Haggis, Tatties, and Neeps

AYE SCOTLAND!!!

Can I just say that I have a new love...Scotland. More specifically, the Highlands! You'll see why soon.

We departed King's Cross Train Station on Friday morning with a group of people who signed up through ISH. This trip was pre-planned for us and only cost us 130 pounds total. After arriving in Edinburgh that Friday, we meet our guide, Simon, who we can't really understand all that well on the first day due to his thick Scottish accent. We walk around historic Edinburgh and see some really cool sights. We then went out to a Scottish pub where we could order any Starter and Main Course free (including 2 free pints!). My roommates and I ordered a traditional Scottish meal (Haggis, Tatties, and Neeps). Haggis is basically ground up sheep intestines and hearts and livers, boiled together for hours and seasoned with chili sauce and peppers so it has a kick. Add some tatties (mashed potatoes) and neeps (mashed turnips) and you have the most wonderful meal ever. I am not lying, it was FANTASTIC! We are trying to find places to buy some in London.

After our Haggis experience, we went on a Pub Crawl offered by our Hostel. The leader of the Crawl got so smashed that she ventured out on her own, leaving all 50 participants to find her throughout the night. So needless to say it was an experience.

The next day, we got a while to see Edinburgh on our own. I'm not gonna lie, it was kind of a let down. What a boring place to be. So we hopped on our mini-bus and drove to Stirling. Along the way, we stopped at Linlithgow Palace and then the Wallace Monument (Braveheart's monument). We then went to our hostel which was an old Cemetary building. It was cool though. For dinner, we ate more Haggis! And then had roast chicken and potatoes.

On our third day, we ventured to the Highlands. This was the most exciting part. Before getting to the Highlands, however, we stopped at a very famous castle...The one from Monty Python and the Holy Grail where the French man says, "I fart in your general direction!" I thought it was great! Then we saw a Hairy Coo (cow), called Hamish. All of the people on the trip, including my roommates were fascinated with Hamish as they have never seen a cow before (or sheep for that matter) How weird. Then we traveled to the grave of another famous Scotsmen, Rob Roy. We climbed a great big hill above his grave and saw the amazing view of the mountains and Lochs below. On the steep climb down, there was a rope swing that we found and it was a lot of fun.

We ate lunch in Killin and saw a great waterfall. Then we finally made it into the actual Highlands and it was beautiful. The fog and haze over these mountains on a great Scottish afternoon was amazing. Camp Unie people -- You would have been blown away! I was thinking the entire time of how cool it would be to have an adventure trip to these Highlands! Absolutely stunning. We climbed part way up the Three Sisters mountains in Glencoe. Some more amazing scenery.

We then made our way to our hostel, after driving through the highest point in the U.K., and arrived. This hostel was the coolest. You had to take a farm dirt road filled with potholes and cattle crossings to make it there. Basically, it was a converted barn-type building into a hostel. It was big enough for our group of 15 and was completely isolated on the banks of Loch Lochy. It was amazing to be so secluded in this amazing wilderness. It really makes me appreciate home more and Camp, too!

The next day, we got up early and went to Soldiers Leap and had lunch in Killiecrankie. Then we started making our way down towards Edinburgh for the train home, but first stopped at the Tallibarden Distillery where they make Scottish Whiskey. We got to try some and it was great. Finally, we arrived in Edinburgh and boarded the train back to London, which took 5 hours. It was a long time on that train.

In the end, I had the most fantastic time. I loved going to Istanbul, as you know, because it was a gorgeous city. Well Scotland was a gorgeous country! It is somewhere where I think I could enjoy spending a great deal of time at and not be bored. My roommates and I are even considering going back to Scotland and having our guide, Simon, take us hiking up the mountains. The downside is we couldn't go until December and we don't have any gear. But it would still be worth it. Scotland will not remain a wee memory.

Finishing my last week of classes now, and going to see Amy and Caitlin in Italy this weekend for a whole week!

Until next time,

Cheers!

Justin