I fail at blogging.

Well, my goal to blog at least once a week ended up being a total fail. I ended up just getting too busy and life has been crazy since I got back and I haven't had time either. So here is my attempt to continue blogging about my trip before I forget everything. I wish I had just kept up with it because I'm already forgetting stuff!

After we got back from Iona and Mull, we took a day trip to Abbotsford, Sir Walter Scott's house. We took a tour of the house which was HUGE. The grounds were my favorite part though!

Backview of the house.

After Abbotsford, we went to Melrose to visit an old abbey. You had to pay to get in, so we opted to take pictures at a gate and get ice cream instead. Sidenote- Orkney Fudge means Scottish tablet. NOT chocolate fudge. Therefore, when you are in the mood for ice cream full of chocolately goodness and you ask for Orkney Fudge Ice Cream, you get sickly sweet ice cream with tablet (aka a mix between sugar cubes and toffee) instead. So disappointed.

We also did some modeling by the wall as well.

After Melrose, we visited James Hogg country. He is another Scottish author we studied. Here is a monument. It was across the street from this lake so we spent most of our time having skipping rock competitions.

This wasn't my favorite part of the country, but it was fun to see the southern part of Scotland. (These areas are right on the border of Scotland and England.) 

Well, there is one more day! Hopefully I get to the rest!

Guess who I saw...

Okay so this isn't an update like I promised, but guess who I saw at the Mackintosh House Museum today???

Rosamund Pike and Robie Uniacke

If you don't know the significance of this, go watch the Keira Knightly version of Pride and Prejudice.

She's Jane! She's also been in a James Bond movie and some other ones recently. Her boyfriend is about 20 years older than her and used to be a drug addict apparently. Before I  realized who it was I wondered if he was her dad!

Here's the story. After class I went to a special exhibit at the Huntarian Museum, which is part of the University of Glasgow. The exhibit is a replica of the house of the famous designer, Charles Mackintosh and his wife (also a famous designer) Margaret Mackintosh. You have to sign up for a tour of the house beforehand and only about 12 people are allowed in the group. At the beginning of the tour I didn't even notice her, but then she asked the guide a question and I could tell she was British. I started watching her and all her mannerisms were the exact same as Jane's and that's when I figured it out! I didn't talk to her or anything, but I walked around with a famous actress for about an hour! I'd call that a successful day in Scotland.

Part 3: More Pictures from Iona and Mull

First off, I apologize for not blogging much this week. I am SO busy, especially this week. I need to blog about everything soon, or I know I'll forget some of the details! If only there was about 1 extra hour in my day! Hopefully I will get around to editing and uploading more pictures from Aberdeen, Inverness, and Stirling soon, but until then, here are more pictures from Iona and Mull. My roommate has a much better camera than me so props to her.

Just doing some ballet...

Hooray for being twenty!

Cute Carolyn

This is actually from Loch Lomond. We randomly happened across this path in a field called the "Pilgrim Walk." It was supposed to follow Christ's journey from Passover to the Resurrection I think. It was a big circular path and since we are American we entered the circle and went to the right, aka the wrong direction. That made things a little confusing. Haha.

 This is my face...like all the time. I'm just so excited to be here!

Random Nepalese shop.

These pictures crack me up.

And lastly, this is a picture I took on the beach in Iona. The rocks were so beautiful! The entire time I was on that beach I kept thinking of a song I sang back in high school that was based off this poem by E.E. Cummings

maggie and milly and molly and may
went down to the beach (to play one day)

and maggie discovered a shell that sang
so sweetly she couldn't remember her troubles,and

milly befriended a stranded star
whose rays five languid fingers were;

and molly was chased by a horrible thing
which raced sideways while blowing bubbles:and

may came home with a smooth round stone
as small as a world and as large as alone.

For whatever we lose (like a you or a me)
it's always ourselves we find in the sea

Part 2: Iona

On the second day of the excursion we went to an island called Iona, of the coast of Mull. We took a tiny ferry to the island. I think only residents are allowed to have cars, so we couldn't take the van. We were all so carsick by then that we didn't care anyway. We walked about a mile from the port to our hostel. The whole time I felt like I was in a movie. The island was so picturesque and removed from modern life. There were hardly any cars, the roads were really just walking paths, and there were only a few houses. Our hostel was literally nestled in the hills of the island with a gorgeous view of the beach. After dropping off our things at the hostel/cottage, we headed down to the water.

Ferry to Iona

 Along these roads were tables of postcards,  marble, rocks, trinkets, etc. No one was manning them, but you could put some money in a jar to purchase something. We were definitely in a small town!

 The clouds make the lighting so beautiful here. It's almost always cloudy, so the light comes down at different levels of brightness. In the highlands this is especially pretty because it illuminates certain patches of green on the hills.

The hostel..and Madi carrying my backpack to keep warm.

I swear Alexandra and I are the only ones who show outward excitement about being here, I swear. These are our faces 75% of the time.

 The sunset was incredible!

 Breakfast on Iona

 We were hungry.

Iona Abbey

This abbey was established by St. Columba in the first century. The monks here wrote and illuminated the Book of Kels. Because of Viking raids, they eventually had to move it to the Trinity College for safety. I learned about this in one of my classes last semester so that made it especially cool to come here!

This cross has been standing for about 1,200 years.

One of two of the original pillars.

Copy of the Book of Kels

Street of the dead. Scottish Royalty are buried in the graveyard at the abbey. Funeral processions would come up this street to the church.

Oldest original building on the island.

The nunnery!

"Please put your rubbish in the bin"

On the way back to Mull, we saw a wedding party! They played the bagpipes as they walked to the Abbey to get married!

I have even more to blog about from the past two days, but I don't have time! I'm going on another 2 and a half day excursion tomorrow to Aberdeen and Inverness. Hopefully I can give that update this weekend!