Eww, yak slobber! (Scotland Adventures!!!!)

Scotland (October 21-24)!!!! I can't exactly find the words to describe how amazing Scotland is. These pictures certainly do not do it justice! If I have the opportunity in the future, I would go back to Scotland in an instant.
We first flew into Glasgow, got our car, drove to Glencoe (in the dark! We stayed here in a B&B), then went to the Isle of Skye (we did make a couple of stops on the way. We stayed at a hostel on the island), then drove down to Sterling, then to Edinburgh (we stayed here in a hostel), then drove back to Glasgow and flew back to Derry! Phew. What an adventure! It was so much fun and I would do it again in an instant.
Enjoy the pictures!

There was a lot of fog the first day we were there. There are also loads of huge, epic mountains that also have waterfalls. Crazy.

More mountains and fog. So much more amazing in person!

Eilean Donan Castle. This was one of our stops on our way to the Isle of Skye.

Sheep everywhere. Although, they do look different than the sheep in Ireland...

This sheep was particularly photogenic. I really really really wanted to pet him, but he was a bit shy. = )

We stopped to take pictures of the view, but look what we found! Highland cows (aka yaks)!

Now, let me explain this photo. I just wanted to have a picture of the scenery and the yak in the background, but AS we were taking the picture, this yak started walking over to me!! I didn't know what to do! But he seemed very curious...I cannot explain exactly what I was feeling at this moment. haha And yes, he did lick my hand, several times! His tongue was huge! And rough like a cat's tongue. I also touched his nose, which was much harder (not as soft) than I thought it would be. This was definitely an unexpected adventure!!! What an experience!

If you look down at the road, you can also see our wee car parked on the side. Oh yes, did I mention that we drove over 500 miles in Scotland?

 

 

 I believe this video captures, not necessarily the beautiful views of Scotland (due to my poor video-tapping skills), but exactly how COLD it got sometimes! Temperatures got to 2 degrees Celsius with very powerful, gusty winds (as you will notice in this video)!

Snowy mountain tops!

We spotted Sterling Castle!!

One of the many spectacular views from Sterling Castle.

We got up early (before the city was awake!) to take pictures of Edinburgh.

One of the amazing views of Edinburgh. This picture was taken from a park that we found (the name of the park is escaping my memory at the moment).

This park was absolutely gorgeous!! So peaceful.

I hope you enjoyed the photos! I had such a difficult time choosing which pictures to post because everything was so beautiful.
Tomorrow, our program is taking us to Galway and the Aran Islands for the weekend. Should be fun!
Cheers.

GIANT'S Causeway, Carrickfergus, and Belfast (again!)

Hey all! I just got back from Scotland and had an incredible time!!!
But first, here are some photos from our trip (October 15-17) our program took us on to the Giant's Causeway and Belfast!

Walking up to the Causeway.

Another view of The Giant's Causeway.

Me sitting on the boot (size 93) that the giant had left behind = )

okaaay...

On Giant's Causeway looking down! These rocks were much more slippery and unstable than I thought they would be!

The three of us Ulster students = )

The view leaving the Giant's Causeway.

The three of us took a train to Carrickfergus to see the castle. Not very many times would you be able to ask, "Which way to the castle?"

The wee harbor next to the castle. Very peaceful.

The "Salmon of Wisdom" in Belfast...no idea why it is called this. haha

This is where the Titanic was kept. Of course, only the bottom portion of the ship fit in here. If you look closely, you can see human figures that show exactly how massive it was!

A WWI ship that has been in the Belfast port ever since.

Hope you enjoyed those pictures!! I am going to try and post my Scotland pictures this week as well, that way I will be all caught up!
This coming weekend, our program is taking us to the Aran Islands and Galway. Busy, busy, busy!!
School is still going well. I actually just had an exam for my psychology module before I left for Scotland and I just found out that I received an "A"! Wooohoo! I try to really work hard on all of my school studies during the week, that way I am able to go on these weekend trips and such. I feel that it would be a waste if I didn't take advantage of these opportunities to travel while I am studying in Northern Ireland.
That's all for now! Scotland post will be coming up!!!!!!
Cheers.

Lost in London

Hello everyone! I just got back from a weekend trip to Belfast/Giant's Causeway/Carrickfergus. Those pictures will be coming soon! But first, as promised, here is a post about my trip to London (October 7th-October 10th).
To explain the title of this blog (beside the fact that it is good alliteration), I must say that getting lost is exactly how you find your way around London. It was a crazy experience for us since none of us have ever been to London before. As you can imagine, being thrown into an new (and must I say very busy) city can be quite tricky. I was also surprised to find that I had a bit of culture shock when we got to London. Derry, the city where I am studying, is a very low-key, laid-back city. So London felt a bit stressful and overpowering at first. But, no worries!! I quickly learned to love the city. So much to do there in so little time!! Here are some photos of our adventure with some explanations along the way.

On a bus tour of London.

I think this captures the essence of London.

Changing the Guards at Buckingham Palace

So crowded!!

Me in Trafalgar Square.

The National Art Gallery in Trafalgar Square.

Me at the entrance to the National Art Gallery (which we did go in) looking out at Trafalgar Square.

The Natural History Museum (which was too enormous to capture in a photo!)

My hand compared to a hippopotamus footprint. = )

The entrance inside the Natural History Museum.

"Oh boy" are words that first come to mind when I think of Camden Market (or Camden Town for that matter). There are just rows and rows of things to buy in here. But be careful! Linger too long or touch an item and you will be heavily persisted by one of the sellers to purchase it!

The craziness of Camden Town.

The ever familiar Underground (the Tube)

Yep, I just took a wee trip to Hogwarts, that's all. = ) Actually, we also got to see "Diagon Alley" as well for all of you Harry Potter fans.

The four of us walking on Abbey Road!! I met a very nice lady who kindly took this picture of us. And no, the bus is not about to run us over. Also, my mom actually brought to my attention that on the day that we took this picture, it was John Lennon's birthday! So cool.

Me and Elaine went to go see STOMP at the very last minute! We literally ran to the tube, then got discounted tickets just an hour before the show started! What an adventure!

After seeing STOMP at the New Ambassador theater. We both agreed that this was the best part of the entire trip. If you ever go to London, I highly recommend seeing some type of show there.

London at night after the show. We were surrounded by so many theaters!

Our plane that took us back to Belfast. Yep, we had to walk outside and up those orange stairs onto the plane. = )

I hope you enjoyed those pictures! I will be posting some pictures from the trip we just went on this weekend to the Causeway/Belfast/Carrickfergus.
This coming weekend I will be in Scotland!!! I am SO excited for this trip (in case you couldn't tell).
Cheers.