Scotland Day Three- Callender-Lock Lomond-Glasgow

   Although waking up a million times tonight, I still feel pretty energetic. And although I havn't been able to wake up by myself before getting out of bed, I still feel ok. I woke up, because I heard all these noises in the coridor. I thought they were leaving guests, turns out my room 201 is next to the stock room of the maid. Bummer! Doesn't matter.

   I had a strange dream btw, I was friends with that actor who played Cameron in 10 things I hate about you, but then mature. He was feeling sad so a friend of mine and I had to chear him up as best friends. Accually, this dream is pretty plain. I have had much stranger ones. And I meen strange... Anyway, I got down for breakfest, and sat at a table of a husband an wife. They were around 40, and really nice. The woman had an obsession with highlanders (Scottish cows) and because of her I got it too in the end. I became quit crazy about that. :p 

Anyway, the man and I had a rather interesting conversation about religion. And about a book he was reading. I thought it was the Virgin Mary Mysteries or something. My point is, these people(book-guy and highlander-woman) were so much nicer and more normal than the man I met yesterday. MPD-guy(multiple personality disorder) I call him. I found out about this later, when talking to other people about him... :s

   For the very first time I ate a normal quantaty of food. Not like always, when I eat way too much! Maybe I'll lose weight during this journey (is what I though, false hope!). Anyway, today would be a special day, for we were going to Callander, That's where Stirling Castle is, the famous castle complex (I call it complex, for there are many different buildings inside the walls) and from where you could see the William Wallace(a.k.a Braveheart) Monument and somewhere in de town was the Robert the Bruce statue. I think we drove past it with the bus, wasn't able to take a picture though. :( 

   The castle was AMAZING!!! soo beautiful, so many things to see, lovely view over the lands around it, lovely garden and trees within the wall, nice view of the cemetary as well. It was a lovely day. Really superb! I recommend it to all. It was there I had my (again) first and last scone with strawberry and whipped cream filling.

   After the castle, we had some time for outselves in Callander. So I bought my lovely sterling silver celtic ear rings. And ate a lovely wrap with jam and brie (again, the cheese). Oh, and my Scottish green shawl. I just chose it, because of the beautiful colour, it wasn't untill later, I realazed that every Scottish clan had it's own tartan. Oops... (I was a Scotland virgin, I had never been there, nor had read or heard much about it before except for it's beauty and it's history with England).

   The next location would be Loch Katrine, where we went on a boat tour. The boat was called Sir Walter Scott. It was a very lovely Loch with beautiful nature surrounding it. The way to it and away from it, were spectacular. I had decided to sit in the rear of the boat. Outside. But not a minute after sailing off, did it start to rain. At first I was like, doesn't matter to get a little wet, but then I got cold. So I had to get inside, where they served their speciality of the boat, warm chocolate milk with Brandy. I was like, I really need something to warm me up, so I bought a cup. I thought it would be chocolate milk with a little Brandy, turned out to be the other way around. More then half the cup was Brandy and then he pore some choco on it. I got a bit worried and started drinking it slowly, nonetheless I got a big headache! I got warm though, wasn't that my point at the time?

   Although this didn't sound like much, the day was over. We had driven all day and it was worth it. Stirling Castle was really beautiful and Loch Katrine was quit something. And of course the whole roadtrip to and back from it. Back at the hotel we got dinner. This time I was NOT going to sit at the same table as MPD-guy. He talks too much, he talks nonsence and he was not planning on going on the trip of today, he said the day before. I was soo glad! Thank God he didn't join us!

ps: I found out today Scotland is aproximately as big as Holland, but the population is something like 1/3(Holland has 17 million citizens). That's why it's soo green and the people are so nice!

Two same blogs on different sites?

OK, I don't like blogger.com so much. It's very user-unfriendly. I can't find any other blogs of other people I might be interested in. So, I've decided to continue my blog on wordpress.com. It's much friendlier to use and more entertaining. I just don't know if I should run both blogs, at the same time, with the same information and posts? or to delete this one. difficult... let me think about it...

Scotland Day Two: Newcastle-Gretna Green-Glasgow

Woke up a thousand times tonight, but still feel pretty well rested. I'm soo not gonna have breakfast at the Seven Seas restaurant! Don't have any money for that after last nights dinner. Soo, it's gonna be something warm to drink and a croissant with cheese(hence the cheese addiction) at Bake'n Coffee. Then enjoy one last walk on the deck, and we'll be arriving soon in Newcastle! jeeeej!!!
Finally land! So we got off the ferry and got on the road with our bus to Glasgow. There will be the hotel we're staying at. The nature is already better than the Dutch nature. The grass is greener, everything is much more alive! I love Great Britain already!!! It's all so fairytale like! Well, I always felt love for GB, there has always been a connection somehow.

Anyway, trailing off. So first we're driving to this place called Gretna Green somewhere on the border of England/Scotland. According to the bus driver Hank, who is also our guide (guess they didn't have money to pay for both :s) this place is known for secret weddings. At the Black Smith's Shop couples who wanted to get married, but weren't allowed, married in secret. This migth be still happening, but the place is now publicly used for weddings too.

There was a couple getting married, but I took no pictures. I can't do that. Intriguing on their privacy.

Anyway, it was a nice location to stop for a cup of tea, although I'm no tea person. So this was my first and last cup of tea of the whole journey. There was a bag-pipe-man playing well known Scottish music. I love Scotland, it's so tropical! Everything is so much greener and fuller, I can't help noticing.

Back on the road, we have been passed by two full busses filled with elderly. Pretty sad if you ask me. For us that is. We're slower than elderly :p Two busses full!!!

A guide is waiting for us at Georges Square in Glasgow, Paulina, she will show us around Glasgow. But she will only be with us twice, apart from that, we have Hank! Jeej for us!

We saw the beautiful City Hall, although just the ground floor, the rest was not allowed. Beautiful architecture! After that we saw a cathedral, lucky for me I forgot the name(Glasgow Cathedral maybe?). But it was soo magical! First it was different, katholic, then they added a floor and it became a calvinistic church. Stunning architecture! Across the road there was the first house of Glasgow. That's what I understood anyway. Pretty nice! Then we had a break for an hour. So I walked a bit through Glasgow, didn't come far, since I spotted a Star Bucks. (We didn't have those yet. Although now we are having more and more. Too bad, I loved Star Bucks to be in other countries, not in Holland. It's soo not Dutch! Still isn't!)

Then my Parker pen decided to give up on me, which was a pefect timing. I went into an arts shop and bought two refills. And its way cheaper than in Holland. Not such a suprise, since it's GB'sh. :p

After getting at the Normandy Hotel Renfrew, in my hotelroom, with a double bed, all for me. Jeej!!! It started to rain. Which was lovely! I got out and started dancing in the rain, with my flip-flops, umbrella which I stopped using, and vest that got all wet! It was an amazing feeling. A true feeling of freedom and connection with God.

After a nice warm shower I went to bed. Just lovely.

Scotland Day One: IJmuiden-Newcastle

Fortunately I kept a diary during my Scottish vacation, so I know what I did en when I did them. So this might come handy, since my memory isn't the best ever :p.
I was quit nervous, it would be my very first vacation on my own. (I have travelled alone by plane before, but never a whole vacation alone). I stood up early that morning, for my nerves wouldn't let me sleep any longer. And I had to be at a central point of my city in time. My bags were ready, I had all the papers and pocket money I needed, I brought my Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers* and (thank God) my Travel Diary. Because of this, I will be able to tell you all about my journey.

7.29h. I'm on the ferry of DFDS in cabin 762. I did not have a sea view, because I didn't need it and it was too expensive anyway. When you travel on your own, it gets quit expensive, cause I had to pay extra to stay in a double room. I was all excited to go on this journey, and on my own at first, but as you can see in the picture, it was raining and it was cold so I had no feeling left to be excited. I wanted to stay outside to say goodbye to Holland. Although I got sooooo cold, I got inside. And it felt weird too. For years I had gone to Turkey by car with my parents and brother, we would drive through Germany, Austria/Switserland, Italy and from there we would get on a ferry(Superfast/Blue ferries) and get off at Grease or Turkey. It was a real family thing, now it was my thing. It was different, weird and nice. And that was my point. To be more independent, to get more mature, I was 19, I needed it. And besides, I wasn't really alone, there were 40 other members of the group :p

18.04h. The ferry sails off to Newcastle. half an hour too late, but that's normal. (it could take up to 3 hours with Superfast and Blue ferries!) A strange nationalistic song is playing (Danish? it was a  Danish ferry). I don't know if it's funny or just weird. I'm going for funny :). I need some food so I went for a walk to see what options I had. There was the ''Seven Seas Restaurant'', bit expensive: €31. This I found out after eating there :p so was a bit too late to think about other options. And it was an all-you-can-eat restaurant. I'm a vegetarian so I ate veggies and fish(ok, vegetarian who eats fish) and finished with lovely fruit and cheese(I'm a cheese freak). I had to make a reservation first. I could eat at 20.00h. I had my serevation ticket with my table number, and there was a garcon who was taking the guests to their tables. He put his hand out, I thought he wanted to shake my hand to greet me first, apparently he wanted my reservation ticket. I felt like an idiot. It wasn't my fault! He should have holded out his hand differently, and how rude he didn't want to greet me first! Right?

Anyway, after dinner, I decided to go for a walk on the deck. To take some astonishing pictures. Unfortunately, I never got that opportunity. There was nothing but ocean, we were sailing towards the sun, so I wasn't able to get a nice view of the sunset either. There was a moment I could have, if 3 people would have moved their gigantic heads out of my sight! seriously! No manners! You really don't need fifty pictures of the sunset, give others some space to take one! grrr!

Apart from that I was almost being blown off the deck since we were sailing very fast! I got cold because I went out with flip-flops(very smart! :s) and a vest(not very warming with sea temperature). So I took a nice warm shower** and went to bed.

ps: My travel diary smells of marihuana! I don't know why, maybe the gloo they used, but it is quit scary. What if they would find out in Scotland? With their dogs in the haven where they check your bags for, well, marihuana and stuff. :S

*Since 2006 I read a Lord of the Rings book every summer. I started with The Silmarillion, then The Hobbit, LotR: Fellowship of the Ring, LotR: The Two Towers and LotrR: Return of the King. There are still a few to go, Children of Hurin and a few others. Really different from the movies. On some points it's better, on other points the movies are better.
**In Scotland(and other countries) it is advised to let hot water flow for 5 minutes in your hotel rooms, so you won't get ill of a bacteria I forgot the name of. I didn't want to do this, because of all the water being wasted, but I didn't want to get ill either, so I had no other choice :(

Lovely Scotland

Hi everybody,

A few years ago I started to save all my money so I could go to New Zealand and travel through it. Unfortunately, I never was able to save enough. I live in Holland, and it's quite an expensive journey. I was able to collect just half of what I neaded. :( But I didn't want to waste my summer vacation, so I invested all of it in Scotland. A lot closer to home and the closest matching NZ. The nature was absolutely incredible, the people were soo nice. I thought the weather was perfect! (this, if you like a day with many sunny and rainy moments :p). It was a guided tour through the Scottish Highlands that took 10 days. A few of the best days of my life.

Love

New Zealand

Hi everybody,

I've decided to start talking about something a love dearly. New Zealand. Although I haven't really been there before, I can't forget it since watching the Lord of the Rings trilogy. It has rather become an obsession. Pretty creapy huh? :p

And I know, this is rather classic, for many have discovered New Zealand this way, but it's a real life changer. I never thought a country could offer soo much! From deserts to high cold frosty mountains. A young country with already so much history. The nature is stunning and the people are very nice. The Maori culture and history are really interesting and the settlers have changed a lot as well (either good and bad). Love to backpack through it. Has anyone done that? Travelled through NZ? Please tell me about it and maybe you even have some pictures to share?

Yet antoher attempt to blog

Hi everybody,

This is yet another attempt to a blog. Hope this one does work out. Many must know how it goes. Many times in your life time you try to start a daily diary/blog/vlog etc, and you just quit. Hope this one will stick after a thousand attempts :p. But above all, I hope not to just share my stuff, but also your stuff. This can be anything, religion, music, movies, environment, pets, you name it. Just for our fun and education :p

Love