Farewell Scotland

 

I’m sitting in the Glasgow airport, awaiting my flight back to the USA. Last night I was relaxing in my hotel room, feeling intimidated and overwhelmed after having arrived in the big city. I was feeling scared and anxious again, like I had when I first arrived in Scotland. Afraid of the unknown I suppose, not knowing what future will be waiting for me back home. This morning my mind was lost in the process of getting ready to leaving, packing up the rest of my belongings, and looking forward to clean clothes and the ability to do laundry again! I ate my breakfast, I checked out of the hotel, and made my way to the bus station. When riding on the bus to the airport, watching the city go by, I was struck with a feeling of “I don’t want to leave!” It surprised me because I had been experiencing feelings of loneliness and fear off and on since I have been here, and I was looking forward to going home again. To have a sense of comfort and support again I suppose. I have been adrift and out of my comfort zone for over a month now, but I think what is happening is I am starting to adapt. To being alone, to being in a foreign country, to traveling. I know, right when I’m about to leave! I just think that is a great thing about being a living thing, person, animal, whatever...the ability to adapt to your surroundings in time. I am so grateful to have been able to explore a bit of this fine country and I can’t wait to some back someday, and maybe even share it with someone.

Scotland Day Five: Arriving in Oban

I arrived here yesterday afternoon after a long but very beautiful train journey. This place is quite stunning, I was able to walk along the coastline for a bit last evening and the views are very nice. Today is turning out to be a nice day so I am hoping to take a long hike somewhere. There are more castles to be seen! I hope you enjoy these photos from last night.

Scotland Days 3 & 4: Stirling

Almost to the monument!

 I awoke to the first rainy morning since my trip started here. Anxious to get going, I quickly packed up the rest of my belongings, and headed down the street to a cafe where I now sit drinking a latte! Today I my travels will take me to the coastal town of Oban. I am excited to be by the sea again.

The first day I was here I trekked up to the William Wallace Monument. I think I took the longest route possible to get there, ignoring my map and following some vague road signs that led me through some random villages. It turned out to be quite the workout, it was a warm day, I was carrying my heavy backpack, and not wearing very good walking shoes. I eventually made it up the hill and the view was well worth it, plus the cool breeze was a welcome feeling. The monument itself is a very tall tower-like structure with a statue of William Wallace sticking out of one of the edges. You can take a tour up to the very top of the tower, but I decided to just marvel at it from the ground.

The William Wallace Monument

Cemetery and walls of Stirling Castle

 The next day, my feet were still a bit sore from all that walking so I decided I would stay close to town and maybe check out some of the shops and walk up to Stirling Castle later. However, after seeing that Bannockburn (where Robert the Bruce defeated England’s king Edward) was only 2 miles away, I chose to go for it. It took me about 40 minutes to get there and when I arrived, a jumbled mix of construction junk, fencing, excavators, and piles of dirt stood in place of where the visitor center should have been. I didn’t see any people around and the fences were blocking any route I could have taken to get into the area. I tried wandering down a side road for a bit, but I didn’t see anything promising. So, I just walked another two miles back to Stirling. Oh well, these things happen! Luckily later I was able to see a statue of King Robert at Stirling Castle so I wasn’t too disappointed.

Inside the Castle Walls

 The castle was very interesting. It is in a perfect location, perched up on this high hill with a wonderful 360 degree view of the land below. I learned that the castle was fought over quite a bit, alternating between English and Scottish powers. I was able to walk through the great hall, the king’s chambers, the queen’s chambers, the kitchens, and along the castle walls. I didn’t find it as intriguing as Dunnotar Castle in Stonehaven, probably because much of the castle has been renovated to allow for tourists and such.

King Robert the Bruce

Stirling is a nice town, full of history and old stories. The building of the hostel I stayed in used to be a church, built many hundreds of years ago by one of the more deeply religious Scottish kings ( I don’t remember his name ). The streets were lined with cute shops, pubs, and restaurants. I enjoyed my time here for the most part, but there are so many people here, especially during this time of year!  

The streets of Stirling

Scotland Day Two: Dunkeld, Birnam, and The Hermitage!

 (I wrote this post in my journal earlier this evening)

I write these words on a lined page, with a pen, in the evening sunlight beside the River Tay. I arrived in Dunkeld / Birnam earlier this afternoon and so far, I love it. The two small towns are connected by a bridge across this river. It is such a lovely area, historic buildings, nature, and Scottish culture is plentiful. When planning this part of my trip, I had a feeling that I would want to stay here longer and I was right! Unfortunately I only have one night here, then I’m headed off to Stirling tomorrow.

Entrance to the Hermitage

 The first thing I did once I got to my room at the guest house was change into my walking shoes and make my way to the Hermitage! Home to the tallest tree in Britain (a doug fir) and an awesome old stone bridge, the Hermitage was a pleasure to walk through. The trail was probably a couple miles long, leading through some really tall trees beside a rushing river. It reminded me a lot of the Pacific NW! It was a really pretty place though, I found it very relaxing and serene. Apparently many creatives have walked through those woods, including Mendelssohn and Wordsworth.

The River Tay

 Instead of wandering back to town, I headed up the hill a ways until I came to a high meadow. It was starting to look like the typical Scottish highland scene, with a lot of wind, rocky cliffs and a herd of sheep in the distance. I sat on a big boulder for a while to take it all in. So it was another lovely day here in Scotland, I thoroughly enjoyed today’s wanderings and I can’t wait to return to this place again someday.

Now that's a PINT!

Scotland Day One: Aberdeen & Stonehaven

Street in Aberdeen

 I’m in Scotland! I actually got here last evening after a very long journey from northern Norway. I was writing in my journal last night before I fell asleep (in my top bunk!) and thinking how crazy it was that earlier that morning I had been riding the rest of the way to Gardermoen airport in a taxi and in monsoon-type weather! Yes, about an hour from the airport, the train stopped and couldn’t continue due to problems with the track. Luckily my flight wasn’t for another 5 hours and the train guys helped everyone get taxis who needed to get to the airport. Once we got on the main road, I could see possibly why the train had to stop. The road was totally flooded! Water was gushing off the ledges on the left hand side and running straight into the road, just out of control! Water was getting really high and only one lane on each side could be open, as road crews tried to use their heavy machinery to redirect the water away from the highway. It was pretty insane, but we finally got out of the danger zone and I made it to the airport just fine. 

After that I got on my flight to London which was only an hour and a half or so. I think that Heathrow is the biggest airport I have ever been to that I can remember, I have never seen so many people EVER! After having to  deal with a grumpy customs officer (grumpy is an understatement, I would rather not talk about it!) and standing in line to go through security again, I made it onto my flight to Aberdeen! By the way, British Airways flight crew are so friendly and cheery! Maybe it’s the accents, but the pilots were so nice and delightful! Haha, ok moving on...

Stonehaven

 After quite a rough landing, I was in Aberdeen, and it was super windy! I got my bag and walked outside and I had just missed the bus that I needed to catch so I waited for the next one, watching the flags blowing straight out from the fierce wind. The rest of the evening was pretty uneventful. I rode the bus to my hostel, which is in this old four story stone building. It is actually pretty nice, the room has 3 bunk beds and then one twin bed, so seven people can sleep in here at once. It’s all girls in my room, I met two of them but didn’t talk to anyone really, everyone was keeping to themselves and some came in late. It was quiet though and everyone seems respectful. There is a kitchen downstairs and then a dining room and sitting room which I haven’t had the chance to check out yet. After I got settled in my bunk, I went outside and walked into the city. It’s about a 15-20 minute walk and it’s really nice, there are old stone buildings everywhere! I walked around, trying to decide where I should get something to eat until I saw a sign for ‘Fish and Chips’. Eating fish & chips in Scotland is something I had been looking forward to since before I left Norway. So I got a big old slice of deep fried haddock and chips (fries) and it did not disappoint. With that, I was able to toddle off back to the hostel and do some reading and writing before I did a face plant into my pillow.

War Memorial

Dunnotar Castle

 This morning, after packing my backpack and donning my raincoat, I found myself at a Starbucks! Free Wifi and chai for breakfast! I hung out there for a while and then walked down to the train station. I had read previously (and seen from the airplane window) about Dunnotar Castle outside of Stonehaven and since it was only a 15 minute train ride, I decided to go for it, plus I could practice using the train since that will be my main mode of travel throughout Scotland. So I got a return ticket for £6 and waited for the next train to Stonehaven. Sure enough, a short train ride later and I had arrived in the little coastal town. The town center was about a mile from the station and from there I could find the footpath that lead to the castle. Similar to Aberdeen, Stonehaven is made up of a lot of old stone houses and buildings, built really close together. I love little towns like this! It had a little steam running through it with cute bridges going across. The coastline was just as lovely, with large cliffs and bright green grass, rocky beaches and rough waters. I might want to mention that it was super windy today, just like it was yesterday when I arrived, mixed with intermittent rain and sunshine. I felt like I was going to blow away walking along the 2.5 mile-long path to the castle! But once I got there, it had all been worth it. The view was absolutely phenomenal. I couldn’t believe I was standing before such an ancient structure that had withstood battering from man and sea and weather for thousands of years  (I think the castle was built in the 1100s-1200s). Unfortunately the castle was closed today so I couldn’t go inside, but that was okay. I spent as much time as I could out in the harsh wind, walking around, snapping photos and trying to take it all in.

Path to the castle

 I had delicious soup and a sandwich at a cute waterfront cafe after wandering back into Stonehaven, then I wandered some more before getting back on the train. I had a map with me that I got at the castle so I had an idea of where I was going, but I did end up getting turned around a couple times. I arrived back in Aberdeen close to 4pm and I didn’t want to head back yet, so I did even more wandering around the downtown area. I went into some shopping malls, I got some snacks at a little grocery store, and I saw more cool sights. Aberdeen is a really nice city and I really enjoyed my short time here, so far Scotland is wonderful! Tomorrow I will depart by train for Dunkeld, where I hope to walk through the Hermitage! Thanks to everyone who is reading, I know this is a long one. :)

William Wallace statue in Aberdeen

Farewell Norway!

 After a short month in this beautiful country, the time has come for me to leave it. Today, I will set out on another long train journey to Oslo and then Tomorrow I will be flying to Aberdeen, Scotland! I will be traveling on the train across the country for seven days, stopping here and there to do some exploring. 

Being here has been a wonderful learning experience and I can't wait to come back!

Something to Ponder about Grief

“Grief can destroy you –or focus you. You can decide a relationship was all for nothing if it had to end in death, and you alone. OR you can realize that every moment of it had more meaning than you dared to recognize at the time, so much meaning it scared you, so you just lived, just took for granted the love and laughter of each day, and didn’t allow yourself to consider the sacredness of it. But when it’s over and you’re alone, you begin to see that it wasn’t just a movie and a dinner together, not just watching sunsets together, not just scrubbing a floor or washing dishes together or worrying over a high electric bill. It was everything, it was the why of life, every event and precious moment of it. The answer to the mystery of existence is the love you shared sometimes so imperfectly, and when the loss wakes you to the deeper beauty of it, to the sanctity of it, you can’t get off your knees for a long time, you’re driven to your knees not by the weight of the loss but by gratitude for what preceded the loss. And the ache is always there, but one day not the emptiness, because to nurture the emptiness, to take solace in it, is to disrespect the gift of life.”
 
-Dean Koontz, Odd Hours