I know it has been a while, but I promise that I will post the earlier blogs in the next couple of days, but I thought I would just put up a quick update of what I'm up to. Yesterday, me and the group hopped on the train to Scotland to go on our MacBackpackers tour. We left Chester around 9 and got to Edinburgh around 2. As soon as we got off the train, we were already in the heart of the city. We eventually figured out our way around the town and stayed at the Castle Rock Hostel which is ranked the #1 hostel in all of Scotland and for a good reason too. It was this huge building that was about 3 floors. It had a this huge lounge with free tea and hot chocolate, along with a music room which had several guitars and a piano in it. We all piled our stuff into the room which was stacked with bunk beds. The hostel itself was run by what seemed like college grads and they were able to give us the low down of the whole city. After talking with them, we went back to the city center to take a look at the museums. Even though we didn't actually go in any of them, we still had a good time looking at the architecture. We even passed this huge tower that was dedicated to the author Sit Walter Scott. While we were passing by the National Museum, we ran into this band called the Big Peat, which was a bagpipe and Scottish drum band. They were parading through the city, and the coolest thing was that the sound was able to echo off the walls of the buildings, and was able to be heard throughout the city. After looking at the mini concert, we walked around some more and stumbled upon a café called The Elephant House. Didn't really know this until I walked in, but apparently it was the café where J.K. Rowling wrote the first Harry Potter book! We grabbed a bite to eat and then left to head back to the hostel. Along the way, we joked around that it would be a great idea to try and climb one of the mountains in middle of Edinburgh when it was pitch black. Even though it sounds like a crazy idea on paper, we did it anyway, and honestly, I regret nothing. Me, Nasti, Andrew, Brian, and Dillon made it to the top and were able to see the entire town Edinburgh at night. After some adventuring around we made our way back down and called it a night.
The next day, we woke up at around 8 to meet with our tour guide. This next bit is the ultimate story of how it is a small world. Our tour guide was going through the list of passagers and pointed out that me and him share the same last name (even though he spells his McLennan instead of McLennon) and that we were basically family and a part of the same clan. While we toured around, he gave me little bits of information about our family. Apparently, we were a family of bagpipers and worked for a saint that lived in the Highlands. We also played a fairly large part in the Battle of Cullden in 1776 which was a war that took place between the at-the-time government and this rebel group called the Jacobites. We got to tour around the battlefield of Cullden. We also made stops at Loch Morlich beach, which was a lake surrounded by mountains, but had sand like that of a beach. We ate lunch there, and then walked along some of the nature trails that surrounded the lake.
We finally made it to Inverness and had a chance to walk around the city. Along with having a huge city center, I found St. Andrew's Cathedral, which was probably one of the biggest Episcopalian churches I've ever seen. After we took a lap around the riverwalk, we went to go have dinner at the Black Friar (a local pub in town). Even though it took a lot of time to get our food, I would say it was a night well spent. They had a live band, which was amazing. They taught us some traditional Scottish dances, and even though it took a few tries, we eventually nailed them. I also had a chance to try haggis, and surprisingly it was really good. Basically to put a long story short, I have been loving Scotland so far. It's crazy to think that it is only the first day! Anyway, I think I'm going to call it a night, hopefully I'll be able to keep you all updated during the week!
The next day, we woke up at around 8 to meet with our tour guide. This next bit is the ultimate story of how it is a small world. Our tour guide was going through the list of passagers and pointed out that me and him share the same last name (even though he spells his McLennan instead of McLennon) and that we were basically family and a part of the same clan. While we toured around, he gave me little bits of information about our family. Apparently, we were a family of bagpipers and worked for a saint that lived in the Highlands. We also played a fairly large part in the Battle of Cullden in 1776 which was a war that took place between the at-the-time government and this rebel group called the Jacobites. We got to tour around the battlefield of Cullden. We also made stops at Loch Morlich beach, which was a lake surrounded by mountains, but had sand like that of a beach. We ate lunch there, and then walked along some of the nature trails that surrounded the lake.
We finally made it to Inverness and had a chance to walk around the city. Along with having a huge city center, I found St. Andrew's Cathedral, which was probably one of the biggest Episcopalian churches I've ever seen. After we took a lap around the riverwalk, we went to go have dinner at the Black Friar (a local pub in town). Even though it took a lot of time to get our food, I would say it was a night well spent. They had a live band, which was amazing. They taught us some traditional Scottish dances, and even though it took a few tries, we eventually nailed them. I also had a chance to try haggis, and surprisingly it was really good. Basically to put a long story short, I have been loving Scotland so far. It's crazy to think that it is only the first day! Anyway, I think I'm going to call it a night, hopefully I'll be able to keep you all updated during the week!
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