hey NYC, did you miss me?

I'm back! As promised, one of the first things I did was go to Chinatown. Yum. How I had missed it. I almost wanted to kiss its summer scented sidewalk (nothing like the smell of Chinatown).

I have never been so tanned before in my life. Europe was great for my complexion! As to be expected, my month long journey was exhausting but it was worth every minute. It was one of the most rewarding experiences I have had thus far. Being Marilynn's daughter, I took a zillion photos (over 7,000) and I have yet to organize which ones I should print.

More on my epic journey later as I select photos to upload to here. I have to be VERY selective...

But since I'm no longer world traveling, I created a new blog, The Yellow Umbrella. Here's the link: http://theyellowumbrella88.blogspot.com/

let the misadventures begin!

I spent my last day in Edinburgh yesterday and it was surreal. I really did not feel like it was the end. I was alone for the whole day (Semeli & Claire went to the Isle of Mull, and Sara was in Oxford) and I felt insanely homesick. I'm not sure i'm ready for such European adventures but I know when I start traveling i'll have a wonderful time but i'm apprehensive for traveling so long without a concrete place to call home. I'm ready to be home. But I want to have a once in a lifetime experience.

Today I woke up at 3:15 in the morning to catch my flight to London. I started off with a BANG. I had to pay 171 POUNDS in baggage fee. I thought my allowance was 20 kilos per bag...it was 20 kilos for both of them combined. I nearly cried at the the kiosk. Talk about starting off on the right foot. When I got to London proper, my godfather came to pick me up and we hauled my luggage to his office. Then I met with Sara and we ventured around London.

We started off in Westminster and made our way along the Thames. In front of the Tate Modern there was a fairytale festival. It had a bunch of booths for children doing interactive things. It made me want to be 8 again and it reminded me so much of New York. It was sunny and lively, chock full of children.

Now we are catching a 5:57 am train to Brussels (oh joy!) So once again I will be waking up at 3 in the morning. Oh three hours of sleep, what you'll do to me.

But here I go, Europe awaits!

Spring in Full Bloom

jumping for joy!

My computer this week has been woozy. Feeling severely under the weather. It's quite irritating because I don't know what happened to it. It's just running annoyingly slow. I have ran every virus check I have and de-fragmented my hard drive as well as cleaned my registry. I even called Dell to be told that I would have to WIPE my entire computer and restore it to how I first received it. Ugh. I have to wait until I get home to embark on such a matter.

Today I had my LAST exam. I am officially a senior. That is one SCARY thought. I thought the this exam would be the death of me, but luckily I vanquished it with my mind! Well, at least I thought I did. Fingers crossed.

Today, Semeli, Claire & I took full advantage of the beautiful weather today by going to the Edinburgh Botanical Gardens. The flowers were all in bloom and though I got a wee bit sun burnt, walking around the grounds was quite refreshing. The various different plant life was impressive--but there were so many buzz buzz (bees). We walked from campus into New Town (land where we barely explored before) and walked along a river. The gnats were overwhelming. They were literally EVERYWHERE. Along the river there was a school of them just billions flying. But when we made it to the garden we took a leisurely stroll through them and it was breathtaking, especially with the crystal clear sky and fluffy cumulus clouds. We took some hilarious photos of ourselves and had a swell time.

I'm done! Tomorrow is the dreaded packing day. I just hope Fabrizio doesn't falter on me and fights to the end!

NATURE!

the outside of the blue petals had a hint of purple

Beautiful

i LOVE the cloud reflections in the water!

Sorry Sorry

Hilarity. There was so much hilarity tonight. As everyone knows I have a HUGE Asian obsession and a particular fondness for Korean pop. Well in Korea there is a boy band called Super Junior. They have thirteen members (the biggest boy band in the WORLD. and yes, I know all their names) who are all very talented. They released the catchiest tune I have ever heard in my life, "sorry sorry". The beat is infectious, the dance moves intoxicating, and the hotness all consuming. Who cares if I don't understand what they're singing if they look that good doing it?! And how selfish would I be if I just kept this glorious song to myself? Extremely. So I, like a doting lover of k-pop, spread the joy to my friends. Hence, we have Sara, Semeli, Claire & I dancing our hearts out in black & white to the most revered Super Junior's, "sorry sorry". Watch the proper dance as thirteen wonderful Koreans dance their legs off. Then take a look and judge my severe lack of rhythm and timing. Just watch how we are ALL so into it, laughing hysterically. Pure comedy. Enjoy!

The real deal!

Our Sorry Sorry!

I win at life!

So you know those people at theater's who are so obnoxious and rude? And you just want to shut them up? Well, I was one of them tonight. I had tickets to go see West Side Story! I was super excited. Sara, Elaine and I sat down anticipating those catchy snaps and hearing, "I feel pretty, oh so pretty" sung live. It was an enjoyable fiasco. Entertaining, yes, but ridiculously over-the-top. I mean cornier than Kansas in August. It actually hurt me. The Maria had a horrible accent (though she's really from Portugal and Brazil) and Tony had a voice of a nightingale-except for when he missed several notes. The dancing was excellent. But the love, oh the sappy, sappy love. I know it's a fast pace love story--after all it is Romeo & Juliet. But, really?! There was a scene where Maria clamors, "my hands are cold" (in a devastatingly fake "Puerto Rican" accent) Maria then puts her hands on Tony's face and exclaims, "now they are so warm." Tony responds with heart wrenching conviction, "we are one now." If that's not bad enough, there was just lines that made your ears want to TURN off. Unfortunately, I cannot recall these gems.

But to the point on how I was the annoying one amongst the audience. Well, RIGHT before the drawing of the curtain, it's the rumble. So Tony accidentally stabs Bernardo (Maria's brother). Tony though, really wanted to stop the fight, but after his friend is killed he goes cray cray. As the reality of his actions settle in as Tony clutches the dead body and yells, "MARRRRRRRRRRIAAAAA" in this very very over dramatic fashion. It is dead silent but when he yells her name in vain I found it the funniest thing ever and I exclaimed loudly, "BAH!" A mixture of laughter and dumbfoundedness, except that the ENTIRE theater was SILENT and it was supposed to be a TENSE moment and my "BAH!" echoed off the walls! I couldn't help it. Really I couldn't. I had been biting my tongue trying to stifle my laughter (really, some gems, I don't know who wrote this production, but BAD!) I don't think I have ever been that awkward in front of SO many people. The guy sitting next to Sara laughed at my reaction. But I felt awkward and embarrassed for all of two minutes and then got my ice-cream for intermission (a WONDERFUL thing about U.K. theater, ice-cream during intermission, makes up for such small seats!)

After intermission I resolved to be quiet and NOT laugh too loudly. It was an excellent plan...I had a wee outburst, but I stifled most of it with my sleeve. So they had a dream sequence representing a perfect world where Maria and Tony could be together without any racial or gang tensions. They were all dressed in white and suddenly Bernando and Riff come out in identical white wife beaters with a GIANT blood stain floating down the stage. It was ridiculous. I could handle all the parts that oozed cheese, but there was a completely UNNECESSARY scene. Gang rape. It was graphic for a stage production-the guys were holding down her ankles and arms as one guy was making thrusting motions on top of her. It was awful. I had to hold Elaine's hand because it was just disturbing. I don't know why it was there, maybe to show more racial tensions? But I think by the last fifteen minute we get it. They hate each other. They called them spics, raped Anita, and it was just enough. Finally, after Tony's untimely death Maria clutched the body. She was very still, silently sobbing when OUT OF NO WHERE she cries out to the gods, "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" I can't even tell you how bad of a production it was. I mean it managed to entertain me because of it's ridiculousness. I was extremely rude, but I tried to keep my laughs to myself. But the gang rape scene was unforgivable, it served absolutely NO purpose.

On another note, I got my hair cut for my summer trip! It's a lot shorter than I originally wanted. But I like it. I haven't had it this short since 5th grade. I know it's not really short short, but to me, it is. OH and i've got my train tickets! HELLO EUROPE, here I come!

new hair!

I had an exam today and I kicked its butt! Take that Chaucer! I decoded your ye old English ways!

PLUS I have officially made my mark on Edinburgh (not that I peed on anything...I didn't physically make my mark!) but I am now a published author for the Nomad magazine! The Nomad is a travel magazine written and run by students on campus. I had to submit my pieces and they were selected. This was in the beginning of first semester, so I did not think about it much nor was I expecting too much. Then surprise! I am published! What was even more of a pleasant surprise was that I got two whole pages to myself! TWO! The illustrations on my pages (they are the prettiest, not to be too vain, but they really are) were specifically drawn to my stories. I was impressed! =)

Oh and I had a lovely dinner with my flat mates Jane and Marika, because Marika was leaving for home (Norway) we exchanged our embarrassing stories, it was a lot of fun. Which made me sad that I did not take advantage of our proximity to each other sooner. They are both very nice and I'm beyond lucky that I moved into flat 18!

me, marika & jane in our kitchen

Well that's enough ramblings for today. =)

The trip of the fat elk, sneaky coyote, dancing wolf, dirty duck, & horse's head

It's official. I am having a European adventure! On May 24th I depart Edinburgh and make my way all around Europe!

The cities...

London
Brussels
Amsterdam
Munich
Prague
Vienna
Venice
Milan
Rome
Pisa
Bologna
Zurich
Berne
Basel
Geneva
Marseille
Perpignan
Paris

YAYAYYAYAYAY!

State of Play (ed)

Tonight Claire and I went to our local movie theater, the Cameo. We were excited and anticipating the screening of "State of Play," the new Kevin MacDonald movie (staring Russel Crowe, Ben Affleck, Rachel McAdams, Helen Mirren, Jeff Daniels, so forth). After the movie there would be a live discussion with the director. Lies. Well not exactly lies, it was live, yes, but in Notting Hill. They had a live stream broadcast to Edinburgh and 50 other cities in the U.K. We felt robbed! We were so excited, thinking of questions to ask, speculating whether or not Russel would be there (the director is Scottish, so we assumed he would be there!) Despite the rude shock the movie itself was good.

It's about a journalist, Cal (Russel) and his college friend, Congressman Stephan Collins (Ben!) and the scandal he uncovers linking two seemingly random deaths together. It was written by the same man who wrote the Bourne movies and Kevin MacDonald had previously directed "The Last King of Scotland." It was suspenseful. In the first five minutes you see a man running for his life, encountering cars and motorcycles to escape from his pursuer. You of course do not see who is chasing him or why he is so panicked. I was on the edge of my seat. Literally. The music selection was excellent--conveying the right amounts of tension and as a viewer I was aware of the danger the characters were in. There were several instances of my fingers in my ear trying to steer clear of any unwanted suspense. Then again, I am a chicken. The movie was shot with precision and it was such a disappointment I could not ask the director any questions. The movie had the best recipe for a suspenseful drama. It had tension, drive & motive, plot, twists and was fantastically acted. I approve!

Rebecca's Visit Day One: Hey There Chump!

The Cuz & I on an Edinburgh Bus Tour

After five full days of adventure Rebecca left yesterday afternoon. I have decided to write five separate entries to mark her momentous visit (as there are so many stories that they will overload your brain if you attempt to read them all at once). On Saturday, April 11th, Rebecca was in Scotland and we immediately set out for adventure times.

We ventured to Greyfriar's Churchyard and Rebecca got acquainted with Little Greyfriar's Bobby (the loyal pup who stayed by his master's grave for fourteen years). And since no trip to Edinburgh is complete without a trip to OINK, we ate pig. It was yummy as always. We meandered the Royal Mile. We rubbed David Hume's toe (his toe has been worn away because for good luck you rub his toe!) and we spat on the Mid-Lothian heart (another thing for luck). We looked inside St. Gile's Cathedral. You had to pay for entrance as well as permission for taking photos. But Rebecca and I decided we were Chinese tourists who spoke no English. But, we were fine! It was a stunning Cathedral. The flying buttresses were my personal favorite.

Greyfrair's Churchyard!

St. Giles Cathedral

Awesome Carvings

Rebecca got to taste the goodness that is Chocolate Soup. We went on a tour bus around Edinburgh. We were FROZEN on that bus. She saw everything Edinburgh had to offer in one sitting! Once we got off the bus, we went to the Edinburgh Dungeon.

The Edinburgh Dungeon was hilarious and fun. It is basically a theme park attraction where they have set up different scenarios so you get a sense of what creepy/haunted Edinburgh was like. They had a torturer, a cannibal, the famous Burke & Hare murders, and so forth. The line was intense and once we got our photo taken of Rebecca be-heading me, I went to bathroom as Rebecca paid. I came back and Rebecca was clutching a glossed program booklet. I questioned the booklet and she just said they handed it to her. I asked to see how much admission was and she handed over the receipt, the booklet was £4.50! I could not control my laughter. They saw Rebecca and decided she was a chump and charged her for the booklet! They sniffed her and declared, "suckkaaaa!" She had no idea, she thought it was a perk from admission! Ahaha.

The whole lot of us got shuffled into this room as a man in robes descended upon us. He bellowed he was the Fairiest Judge in all these parts and that we were there to stand trial. He called on one girl in the auidence and she stood up shaking. She was so nervous and scared that she couldn't even talk. The Judge asked her name and he was met with silence. He then moved on angrily and accused a man of being a cross dresser. We were ushered into the torture chamber where there were skeletons sprawled all over and various mean looking instruments. He called one man, "Hey, you, Furry balls, come sit here." He proceeded to "torture" the man by pulling his tongue out. It was interesting...

We went to the next room which was for cannibals. Being the wise one that I am, I declared to Rebecca, let's stand in the front, because people in the back are always hiding and they're the ones that are usually called on. I looked around and everything was creepy, there were half eaten bodies and in the background through a screen you see people stabbing a man and gnawing on his flesh. When the cannibal looked around she shouted, "You!" I turn to the girl to the right of me. And the the cannibal shouts, "DON'T LOOK AT HER! I want YOU." I pointed to my chest and she nodded vigorously. She asked me in a creepy, eye-bulging way what my name was. When I told her she told me, "You have beautiful eyes, Alex." I said, "why, thank you." The cannibal chucked her head to the side and asked, "Can I have them?" I said, "Uh, no, I like them. I need them for myself." Then in a soft whisper she said, "You only need one..." And she shouted, "Mummmmmmmmyy, I want her eyes. They look so tasty." At that point a body falls from the ceiling, intestines and all exposed. It was a poor replica, but it was jarring! So much for that plan of being invisible when in the front.

Afterwards we got to go on a river "cruise." We were completely emerged in darkness. We sat huddled expecting something to attack us. And there were recordings playing of little children going, "let's flip the boat..." Creepy. We were in the darkness for a good two minutes when people started to scream. Rebecca to my right was jumping, and the woman to my left yelped. I sat there completely calm. I did not know why we were screaming. I was asking, "WHAT?! What happened!?" We were still in the dark...Rebecca told me that something came down on us from the ceiling. Well, I missed that one. So there I was, sitting in a boat full of screaming people not understanding what the hell was going on. Funny.

Another exhibit was when a man brought us into dimly lit hallway. He broke the group into two different lines. I was the start of the second line, exposed. I was expecting something to grab my ankles or attack me! I was staring around like mad. But my focus was on the man in the middle of the hallway that I completely ignored my backside. He disappeared as the ghost of the girl came down from above and he appeared out of NO WHERE to my back. It was startling!!

They had a new addition to the Dungeons, a ride that was a free drop. I could not handle it. So I asked the lady where the exit was and she directed me to go at the end of the hallway and turn right. I ended up in the hall of mirrors, except I did not know that until I nearly walked into my own reflection. Luckily, someone was kind enough to guide me out. As I waited in the reception area for Rebecca a guy comes up to me and goes, "What happened in there? Chickened out?" I was like, "I don't like heights..." Oh dear.

It was a lovely first day full of excitement! Now for the second full day....

Rebecca's Visit Day Two: Climbing The Seat!

The Cuz & I at the top of Arthur's Seat!

Rebecca's second day fell on Easter Sunday. We thought that Edinburgh would be crippled by the Easter practices, but that was not the case (except for the number 15 bus!) Edinburgh was bustling with tourists from all over. Our original plan was to go to Rosslyn Chapel in the morning. We waited an hour for a bus 15 that never came. Defeated we decided to explore the castle and meander.

We stopped by at the Elephant House (where J.K. first wrote Harry Potter). The castle was too crowded so looked at the grounds without paying. We walked along the Princes Street Gardens, which was lovely. We stopped to listen to the 1:00 cannon, but on Easter it was suspended. We window shopped along the Royal Mile and went for lunch at authentic Scottish food, Howies. Rebecca got Cullen Skink (a creamy fish soup with potatoes and bacon. Though I HATE seafood, I must admit, it is divine) and I got haggis spring rolls. It was interesting to say the least. It was very tasty but I would never have thought of it. It was haggis stuffed into spring roll shells and pan fried with a marmalade tangy sauce. It was tasty though!

Princes Street Gardens

We met with Semeli and made our way down the Royal Mile to the base of Arthur's Seat. We paused at the Museum of Childhood. Never again. It was chock full of creepy porcelain dolls and other dolls that stared into your soul. I did not approve. We walked past the unique Parliament building and started the climb. Oh and climb we did. I took some photos of the ruins. Rebecca and I were snailing behind Semeli. Semeli was a Arthur's Seat expert. We were taking breaks every twelve feet! We passed one particularly nasty uphill bend when I heard some Spanish tourists behind me. The girl had stopped her entire party, swung her head around taking in the rest of the climb as she uttered, "AY DIOS MIOS!" and continued upward. It was HILARIOUS. I cracked up. Rebecca's lung capacity was failing, breaks were necessary. She became huffy puffy. We inched our way to the top. When we finally reached the seat, it was well worth the exhausting climb. As soon as we did reach the top I threw my hands up in the air and yelled, "YATTA!" Some of the seat was trickier than others. At the very top, there was no real path, so you had to scale the rocks. It was beautiful. So HAH, Dad! I climbed the seat!

St. Anthony's Chapel
One of the lakes
Making our way up to the seat
A view of Leith
The climb to the very top!The Meadows!
A Stunning View
Us
All Smiles

For Easter Dinner I roasted a chicken and made garlic mashed potatoes. It was divine. A excellent meal! Rebecca was pleasantly surprised, as it was the first time she ate my cooking. Sara made an apple crumble and we played our favorite game. Semeli once again outdid herself and impersonated a pumpkin in a very unique way. Though it started out in a Chew fiasco the day was salvaged due to Semeli's helping hand on Arthur's Seat and the rewarding views it offered.

"YATTA!"

At the TOP!

Semeli's HILARIOUS pumpkin impersonation among other things!

Rebecca's Visit Day Three: HOGWARTS!

The Main Gate!

For the longest time I was puzzled why I could not find Alnwick Castle in any of my Scottish guide books. I mean that was where they filmed the first two Harry Potter movies, it was Hogwarts! How could they not write about that in any Scotland guide book? Well, it was obvious. Alnwick Castle is not in Scotland, it is in England. Duh. Semeli, Rebecca & I went to venture to England for a day!

The third day of Rebecca's visit was full of AWESOME surprises and good times. We woke up especially early and made our way to Waverely station to catch a train to Alnmouth. It was only an hour away. After we crossed a bridge we were in England, Northcumberland to be exact! As the train rode by we saw so many cute lambs!

We pulled into Alnmouth and we had to take a bus to Alnwick. At one stop on the bus there were A LOT of people getting off the bus. So I asked one lady if it was for the castle but a girl giggled and said, "oh no the castle is the next stop." She then turned to her friend and scoffed, "tourists." Putting a lot of belief in strangers, we got off the next stop. Castle my butt. There was NO castle, anywhere. She lied purposely. She was a bitch. I was ready for a fight! I was that angry. How dare anyone steer me wrong of Hogwarts! We were on a deserted strip of a tiny town. There was a woman across the street so we decided we would ask directions. But as soon as we crossed to be on the same side of the street as she was...she crossed to our original side. It was pretty awkward looking as the three of us re-crossed to our original side. The woman was pleasant though and led us to town. I asked her a silly question, "so, are we still in Scotland?" and she replied, "oh no dear, you're in England now." We grabbed a quick bite to eat and looked around the town square.

We found the tourist information and discovered where the castle was. We were buying the tickets as I asked for two concessions and an adult. The elderly gentlemen pushed his glasses down and said to Rebecca, "You look like a student, how about three student concessions? We can't just leave you out!" He was the sweetest and funniest British man. When we entered the grounds, I nearly died of happiness. We went to the Dragon quest section designed for children (and big kids too!) Now get this. We did COSPLAY! We dressed up as KNIGHTS! It was the best thing EVER! They had little activity displays. You could pose in a suit of armor and slay a dragon, get knighted, loose your head, practice your crossbow skills. It was beyond awesome. I was on such a high. Pure and utter GLEE. It was AWESOME. I cannot properly express how much fun it was. Semeli was dressed as a crusader, Rebecca a knight and I was Harry Hotspur (a knight that was so awesome, he got his own statue in the courtyard). We were grinning from ear to ear.

AHAHA

The Knights!slaying the dragon!being knighted!off with my head?!

We made our way to the tour. We were on the path where Harry, Ron & Hermione confront Hagrid about Fluffy (in the 1st movie). The tour guide asks the audience, "so who can tell me what the name of the three-headed dog is?" Polite little children rose their hands waiting patiently to be called on when I was possessed by Harry Potter knowledge and yelled out (without hesitation), "FLUFFY!" Everyone giggled. Then the tour guide gave out a chocolate egg, but a man said, "but she was not the one who got it." The tour guide, puzzled asked who had gotten it right and the guy said, "she did." Everyone's glare was on me. And I stuttered, "prematurely..." and I got a free chocolate egg! The tour guide pointed out where the beginning of the Forbidden Forest was and how in the second movie that the cars really flew. The tour brought us to where Madam Hooch taught them how to fly, where Neville broke his wrist, where Harry caught the rememberall & where Oliver Wood taught him qudditch for the first time. As we entered I immediately spotted everything. I knew where Professor Mcgonagall's office was and which field was used for what! The tour guide asked the little children where flying lessons were held (there was a sign on the right side of the field saying, "FLYING LESSONS) so all the children ran to it, as I whispered to Semeli, "it's the left side." She called the children back and told them it was actually the left side. HA. I knew so much, I could have given the tour.

The path where Harry, Ron, & Hermione confront Hagrid

The beginning of the Forbidden Forest!

Professor McGonagall's Office & where Harry flew to catch the Rememberall

Where Neville fell and broke his wristFlying Lessons

Later we wandered the grounds and went to the State Rooms. The corridor in that section of the castle was where the lantern of Hogwarts was (the ever-lasting blue flame of Hogwarts representing the life of the school) and where Hermione runs away crying after Professor Flitwick's class (when Ron insults her!) It was AWESOME!

The LionSemeli the dinosaur

The ever-lasting flame lantern & the corridorThe Corridor!

Then we came across an owl because they had a birds of prey exhibit. It was adorable! After the castle we went to the Alnwick gardens that boasts 3000 different roses. Except the roses were not in bloom, it was disappointing. But the garden was lovely as well!

Willow the owl!The Garden Fox!

We nearly missed the bus to the train. Luckily we caught it (it came once every hour) and on the train ride back we did riddles. It took Semeli and I 45 minutes to solve one riddle. It took Sara only two minutes. We ate some yummy dinner at The Apartment, a belated birthday dinner.

Rebecca's Visit Day Four: Hey There Highlands!

Loch Ness

On Tuesday, we woke up super early. I woke up at 6:22 to get picked up from Rebecca's hotel (which was a two minute walk from my dorm). We sat on a bus for hours! I had my camera in my hand the entire time because I did not want to miss a thing (except for those five minute naps I took periodically because my eyes refused to stay open). We made a pit stop in the town of Callander where I met Hamish, the Highland cow! He was adorable. I was also obsessed with taking photos of lambs, but alas did not get a good one.

Hey there Hamish!

LAMB!

We drove through the Highlands. It was absolutely stunning. The plains, lochs, mountains looked all so peaceful and were breath-taking. We stopped by the three sisters of Glen Coe (where the 1682 massacre of the MacDonald clan happened), drove by the Doune castle (where the Monty Python's Holy Grail was filmed), the Ballachulish (the most deserted area in all of Europe), as well as Ben Nevis (the tallest mountain in Scotland!) Everything was just nature at its best. I can't really describe the beauty, so i'll let the pictures do most of the work.

Railway

Stunning
=)
The Ballachulish
Rebecca & I at the three sisters of Glen Coe
BEN NEVIS!

We had driven nearly six hours or more by the time we reached Loch Ness. We stopped at Fort Augustus to take a Loch Ness cruise. We ate at a genuine chippy. The woman behind the counter was this elderly little old lady who was very generous with her salt and vinegar squeezing. I saw a Chinese man wearing a kilt. I was surprised to say the least, but it was AWESOME.

KILT!

On the cruise it was windy but provided wonderful views of the loch. Unfortunately there were no Nessie sightings, shucks. There were a billion Chinese student tourists that were incredibly loud and inconsiderate. They were blocking the stairs and being uproariously loud. It was crazy that I understood about 60% of everything they were saying, oh dramas. The cruise took you twenty minutes or so down the loch and you swung around. It was extremely peaceful (despite the loud Chinese) to be surrounded by mountains, trees and Nessie's spirit!

Loch Ness Tour!
Where's Nessie?There's Nessie!

We were very lucky. The weather cooperated with us. We got nothing but sunny skies and blue fluffy clouds! We went further North, made a pit stop at Urquhart Castle and drove through Inverness (the capital of the Highlands). Our final stop was at Pitlochary, which was completely deserted by the time we got there. Everything was closed. On the drive back I saw five pheasants as well as three bunnies. Oh nature! We drove and saw the Forth Rail bridge on our way back to Edinburgh.

Urquhart Castle
Pretty weather!
Forth Rail Bridge

It was a epic day. My camera was attached to my hand, always ready for photo opportunities. But there were times where I was not quick enough. Oh well!!