End of an Adventure...and the Beginning of New Adventures!

Mike just texted me and asked if I would be blogging today because he enjoys reading what I write, so at least one person out there reads these and likes them! I've been putting this one off for multiple reasons but the main one is that by writing this I have to officially admit that our Scottish adventure is over. I mean clearly with me being back in Pensacola and heading back to work of course the adventure is over, but without finish this blog I could still live in my fantasy land of the trip still happening, right?

When I last left you all we had finished our time in Edinburgh and were getting ready to head to the southwest coast of Scotland to the area where I lived and grew up in when I was in Scotland. I saved this till the end for many reasons but mostly because I wanted Mike to be fully adjusted to Scotland, the culture, and most importantly the accent before he got thrown in with my Scottish family down in Maybole. Plus, it left my very place in Scotland for our last day and that was something really special to me that I couldn't wait to show him :)

We took the train from Edinburgh down to Maybole in the early afternoon Friday and got to basically travel directly across the country. I absolutely love train rides because you get to see so much of the countryside while just sitting back and relaxing. We had one quick train change in Ayr and then we arrived in Maybole greeted by one of my favorite families of times, who are essentially family to me- the Cuthbertsons. Auntie Deirdre and my mum were best friends when they lived in Maybole and so for my whole life I have seen Deirdre and her family as my mum's side of the family and this became even more apparent last year after my gran died. No matter how much time has passed since you have seen one another, the Cuthbertsons are one of those families where you pick up like it was just yesterday that you talked last. They adopted Mike into the family right away making sure that he felt welcomed and included in everything that we did.

Our first adventure of the night was going over to Eilidh and Paul's house for Corey's first birthday party. There was a mix of family members and friends at the party and Mike really got to experience Scottish families and culture first hand. He did an amazing job being thrown into a situation where he didn't really know people and sometimes wasn't able to understand them either. He was a great sport and we ended up having a lot of fun. It was nice for him to see a different side of Scottish people and how we live within our communities. I personally couldn't believe how big Corey had gotten from the last time I saw him in July. After the party we headed back to the house for Chinese for dinner. Mike was a little overwhelmed by the Chinese take out menu because nothing was really the same as back home. He ended up settling on sweet and sour chicken since that he did at least recognize and knew what it was :) The rest of the night was filled with a few drinks and sharing stories about "back in the day" and what is going on now in everyone's life.

Saturday was our big day. It started with a traditional Scottish fry up which made Mike really happy because I think he had missed his traditional Scottish breakfast while we were in Edinburgh. My stomach decided that Saturday morning would be a great time to start acting up which was awesome since I was so looking forward to taking Mike to my favorite place in the world. After running over to the new church (which is a great community center for Maybole to have now) we headed over to Culzean Castle aka my favorite place ever. Culzean Castle and Country Park is only about 10 minutes from Maybole so when I was little we frequently visited the castle and it became one of the most important places in Scotland to me. If I had all the money in the world I would get married there but I don't have that so oh well :)

We arrived at the castle and wandered the country park looking at the deer for a little while before heading over the Castle. We spent some time looking at the view (Cuzlean is built on a cliff overlooking the sea) which was stunning as always. Then Mike and I left the Cuthbertsons to go in and tour the castle. Even though Culzean is not very old in comparison to a lot of the other Scottish castles we have visited this trip it is still stunning. We took several pictures and were able to enjoy all of the rooms and see more views from the castle. Then the biggest thing of the trip happened.

We were in what I believe was the Lady Ailsa's dressing room which has a crib that is shaped like a boat that the shipbuilders from Ailsa Craig made for the lady back in the 18th or 19th century and I was explaining to Mike how I remember that bed being in the castle from when I was little. This was a small room and no one else was in there and the next thing I know, Mike is down on one knee with a box with a gorgeous ring in it asking if I would marry him. Clearly if you have been on facebook you know that I said yes :) I think he was really nervous because there was no lavish speech but that doesn't matter because he asked me the most important question I have ever been asked and made me the happiest girl in the world :) We finished our tour of the castle and then made the decision to purchase a set of Burns Crystal wine glasses as a commemorative item to celebrate the fact that we got engaged at the castle.

When we came out of the castle we were greeted by the entire Cuthbertson clan (all 8 of them) who were all in on the whole proposal and were so excited for Mike and I. I really can't put in to words how special it was to have them there with us to celebrate this moment. They made us reenact the proposal so they could take pictures and then Deirdre popped champagne for all of us to have as a little toast. It was an amazing moment and Mike did a great job planning everything (with the help of Lauren who would get mad if I did not mention that she helped).

We spend the rest of the day with the Cuthbertsons before heading back to Glasgow to stay at a hotel by the airport before we headed back home. I'm really glad we got to have the time in Maybole that we did because it is somewhere that means a lot to me and I think it really helped Mike understand where I am from and the importance of Scotland and my Scottish family to him.

We really did have the best week together. When things didn't go as planned it was ok and we went with it. I loved seeing Mike experiencing Scotland and getting to hear him talk to me about him impressions and what he enjoyed the most. Maybe I will do a post trip interview with him at some point for you all :)

Until our next adventure...xoxo 

Off to the Capital

This is me trying to catch up more...I realize that I have totally failed at keeping this up to date. I have two more entires after this one and then the blog will be done.

When I last left you, we were about to head to Edinburgh. Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland and is very much catered towards tourists. It is a beautiful city rich in history but Mike didn't find it as authentic as Glasgow which is why he would tell you he prefers Glasgow to Edinburgh. We got to the city early morning and had a walking tour of the city booked for 11am. There is a company, Sandemans, that does free walking tours throughout most of Europes capitols. These are about two hour walking tours that helps get your oriented to the city and they of course advertise other tours that they do that you can buy. We wandered all over the old town and got some amazing stories told to us about Edinburgh. Our tour guide was incredibly entertaining and did an amazing job showing off the city. For the rest of the afternoon we spent our time walking up and down the Royal Mile stopping at several sites including St Giles and the numerous museums up and down the street. We wanted to have a very relaxing day and managed to do just that.

We headed back to our hotel after our exploration of the city to take a nap before our big night out. I had booked a private evening meal at the Prestonfield House which is a super posh hotel right at the base of Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh. We arrived at the hotel were greeted by staff in kilts and then shown to one of the many drawing rooms to enjoy a glass of wine prior to our meal. After our drink we were taken to our private room which had an amazing view of Arthur's Seat. We ended up getting a three course meal. We had delicious rabbit as an appetizer then Mike enjoyed what he calls "the best pork he has ever had" and I had steak. We finished the meal with a rhubarb dessert for lunch for me and a chocolate fondue cake for Mike. It was a great evening where we spent time just the two of us talking and enjoying the amazing food and wine.

Thursday was another busy day with our final day tour of our trip. On Thursday we headed to the kingdom of Fife with the big highlight being St. Andrews. We had a very small tour group so our guide took us along the coastal path and then on a local route through the hills that she normally takes when she goes home. It gave us a stunning view of the Scottish countryside and we were about to look across the water and get a different view and perspective of Edinburgh. We stopped in several little fishing villages and Mike was able to taste his first scone and stand on his first Scottish beach. When we made it to St. Andrews we were given two hours to explore so we were able to do the Cathedral, Castle, Golf Course, and beach. Thursday was also our first beautiful day in Scotland and we were so excited to see the sunshine. Mike was getting to the point where he did not believe Scotland has dry days and was planning on moving and opening a windshield wiper company because clearly those would do well in Scotland :)

The last stop of our day tour was one that I was not expecting which was to the small town of Falkland. Here we were given the opportunity to explore Falkland Palace which was a palace of the Stuart Monarchy. It was a lovely little palace to walk around and I wish we had been there in summertime so that we could have seen the gardens when the flowers were in bloom. Overall the day was wonderful and we had a guide who was so full of life and energy which was lovely.

We had the chance to meet up with Lucy for dinner in the city center. It was lovely for her to get to meet Mike before we all went down to Maybole and it gave Mike a chance to see the new town of Edinburgh. After dinner it was another early night since we knew we would be busy for the weekend.

Friday morning started off with us visiting Edinburgh Castle which is one of my favorite castles but aside from the Crown Jewels and Stone of Destiny, I'm really not sure if Mike found it very impressive. I love the history of the castle and the location looking out over the town is incredible. We spent a good two hours exploring everything we could before heading back down the Royal Mile, getting more souvenirs, and then getting ready for our next destination.

Overall it was a lovely couple of days in Edinburgh. I'm glad we started out in Glasgow so that Mike got to see the "real Scotland" and had a chance to really interact with Scottish people aka my family :) more to come soon, I promise!

Clearly I Fail at Blogging

I swear that I had every intention of blogging and keeping you all updated on a daily basis but basically every night when we have gotten home I have been so tired that I have gone straight to sleep instead of writing in the blog. 

We are currently on a train heading down to the southwest of Scotland to a little town called Maybole. Maybole is where I lived and grew up in Scotland so Mike is going to get to see where little Scottish me lived and meet some of the most important people from there. The train ride will take a couple hours and the train has wifi which means I can spend some time catching you all up on what has happened is well.

On Monday we were supposed to do our first day tour of our trip going to Oban which is a town on the west coast (upper west coast) that is one of my mum's favorite places. I've never been and they supposedly have amazing seafood and I was really excited to visit. As luck would have it, our tour ended up being cancelled, however our tour company failed to tell us it was cancelled (commercial break-do not use Highland Experience for day tours in Scotland. Terrible customer service and they have the reputation for canceling tours last minute all the time). Luckily, the tour guide who helped us figure out our tour was cancelled still had room on her tour for the day so we made the decision to jump on that one. So instead of Oban we stayed in the center of Scotland for a tour of Loch Lomond and Stirling.

Our tour guide Laura was absolutely wonderful all day long and we highly recommend Timberbush Tours for day trips in Scotland. We headed over to Loch Lomond which is the largest Loch in Scotland and is absolutely breathtaking. The area is actually a national park now. Oh I should explain that in Scotland a lake is called a Loch :) we did a boat cruise of the Loch which was just lovely and allowed us to see different islands in the Loch and gave us an amazing glimpse of the highlands in the distance. We got to stop and have lunch in the small town of Aberfoyle which gave us a chance to sit back and relax for a while and allowed Mike to try his very first Toastie. 

After lunch we headed towards Stirling. Stirling is the site of several very important battles in Scottish history,specifically the Battle of Bannockburn where Robert the Bruce defeated the English essentially securing Scotland's freedom and uniting the country under him as the Scottish King. We had plenty of time to explore the main attraction in Stirling, Stirling Castle. It was said in history that whoever held Stirling Castle, held Scotland based on the fact that the castle is in the center of the country and is a giant fortress. Historic Scotland has done an amazing job restoring the castle so that you can get an idea of what it would have been like several hundreds of years ago. Mike really enjoyed the castle and actually likes Stirling more than Edinburgh castle which is a shock to me. After our lovely day tour we had a relaxing night and enjoyed a takeaway curry from the Wee Curry Shop in Glasgow which was just lovely!

Tuesday was a very long day for us as we had another day trip but this time we were heading to the highlands. I think this was the day Mike was most looking forward to because when most people think of Scotland they think of the highlands and of course of Nessie and Loch Ness. Our driver/tour guide for the day was probably one of the most interesting people we have encountered while in Scotland and we had the weirdest weather of the trip on Tuesday as we experienced snow, rain, high winds, hail, and sunshine all in the course of 12 hours. Most Scots would tell you that is pure Scottish weather for you as quite often you can experience all four seasons in one day. 

We started our tour going back to Loch Lomond but luckily this time we were on the other side of the Loch which gave us different scenery and new experience from the day before. After leaving Loch Lomond we headed into the highlands and for a while we had terrible visibility so weren't able to see the beauty of the majestic mountains. The good news is that when we arrived at the Three Sisters of Glencoe the weather had gotten better and the mist had cleared and we got amazing views and pictures of the haunting Glencoe. We continued to travel up the highlands and made our way to Loch Ness. Mike and I were the only ones from our tour group who decided to spend time visiting Urqhaurt Castle which sits right on the Loch. While we were at the castle the weather cleared up and we had a great time exploring the ruins of the castle and looking for Nessie. The long drive back took us on the other side of the country with a quick stop in the Victorian town of Pitlochry for fish and chip supper where Mike tried a Black Pudding supper which my mum had recommended. We also decided to be those crazy people who had a 99 (ice cream cone) and eat it standing in the snow. 

Tuesday was another lovely day and it ended back in Glasgow with us meeting up at the Counting House which was one of my grandads favorite bars with two of my cousins and their partners. What was supposed to just be a drink or two turned in to much more than that but Mike and I had a great night with Ewan, Zoe, Demi and Stephen :)

Wednesday we left Glasgow and made our way to Edinburgh which is the Capitol of Scotland. Glasgow and Edinburgh are two cities that could not be more different. Edinburgh has a lot of history but is very much focused towards tourists. Glasgow, especially according to Mike, is more real and people there just tell you how it is. He actually prefers Glasgow to Edinburgh which was another surprise to me. 

So I'm actually a little tired so I'm going to take a break and write more later. I promise by the end of the night I will finish catching you up on the trip!

A Wee Bit of Glasgow

It has been a whirlwind two days since we got on our first plane and headed on our adventure to Scotland. We survived our flights though there were some hiccups that I'm not allowed to speak of on the blog but the important news is we made it here in one piece and without killing each other :)

In typical Scottish fashion we've been greeted by rain and lots of it. Rain here isn't the crazy downpour that we see back home so it hasn't been too bad though when you add the wind and cold sometimes the rain is not fun.

We are staying in a nice bed and breakfast over by the Glasgow School of Art so we are about a 15 minute walk from the city center which has been nice to get exercise when we walk to and from the hotel especially with all the delicious Scottish food we are eating. 

Yesterday we got into city center around 4pm and got right on the city sightseeing hop on hop off bus. Instead of hopping on and off we stayed on the bus for the entire 2 hour loop. It was a nice way to get an introduction to the city and hear the history of many of the landmarks. It was also a great way for Mike to ease his way into Scottish culture. I loved getting to point out things. I knew or places I remembered from my childhood to Mike as we drove around on the bus. After the 2 hour ride we headed into city centre and got dinner at the Chippy Doon the Lane. This was a fancy fish and chip restaurant where Mike got to experience his first fish supper. It was absolutely delicious and I would recommend it. After dinner we were old and went straight to bed but it was a good thing because we woke up ready to go and feeling better this morning. 

Our day today was spent on the city sightseeing bus again but this time we got off on several spots. We started our day at the Glasgow Cathedral which is actually where my dad was ordained. We couldn't get inside but we wandered around and then climbed up to the Glasgow Necropolis which was really neat and gave us a nice view of the city. 

Our second stop was the People's Palace and Winter Gardens. We have a nice coffee at the Winter Gardens and then spent time exploring the Peoples Palace which was actually one of our favorite places of the day. This museum shares the story of Glasgow and her people. It gave a great glimpse into how life in the city has evolved over the years and what it is to be a Glaswegian. Mike really enjoyed this stop and got some pictures of the items in the museum that entertained him the most.

Our third stop of the day was the new Riverside Museum which is basically a transport museum filled with ships, trains, buses, and cars. This stop started out emotionally for me as I was able to see where my family had made a donation to the museum in memory of my grandad and gran Stuart. My grandad used to volunteer at the original transport museum in Glasgow and I remember going there with him and seeing him there when I was little. Many of the pieces from the transport museum are in the Riverside Museum so it brought back a lot of happy memories and as I was walking around I could only think how pleased he would be with how transportation and the history of Glasgow is represented in this new museum. It was a lovely stop and meant a lot to me that Mike was willing to walk around and look at cars and trains with me.

Our last tour stop of the day was the Kelvingrove Museum and Glasgow University which is where my dad went to school. Kelvingrove is a giant museum so we spent time just wandering around the exhibits enjoying what the museum had to offer. Mike also found an entertaining Glaswegian who he captured and has already posted a picture on Facebook. After Kelvingrove we headed back to the city center and did some shopping before dinner.

Dinner tonight was really special to me as we managed to get the majority of the Stuart side of the family together for the meal. We spent several hours talking, eating, catching up, and allowing Mike to see how amazing this side of the family is. We Shared stories about how life is going for each of us and then talked about funny things that had happened in the past. With the Stuarts you always feel welcomed and part of the family right away and I know that is how Mike felt tonight as well. I love my family so much and am so thankful that I got to share them with Mike and hopefully know he understands me a little more :)

Tomorrow will be a long day as we have our first day tour out of the city. Check out Facebook for pictures and look forward to hearing about our adventure to Oban tomorrow. 

All Our Bags Are Packed….

…We're ready to go….well almost :)

There are only a few more items to pack and a couple tasks left to do before we hit the ground running and begin our journey to Scotland. I think we are both in the surreal is this really happening stage right now so we are pretty mellow and having a normal night in which means me on the computer and Mike playing a video game. If you can't tell, we lead very exciting lives when we aren't traveling :)

I thought it might be fun to do a little pre trip "interview" with Mike. He has no clue I'm about to do this with him as he is currently looking up "how to beat the stupid pig" on the video game he is playing…but this should be fun and you all can hear what we are looking forward to for our trip!

Question #1: What are you most excited about?

M: Experiencing a new culture and being that Lynsey is from Scotland I am excited to see the "real" Scotland and not just have a touristy experience.

L: Getting to see Mike experience Scotland for the first time :) And watching him as he tries to figure out what people are saying to him because I bet he doesn't understand half of what they will say to him…especially the Stuarts on Day 2

Question #2: What are you nervous about?

M: Journey getting there because I've never gone through customs or anything like that. Making sure that since the passport is new that everything is fine with that **sidenote from Lynsey…for the past week Mike has been asking questions about the journey…the funniest one was what do you do on a plane for 9 hours…he didn't realize they showed movies and fed you and that really you should just sleep**

L: Mike on the plane. I'm pretty sure he is going to drive me nuts and keep me awake the whole time. Oh and leaving Charlie, but he is in good hands!

Question #3: Who are you most excited to meet?

M: Demi! But really, all of the Stuarts because it will give me a better understanding of Lynsey's dad

L: I can't wait for Mike to meet the Stuart clan. They are amazing, but I'm also so excited for him to spend time for the Cuthbertsons because they are just crazy fun.

Question #4: What food do you want to try/eat the most?

M: What's the intestine thing? Haggis?

L: If you know me you should know the answer to this. Two things. Potato Scones & Pickled Onion Monster Munch….but I'm really excited about all the meals we have booked and getting a Deep Fried Mars Bar in Edinburgh

Question #5: What place are you most excited to visit?

M: One place? This is a difficult question. I mean it will be really neat to see Loch Ness but at the same time I am really looking forward to going to Culzean Castle because that is something that is special to Lynsey. Personally I'm really excited about the Loch Ness stuff, but for us I'm excited for Culzean.

L: Oban. I've never been there before and it is one of my mum's favorite places so I can't wait to see it for the first time and get to eat delicious seafood there!

Question #6: What is the one thing you have to do before you leave Scotland?

M: Tough question too because there is so much. I don't know if there is a have to. I want to see the Statue with the Cone on it and if I can assist with putting the cone on the statue I would like to do that

L: Make sure Mike has the best time ever :)

My First Adventure For Someone Else

It has been almost two years since I last wrote on this blog and a lot has happened in the time between my last post and now. There have been many life changes, but I'm getting ready for a new adventure and thought that friends and family may be interested in hearing about my next overseas trip.

Every time I have traveled has been for myself. I've gone to places that I have wanted to go, seen and done what was on my list to do, and in most cases I've gone by myself (and then ended up on tour groups, making friends, etc). When I did Semester at Sea, even though I was helping build community and look after the students on the ship, big reasons for me going on the MV Explorer were for my own professional development and to expand my cultural experiences. So what is different about the trip I'm about to take next week? This time the adventure isn't for me, it is for someone else.

As most of you know, I was born in Scotland and lived there until I was 8. Even though I haven't lived in Scotland for 20 years, Scotland is still home and will always be. One of the biggest parts of my identity is the fact that I am Scottish and therefore bring different experiences, background, and cultural beliefs to the table. Being Scottish is something that I am proud of, and there is something about Scotland that no matter how far away you go or how long you have been away for that you are always connected to the land and the people.

Last summer, I went back to Scotland for the first time in 10 years. The reason for my visit was not a happy one but it filled something in me that had been missing. It was amazing to be back home and see the land and family that I had been a part from for so long. It also reminded me how important it is to stay connected and to not stay away for as long as I had. This trip also made me think about what is important to me and what I want to be able to share with the people that I love so that they also understand where I am from and what it means to be from Scotland and always have the connection of being Scottish. I've also always believe that if I ever met an extremely important person in my life that I would need to take them to Scotland for them to see where I grew up, meet my family who are so important to me, and see the beauty of the land I love. Fast forward to today and that is why I am taking this trip.

On Friday, I leave with my partner in crime, Mike, to take him to Scotland for the very first time. Mike has never traveled outside of the US so this is a big trip for multiple reasons. The most important part of this trip though is that it is not for me and I won't be focused on the things that I want to do or see. Instead, this trip is focused on Mike and letting him see and experience Scotland for the first time. I think it is going to be amazing to watch him and see his reactions to both the country and the people that we are going to interact with. I really don't think he knows what he is in for and more than likely he won't understand half of what people say to him. I'm looking forward to watching him as we travel around the country and I can't wait for him to fall in love with the county that is home to me.

So where are we going and what are we doing? Well we are trying to cram as much as possible into our 8 days in Scotland! I will hopefully be updating the blog every day to provide you all with pictures and information about our trip so you can keep up with what we are doing and where we are going. And who knows, maybe someone will stumble upon this blog that is planning a trip to Scotland and they can get some helpful tips from what we are doing! Below is our itinerary. I'm looking forward to sharing updates and pictures with you all :)

Day One: Glasgow
Day Two: Glasgow
Day Three: Oban & Loch Lomond
Day Four: Glencoe, Inverness & Loch Ness
Day Five: Edinburgh
Day Six: St. Andrews & Fife
Day Seven: Edinburgh to Maybole
Day Eight: Maybole