Caledonian Soundscapes

This is the conclusion to my spring break trip.  You can find Dublin here and Prague here.

After spending the week traveling through Europe, it was so nice to return to Scotland.  This past weekend, I went on a trip up to the Scottish Highlands with the Arcadia group.  Even though I have traveled to other countries and have had so much fun elsewhere, I think that Scotland is still one of my favorite places.

We went to the Blair Athol Distillery in Pitlochry.  Unfortunately, I wasn't able to take pictures inside any of the buildings, but it was really interesting to learn how different each distillery is and how that affects the whisky.  At this particular distillery, they only make a limited supply of single malt whisky and the rest of their product gets mixed with other products like their Bell's Blend.  Their single malt is very smooth and fruity tasting which I really liked.

That night, we attended a Mànran concert which was really cool.  They are a folk/rock band that play a variety of traditional Scottish instruments.  They sang several songs in Gaelic which I obviously couldn't understand, but it was still a lot of fun.  They are really great performers, and it was easy for people who had never heard of them to get involved and have fun.

We spent the night in Pitlochry, and the view outside of the hostel was beautiful.

The next morning, we travelled up to Dunnottar Castle, but we stopped at Queen's View for one of the most amazing views.  This spot really reminded me of why I love Scotland.

A good majority of the day was spent at Dunnottar Castle.  This was a pretty cool place, and apparently once hosted William Wallace and Mary Queen of Scots.  It's really amazing to think that people once lived in castles like this.  

I had a lot of fun exploring more of the Highlands this weekend.  I absolutely love this region of Scotland, but I am looking forward to seeing more of southern Scotland and hopefully some of the islands as well.  Scotland is such a beautiful place, and I am really glad that I chose to come here this semester.  It was a great way to end my spring break adventures!

Roaming through Prague

This is part two of my spring break trip.  If you missed Dublin and St. Patrick's Day, you can find it here.

After Dublin, we set off for Prague.  I really had no idea what to expect from Prague, and I was excited to see somewhere completely different from the UK and Western Europe.  Going from Dublin to Prague was definitely a nice change, because Prague is way more inexpensive than Dublin.  The weather was so pleasant when we first got there, with more sunshine than any of us have seen in quite some time.

On Wednesday, we took a tour around the city, learning about some of the history and the important or well known places.  Prague is absolutely beautiful, and quickly became one of my favorite places.  We went to the famous astronomical clock, Prague Castle, and several amazing cathedrals.  We got to points that look out over the whole city, and the views were so incredible.

Prague Castle

Astronomical Clock

The food in Prague was so good.  Our tour guide recommended a restaurant for us to have lunch, and suggested the goulash.  We also tried these pastries called tredelnik which are kind of like pretzels.  I got mine covered in cinnamon, and it was quite tasty.  An interesting thing I found in Prague was that water is more expensive than beer...

Traditional Czech Goulash

Tredelnik

I would love to go back to Prague and spend more time learning about the city and the Czech people. I wish I had more time to see other parts of the city, but hopefully I will be able to go back someday.

For now, I am back in Scotland, and I just spent the weekend exploring more of the Scottish Highlands which will be in my next post!

Parades, Parties, and St. Patty's Day

After a whirlwind of a week, I have made it back to Scotland with many stories and a lot of pictures.  There is so much to include here that I am going to split it all up into a couple of posts.  I am going to start with last weekend and the madness that was St. Patrick's Day Weekend.

A few friends and I arrived in Dublin around midday, and the party had already begun.  There were people everywhere, and there was already a festive spirit in the air.  By evening, the city became even more crowded, and between the holiday and the rugby match, there was not a single pub that wasn't overflowing with people.  Even though there were so many people, it was kind of fun to see a city in such an excited and celebratory state even two days away from the actual holiday.  Everyone was really nice and friendly.  There were people from all over the world that came to celebrate, although there were not as many locals in comparison.

Sunday, we went on a tour of the city as well as a tour of the Guinness Storehouse.  It was nice to see Dublin and learn a little more about the history and the people there.  I wish there had been more time to see more of the historical parts of the city and get a more in-depth understanding than what was delivered on the tour.  Guinness was also an interesting place.  Like everywhere last weekend, it was extremely crowded, so it was hard to see everything, but it was still a fun experience.  I learned how to properly pour a pint of Guinness from a tap (and drink it afterward of course).

Trinity College

Trinity College

Dublin Castle

Sunday night was probably the best night of the whole weekend.  People were out having a good time, but it wasn't anything too crazy yet.  There were some really talented street performers and we got to meet some really great people from many different places.  It was so cool just to walk the streets and take it all in.

Monday was absolutely crazy.  People were partying from the moment they woke up in the morning. We went early to the parade and managed to get spots up close.  "Let's Make History" was the theme of the parade this year, and all of the costumes and floats had to reflect this.  All of the costumes blew me away with the amount of detail, and all of the floats were amazing.

This was a  German band that stayed in the same hostel as us.  They were really nice people.

The party just continued non-stop all day and into the night.  While it was exciting to celebrate St. Patrick's Day in Dublin, there were so many people on Monday, and it was hard to walk through the streets to get anywhere.  We had to shove our way through masses of people to get anywhere, but overall, it was such a fun experience and an adventure that I will cherish forever.

Next up: Prague!

Getting Out of the St Andrews Bubble

Sometimes it is nice to escape the bubble of St Andrews, even if it's not that far.  Yesterday, I took a short trip with a group of other study abroad students to Anstruther and Pitenweem which are little towns just outside of St Andrews on Fife's east coast.  Anstruther is famous for their fish and chips restaurant called the Anstruther Fish Bar.

After lunch, we took a coastal walk to Pitenweem.  Despite the cold wind, the walk was really nice and provided a beautiful view of both towns.

Looking back at Anstruther

Pitenweem in the distance

Pitenweem

In Pitenweem, we stopped at a famous chocolate shop and cafe called The Cocoa Tree Cafe.  They have really good hot chocolate and other sweets.  

Dark hot chocolate and a chocolate chip scone.

I love exploring the little towns here in Scotland and see what is beyond St Andrews.  At the end of this week, I start my spring break by going to Dublin for the St. Patrick's Day weekend before heading to Prague.  Then it's back to Scotland for more adventures in the Highlands.  Hopefully I will get to write again in a couple of weeks with a lot to share and many pictures!