I can't believe I'm leaving tomorrow...

For all of those still reading, I'd like to say that no matter how long it takes, I will finish this blog! I can't stand not to. I have lots of pictures, so hopefully it will go pretty quickly.

But as we're wrapping up our vacation, I'd like to post in honor of the end of our trip. When I think back on it, I remember the beautiful scenery and ruins, as well as the wonderful towns, but what really captures my attention is the flowers. They're everywhere, and there are all different types. So this post will commemorate them.

(Also, it's a bit scary how I'm applying English class to my life, and it works. I don't want to admit that I actually might have learned anything useful...)

Anyway, here's to Scotland!

(Sorry they're kind of in a random order. The ones on white are all wildflowers, and the others are mostly in gardens.)

Aren't they beautiful? 

I've had a great month and I hope that I can get my act together and finish this blog in a reasonable amount of time so you can all experience it too! I'm sure I can as I'll have a lot of time on my hands. Anyway, the next time I post I'll be back in America. Goodbye Scotland!

Wow, a lot has happened! Since writing a lot is making me procrastinate (more than normal), plus I don't have a great memory for sequence of events, I will just be recapping the days that weren't as recent. If you want more detail (and maybe slight exaggeration) you should really read Bob's blog.

6/9 Kilfinan to Invarary

We were in Kilfinan and we went to the jail and castle there. The jail was very interesting, there was a old and new jail, and a really cool exhibit. The castle was also cool.

6/10 Invarary to Islay

We took a ferry to Islay.

We then went on through Tarbert, with a stop in a pub for some wifi, then we arrived at our campsite in Port Mor. There were sheep right behind the fence, so of course I liked that.

I think this was also the day we went on a wonderful moorland and woodland hike, it was so beautiful!

6/11 Isle of Islay 

We went on to Kildalton to see the Celtic Crosses, which was really cool:

There was a little table there with cake and tea and you could buy it. Bob really liked that, haha. We had some.

Then, since I was kinda tired, Bob went on a distillery tour and I waited for him.

6/12 Islay to Oban

We took the ferry back, then found our way to some standing stones.

We then went to the Kilmartin House Museum, which explained more about the standing stones, along with the history of the people there. We didn't get to spend that much time there, but it was still interesting.

I'll just post up to here, still have to finish writing the rest. Sorry for my short, badly worded sentences, I just want to get this part done as soon as possible so I can write more on the up-to-date posts. I'm having a great time!

Hello everyone!

Sorry I haven't posted anything yet, but the internet reception isn't the most reliable when traveling and staying in a camper van. His name is Jinty, by the way, (I have no idea why) and he is a bright tartan (plaid) red. He's very unmistakable.

The first day, I arrived at 5:15 in the morning, and after a little holdup in customs, I was in Scotland! Bob picked me up at the airport and we went to the hotel. (We stayed in a hotel the first night because Bob's clan was holding a gathering to pick the leader of his newly re-established clan.) We went to the store, and among other things, bought a tube of mustard, which I didn't know was a thing that existed.

That night we went to a dinner with the gathered clan members, and it was really good. I tried Haggis, the national dish of Scotland, for the first time. If you don't know what it's made of, that would be the stomach, liver, and kidneys of a sheep, cooked in their stomach, along with various seasonings. They don't cook it in their stomachs anymore, but the other ingredients still apply. I guess you would say I'm an adventurous eater, because I actually enjoyed it.

The next day, we went to Kilfinan to go to the site of Bob's clan's cairn.

Let me just say, Scotland is awesome! I think Bob has a picture of the cairn on his blog. We walked almost a mile through a wonderful field, along the shore and up a hill to get there. A cairn is a small stone structure, and this one was to mark the spot where his family ancestors' castle was. The way there was so beautiful, and I picked a bunch of flowers. (Bob took pictures, and hopefully I'll be able to upload some of those later.) Here are some pictures of my souvenirs for now.

I just can't get over how much open land there was, totally uninhabited except for the sheep and cows, haha. Speaking of which, they're everywhere!

After Kilfinan, we said goodbye to Bob's clan and went to our first caravan stop. The location was very pretty, it even had a waterfall! (Or technically a cascade). We cooked our first meal in the van, spaghetti.

Another notable thing about that meal was the midges. They're tiny little bugs that bite. I didn't use the bug spray since they didn't see to be biting me (though they were everywhere) and the next morning I had bunches of little red bites on my face and hands. At least they don't really itch.

The biggest difficulty was my bed. We're in a VW camper van, so my bed is up above the sink and stove. It's tiny, and it was hard to figure out how to comfortably climb up and down, but after some practice I'm getting the hang of it.

One thing that I had to get used to was driving on the other side of the road. It's pretty disconcerting at first. Another thing that I still haven't gotten used to is the sunset time. It's still light at ten at night, and the sunrise is about four. It's really strange.

Anyway, sorry for not posting so far, internet access has been sketchy. (And please excuse me for any grammatical errors, autocorrect is a bit over zealous when typing on an iPad.) Hopefully I'll be able to upload more often. Until next post!

Well! It's 7:09, I fly out tomorrow at 4;00, and I'm still getting ready for Scotland! I'll be touring the whole country for a month in a camper van with my family friend, Bob. (Check out his blog here.) The reason I am going on this trip is because I am considering going to Scotland for college, so I would like to tour some potential candidates as well as see if I like Scotland enough to live there! Anyway, hopefully I'll have the time, patience and internet access to continue this blog for a whole month. Wish me luck!