It really does not feel like a little over week ago that I was just returning from Scotland. This past week was the first week back after Easter Break, and the last full week of CIT. During the two weeks we had for vacation, to say I was busy would be an understatement. After the trip to Galway I had three days before myself and four other girls began our Easter break journey with a four-hour bus ride to Dublin. We had considered taking the train since it is faster but a one-way bus ticket to Dublin is only 10 euros, so we decided to rough it out.
On the first day in Dublin we spend the afternoon exploring and shopping and finished the night visiting some pubs in the legendary Temple Bar area. The next day we took a free 4-hour walking tour of Dublin. A group called Sandman’s New Europe organizes them across Europe. All the guides work on a tips only basis, so they really try and make it an enjoyable experience. I would HIGHLY recommend it to anyone visiting Dublin that has the time. Our guide was great, he was really enthusiastic about Dublin and knew a lot about the city. After the tour we went to Trinity to see The Book of Kells and the historic Long Room in the old library. Although the attractions were kind of pricey I thought that it was worth the experience.
The next morning we caught our flight to Edinburgh early in the afternoon. By the time we arrived, although tired, we still had time to go explore the city. There was a general consensus as soon as we got into town; we were all in love with Scotland. To be honest I was excited to visit Scotland but it was never really high up on my list of places to visit. I am so very glad now that I chose to go there. We were all amazed by the city, and its historic roots are evident through the beautiful buildings that form the town. Everything was really so quaint, I think that it would be impossible for someone to visit Edinburgh and not fall in love.
That night we all made dinner together and exhausted from the day’s travel, we had a quiet night in. The next morning we woke up early to take the free walking tour that is offered in Edinburgh by the same company. This tour was excellent as well, mostly due to the fact the Edinburgh is such a city that is rich in history, I thought that it was really interesting. After the tour we got lunch and the weather was absolutely fantastic so we decided to go the park and just lay around for the afternoon. We all agreed on the fact that we wanted to stay away from Haggis, even though a bunch of locals swore it was delicious. I think we still didn’t want to take that chance. Instead a few of us tried the other local favorite, a fried mars bar. Haha, I think that the American in me shown through a tad since I was the one to suggest it and the only one to like it. The other girls thought that it was too rich or just all together gross. Later on, in the early evening we also took a free ghost tour. Which is basically the same as a city tour but conducted at night and focuses more on the legends and superstitions involving the city.
On our second day in Scotland, myself along with two of the other girls decided we wanted to do a day tour into the highlands to see Lake Loch Ness. I figured that it would probably be sometime before I am in Scotland again so I really wanted to do all the touristy things I could, even if that did mean a 4-hour drive there and back. Of course we did not have that much time and were on a bus the majority of the day but it was still a great experience. Our driver was great and kept the whole bus engaged during the ride and we stopped to take pictures at various locations. Once we finally arrived at Loch Ness we boarded a boat and went out onto the infamous lake. Whether you believe in old Nessie or not I think that the boat tour is a lot of fun. The boat is equipped with sonar and other various high tech devices used to track the infamous monster. The crew is a great laugh as well, and they love to share there own personal stories about Nessie. Legends aside I think a trip to Loch Ness is well worth it. The next day was our last in Edinburgh. We split up slightly in the morning myself and another girl decided to go walk up the Scott Monument. Three euro and 287 steps later we had a view of the entire city! It was absolutly breath taking. A couple of the other girls went to The Elephant Café (where JK Rowling wrote much of Harry Potter) and some others went and climbed Arthur’s Seat and got some great senic shots from up there.
The next morning we left for Glasgow by bus. Although Glasgow was a great city, I think we all agreed Edinburgh was our favorite. Our short time in Glasgow was spent shopping and taking a Hop On Hop Off Tour.
This Easter break was probably one of the best vacations of my life and made me realize the life long friendships that I have accumulated while being here. It saddens me to think about this truly wonderful experience ending soon, but I know that I will be walking away from it a better person in every aspect.
