I can't help it. Men in kilts make me laugh.

We'll start off with last night's ghost tour.

Well, I'm pretty sure I'm not being haunted, so that's a good thing. The tour began on the Royal Mile, the Main Street of Edinburgh, if you will. Our guide, Katie, began by telling us some pretty macabre stories about some poor, poor Scottish lads and lasses and their tortuous endings. It was enough to make the squeamish want to lose their haggis.

The she took us to Greyfriar's Kirkyard, a pretty famous Scottish graveyard. We toured the cemetery. It FINALLY got dark at about 11 pm (the days are SUPER long over here, sunrise at 4 am, sunset at 11, 11:30 pm. Yeah.), and things got really spooky. We entered an area of the cemetery called the Covenanter's Prison. Briefly, the Covenanters were Scottish Presbyterians who signed the National Covenant in 1638 to confirm their opposition to the interference by the Stuart kings in the affairs of the Church of Scotland.

In the Covenanter's Prison, there is a building called the Black Mausoleum, which is home to a pleasant little thing called the MacKenzie Poltergeist, who is known to attack people. Yay! Like little Scottish sheep, (baaah) we were herded into this tomb, to stand like bait, while our guide waited quite comfortably outside, telling more stories.

She basically told us if we felt anything really cold, or smelled anything funny, or if something pulled our hair, etc, that this could be the poltergeist. Or that someone could pass out, so be on guard (no one did). You know, stuff like that. Then she said that sometimes people didn't notice they had been attacked till after the tour, so be sure to check your body for scratches, bruises, cuts or bite marks. BITE MARKS. Ha!

Anyway, then she started messing with us. She would turn her flashlight on and off suddenly, blow her candle out, jump and yell, things of the nature. But the BEST spook she got out was when the "jumper outer" came. She was in the middle of telling a story when all of a sudden---

A man dressed in one of those god awful halloween masks and robes came running in the tomb screaming.

Now, I am quite proud to say that I had not yet screamed during this tour (scout's honor, I swear it). I was being very brave, putting out all sorts of good energy for all those poor maligned spirits. I may have jumped a little every now and then, but I had not yet screamed. But when THIS happened, I screamed bloody murder and damn near booked it out of that freaking mausoleum. My blood pressure had to have sky rocketed to really unhealthy levels.

After that she let us leave the tomb because apparently poltergeists feed off of fear. Good idea.

So, if you are ever in Edinburgh and you want a good ghost tour, I give "City of the Dead" 4.5 out of 5 stars. Good stuff, folks.

Today, I experienced a rare treat. I actually got to sleep in (sort of)! Since it was Saturday, and we did not have class, I slept till nine. It was fantastic.

Today was chock filled with site seeing. After we found Robert Burns memorial (I have no idea what he did, but it must have been important because it was in the scavenger hunt). We went to the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the official residence of the Queen when she is in Scotland. It was quite lovely. You couldn't take pictures though. And I got fussed at by the guards for not "staying on the paths." Oops. After that we strolled up and down the Royal Mile for some time just enjoying the city.

Want to know the real highlight of my day, though? At lunch, I got a whole cup of ice from Subway :).

Another day in Edinburgh

After a very long break, we went back to class today. Major buzz kill!

According to our schedule, we were supposed to climb King Arthur's Seat today, which is a volcanic mountain outside the city. For some reason, we didn't. I'm not totally bummed, though, my toe needed the break from the hiking.

Instead, we went shopping.

I never really thought of Scotland as the shopping capital of the world, but I have found some amazing deals on some pretty great stuff. I found a really nice pencil skirt for just 5 pounds! Even with the exchange rate, that's only $10!

Not bad for half of a business suit.

I love a good deal.

We didn't go on a ghost tour last night (a bunch of people went out- I got a good night's sleep- Mom, I took your advice so I can try to shake whatever illness is creeping up on me), but tonight's the night! Apparently, the tour guide suggested we where "tennis shoes and a cross." Oh god. Hopefully all the good karma I've been putting out there this trip will come back around and Casper won't follow me home. I already have a broken toe, I really don't need a maligned Scottish ghost haunting me, also.

That's it for today. A hard day of shopping. Tomorrow we are doing a lot of site seeing and getting our scavenger hunt done (and hopefully interviews for our other class). Blog to you then!

Cheerio, chaps!

I made it to Edinburgh!

First things first, some business to take care of.

To James, my dear new friend, I dedicate this post to you. May we have a long friendship (even if the post itself is a short one).

OK. So, after a verrrrry long bus ride, I am now in Edinburgh, Scotland. We left at around 8:30 am this morning, and only made one quick stop in Loch Ness. I looked my hardest for Nessie, but alas, she was no where to be found.

I'm still a believer, though.

But now we're in Edinburgh, from what I can tell, a very beautiful city. It's the first of the BIG places we're going on this trip. We were actually told that it would be beneficial to use a taxi while we were here. I've never used a taxi before in my life. Apparently there are many sections to this city.

Old and new.

Big and small.

Long and short.

Obviously, I exaggerate, but you get my drift. From the little I have seen thus far, it is quite lovely, though. I think we are going to take a ghost tour, perhaps, tonight. Now that should be quite interesting. Right up my ally! I wonder what the Scottish equivalent for "Here ghostie, ghostie!" is....

Cheers!

Sit down for your daily recap, and then some

Okay, so, here we go. Lots of things to tell!

So, after leaving Glasgow we began a long and arduous journey (in a bus) to the Isle of Skye. It took us all day, from 8 am to about 6 pm, to get there. Of course, we stopped in several scenic photo places along the way.

One of the places was Doune Castle, or better known as the castle where "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" was filmed. They had coconuts that they gave out for visitors to clack together and gallop while running around the castle grounds. As you can image, a group of 24 college kids reeked a lot of havoc with these coconuts...

The second castle we stopped at was the castle that Highlander was filmed at. I think the most intense thought that passed through my mind was, "Whoa...Sean Connery walked through here at one point."

The castles were pretty awesome, now, but you have to imagine how gross they were back in the day when hundreds of stinky smelly soldiers were living in them. That's a whole lotta B.O. going on in there....Man. I am so glad I live in the times of laundry detergent and deodorant. And central air.

Today we took a boat onto Loch Curuisk. The water was nice and smooth (lucky for me!). The boat dropped us off onto this glacial area for a while, and we were able to just roam about for a bit. Even with a broken toe, I ended up climbing up mountains. I don't know if it's the excellent
scenery, the fresh air or what, but I am becoming really outdoorsy. Like I said, even with the toe, I'm still all over the cliffs and hills and mountains and beaches.

To be entirely honest with you, Ireland was absolutely nothing compared Scotland. There's so much space. I never realized that things could be so big and open and wide.

Oh, and there are TONS or sheep. They're so cute! I want to pet one, but they always run away...

Well, that's all for today, tomorrow we move on to Edinburgh. Cheers...

Isle of Skye

I don't have very much time, but I just wanted to let everyone know that I'm in at the Isle of Skye, and still alive.

And....it....is....GORGEOUS!

Mom, I'm beginning to wish we had ended up in Scotland, because you would have loved this so much.

All is well, but I do have a funny story to tell you: Remember how I said I got a few bumps and bruises cliff hiking in Ireland? It turns out I broke a toe. You really can't take me anywhere. It's a long story. I wish to do it justice.

Well, It's very late here, I know I have a lot to recap, but it's going to have to wait till a later date. Cheers, mates!

Glasgow, Scotland

I have arrived, safe and sound in Glasgow, Scotland.

There really isn't much to report, as there really isn't very much to do. Today is a catching up day, and a stop over day on the tour. Tomorrow we head off for the Isle of Skye for some major hiking, and hopefully, to find Nessie.

I did have my first experience washing clothes in my hotel sink today. That was fun...

I'm having some trouble adjusting to the exchange rate over here in the UK. 2.2 American dollars to the pound! That's pretty intense! I'm beginning to rethink the whole eating thing in lieu of more exciting things to spend my money on :). Just kidding.

So, that's all for now. I'll post more when there is more!

Last Day in Dublin

Today marked my last day in Dublin for this trip (but hopefully not my last day ever).

I went to church at St. Patrick's Cathedral (I know Mom, you most be so shocked and amazed!), but only because the statue of Jonathan Swift was, which was a clue for one of our scavenger hunt clues. It was quite interesting, regardless, and really quite beautiful. But if I'm being terribly honest, the pews were really uncomfortable (I think they do it on purpose).

After church, I did something that will probably shock you even more.

I went cliff hiking.

Yes, I know. Stop and laugh, it's really OK.

We took the train out of Dublin to a little town called Hough, which is on the coast of Ireland, and it plays host to some pretty rad cliffs, and I hiked them today. Round trip, we hiked about eight miles. I got pretty banged up heading UP the cliff, but it was worth it for the views while you walked along it. It was also worth it for the calories I burned; one girl had a pedometer on her cell phone; we burned over 900 calories! That's more than you can get on the stairmaster! The Irish workout is much better than the American work out, I tell you. Maybe I'll take up cliff hiking in the states as a hobby; despite the injuries, which really, were minor, just a few cuts and bruises, I really enjoyed my outdoor adventure.

That was really it today, for my last day in Ireland. Tomorrow begins a whole new adventure in Scotland. Hopefully it's ready...