Loch Lommond

Loch Lomond

On our first day in the Scotland area we went straight to Loch Lomond.
Loch Lomond is the longest loch in Scotland and the widest at 5 miles across. Yes, miles! We learned early on after getting the car that Scotland uses miles per hour and measures everything in feet and inches just like the USA.

We decided on a cruise of the Loch and then a stroll through the grounds. It was breathtakingly beautiful. We learned quite early as well that Scotland is cold! It gets to about 65 on a good day and in the 40s and 50s at night. I could've used a few more pairs of pants in my backpack.

Edinburgh Castle

We visited Edinburgh Castle today and got a slap in the face by some history. I had researched quite a bit of the Scottish/English monarchy before I got here, but I've learned SO much on this trip. Seeing Westminster Abbey, Stirling Castle, and Edinburgh Castle really solidified some gaps for me about Mary, Queen of Scots. You really need to research the royal family tree, it's nuts! 

The national animal of Scotland is the Unicorn! THE UNICORN! I knew I was drawn to Scotland, this just solidified it. Notice the rose and the thistle intertwined at the bottom. That represents the first peace between England and Scotland when James VI (Stewart) married Margaret Tudor (Henry the VIII's big sister). The thistle represents the Stuarts and the red rose is the Tudor Rose. The Lion in Gold is the Royal Standard of Scotland. James and Magaret are Mary Queen of Scots parents. 

Then there is the freaking awesome unicorns!!! I can't get over it, seriously. 

 This is the Great Hall in the Edinburgh Castle. It was built for King James IV the old way, with a hammer and wooden pegs! Every part of the roof was engraved with Viking carvings too. It also housed a ton of old Scottish weapons. 

Edinburgh has quite a bit of history, obviously, and then that also ties to my love of the Outlander Series. If you read book 2, Dragonfly in Amber, Charles II has a different ring to your ears. Here's the official portrait Bonnie Prince Charlie for your amusement. 

All in all, it was a fantastic day in Scotland and a wonderful nerdy day for me and the crew. 

London Day 2

I finally got to go inside Westminster Abbey! I was not allowed to take pictures, but I snuck one at the end. I mean, it's where Kate and Wills got married!

We then moved in to shopping at Harrods which is where I buy tea! Harrods is a gigantic, high class shopping mal where you can get anything you want. There's even an entire. Floor dedicated to a toy store! Back in the 1800s, tea was their first product to sell so naturally I bought a fabulous Earl Grey.

The boys were not so amused. We went from Harrods to the Connaught Hotel for a high tea. It was a bit fancier than I expected, but it was delicious and so fun for Ashlin and I. However, their "scones" we're more like our American biscuits, so that was disappointing. 

From the Connaught we headed to central London and Trafalgar Square where they were streaming live Opera! Culture central around here. We also hit up Leicester Square and Covent Garden. We waited an hour in the queue for amazing Indian food and then called it a night so we could head to Newcastle early in the morning. 

    

London Day 1

Here's a bit to know about our first day in  London. We stayed in a flat that used to be a church. 

We went to Regents Park to see Queen Anne's rose garden and then headed to Bakerstreet and Knightsbridge to see the  Victoria and Albert Museum. 

We then got tremendously lost getting back to our flat, but enjoyed a delightful dinner at Tesco Express. We were awake for 40 hours pretty much, so we hit the hay early. Day 2 was much more full, but we are so glad we are here!

Itinerary

I've never gone on a trip this "planned" before and have never taken so few belongings with me. One 46 liter Osprey backpack and a large Longchamp purse are all I have for 5 weeks. Aaron and I decided early on to book our hotels and hostels in advanced because we noticed the smaller towns were already booking up. There's a certain amount of comfort in knowing that we have a bed reserved and wont need to find a place once we get to our multiple destinations. We wont be spending much time in the hotels, I'm sure. 

Not only is this the longest trip for Aaron and I, but this is my first trip to see Europe with my dear friend Ashlin! We've been best friends since we were 12. Ashlin and her husband Todd will be meeting us in Newark and will be sitting behind us on on our 7 hour flight to London. Upon arrival, Ashlin and I will promptly ditch our husbands for all things Jane Austen and Wills & Kate (the boys will be fine due to the plethora of pubs they are sure to discover). 

Below is the planned itinerary of the towns we will be staying in and for how long. Hopefully I'll be able to post about most of them, but who knows how busy we will be. I cannot wait to get back to Europe and traveling with Aaron is a dream. I am so THRILLED!

Itinerary

June 6-8: Fort Worth with Caitlin and Drew

June 8: Meet up in Newark with Ashlin and Todd and fly overnight to London!

June 9-10: London

June 11: Newcastle Upon Tyne

June 12-14: Glasgow with my cousin, Robbie!

June 15-19: Edinburgh

June 20-22: Perth

June 23-26: Aberdeen

June 27-29: Shenal

June 30-July 2: Inverness

July 3: Thurso

July 4-6: Talmine

July 7-9: Isle of Skye

July 10-11: Fort William

July 12: Edinburg

July 13: Leave Edinburg after breakfast!

Travel is Life

Aaron and I have been blessed to have been born into families that valued travel as a way of life. I remember camping for months in Montana in my youth and spending weeks in San Francisco at my Nonnie's house. Aaron went abroad immediately after high school and traveled abroad every other year after that (until he married me).

Now it's our turn.

As we wind down the last 4 weeks of teaching/counseling, we are gearing up for a gigantic trip abroad. Last weekend we both sat down with our laptops, scratch paper and various maps to plan our huge honeymoon. It took about 6 hours of searching, discussing, debating, and some scotch and a bottle of champagne, but in the end we have the whole thing done!

I can't wait to see what Aaron and I are going to be like after 5 weeks of constant company. This is going to be interesting.

Marriage is bliss...

Aaron and I were married last summer and are coming up on our 1st year anniversary and our delayed honeymoon. We decided early on that we wanted a BIG honeymoon, one for the books. We are both huge lovers of travel and it works out so well that we are both educators, so we get summers off. I get off work June 5 and we are on the plane to Europe on June 8. As of today the whole excursion is totally booked. I've never booked my entire trip overseas in one sitting before; usually I leave a few days up to impulsive decisions but this trip is booked solid. Itinerary coming soon!