Dear Prudence (Cont.)

Weee! A super-nice (and slightly sketch) Scotsman fixed my power coverter at the hostel. As such, I can finish off my blog posts from the week. On Thursday morning, we first visited Eilean Donan Castle - the castle from Made of Honor! And Highlander! And lots of other terrible movies! It really was a beautiful castle, and I was surprised to hear that someone lived there until approximately twenty years ago. It made me feel bad for making fun...but not really.After the castle, we had a long drive through some amazing countryside to lunch. The pictures are hysterical; the mountains are so steep, that from inside the bus, my camera makes it look like a flat field next to our bus. But it really goes straight up! You have to see it to believe it. I've said it before, but Scotland is truly the most beautiful place I've ever been. I enjoyed leftovers from Wednesday's dinner at Fort William; because I saved so many pounds, I was able to spend 3.20 on the most delicious coffee I've ever had. It was called the Ben Nevis, after the extremely high mountain located adjacent to the town.

More sightseeing followed, etc etc etc, beauty beauty beauty, awe awe awe. The real fun was last night: my first fish & chips, and a Ceidleh (traditional scottish music/dance party). I barely got off the dance floor, and it was SO fun. Everyone was talented, but they allowed us to screw up over and over. Afterwards, we had so much energy that we continued on to a local pub where we saw the same band from Saucy Mary's. They recognized Hollie & I from our mad-good dance moves, and dubbed us "groupies." Points for being a recognized groupie of Too Far North, a great Scottish cover band. I spent all night on the dance floor - maybe 2 hours straight - teaching the Taiwanese and Chinese ladies our American dance moves. One girl from another tour group even asked me if I'd had modern dance training, and I replied: "No, honey. I'm just from America." :)

We were all so tired today that we spent most of it napping on the bus (by choice!) . Our only major stops were the William Wallace monument and a Hairy Coo safari (what an adventure...). Annnd the Castle Anthrax from Monty Python (my special request visit). That was fine with us - it was the best week many of us have had in years, and we were OK with a day to relax and stuff our faces with chocolate on the bus. A panini and pineapple tart in Sterling were my last purchases, and now I'm in Edinburgh, awaiting my next adventure - OXFORD. For now, I'll share pictures and emails with my new friends, enjoying the moment. Woohoo! Long live Scotland!