Beautiful Mishaps: Last Minute Scotland

My visit to Scotland was unexpected. As much as I wanted to go there, I did not think that ten days would be enough. But in the middle of my travels, I was constantly advised to go to Edinburgh. So when the opportunity came, I did not pass it up.

The trip to visit Edinburgh proved to be the most challenging. It was filled with mishaps from rearranging schedules to missed train rides. I was traveling with one of my best friends, Ara. So, the misadventures with company just add to the fun.

Edinburgh was just as beautiful as I expected. The detail and architecture was the best I have ever seen. We primarily explored around the Old Town. 

We visited Edinburgh Castle. It was the first fully preserved castle that I have seen. 
Unfortunately, some areas are still privately used and not for public viewing

We discovered a tour called Mary King’s Close which is advertised to be an underground tour. It appears that during the 17th century, Mary King’s Close was one of the streets in the main city center. It was eventually built over during the modernization of Old Town. It is theorized that the building over was to contain the black plague; thus, giving this place a reputation for being haunted. 

I also saw Elephant House where J.K. Rowling wrote the first Harry Potter book.

We also explored local life.

We also had a chance to visit Glasgow. I think this city is the type people don’t take the time to see. 
It is small and quaint, but bustling with life. 

I think traveling with just yourself and basic things teaches you so much. Although I loved traveling on my own, I found it very fitting to end my trip with company. It is such a different experience also to travel with a trained eye. Nix, for example, lives in Glasgow. So, she was able to introduce local life which gave me a great experience in Glasgow.

Country and Politics: All Over Northern Ireland

My visit to Northern Ireland was something I had decided early on. I saw a picture of Giant’s Causeway and Carrick-a-Rede bridge and I was sold. I had to go there. Since both places were situated in the countryside, I know had to figure out a way to get there. Luckily, there were plenty of tours to get me there for a full day trip. So, I spent three days in Northern Ireland, one for the causeway and bridge, and the other two to explore the capital city, Belfast.

I arrived in Belfast on a Monday afternoon. There is a bus service from the airport that goes directly to Belfast City. Once I got settled, I decided to get my bearings and explore the city. One thing I did know about Belfast is that they don’t have trains for the main city, just buses and cabs. I have this aversion for buses so I decided to explore on foot. I discovered that Belfast is a small city. It is actually the smallest main city I have seen. It was very pretty nevertheless.

I was very disappointed to find out that majority of the city life was done by seven at night. Aside from local bars, I did not have any other options. While I was on foot, I decided that it would not be wise under these circumstances to wander late. So by seven in the evening for the next two days, I had nothing to do. I experienced extreme loneliness for the first time during my trip. It was something I had to learn to deal with. So, I sat at the edge of my bed and decided to embrace this feeling. I made myself decide this feeling will be brief because tomorrow will be a great day. And, it was.

The next day, I took the Allen’s Belfast Tour to see the Giant’s Causeway and Carrick-a-Rede bridge. There was a coastal scenic route that we took to get there. This gave us spectacular views of the coast.

We finally reached Carrick-a-Rede bridge. This was originally used by fishermen to catch salmon. Sadly, there are very few salmon left and this bridge is no longer used for this purpose.

We also passed a distillery, one of the oldest in the world. Irish whiskey is said to be distinct because it is distilled three times for extra smoothness.

Then we ended the day with Giant’s Causeway. These hexagon stone columns were said to have been a product of an ancient volcanic eruption. For a period, people believed it was built by a giant. Hence the name, Giant’s Causeway.

During my last day in Belfast, I took their famous Black Cab Tours. It is a political tour that covers the conflict surrounding Belfast and Northern Ireland. I was previously unaware of their troubles and this was a good experience to have some perspective. I was told that there is great conflict between the Catholics and Protestants, to the point they built this huge wall separating them. This became known as the peace wall which is now decorated by local artists. This conflict is said to be more political than religious. It just so happens that the Catholics want to be part of Ireland while the Protestants want to stay part of the United Kingdom. This conflict escalated so much in the past that just a few years ago, they had more soldiers in Belfast than in Afghanistan. I tell you now; Belfast is a small city. So this fact was hard to wrap my head around. On the upside, I am glad that Belfast is far from those times. I also see that they still have ways to go. The wall still stands, and the youth is still educated in opposing ways, so the cycle goes on. 

Where Sheep Outnumber People: Exploring Rural Wales

Fun facts I learned as I traveled through Wales:

1.       Wales is home to 3 million people and 11 million sheep.

2.       They have over 600 castles, more castles per square mile than any other country.

3.       Their official languages are English and Welsh, only 21% can speak Welsh

4.        Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwyll-llantysiliogogogoch is a town in Wales, one of the longest named places in the world.

I think Wales is one of the countries people don’t take the time to visit. I think this is such a shame because Wales is such a picturesque place, especially its countryside. The usual destination in Wales is the capital, Cardiff, which was my original plan. As I was doing a bit of browsing, I stumbled upon information on Snowdonia in North Wales. And from that point on, I decided to change my itinerary to make time for a visit to Snowdonia. 

I joined a tour by UK Study Tours which had pickup points in different parts of England. I was one of eight which made it a nice intimate group. It was a long scenic drive to Snowdon, the highest mountain in Wales. There, one can hike or take the railway to the top. Referencing my fun facts, yes, I saw castles and sheep! 

We also passed by Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwyll-llantysiliogogogoch before heading to our sleeping arrangements in a beautiful coastal town called Llandudno.

In the morning, we said hello to quaint little towns around the area.
This is apparently called the ugly house. It truly isn't.

This is one of my favorite towns there, Beddgelert.

We visited Conwy and the ruins of Conwy Castle. 

As I explored the town for a bit, I made a few friends a long the way.

Here is the local life in Conwy:

We ended the day visiting Port Meirion. Port Meirion is a tourist village fashioned similar to Portofino, Italy. It was quite ironic that a lively looking place is no longer inhabited. I am not even sure it ever was.

In hopes the more people consider visiting this beautiful place, Cheers to Wales!