9/20/12- Scotland

We woke up this morning to rain. No big surprise here but a bummer for Clayton. Today was supposed to be his golfing day but it was too rainy. So instead we got up ate breakfast at the Old Course Hotel and had a beautiful view of the the Old golf course. Clayton was in heaven! We were able to see the Swilken bridge, St. Andrew's castle and the Cathedral remains. Later we drove to see Scone Palace which was really charming and continued up to see Blair castle and Loch Ness. I was disappointed that I didn't see Nessie at all but maybe next time. We stayed at the Four Seasons in Aviemore which we were surprised how dated the rooms were but it was a really cute area. 

The Old Course

St. Andrew's Cathedral

Scone Castle

I ate a scone at Scone

Highlander cows

Blair Castle

Loch Ness

Loch Ness

9/19/12- Scotland

Last week Clayton and I had the chance to go to Scotland. I can't explain how grateful for this time in my life I am. I love being able to travel around the world and am so glad I have Clayton as my permanent full time travel agent. Just kidding.... kind of. We flew Ryan Air into Prestwick airport rented a car and drove to Edinburgh. We were able to see Edinburgh castle and ate brunch at the most adorable cafe. I got a Belgium Waffle with Nutella; let me just tell you how divine it was. Anybody that knows me knows that I can't function without food. I don't eat large amounts but I do need good food frequently throughout the day to function as my normal happy self. This waffle was the most delicious thing I have had in a very long time. Anyways, back to business. We were able to window shop along the High Street shops which was adorable. We took a quick walk through the West Gardens Park and were able to see the Palace of Holyrood House. Trying to see as much as possible we continued our drive to Sterling where we saw Sterling castle and the William Wallace monument. It was quite the hike to the Wallace monument, I am kind of concerned how out of shape I am. I was really having a hard time breathing but lets just blame it on the thin air. As evening came we made our way to St. Andrew's where we stayed at the cutest B&B and ate dinner in town at the Doll's House. Today was a jam-packed day but it was lovely. I think I love Edinburgh the most so far. I wish we had more time to stay but I can't wait to go back someday.

Edinburgh Castle

The beautiful stained glass in the cathedrals

I love hearing all the bagpipes playing throughout the city

Scotts Monument

A walk through the park

Monument dedicated to all the Scots who died in war

view from Sterling castle of the Wallace Monument

Wallace monoument

Sterling castle

Sterling castle

Hiking to the Wallace monument

St. Andrew's B&B

Northern Ireland

Being here we decided we need to take full advantage of seeing all there is to see. The weather has been so great for the most part so we decided to take a trip up to Northern Ireland. On Wednesday, we drove up to Castle Ward House and we able to walk around the gardens. We were able to take a walk around the lake, watch the sailboats, and saw lots of cows. Later that evening we drove to Belfast ate at one of my favorite restaurants here, Nandos, and spent the night in one really creepy hostel. 

Castle Ward House

Belfast

The next morning we got up at like 5 AM and couldn't wait to get out of that hostel and start our day. We saw the Titanic museum and made our way up to see the Giant's Causeway. Its weird being just a few hours away and needing different currency. Since Northern Ireland is part of the UK they use the Pound "£"  instead of the Euro. We drove up the coast, watched the waves and surfers and I froze my butt off. When driving around the countryside we saw about a million sheep and cows. We even got stuck behind a herd of dairy cows on our way to our hotel.

Titanic Museum

Giant's Causeway

The beaches were beautiful but windy and cold

After a great night's sleep and a morning of golfing for Clayton, we started the rest of our trip. We left Letterkenny and drove through Glenveagh National Park. On the drive we saw a river where Clayton wants to go back to do a little salmon fishing and saw the most perfect rainbow we have ever seen in our entire lives. Seriously we almost got out of our car to go look for a pot of gold! The towns we drove through were so quaint and adorable. We saw a lot of run-down castles, ate lunch at a golf club and headed back towards Dublin.

 

Enniskillen Castle