Sunrise Walk

During my time of study I barley have any time to make my way out of the library. Even at the moment, as I type furiously on the keyboard, I am among hard working students that have not seen the outside of this prison in weeks. Extremely morbid, but unfortunately true, I decided that one great way to pass the time would be to write about a small adventure to east sand’s beach in St. Andrews. Of course this wasn’t really an adventure because it took my flatmates and I about 5 minutes to walk there, but nevertheless, it was something more than waking up at the crack of dawn to drag my feet to the library.

However, despite my current depressed mood over work (and a massive hangover that I acquired well having a bit too much wine at last night’s ball), the sunrise was something I will never forget. I have always been told that the sunrise over east sand’s beach is exceptionally beautiful but I have yet to witness it until now.

Waking up early and bundled up in a ton of sweaters, my flatmates and I made it over to east sands to be met with a spectacular view. But weirdly, what I was more impressed by was the amount of people that seemed to be up at this time in the morning. Thinking that we would potentially be the only people crazy enough to get up for no better reason then to see a sunrise on a frosty morning, we were extremely mistaken. Joggers and dog walkers were everywhere.

Even though I was cold and tired, I think that I might have to start getting up early more often. Everyone at the beach seemed to have pep in their step and were appreciative of the beautiful sunrise that we were met with. I guess the early bird really does catch the worm, in this case, the worm being one heck of a sunrise.

Worst analogy ever, but I think you can see a bit more of what I mean when looking at this beautiful view:

Scotland Road Trip Day 2: Glencoe

The second day came far too quickly. Tired eyes from driving tirelessly into the night and barley getting a wink of sleep from my beautiful mother’s snoring, we needless to say did not want to get up. Actually I think as the morning sun hit our bed, everyone groaned in unison, barley able to think of the day we had ahead of us. But, I also must give credit where credit is due… our hotel was beautiful, making it extremely more difficult to leave.

The hotel’s breakfast just on its own was enough to make me not want to leave. Wonderful poached eggs and a buffet of all the fatty carbs you could want. Of course, because my family is on a health binge, we decided to opt for the fruit. But, don’t let anyone know, I definitely had to sneak a few croissants into my mouth in the end.

With breakfast out of the way though we decided it was time to leave the area. A few photo sessions of our beautiful waterfront hotel and we were back on the road, ready to see what adventures lay ahead of us. This unfortunately didn’t go on for too long (about 10 minutes) until we saw Castle Stalker on the skyline and had to make a stop. Although my mom has been here previously we took our fill in of the beautiful castle sitting majestically on a small island in the middle of the lake. A site that only the highlands could provide.

But, once we got all the pictures possible, we took off once more, crowding into the small car and hoping to get a glimpse of nature. This, we had in abundance. Driving through Glencoe is probably one of the most beautiful experiences I could have gone through. Fair enough, it was really only me that got to have the whole experience because my mom was stressed about driving and my sister had already passed out in the back. She later told us that all her sleeping in the car was because she didnt want to watch my mother drive. Of course this notion just made my mom angry with her, the first of many family feuds.

Throughout the day we stopped at several locations to get photos but one especially beautiful scene was Eilean Donan Castle. A great castle on the water, filled with rich history. It was a very beautiful setting but just like everything else we would come to find, the Scotland highlands are teaming with tourists this time of year. What should have been the setting of a gorgoues stone castle in the midst of rolling hills was ruined by the buzzing tourists exclaiming on the magnificent building. Oh well, I guess I can’t say much there because we were probably doing the exact same thing.

Finally, the day ended with us making it all the way to Isle of Skye and travelling right into the sunset. Probably one of the longest days I could have EVER come across was today. We saw so many things and travelled for so long that my eyes were more than happy to finally take a rest. Dear lord, I can’t tell you how good it felt to rest my head on that pillow at night. So good. What was even better is that I got to rest my head with a beautiful backdrop. Thank you Scotland for another great and yet somewhat stressful day.

Scotland Road Trip Day 1: Loch Lomond and Conic Hill

My posts from here on out are going to be far and few between. School starting up, and especially the start of my fourth year as a undergraduate, leaves little room for getting out and about into the world. Instead I will most likely be stooped above my desk, reading into the wee hours of the morning, and wishing for even the slightest peak at the outdoors. So, unfortunately, although I will be trying to get out every other week or so to romp in the fields, I will also be stuck within a darkened room trying to finish my psychology degree. Oh, the joys of youth.

But, before the school year chains me to my books, my wonderful mother and sister decided to come and visit me over in Scotland. Attending the University of St. Andrews for the past three years (my sister attending it for the four years before I came), it is the first time I have seen my mother in the lovely little town. And, it is the first time in awhile that I have seen anybody so excited about seeing the small little town of St. Andrews. I mean, I don’t think I could even fully explain the amount of photos and squeaks of excitement that I have heard throughout her trip here.

Yet, this was not the best part of them coming to visit me, even though I do admit I enjoy their company (at times). What was the best part of them coming over is that it was my first time that I have really and truly adventured around Scotland. Renting a car and packing it up for a week, my mom, sister, and I took to the road and found ourselves driving toward the beautiful scottish highlands. I can say for a fact, it is truly “god’s country” when you see the unimaginable rolling hills and delicate stretches of land before you.

As we reached Loch Lomond though (with a few horribly frightening experiences on the road – American drivers are not suitable for Britain’s roads), I was once again caught off my feet by the spectacular view before me. Even from the car you could see the landscape unfold before you and the sun glistening off the lake was almost more than us Americans could handle. And even more than that, once we were up on top of the peak of Conic Hill, we could not fathom how a land could still remain so untouched.

So, one day down and four more beautiful days to go. A little sweat with Conic Hill and the first of many beautiful Loch’s gave us the perfect way to start our adventure into the highlands of Scotland.

Plus, to top it all off, on the long drive to Port Appin for the night, we came across one of the most spectacular rainbows you could ask for. Scotland truly is God’s Country.