Chapter 2: Day 61: 23 March 2019

Continuing from when we got back from spring break! When Malachi and I landed in Edinburgh we had about a half an hour until Travis’ plane landed (yay), so we just decided to hang out at the airport and wait for him. After a while of waiting I was wondering where he was when I got a text asking what was the address of the house, so I told him and figured he would be out in a bit, but a while went by again and still no show and that is when I got the message that his luggage was lost! That was a bummer that, that had happened, but the airport said that it would be delivered to the house tomorrow morning, so it was not too much of a bother. When we were finally able to meet we grabbed a cab and were on our way to the house.

Since it was still morning we did not have the key yet for Travis’ room so we just went up to my room and hung out for a while. With both of us having a few busy days of travel we decided to lay down for a bit and take a short nap in hopes of feeling more refreshed for the rest of the day.

Chapter 2: Day 62: 24 March 2019

Today I let Travis sleep in for a while to help get over jetlag. While he was sleeping I worked on my blog and some homework. When we finally decided to get up we got ready and got some food at Blacksmiths before going on a hike through the estate. Since, we were both still sleepy from traveling we decided to stay around the estate. After hiking we headed back to the house and spent the rest of the night hangout with people and catching up from spring break. A bit later into the night we also went to check out the carnival, but since it was about to close we just did a quick walk through and called it a night.

Chapter 2: Day 63: 25 March 2019

Today I had meetings and some homework to do so we spend a majority of the day doing that. Even though homework is no fun it is still necessary since I am not on spring break anymore.

Chapter 2: Day 64: 26 March 2019

Today was a very busy day! Since the Highlands are a big part of Scotland we found a day trip to see some of the major highlights. We started the morning nice and early, by taking the bus into the city and getting on another bus for a few hours.Our first stop was at a wee rest area in Kilmahog. We did not have much time here, just enough to get a bit to drink and use the toilets. After loading back up we headed to our next destination, Glen Coe. Here we again did not have much time, but the views from this location are absolutely breathtaking. We were surrounded by mountains and since it was a bit rainy there was fog over the tops of them making them seem even bigger.

When we were done there we were on to our next stop, Fort William. Here we got lunch and a chance to have a bit more time off the bus. One thing that the companies should counteract for is that there will be three coach busses at one area at the same time, and give the staff a heads up so they can have food prepared. We only had 45 minutes here and were lucky to even get a panini to take back on the bus. Once we got food we were on our way to Loch Ness. Here we got the chance to explore Urquhart Castle and take a boat ride on the Loch. It was very fun and a great way to see the land. After the Loch we began our drive home. With a short stop in Pitlochry we ended the day back in Edinburgh. When we got back to Edinburgh we were both hungry and decided to get some food in the city so, we went to Boozy Cow. We enjoyed a delicious meal and then caught the bus back to Dalkeith. Since we had a long day we hung out with some people and called it a night.  

Chapter 2: Day 65: 27 March 2019

Today we had a fun day exploring Edinburgh. We started the day with a nice hike up Arthurs Seat. It was a bit breezy of a morning, but it was still a nice hike and it gave a fantastic view of the city. When we were done hiking we got ice cream at an ice cream truck at the base of the hill. We walked and ate our ice cream and found ourselves on Rose Street. Here we had lunch at The Rose Street Brewery. The atmosphere was very cute and the food was delicious. After food we walked Rose Street, Princes Street and down through Princes Street Garden. The garden was in full bloom with hillsides covered in flowers providing a beautiful view of the castle. We wandered for a while and eventually ended up on top of the Royal Mile. We had thought about touring the Edinburgh Castle, but it was expensive to get in so we admired from afar and ended up going to Camera Obscura. This was five floors of interactive illusions! It was so much fun and I would love to go back sometime.

After spending the day in the city we headed back to the house had a movie night in the ballroom with some of the students.

Chapter 2: Day 66: 28 March 2019

Today was another fun filled day in the city. We started the day touring The Scotch Whisky Experience. I love going to whisky distilleries and learning about how scotch whisky is made and I can say that this one by far was my favorite. While this was not an actual distillery we still learned about the process of how it is made through a fun ride, got to try a whisky from different parts of Scotland and got to see the largest whisky collection. It was a very fun experience and I would do it again.

After the tour we did not have a plan, so we walked down the Royal Mile and ended up catching a street performer. The performer was from Detroit, Michigan and had been traveling around for over 25 years performing. He was very entertaining and I am glad we were able to watch him. After he was done we continued our walk down the Mile and decided we were hungry, so we stopped at The World’s End Pub. I had Fish and Chips and Travis had Haggis Pie. Both of our meals were delicious and I am happy we were able to stop.

Once we were done eating we walked through the Museum of Edinburgh and the Museum of Childhood. The Museum of Edinburgh was huge, but not all that exciting to me. The Museum of Childhood was very fun and terrifying at the same time. It was cool to see the different toys throughout the generations, but there was a large room of dolls that was terrifying. After a while of walking and exploring we met up with Sarah, Kyle and Jacob at Wings. I had been craving wings, so I was very excited to get to try some, and they were delicious! We hung out for a while and decided to go get a drink at Pilgrim. After a drink we caught the bus home and called it a night.

Chapter 2: Day 67: 29 March 2019

Today we had a relaxing morning around the house, sleeping in and working on some homework. After a while we got hungry and decided to go get some food at Blacksmith, followed by a walk through the estate. It was nice to get out of the house and get some fresh air. A while later we met up with Andrew, Riley, Emme and Anna and headed to the carnival in town. The carnival was not too big but it was still fun to embrace our inner children and go on the rides. We spent about an hour there before deciding to go back to the house and get ready to go into the city. We did not have a plan of where we wanted to go, but then Sarah remembered a place called The Banshee Labyrinth. The place had a movie theatre, three bars and pool tables! It was very fun and not terrible expensive. We headed downstairs to one of the bars and hung out there for the majority of the night. After a few drinks we headed up stairs to check out what movie was playing. Just our luck Deadpool was playing, so we took a seat and watch the rest of it. By the time the movie was over it was getting late, so we went back downstairs for a bit before calling it a night and catching the bus home.

Chapter 2: Day 68/69: 30/31 March 2019

Today we slept in for a while before heading into town with a group of people to go to Wings. Today Jacob said that he was going to try the hottest flavor you can without signing a waiver. He ate about three said he was done, so Andrew I had full ones and Riley and Travis each had a half. It was really hot but had good flavor, so it was hard because I wanted to eat them, but they burned by mouth. After dinner Sarah, Travis and I walked around for a while looking through the shops before deciding to go to the movies. We ended up meeting up with Malachi, Emme, Ellie, Jacob, Andrew, James, Sebastian and Riley. A few of them wanted to see Us, but since we had already seen that Jacob, James, Sebastian, Emme, Travis and I decided to see Captain Marvel. It was fun to have a movie night with friends before heading back to the house.

Sadly tonight was Travis’ last night and we had to leave the house at 3am, so we decided to just stay up. We spent the night packing, relaxing and hanging out with everyone. When the time came around we loaded up into the van headed to the airport. It was a fantastic week that ended with a hard goodbye. I am glad that he was able to come and visit.