Day Tripper: Saturday, June 19th

A day trip with MB and Steve. The countryside of Scotland is gorgeous. We drove around to three different little cities that were within about a 50 mile radius of Dundee.

The day started with Steve making me a traditional Scottish breakfast. It was yummy and meat filled. Black pudding=not bad!

We started our sightseeing at Falkland Palace. It was gorgeous and so full of history. The Royal Tennis Court was a highlight! The game played on the court is different than regular tennis and seems to be a cross between racquetball and tennis. (They can play off the walls). I also enjoyed the palace itself because it was redone and felt like I was walking back in history. The chapel was my favorite part because I felt the spirit as I thought about the twelve apostles that were honored by the gate before the alter. The grounds of the palace were very well kept. The flowers were simply amazing.

We had fish and chips alongside the beach at Anstruther. Man, I think that was the best fried fish I have ever had.

We then headed to St. Andrews. I didn't know much about that place until today. The famous university is where Prince William went to school. The place has a rich history due to the reformation of the Church of Scotland. A Catholic monastery and chapel once stood there.(Now beautiful ruins) Some of the challengers of the Catholic Church were executed at St. Andrews. The monastery actually had some relics including body parts of St. Andrew. He was crucified on an X. This is where the Scottish flag comes from! The university is there because Pope Benedict and another man organized it. Rich History, eh?

What an excellent and beautiful day in Scotland!

Sunday, June 20th. A Chill Day!

Going to church in Scotland was nice. It's always good to know that you can go anywhere in the world and you are guarenteed that church will be the same(If you are a Latter-Day Saint, that is!)

We ate some awesome roast afterwards. It was so very yummy. We had a low key kind of a day and then went to the resavoir. It was a pretty place and I was sad that I did not bring my camera. You could see lots of beautiful green rolling hills all the way to The Black Sea. There were lots of fisherman in little boats. I also saw some swans.

When we got back to the flat, we had some pretty amazing Strawberry Shortcake. Steve and Mary Beth are such good cooks and bakers. I am being spoiled!

Castles...we love Castles! Monday, June 21

Pics: Drum Castle, Steps to Tower, Cragievar Castle, Burn O' Vat waterfall, Burn O' Vat cove

Mary Beth was brave today and was willing to drive me all over the countryside to look at castles. We dropped Steve off at Scotland Agricultural College(where he works) in Aberdeen, Scotland.

The first castle we saw was Drum Castle. We took the tour and it was pretty in a typical Victorian style like most of the castles that have been restored. The highlights actually came after the tour when we were able to see the neat little chapel behind the castle and had the opportunity to climb up to the top of the tower. The top was my favorite and was very worth the scary little circular stairway.

The second castle was Craigievar Castle which we only stopped and took picture of the outside. It was way pretty and pink! I think more of the castles should be pink!

After we picked up Steve, he took us to Burn O Vat, which is basically a carved out little cove. It had a waterfall and it was gorgeous. We then drove through the highlands and I even saw one of those hairy large cows!

York! York! York! Tuesday June 22

Pics: The Minster, The Wall of York, Clifford's Tower, The Shambles, Our tour guide.

Mary Beth and I went to York, England on the train today. It took about three hours and was a good trip.

We first saw the Minister which is a gorgeous old church building. We then walked to our hotel and found a pub to eat a late lunch at. It was good. If the applesauce were a little more real, the pork and applesauce sandwich would have been even better!

We then walked around the wall of the city(it was walled for protection back in the day...like Roman times), which is awesomely cool. This is one of only a few cities in the world that has kept its wall.

We also walked through a section of the town which is known as The Shambles. Basically, all the buildings are skiwampus. When you talk about something being in shambles it comes for this street.

We then went on a silly ghost walk. The man who guided us was hilariously creepy. He made me laugh a lot and I had no bad dreams! On the way back to our hotel we had some amazing Orange Ginger Cheesecake. Amazing, simply amazing!

York was a huge highlight of my trip!

Wednesday/Thursday June 23-24 Dundee, Scotland

(Pics of Dundee from train as I departed!)

I'm just going to include what I have written in my travel journal. It may be edited for content. Not because of my vulgarity but probably because I am silly sometimes!

Mary Beth and I walked around York one last time and enjoyed the tourist shops. It was a fun morning. We got pasties at the train station and it was yummy!

Steve picked us up at the train station in Dundee and we drove all over getting stuff for a church function they were in charge of. It was a BBQ with wieners, chips(crisps), and ice cream.

We went into town because Steve had a meeting at his college and Mary Beth and I walked around downtown one last time. I was glad because I was able to get a t-shirt which I had not bought yet while in Scotland. I will miss the accents and rich history. The buildings are purely magical and it is truly a totally different place. I've noticed that the Scots are very helpful and kind which is nice. Seeing I am a bit nervous to be traveling alone on the train to Edinburgh to catch my flight, I asked a nice train guy if I was getting on the right train and he said: "Yes, on you go love!"

You would think going to the Iverkeithing station would be easy enough but I had to check about a million times that I was getting off at the right place!

I am sad to be leaving but at the same time it will be nice to not have to go and go and go!

**There is nothing like little kids with accents. There is a little blond boy on the train and it is adorable to listen to him speak!