jumped around on the waterfall rocks for awhile and then loaded the bus to our next destination. Our next stop was Delwhinnie Distillery. It lies in the Highlands surrounded by beautiful scenery. We took a tour of how the whisky is made at the distillery. We also learned about the different strengths that come from the distillery's around Scotland. At the end of our tour we got a small glass of whisky with some chocolate. Our tour leader told us it was a lighter whisky and maybe to him it is, but woah, I though I was going to grow hair on my chest. It was very strong and the chocolate was very rich. I almost couldn't finish it, but I toughed up and did it. We got to keep our glasses so it was a nice souvenir. Through the first day we also just stopped along the road a few times to look at the beautiful scenery. We spontaneously stopped at some old barracks along side the road and it was historic and parts were crumbling to the ground, but it didn't make it anyml less alluring. We took a huge group picture at this stop standing and sitting within the tumbling barracks. We finally reached out hostel destination around 6 that night in Inverness. Inverness is a neat little town settled in the Highlands. While a pack of us girls were searching for our rooms a guy came out and said "woah I think I hit the jackpot". That was pretty funny, but awkward at the same time. That night Kyra, Riley, Lauren, Trevor, Mickenzie, Kati, Hannah, Christina, and I walked to the local grocery store Morrisons. We all felt like ice cream because we haven't ate it in forever so we got some Ben and Jerry's. We walked back and sat outside our hostel enjoying the view, eating our ice cream, and chatting for a few hours. It was nice to talk and get more close to some of the friends I've made here that I haven't spent as much time with.

Riley, Anna, and I at the distillery.

The views from our nature walk around Ben Nevis.

Me in the Highlands.

Me at Fort George

Christina, Lauren, and I watching dolphins. 

The next morning we got up bright and early to head to Culloden Battlefield. Culloden Battlefield was the final confrontation of the 1745 Jackobite Rising. The Jackobites tried to do a surprise attack, but the English were ready and the Jacobites were slain. There are thousands of Scottish soldiers buried on the field, so many shallow graves. The battlefield has been untouched since the final shot rang out that day and the casualties were buried. It was very leery feeling with the fog setting in and I felt a lot of respect for the land because it is like a cemetery of unmarked graves. The have markers of where they assume that most of the clans lay, but not names and only a few hundred of names have been discovered of who died on the field that day. After Culloden we went to Fort George. Fort George is a military base that is still in use, so there were soldiers running around everywhere. It's a neat place and right on the coast. We sat on the walls and watched the dolphins out in the firth. There was a big pod of them and it was relaxing to watch them in the nice weather. After we had free time. Lauren, Christina, and I went to a place where we saw advertising wildlife boat excursion. We waited for the guy to show up for an hour and he never did. So we sat there and played I Spy for an hour. It was funny and we spent the rest of the evening in Inverness exploring the area and going out to eat.

On Nevis Range

On Loch Ness

Traditional jumping picture. Anna, Jenna, Amanda, and I.

Urquhart Castle

On Saturday we went to Urquhart Castle that sits right on the beach of Loch Ness. It was neat and a charming ruin. It was so neat to see Loch Ness and dip my feet into it. It was foggy that morning so it added to the mysterious Nessie. I found Nessie and I will be bringing her home packed in my suitcase! After our adventure to Loch Ness we went to Nevis Range to take a gondola ride to the top of the range. It was worth the ride, but it was scary going up the side of a mountain. At the top the view was to die for. I wanted a picture of myself standing on this rock that was close to the edge with the Nevis Range behind it, but I was so scared to do it. I am so glad I did though because it felt amazing and it's true when they say the things you fear most are normally the most worthwhile. After the gondola ride we went to our hostel in Fort William. It was 2 miles outside of town at the foot of Ben Nevis. Ben Nevis is the tallest mountain in the UK. It stands at 4,500 feet. Although that may not be huge compared to others in the world it's big for the UK. It was a great place to stay and Kyra, Riley, and I went on a hike around the foot of Ben Nevis and the river for a couple hours. The scenery of the Highlands was amazing there is really nothing to compare it to and it's greatness is simply Scotland. We walked along in the river and the water was freezing. It was a really fun little adventure we had and we saw a bunch of Highland Coo's! The last day of our trip we went to the Harry Potter Bridge, Glencoe, and Doune Castle. Glencoe was an area where the clan of Campbell murdered an entire MacDonald clan in their slumber. It's said to be haunted, but what isn't haunted in Scotland. Doune Castle is going to be where the new TV series Outlander is filmed, so it was neat to be somewhere where a TV series will be filmed. Although I had a great time in the Highlands I was so happy to see Dalkeith again after a long weekend. I have everything turned in for my classes for the rest of the semester, so I am feeling great!

Me with a lamb in Glencoe

Riley, Kyra, and I 

Just look at that view!

Wednesday I went with my host family to Brig O'turk. The town possess a tree called the Bicycle Tree. When we got there we were actually surprised at how untouched by tourism it is. It made it that much more special. The tree got it's name when a blacksmith who lived next to the tree went off to World War I to serve and left his bike chained to the tree. The man never returned so the tree grew around his bike. It was so amazing to see and so unique. We also stopped at a cafe along a Loch and ate lunch. It was a great view. They fed us so much food. I had soup as a started, risotto for my main dish, and Mocha cake for dessert. I didn't eat anything else the whole day because I was so full. They are so kind. Yesterday was sad because I had to say goodbye to them for the last time. It makes me realize how limited my time is becoming here in my home away from home and how my days are filled with more and more "lasts". I am excited to come home, but it's bittersweet. Last night I went to the Beltane Fire Festival with Amy, Riley,  and Lauren. It was a very unique experience. The festival is to celebrate the begging of summer and fertility. There was some nakedness and a lot of fire. It was really cool though how they dances with fire and the effects they used. It seemed almost demonic at some points, but it was  an experience. This week we also had a meeting for our reentry into the United States. It was a very emotional meeting and we all cried together. I have been saying I can't wait to come home, but I didn't realize what they pointed out that night. That indeed I have changed and I might not fit into my old life exactly the way I left it. It's kind of scary to think about.

Bicycle Tree

Amy, Riley, Lauren and I at the festival

Fire! 

Our Assistant Resident Director put us through a visualization and it was tough. He walked us through when we first started applying for this program until three weeks after when we get home and will probably want to come back. The hardest part that hit me is when we ride away in that taxi and look back at the house that has become our home for the last time, when we land in the states to get off the plane and our journey is officially over with study abroad, and when we wake up that first morning at home in our beds, no longer in our rooms at Dalkeith, Scotland. It is going to be so hard to let go of this journey and I didn't realize it until that meeting. It hard to think I might not ever return here, to my home away from home, and that my time pasted far quicker than I wanted it too here, but I can spend a lifetime knowing I have studied abroad, I lived in Scotland, and I made some amazing memories. I learned so many lessons, made so many friends and although I am leaving to go home to my family what I didn't realize is I will be leaving a family I have made here. It's going to be an emotional last week here in Dalkeith. I leave to spend the weekend in Ireland with Lauren today and I am very excited. It will be a great last trip to put an end to an amazing and exhausting semester of traveling. Can't believe in 8 days I will be home. I miss you all and see you very, very, soon.

Love and Cheers!

Morgan