Hi again everyone, I'm here for a post-Xmas blog update on my second trip to Scotland. This time we were staying in a cottage in northern Scotland, near the Gleneagles golf course. It was a very photogenic trip, and I've picked out the best of the best for your viewing pleasure. I must inform you that all the pictures were taken with a birthday present from my dear sister, who wishes to encourage my photographic interest. I hope I've done the gift justice. Enjoy!
Here is the cottage, replete with snow. It was a very white Xmas, so much so that we had trouble both getting to and leaving the cottage.
There was a whiskey distillery in the town of Blackford, which is close to the cottages. This was in the window, and I thought it was appropriate.
Here is Blackford, and since it is so picturesque you will find many pictures of it throughout.
This is the road leading from Blackford back to our cottages. It was about a mile and a half between the two.
Inside the cottages, much time was spent playing games on the Wii. Here is what is sure to be a pleasant and courteous bout between two bros.
The face says it all.
This photo of Elizabeth is sure to be worth something when she competes in the games of the 2020 Olympiad.
We spent the entirety of one day walking to and from Auchterarder (5 miles each way), and there were some sheep on the way. It is very hard to take an interesting picture of sheep. Right after I took this picture, one of the sheep baa'd, and my first thought was that my camera had recognized that the picture was of a sheep and had made a noise to indicate that. That was my first thought.
More traditional Scottish scenery there is not.
This is very near the golf course, in a valley alongside the road. The mist was everywhere; we had just risen above it climbing a big hill.
In the town there was a good chance to get a bit of color.
At the end of a ten-mile, below freezing hike, this is the nicest sight in the world.
Some of the landscape surrounding the cottage.
I managed to snag a picture of the train as it sped past.
I had to climb a rabbit-hole infested hill to get this picture, so I hope its good.
On Xmas eve we went to a church and graveyard that has been abandoned since 1858. Supposed to be haunted, but I didn't see anything. Oh well.
Took a walk on Xmas day. Turned some heads.
And so ends the (good) pictures from the trip. I had a wonderful time, and it was a perfect end to a great semester. So what have I learned about the British? Quite a few things, actually. I learned never to order ketchup for chips under any circumstances. A good pint takes about 10 minutes to pour. Wherever you stand on the platform waiting for the tube, you will end up equidistant between two doors when the train pulls in. Stay off the roof of your apartment building, especially during a party. You will never see everything in the British Museum. Stop trying. You can survive off Guinness in Dublin (and might have to since its so expensive). There isn't good macaroni and cheese anywhere in the British Isles. Dublin Bay is cold in December (okay, maybe you didn't need me to tell you that). Getting lost in central London is like being in an episode of The Twilight Zone. Don't ever request Buckfast if you want to be taken seriously by anyone. Don't ever drink Buckfast if you want to be taken seriously by yourself. Patrick Stewart will not make it so. Ever. All the off-licences in Dublin close at 10pm, even on weekends. Don't fly easyjet if there is a chance of bad weather. If you take a train to Scotland, take it during the day so you don't miss the scenery. Never try to drive down Abbey Road, tourists are constantly taking pictures and cars are backed up for a mile. Kilometer, sorry. At any given time 75% of the people visiting Stonehenge are Asian. Never take a taxi. That's giving up. Sometimes bus drivers in London announce over the intercom their indifference to the imminent tipping of the bus. Sainsbury's makes the best sandwiches of all time. Finally, a semester abroad is kind of awesome. I'm pretty happy I did it.
See?
Keep an eye out, since I have a new idea for a blog that I'm going to work on over the break. I'll announce it when I'm done. Thanks for keeping up with this one! I wouldn't have had the motivation to do it if you guys didn't read it, so I hope you enjoyed it. Until next time.
