Hairycoo and Haggis

Just a note: updates from here on out are probably going to be scarce because of my lack of internet.  Which is too bad, because I've seen and done some badass stuff in the past week.

So after the adventures on Monday, we headed to the Isle of Skye to stay at Kyleakin for two nights.  Along the way, we stopped at this freezing cold river in the middle of the mountains. Our tour guide, Ruthie, told us if we stuck our face in the river, we'd gain eternal youth and beauty.  And I'd quite like to look this good forever, so naturally I plunged my face into the icy waters.  We stopped at various other points, including a waterfall that was supposed to grant eternal good sex.  You were supposed to stick your entire head under this one, and it was absolutely frigid.  So given my exceedingly high morals and dislike of getting my hair wet, I skipped that one.  We also saw Eilean Donan, the castle from Made of Honor.  And I went against all my principles and tried a smallllll bite of haggis.  Which is not all that good. Considering that I've never seen a haggis, I'll just assume that they really don't exist and continue to avoid eating anything made from sheep.  Tuesday night we stayed in the hostel and went to bed.  We didn't get hardly any sleep on Monday night.  However, Elise and I have mastered the bar scene.  Not paying for drinks is a great way to economize :)

On Wednesday we went all around the Isle of Skye.  We stopped at the capital city for lunch, and got to play in the Faerie Glen.  It was this area with a whole bunch of cute little hills and trees-- it was similar to the Shire in Lord of the Rings.  We didn't see any faeries while we were there though.  After that, we went over to these mountains and climbed one of them that wasn't ridiculously high.  And oh my goodness, I'm surprised a gust of wind didn't knock us into the see.  It was so freaking windy.  There were a couple of moments when I thought I was going to die, but it turned out all right in the end. Wednesday night we went to the local pub in Kyleakin to listen to a semi-famous Scottlish band.  And I've come to like bagpipes and accordions.  It's all good fun.

Thursday we headed down to Oban.  Notable stop along the way: the Harry Potter bridge.  (It's the bridge from the second movie that Ron and Harry are flying the enchanted car around).  So we got off and took stupid pictures in front of it.  Actually, we have stupid pictures in front of all of these sites.  Be prepared.  When we got to Oban we took a tour of the Oban Distillery.  The Scottish really love their whiskey.  And we got free samples! They gave us some of this 10 year old stuff that hadn't matured properly.  So it was really strong. It was like drinking fire.  Whoo, child. The 14 year old stuff was a little less potent.  And that was our adventure in one of the oldest distilleries in Scotland.  We got free glasses, too.  Don't know how all this crap I'm acquiring is going to fit on my Ryanair flights to Ireland... hmm. Guess I'll be wearing all my clothes on the plane.  Which is just as well, because it is absolutely freezing over here.  That small tan I gained in Italy.. yeah that's gone. Hello pasty white English skin.  Nice to see you again.

Thursday night we went to the Skipinnish house to learn Ceileidh dancing and hear traditional Scottish music.  The dancing was a lot of fun, and as previously stated I really like bagpipe music now. I just wish the men on stage in kilts would have worn some form of undergarment.  It's not really anything I want to see.

Friday we left Oban and headed back to Edinburgh.  We stopped along the way at a Monty Python castle, a Campbell castle that we got to mess around in, a gorgeous old church, and the oldest pub in Scotland.  Eating lunch at a 300 year old pub was kind of interesting.  I wasn't convinced that the hygienic standards had changed in the three centuries since it opened.  Luckily my immune system is like steel!  After that, we went and visited Hamish, Heather, and Honey, the famous hairycoos of Scotland.  (Hairycoo = hairy cow.  They're brown and have a lot of fur and are native to the highlands).  We got to feed them carrots and potatos and whatnot.  They were very friendly hairycoos as these things go. We also stopped at the William Wallace monument; I decided I really need to watch Braveheart.  Someone make me do it this summer, okay? Good.  So after arriving in Edinburgh we caught a train to Glasgow.  That was a little stressful.  They kept cancelling trains and sending us to different platforms.  But we got here in the end, and were greeted by my cousin Helen., who is studying at the University here.

Last night Helen took us to her school's end of term party.  And holy crap, do Scottish people know how to rave.  I've never hair more alcohol thrown on me in my life.  At the end of the night, my foot was adhered to the bottom on my flipflop because it was so sticky.  Another reason I am glad I don't live in a frat house.  However, frat life is a lot of fun in moderation.  So it was an excellent way to see what university life in the UK is like.  It's way different from UD.  Like Groundhog on steroids and caffeiene.

Today (Saturday) we're apparently doing the artsy stuff of Glasgow.  It looks like a really pretty city, and I can't see too many clouds in the sky.  Jackpot!  Tomorrow we leave for Ireland (Derry, Ennis, and Dublin), and then I'll be home in about 10 days (boooooooooooooo.... =[ )