A few more adventures for H.E.L.

I cannot believe my physics exam was nearly two weeks ago. That means that Barcelona was over two weeks ago. Time seems to be flying as my stay in Scotland comes to a close. However, the first week of May was packed full of a few more adventures with Esther and Lauren. Monday May 2, the three of us headed toward the bus station with backpacks full of lunch, snacks, waterbottles, sweatshirts, rainjackets, sunscreen, and sunglasses. We were off on an adventure to Loch Lomond.

Many of you may have heard of Loch Lomond in choir songs (or various other songs). Loch Lomond is the largest loch (lake) in Scotland and is man-made. It is located just outside of Glasgow in central Scotland.

The adventure began by the three of us boarding a bus to Glasgow, then taking a train from Glasgow to the small town of Balloch, which is on the tip of the lake. Once in Balloch we followed the signs and made our way to the Loch. We had a lovely day of wandering the trails around the loch, people watching, and doing a little exploring of our own. We found a stream and walked along it, we sat on some stones on the banks of the loch and we even laid on the grassy hill near the Balloch Castle. The weather was perfect and it perfectly fulfilled all of our need for some greenery and nature. We made it back to Dundee tired from a wonderful day frolicking on the bonnie banks of Loch Lomond!

People enjoying the lake.

It was sooo pretty at Loch Lomond! I now understand why it is so popular in songs.

Explorers.

Looking out over the Loch from the grassy hill near the castle.

Artsy photo courtesy of Esther. I just love it!


The rest of that week was spent studying (or revising as they say here) for our history exam, which was on Friday, May 6. However, as soon as the exam was finished (all three of us were in the same history class) we were off on our next adventure.

Whilst on our adventure in Inverness, a miraculous idea formulated in my mind. You know when you go to camp or on vacation as a kid and your parent gives you a disposable camera, then when you get back you get the pictures developed and it is so fun to see your time on paper? Well, I thought it would be fun to take a disposable camera to Edinburgh with us and take tons of pictures of the three of us doing silly things. Lauren and Esther agreed to my idea and we compiled a list of photo opportunities...with tartan, by the castle, with someone wearing a suit, and with a bagpiper, to name a few.

Here is a picture from our hike up Arthur's Seat (google it)...a mountain that we hiked up in order to get a picture together near the top. Such an amazing view out over the city of Edinburgh!


We spent the day asking random people to take pictures of the three of us and we shared many a laugh. I plan on taking the camera back to Iowa with me and then sending the developed pictures to Esther and Lauren via snail mail. It will be so fun to see all of our pictures several weeks after they were taken!

That evening we returned to Edinburgh exhausted from our long day of photo taking and helped Greg celebrate his 20th Birthday! The night was filled with friends, food, dancing, and lots of fun!

Saturday afternoon Esther and I set out on foot on another adventure. Esther had told us about how one of her flatmates frequently ran across the Tay Bridge. The Tay Bridge is just what it sounds, a car bridge that goes across the river Tay to the county of Fife. We decided that it would be fun to do the same...except do it as a leisurely stroll rather than a run. The Tay Bridge has a pedestrian portion, so no worries, it was not as dangerous as it might first appear.

The Tay Bridge from Dundee (before the walk).

After wandering around for a while trying to figure out how to get to the bridge, we finally found it. We had a lovely walk to Fife. Once on the other side we found a nice bench and gazed back at Dundee across the water. Unfortunately it was not the prettiest of days, but it was still enjoyable. We decided to head back once the wind started picking up and the sky became even more threatening. At one point the clouds were getting really dark so Esther and I ran about half way back. It was fun and I'm really glad we did this adventure across the bridge!!

Almost to Fife!

Super excited to have survived the walk!

Sunday Esther and I went to St. Andrews since she had not been and she was leaving Dundee soon. We hopped on the bus and took the half hour ride into Fife and toward the coast. Luckily the weather cleared up by the time we got to St. Andrews as it was rather rainy and dreary when we left Dundee.

We wandered the streets of the quaint town and saw all the sights...the cathedral, the beach, the pier, the castle (from the outside since you have to pay to go in), the St. Andrews school museum, and the old golf course. We even did some shopping for souvenirs and gifts to take home. It was yet another lovely day of fun in sunny Scotland!

Esther laying in a tomb in the cathedral.

Just another day in Scotland.

On the Old Course.

Oh, Monday evening Esther, Lauren and I gathered at Lauren's flat for a pancake dinner. It was kind of like our last family potluck. It was rather uneventful except that we met Lauren's friend Caitlin from home who was studying in England....oh and we made Lauren get on top of the fridge.

Lauren on the fridge.
Next time you are bored, do something silly, like climb on top of the fridge...just make sure to dust while you are up there!

Cheers!