Why Scotland?!

This weekend, we are headed to Scotland. I've been wanting to travel there for quite a long time. I've grown up being reminded of my Scottish heritage (my mother actually seems to have 100% Scottish heritage) and listening to CDs of bagpipes and even spending a few years as a Scottish Highland dancer (NOT like the Irish dancing that so many people are familiar with). 

To this day, the wretched screech of a bagpipe actually calms me, and I know a Fling from a Seann Trribhus. I know a whole dance over an unsheathed sword and I own a kilt with our McRae family tartan on it. Do you know what ghillies are? My sister and I spent hours wearing them and practicing for competitions. And yes, we have a real sword in our basement, which was also once used for hours of practice.

I guess that's a little bit of a "fun fact" about me. I guess I do have a few party tricks after all!

For more information on Highland Dancing read this article - I actually read through it just now and learned a lot of cool stuff that I didn't know when I was young.  

So I guess that's why it's always been important to me to go to Scotland. While planning for the trip, I realized that there's much more to do there than I would've originally thought!

While we're there, we are hoping to do some hiking, running, visit the universities and Royal Mile, ghost tour, and wander around. I'm also hoping to do a "Harry Potter tour," which would be lead by a Potter Scholar. Yes - there are people who are getting their PhDs on Harry Potter! I think all things Potter are very cool, so don't make fun!

I'm also hoping to stop by "Elephant House," the cafe where JKR wrote the beginning of HP.

JK Rowling is a genius. If you can find a way to be that successful and become richer than the Queen  from writing a (phenomenal) series, you are a genius. Also, her quality of writing has been unmatched in any other series. Which is not only my opinion - also a fact proven by her fortune. I really believe that Harry Potter is something you have to be acquainted with - just like how we all have to (...or sometimes choose to) read Dickens, Austen, and Brontë. It makes sense that there are already Potter Scholars... HP will be a big thing for a longgg time.

Anyways, I will post more details about Scotland later on, and will talk about specifics when we're there! We should have some down time, and a nice, bug-free weekend! WAHOO!

The scenery/landscape in Scotland is famously beautiful. I'm hoping we can hike up "Arthur's Seat," which is a volcano. It'll be rainy and muddy but I still think it could be very breath-taking. Plus when else will I hike up a volcano in Scotland???

This is still just a "maybe," because we're not sure we'll fit it in.

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See you all tomorrow!