oh scotland.

Scotland.

What do I say about this trip?

Do you want me to be honest?

It was not my favorite place.

Okay...I promised to be honest.

It was my least favorite trip.

I feel horrible saying that, because I am truly blessed to be able to travel and see the world. And I am so happy I went to Scotland, but I did not love it. I had reallyyyyyy high expectations for this trip, and they just were not met. 

People have been asking me "How was Scotland?!"

 and I don't know what to say.

"Well um...it was...okay. I don't know, I didn't love it. There are lots of kilts."

And that's all I have to say about that.

Have you ever seen a kilt-making shop? :)

No but really, it was a long weekend of more traveling than sightseeing.

Friday: 4 hours to Edinburgh on a train

Saturday: 4 hours on a bus to Loch Ness

Saturday: 4 hours on a bus back to Edinburgh

Sunday: 4 hours back to Scotland on a train

You get the picture.

But lets not focus on the negatives! There are a few great things about Scotland that I love... 

1. The accents. They're a "wee" bit different than British accents. Plus, they sound like they are from "Pirates of the Caribbean" Specifically, the pirates who narrate the ride at Disneyland. I am talking mostly about our bus driver on Saturday. Every time he opened his mouth, I was a little confused as to whether I was in Scotland or on that classic ride in the Happiest Place on Earth. And I loved listening to him! {Sidenote: my sister and I have this uncanny ability to relate anything to Disneyland...}

2. The kilts. It's not just a stereotype, they are really all over. 

3. The shortbread. It is simply delicious. {My new plan is to make some for Christmas this year as soon as I get home!}

4. The cobblestone streets and old buildings in the Old part of Edinburgh, where we stayed. 

5. While on the bus for 8 hours Saturday, our driver played Scottish music and I personally loved it! Driving through the Scottish highlands with Scottish music made it feel so authentic!

6. He also pulled over at a viewing point with a beautiful backdrop for photos. But the best part of this pit stop was the man playing bagpipes. Let me illustrate: pouring rain, Scottish highlands, only a couple people stopped {besides our bus} and otherwise a quiet setting, and a man playing bagpipes in the middle of it all. It was so cool!

 It was definitely one of the highlights of the weekend!

7. This trip was fun because it was planned by ISA, so there were about 25 people from my program traveling together, making it different than any other trip in that aspect! 

Tom and Maria: two of the four wonderful ISA London staff members, and my favorite Londoners!

I think one of the problems is that California is just amazing. Seriously. I was hoping to go to Scotland and be in awe of the beauty. I saw the beauty. It was gorgeous. But it wasn't anything new. Do I sound stuck-up yet? I mean come on, I come from a place where Yosemite is a day-trip. I have seen arguably the most amazing waterfalls and mountains in the world. With that, I take this experience as one to  recognize my abundance of blessings. I live in a beautiful place, and honestly, it is normally taken for granted. Californians, when you say your prayers tonight, thank God for living in such a beautiful place!

So there you have it! How I feel about Scotland. I don't really know what to say, because I don't want it to seem like I am unappreciative for the experience. 

But on that note: here's to loving and appreciating London even more!

The ISA group in front of Edinburgh castle!

My crazy friends :)

Loving life during the creepy ghost tour...

Scottish Highlands

Loch Ness

A beautiful rainbow over Loch Ness

Like our new album cover?

Chelsea <3

California girls <3

P.S. Has anyone heard of the All Blacks rugby team? Supposedly the best and most famous rugby team in the world? Well, they were playing in Scotland this weekend. And as I was walking around Edinburgh with Chelsea, Sarah, and Jess, we saw them on their bus! The bus was surrounded with close to 100 fans snapping photos and waving. We had no idea what was going on, so we stopped to catch a glimpse of the excitement. Once we saw the matching Adidas jackets and recalled the big game yesterday, we knew it was them! I mean I personally know nothing about rugby, but I was still a little starstruck!