As promised, this week is back to the normal schedule. So tadada, update week 25!
Because I already uploaded a blog post on Wednesday that described my week for the most part, I'll now just keep it to the weekend. So it'll be short :)
Saturday evening I arrived 'home', unpacked and went to bed. Nothing interesting happened. Sunday morning I had a lie in, the first of the entire week! Which made me arrive late at the Italian Gardens in Hyde Park.
Sasha Alsberg and Ben Alderson are two YouTubers who held a thing called 'a meet up' in Hyde Park. Everyone that wanted to come and say hi was welcome to. Meet ups are kind of a big thing now, since YouTube has grown so much over the past couple years and succesfull YouTubers are basically celebrities. Now, I'd never been to a meet up before and I didn't had any intentions to changing that any time soon. The majority that goes to these events are teenage girls and well, I'm not exactly a teenage girl anymore. And I was correct. Whilst waiting in line I started talking to two girls standing behind me. Both 9 graders. Hell, I felt old. I think the average age was 16 (-ish). Thank god the screaming and fainting girls stayed home as that would have made me turn right around.
Now, who is Sasha Alsberg and why did I go to that meet up? Sasha is a booktuber and has a channel on YouTube called A Book Utopia. The title is self-explanatory I'd say. If you like to check out her channel, simply clic here, crab a cup of tea, sit back and enjoy :) So why did I decide to drag my ass to Hyde Park on Sunday 21st June? By coincidence Sasha and Ben travelled through Scotland the same week I did. We both visited some same places but with a day or two apart, so Sasha and Ben had the same experience (-ish) that I had. And because I'm suffering this major travel hangover I just wanted to have a little chat with someone who knew what it's like. What Scotland can do to a person. That's the drawback, I guess, of travelling by yourself.
Anyway, the meet up was quite short, so afterwards I went to Nottinghill Portobello rd in search of that mug that belongs with my beautiful teapot and the actual Blue Door from the movie Notting Hill. Yes! I found it!!!! Around 4pm I went back to Italian Gardens as the weather was beautiful and last time I was there, two weeks ago, I found this lovely spot to sit and have the most sun, so I went right back there x)
I say the meet up was quite short, I mean for me that was. Sasha and Ben were there for at least 2 hours. Talking to people, taking pictures with people and just having amazing small talk skills. I can learn a thing or two from them :)
Sasha, if you're reading this, did you get that Costa coffee before you flew back to the states? x)
Anyway, that's it for this weeks blog post. Keep an eye open for next weeks post 'cause my sis's in town!^^
I hope you are all very well and I hope that you've enjoyed reading my daily blogs about my outer worldly trip through Scotland. But, as all dreams do, they come to an end and so did this trip. Wake up hun. Back to reality. If you know me personally (if you don't, now you know ;)), you'll probably know that I can suffer quite heavily from hangovers. And I am not talking about the hangovers from too much alcohol. No, I'm talking about book hangovers, movie hangovers and travel hangovers. If you're not familiar with these terms, allow me to enlighten you : )
A book, movie or travel hangover: after reading an exceptionally good book, watching a mind blowing movie or having the best time whilst travelling, having to go back to reality, back home, work or school and physically having no idea how to behave yourself as you are still in awe of that amazing book/movie/holiday.
This week I'm suffering a major travel hangover. The last travel hangover dates from my 2week trip to Les Deux Alpes, France in 2013. It was such a struggle to finish that second year at uni. Those last weeks of school and then the exams in June, ho-rrendous. This week I have the same struggle to be motivated and it's still on going. It made me think (again). I'd like to build a life for myself that I don't need to take a break from. I don't want to live from holiday to holiday. But I still have no clue how or what I can do to reach that and that is the most frustrating part of the whole situation. Would simply moving house in London do the trick? Or do I have to move back to Belgium? Or...? I have absolutely no clue.
As you might recall (if not, now you'll know as well ;)), once upon a time I said living in London was a dream come true. But over the past few weeks that dream has started slowly to turn into a reality. I'm waking up. The honeymoon stage is almost over. Which makes sense. I'm not surprised about that. And don't get me wrong. I still love London. The beautiful buildings, the red busses and phone cells, the parks, Costa Coffees, etc. Hell, even the crappy weather. But my living situation and my desire to have less stress is getting the upper hand. And my trip to Scotland did not exactly help to 'reload my batteries' as I'd hoped it would. On the contrary. I can't even find the energy to start looking again for a new room. And over the past few weeks I came a few times dangerously close to just giving up. And quitting is not in my nature, so when it comes this far, it means it's serious.
You can say I'm at a point where I'll make a decision that most likely will change my life. Whether it is moving house, finding out what I want in life or something else. But one thing you can count on: I won't quit blogging! I love this shit x)
If you have any tips or advise or tricks that you use when you have to make a decision or dealing with a difficult time in your life, please let me know. I'll be forever grateful.
Many thanks for reading this rather personal blog post. I'll promise the next post will be up to normal standards ;)
xo - Sara
This blog post shall be short. - ish. I've had a very unexciting day, but I do want to talk a little bit about what I 'learned' about this trip. I found the below picture on WeHeartIt and I think it is sooo true.
Picture first hearted by Danee
But first, my day. So, I got up this morning around 7.45am, took a shower, had a full Scottish breakfast, packed my bag and by 10.15am I was on my way to Waverly train station to leave my bag at the left luggage. My train left at 2.30pm, but I wanted to be back at the train station at 2 so that I had plenty of time to collect my bag and head to the train so that I could avoid a situation like last Friday.
So once my bag was dropped off, I walked back to the Royal Mile to see if I could do some shopping. Compared to Thursday evening, when I had to find my way via a map and getting lost all the time, today I used shortcuts to get from point A to B. Small city, Edinburgh : ) As I didn't really need anything, I ended up back at the Elephant House were I wrote yesterday's blog post.
Around 1.30pm I started packing everything so I arrived at the train station in plenty of time. Got on the train very easily and without stress. My bag was the first in the luggage storage, so everything was very relaxed. Even on the whole journey, a whopping 4hours and 32min, nobody sat next to me. So I had the plug and the chair next to me all to myself. I saw the beginning of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and then Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, but half way through that movie I fell asleep x) No suprise there.
The rest of the journey went very smoothly as well. I'm home now, I've unpacked and ready for bed. All very unexciting.
Now, what did I learn from my first ever holiday by myself? I mean, sure, I did some weekends before, to Bath and the Lake District for example. But going on a trip, road trip no less, for an entire week? That's a whole different story.
I organised everything myself. Researching what I wanted to see, where I was going to stay, booking the hostel/hotels/lodges/guesthouses, booking transport, etc. But that was the easy part. The challenge is the trip itself. You're traveling by yourself, so you do need to find a way to entertain yourself. For me, this trip, it was mainly car karaoke. Very loudly and very off key x) I've had some challenges like driving on the left hand side of the road and sitting in the right hand side of the car or talking to strangers because if I had a question, I had nobody else to ask. But those were no new or big challenges. The small talk on the other hand was a bigger challenge. I got to work on that, but I still have a very very long way to go. And beside challenges and entertainment, I also had plenty of time to, yes, think. Especially about my future, near and far, but I still don't have any answers so that's kind of a bummer. And I learned that my mind can wander off to the most strangest places, like 'If I'd die, say tomorrow, which song would I like they'll play on my funeral?' Very dramatic. I was never bored and I dearly wish this trip could have lasted longer. As in, forever. I still have so much to learn, to experience, to grow. That was something that hit me right in the face. In some areas I thought I kind of had an idea of what I was doing, turns out, I have absolutely no clue... x) So I might have come out of that holiday with more questions than answers, but I am an experience richer and I most definitely will do it again!
That's it for the daily blogging. Next week back to the normal 'schedule' with one blog post every weekend and depending if I have content or time, a blog post on Monday and/or Wednesday.
I hope you enjoyed reading my travel diary and I hope it may inspire you to do the same thing. If not online then off line :)
First of all my apologies for the delay on the blog post. But if you keep reading right until the end (or just scroll down) I promise you, I have a good reason :)
So, where did I left off in Thursday's blog post? Ah, right, driving from Boat of Garten in Cairgorms to Edinburgh and saying goodbye to my awesome Clio. After dropping off the car I walked to the Braveheart guesthouse for the final two nights. I arrived around 8.15pm so by the time I was checked in, installed in my room and started uploading the pictures it was pretty late already. I don't think I've had one early night during my trip... I might not be well rested, but man I am relaxed. Not going to lie, I did have my worry moments during my trip as my handover was a bit of a mess. The day before I left a lot went wrong and well, I wasn't there on Friday to sort it out... We'll see on Monday though, as I'll have to catch up on everything.
Then, on to Friday's activities. My colleague suggested the Free walking tour around Edinburgh. You basically don't pay and by the end of the tour you decide how much the tour was worth, if something at all. Our guide, Dave, was a brilliant storyteller. The tour covered the Edinburgh basics: the Castle, St Giles cathedral, William Wallace, the Stone of Destiny, Greyfriars Kirkyard, the Royal Mile, The Scottish Writers Museum, the original 'Hogwarts',... That's right, we got to see where JK Rowling got her inspiration for the wizarding world of Harry Potter! And she got a few names for characters on Greyfriars Kirkyard. William McGonagall, worst poet of Scotland, is buried there and it is rumored a certain Thomas Riddle had his final resting place there as well. I could only find the grave of Robert Riddell. Might be a relative? x)
Georgie Heriot school
Edinburgh Castle
I had lunch in the Elephant House, the birthplace of Harry Potter. JK Rowling used to sit here whilst writing the first Harry Potter books. The cafe has a view on Edinburgh Castle and when you just walk out the door and around the corner you're on Greyfriars Kirkyard. Next to the graveyard is George Heriot school. So you have a school, originally for orphaned children, and a castle on a cliff. A school and a castle on a cliff. 1 and 1 makes Hogwarts!
In the afternoon I decide to do the Castle tour as well. Now that tour, unlike the free walking tour, was paid for. A whopping £28, a full £14,5 more than when you just buy your ticket in. But, our guide, the same Dave as the free walking tour, made it worth while yet again. Very interesting stories, some links to movies and series. My cup of tea. He told the story of the Black Dinner, which was basically the inspiration for the Red Wedding in Game of Thrones. As I've said before, the whole story of A Song of Ice and Fire is inspired by historical facts. If you're interested I found this YouTube video explaining where George RR Martin got his inspiration from.
The Castle tour ended around 4pm and I had a ticket for the Dark Side tour as well, which started at 9pm. So I had about 5hours to kill. I wandered around the Edinburgh Castle until 5.30pm (gotta get every last penny out of that ticket) and saw the War prisons, the Crown jewels, the Great Hall with all the armors and weapons, David's tower where the Black Dinner took place, etc. But there is only so much you can see in that castle, so after the visit to the castle I walked to Greyfriars Krikyard with the intention to find the grave to Thomas Riddle. Soon enough I discovered that graveyard was waaay bigger than at first sight, so I just gave up and went to find some dinner. After dinner a nice cup of tea and listening to a street artist with seriously the most soothing voice ever. And of course I read a bit. So peaceful.
At 9pm the Dark Side tour began and this time Greg was our guide. Now, not to confuse the Dark Side tour with a Ghost tour. On this tour, the guide, Greg, would tell you about myths and folk tales about giants, kelpies and brownies. About murderers, cannibals and witchcraft. This tour is paid for as well. But if you have a good story telling guide I'd say it's worth every penny. He also made some links to movies and tv series x) It was also a chance for me to see the city by night, as I normally would never stay out that late. I did 3 tours today, which is a lot I admit. But it's always nicer to discover a new city with other people. Whether you know them or not.
Stunning view/sunset from Calton Hill
After the tour, some of the group went to the pub for a drink where I tasted my very first wiskey. And I have to say, I'm not sold. Greg informed me it takes some time to start appreciating the taste. Burning off some of your tastebuds might help was well x) A group of 5 of us ended up from the pub to another pub called the Banshee Labyrinth. A place I normally would never set a foot inside. A) because I'm a tourist and B) because you really need to know this place. So yeah, I went out on my last night in Scotland. Something I've never done before and was quite cool to experience. I do have to work on my socializing skills though. When I'm around strangers I tend to keep back and observe instead of engaging in the converstation. Something I might have to work on. But then again, if it did bother someone, I'll never them again, so meh x)
So yeah, by 4am I arrived at the guesthouse and the alarm went of at 7.15am so it was a shooooort night. And I'm currently writting this blog post from a table at the Elephant House, awaiting until my train leaves at 2.30pm. I don't really have the energy to walk all over town after the 3 tours I did yesterday and the short night, to be honest x)
I'm going to leave it here and update you later today or tomorrow about my journey home :)
Today was a bit meh. There's always a weird vibe when then the end of a holiday approaches. So yeh, today wasn't the best day of the trip.
The sun right before the clouds took over
I woke up 3 times last night and at 6.50am the son of the lodge owners woke up and started running and screaming around the house. If you like a quiet accommodation, I wouldn't suggest that lodge. Anyways, after a lovely breakfast and a nice chat with a couple staying at the lodge as well, I packed my bag, paid and left for Pitlochry. A cute little town between Aviemore and Edinburgh. It was so small it only took me about an hour to get the general view of the town.
After Pitlochry I drove to Aberfeldy. Nothing really special about that town either, except that it's the town where J.K Rowling lives. Of course she has her estate a bit outside the town centre, but she sure did choose a cute little town to settle down ^^
As it was lunch time, what better place to get something to eat? At the Habitat cafe I ate the most delicious burger ever oO
Next stop was The Hermitage near Dunkeld. It was a suggestion of one of my colleagues so why not check it out?
The last stop before I drove to Edinburgh was Loch Leven in Kinross. On an island on the loch stands the ruins of Loch Leven Castle. In that castle Mary, queen of Scots, was once a prisoner but she escaped, like a proper bad ass. But if you just read the English history it's like Game of Thrones, but in real live. I guess we all know where George R R Martin got his inspiration ;)
This picture was taken way up North between Isle of Skye and Inverness. Wester Ross... Westeros... Might be a coincidence though, but I see a link? No?
Unfortunately I was too late to take a ferry to the visit the castle, but on the bright side I had plenty of time to hand in my car. And I needed that time. Rush hour... I was really sad to say goodbye to 'my' car. I liked that car, but I won't be needing it whilst city tripping in Edinburgh. That's what I'll be doing tomorrow ^^
Thanks for reading! Again my apologies for all the mistakes in this blog post, but I'm too tired to have a reread.
xo - Sara
Day number 6 has passed and was in my opinion well spent. I can't believe I have only 3 days left on my trip :(
But for today's activity, I did go on the hike that I wanted to do! The weather was really peculiar as it was mostly cloudy, but then sometimes the sun would come out and then 5min laters it was raining and super windy... I'm exhausted by the way.
So this morning I started my journey at around 9am, only 30min later than first was planned, but 2hours earlier than yesterday x)
This trail to the Chalamain Gap was much less steep than the trail I did yesterday to Meall a'Bhuachaille (thank god) and I enjoyed it immensly.
Before I knew it it was 12pm and I was standing in front of the gap.
Yesterday the guy at the Glenmore lodge reception said 'you
clamber through that a bit and then you come out on the other side'. He
made it sound very casual. Whilst in reality it wasn't. Mum, if you'd
seen me clambering over those rocks today, I think you'd have had a
heart attack. At some points it was super windy that I almost fell over
and the rocks were wet because of the constant drizzling. It was a
proper hands-feet operation.
You do feel tiny at moments like that and it puts all your problems and issues in perspective. You can't go up agains mother Nature. Not to worry, it wasn't that dangerous or I wouldn't have done it. But everytime the wind hits you, you just realise how tiny and unsignificant you really are.
The view on the other side was breathtaking and I had lunch by the riverside. Short lunch break that was because it was coo-oold. The descent took about 3hours so around 4pm I reached my car. Let me tell you, my feet were grateful x) That was a proper 7hour hike! And I do recommend this trail!
I bought ready made lasagne and a chocolat mousse in Tesco so I didn't have to eat out today. So that was an early dinner again tonight. And now I'm writing this blog post :) It's not a long one, but I prefer to let the pictures speak for itself :)
I hope you enjoyed it and thanks for reading!
xo - Sara
What a day, what a day, what a day. I went for a hike and was almost blown away by the wind x)
I woke before my alarm because my room is right below the room of the son of the owners of the lodge -.- I really don't like children at the moment. But I was awake so I could just as easily get up and start my day. During breakfast I talked with a couple from Germany and they highly recommended Iceland as a perfect travel destination. I guess I'll add that to my growing list of places to visit x)
The owners of the lodge kindly suggested some walks in the area around Glenmore, but neither of them really explained in full detail on how to get there or how the trail was called etc. So it was up to me again to figure it all out.
I had to drive to Glenmore, so it was the perfect opportunity to stop at a Tesco in Aviemore to get some lunch. Never go on a hike without water, food and a rain coat. And some other stuff x)
Once I had parked my car at the Glenmore lodge, the guy sitting at the reception of the lodge was extremely helpfull. He explained all the different trails in the area and kindly highlighted two of them explaining in detail how to go and where to go. I decided to do the shorter tour of the two as it was already 11am and that is in hiking terms 'a very late start'.
The way up to the top of Meall a'Bhuachaille was hard and excruciating and it made me realize once more on how incredibly unfit I really am. But the way to the top was outer worldy.
All the hard work paid off and I was rewarded with the most
beautiful view and about 10 beaufort in my face. I'm normally not about the
selfies, but the wind was so ridicilous strong I couldn't help but laugh
with myself at the thought of my appearance. Completely wind swept, hair
all over the place, beanie almost over my eyes and my eyes bearly open.
I got a bit of both worlds: wide stretched landscapes and forest walks.
By 3pm I was already by my car. The trail took me about 4hours to complete with a very long lunch break at the top, so I kind of overestimated that tour. Tomorrow I will try to hike the other trail, which has an estimate duration of about 6hours. That should keep me occupied for the day. I do intent to start my walk before 11am though. Preferably around 8.30 ish. But we'll see.
Just as I reached my car it started to rain, so in that perspective it was perfectly timed. I drove back to the car park at Tesco and had a little nap in my car. The sound of rain on the roof and being tired after the hike, it was all just a bit too much :) Around 5pm I had dinner and then went straight back to the lodge to have an early night in. Mind you, it's 11.30pm, not exactly early. The internet here is sooooo slow and my evenings consist mainly of uploading pictures to my laptop, to my phone, to instagram, to my blog,... I guess that's what's it like to be a blogger? Aah well, it makes me keep on top of things. The idea of having to go through 1000 pictures and minutes of footage at the end of the week, nahah, not gonna happen. I do have to start planning on when I want my video to go online so I can start planning the editing. So much to think about :)
Anyway, I finally reached the end of today's blog. If you did too, congratulations! My apologies for my bad English. I can't be bothered to re read it, so no doubt a million spelling mistakes and randoms words will be missing from some sentences. I'll have a look at it tomorrow.
