A Glimpse of Starlight

I AM ALIVE. *brushes the cobwebs off this blog* Hello, my wonderful and incredibly patient readers! I know I haven’t posted in a shamefully long time (minus last week’s poem), so I’m going to try to make it up today with lots of lovely pictures. The short version of the big life update I owe you is, I’ve decided to defer from college for a year to give me time to figure out what’s going on with my arms. They’re still bothering me (which I guess you’ve deduced from my silence). In that vein, I’d like to give a shoutout to those who have recently found my blog and to everyone who has posted such lovely, encouraging comments. Right now, I just can’t reply to comments because if I do so, I won’t be able to do other important things like emailing friends or journaling (Page’s dictation feature is a wonderful thing). I hate having to prioritize like this, but I do want you all to know that I read every comment, I try to like them to let you know that I read them, and every one always brightens my day (who are we kidding, my week). I can’t thank you all enough for continuing to be and here read my stuff and communicate with me, even when I can’t always get back to you. You guys really are the best. Okay, on to the fun stuff. (Seriously, guys, I have so been looking forward to this post. *capers about*)

This summer, my family and I got to go to Scotland. Let me just say that again: I got to go to Scotland. Saying that feels so unreal. I’ve dreamed about visiting Scotland for years, and I still can’t believe it finally happened. We went to Glasgow, where my grandfather grew up; Loch Lomond, a big and beautiful lake in the highlands; Aberdeen, the city I’m named after (!!!!); and Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. When I look back on our trip, it feels like a dream.

You’ve probably heard two things about Scotland: 1) it’s beautiful; 2) it’s rainy. You’d be right about both. Thankfully, we got a few sunny days during the Loch Lomond leg of our trip, so all our hikes were lovely. No, scratch that. All our hikes were stunningly gorgeous. Words just can’t describe how beautiful Scotland is. I don’t think I’ve ever been to a place as beautiful. And that’s saying a lot, since I’ve been to the Alps. I mean, obviously the Alps are jaw-droppingly spectacular, but the highlands of Scotland just have this unique beauty that gave me chills and made me want to stay there forever. It’s not just natural beauty either––from the warm sandstone in Glasgow to the austere and elegant granite of Aberdeen, even the city buildings were attractive. Everyone we met was lovely too—and they spoke English! I didn’t have to stare at people with a blank face and feel like an idiot while they babble at me in German. When waitresses asked, “Hi, can I take your order?” I could have hugged them. Also, THE FOOD. I was expecting yucky British food, but everything we ate was really good. Maybe the gross British food stereotype only applies to London or maybe we just got lucky, but my mouth waters whenever I think of the scones, meat pies, toffee cakes, and shortbread we consumed. Basically, you guys have got to go to Scotland. Everyone of you. No excuses. If you’re still not convinced, just look at these pictures:

(Click on one of them to scroll through; they look better bigger, and I wrote captions for almost all of them. There are a lot, but I’m kind of assuming nobody will mind. ;D)

Aberdeen has lots of buildings with these cool towers

Holyrood Palace – the queen’s summer residence in Edinburgh

the ocean! or, to be exact, the North Sea!

the lovely University of St. Andrews

Ol’ Sir Walter Scott himself

a lighthouse in Aberdeen

We happened to be in the UK for the 20th anniversary of Harry Potter so they were selling lots of cool paraphernalia, including these chocolate frogs. =DD

The cathedral in Aberdeen’s old university

Toffee cake – literally the best dessert I’ve ever had

near Ediburgh castle (In every town we went to, we always found a piper playing on some street corner. It was so cool.)

the view from Stirling Castle – Doesn’t it just make you want to write a story?

stained glass windows and old flags make for great aesthetics

More Glasgow Cathedral

more Loch Lomond

a reconstruction of a thatched roof house a Scottish herdsmen would have used in past centuries

Bonnie, Bonnie Loch Lomond

can’t get enough of Loch Lomond

the road goes ever on and on…

We thought this water looked like Coke.

Aberdeen University’s cathedral again and the tomb of Bishop Elphinstone (I’m using that name in a book someday)

David Livingstone (nice last name, eh?) in front of Glasgow’s cathedral

you can tell why they call it the Highlands

the ferns here are so luscious

no collage of Scotland would be complete without a picture of a thistle

wildflowers + water – what could be better?

the colors are just too gorgeous

hiking in the Highlands

a street in Aberdeen leading to the harbor

❤

high up in the hills of the Highlands

In the year of our Lord 1314,

Scottish patriots, starved and outnumbered,

charged the fields at Bannockburn.

They fought like warrior poets. They fought like Scotsmen.

And won their freedom.

Forever.

~ Braveheart

I’m so proud to be from this beautiful country. ❤

So, friends, have you ever been to Scotland? Do you want to now? Which picture was your favorite? And how are you??