A Semester in Scotland: Skye High

I'm done with those silly essays and ready to refocus on what's really important this semester (kidding, parents). Anyway, here's the long-overdue recount of my trip to Skye a few weekends ago.

My friend Cat and I visited Skye, which is an island off of northern Scotland, and on our way back down to Edinburgh we stopped at Loch Ness. We were fortunate enough to have a great group of people on our tour which made it that much more fun.

Skye was probably one of the most beautiful places I have been in my life. At the tops of the hikes, there were spectacular views (pictures below), but not even the pictures do them justice. You kind of had to be there--the silence was incredible. It was absolute nothingness on all sides--you couldn't see any evidence of human presence at all, save for the path I was following. Pretty incredible. I'd love to go back when I have some more time to really explore the hiking in and around Skye (with my FiveFingers). So when I win the lottery and have no responsibilities and never have to work ever again, it'll be my first stop.

Tomorrow I am heading to Wales for 4 days with my Scottish flatmate who has grandparents there. We don't really have plans to do much besides relax and enjoy the company, which I am very much looking forward to doing. My family is from Wales on my dad's side, so I'm looking forward to visiting the homeland and maybe even finding some sort of family connection (long shot, but I have some ancestral info I'll keep with me). I think it was the ancestral info we got at Disney World so I'll take it with a grain of salt.

London was great--post on that coming early next week now that I am done with essays and work until December. I know I keep complaining about the essay thing, and I really shouldn't because I was here for 2 months before I had anything to do. The essays weren't even that long--the kind of stuff I'd be expected to do in a typical week at Duke.

Anyway... enjoy these photos from my weekend in Skye and Loch Ness!

We started the trip off right with a quick sidetrip to the castle featured in Monty Python

One of the first stops on Skye: grave of Flora MacDonald, who saved Bonnie Prince Charlie

Typical dwelling of an early Scottish family (reconstructed, but cool nonetheless)

At the top of one of our hikes!

Yes, these came with me. At this point, nobody should really be surprised by that

This is where scientists think Ireland and Scotland were joined way-back-when. The theory is that this once linked up with the Giant's Causeway in Ireland.

Just a typical view from Skye

On our way hiking up to the vertical rock in the top left corner (can the sky be any bluer?)

Currently the background of my computer--not too bad, huh?

Note my shoes.

Shot of the rock to which we were hiking (there is a myth behind it but it is too long to recount here--google "Old Man of Storr" if you are really interested)

We arrived at Loch Ness in the evening and were treated to a Highland Clan show--we were taught how to properly fold a kilt and even had a weapons demonstration with genuine Scottish weapons.