01 November 2018

SCOTLAND: HAGGIS AND HIKING!!!



We had a great trip to Scotland.  We took a 10:43 am train from Euston Station.  I had asked to leave from Kings Cross like we always do and had the students meet me there.  Then I looked at the times on the board and our train wasn't on there, so I checked the tickets and realized they had booked us from Euston Station which was a 10 minute walk from Kings Cross.  We boarded the train and arrived in Edinburgh at 4:30.  We checked into our hostels and went to the Albanach Restaurant on the Royal Mile for dinner.  Here is Edinburgh Castle which at the top of the Royal Mile.

Our restaurant with barricades outside to prevent cars from coming on the pedestrian walk.  Why painted pigeons?



We sat at two tables.  This table ordered an appetizer size haggis, and I got a full order of haggis, potatoes, and cheese.  Both had whiskey cream sauce.



 Some had burgers with haggis on them.

My dish.

The appetizer size.

After dinner we took a walk down George IV Street (Bridge) We stopped at the famous Scotty statue (Bobby) who went to his masters grave everyday for 14 years and sat there all day.

Rubbing his nose brings you good luck.

We stopped at the Elephant House where J.K. Rowling wrote Harry Potter

Then at 10 pm some of us took the Auld Reekie Terror Tour of Edinburgh and the Haunted Tunnels under the city.  Ironically, there was a full moon!  We had the craziest tour guide I have ever had on this tour.  Flamboyant, politically incorrect, and outrageous.  He really tried to offend everyone!!!  But he was a lot of fun.  None of my picture of him came out.  He said he might not be real!  Hmm?


St. Giles Church where the prison used to be.

One of the rooms in the tunnels is set up for a witches' covent which still uses it.
 


The room with the most activity has a circle of rocks.  The guide discourages you from walking through the circle because bad things happen to people who do.  Our tour guide was the guide that had a 19 yr old die on the tour when he went into the circle.  Had a heart attack.


A view from George IV Bridge.


Sign for the Elephant House






St Giles in daylight.

The Edinburgh Fringe is the largest fringe theatre festival in the world.  It goes on for weeks.  I bought a hoodie and t-shirt with a pigeon on it.  The pigeon is obviously the logo for this years festival.

A joke shop in Grassmarket!

Edinburgh Castle looking up from Castle Rock hostel.

A Close that goes down to the train station.


One of the characters of Edinburgh.  Hundreds of piercings.



MACBACKPACKERS 3-DAY TOUR OF THE ISLE OF SKYE.


On Friday morning all the students left for a three day hiking tour of the Isle of Skye.  Luckily they had great weather the whole three days.  Here are some random pictures they had taken.  They are not in any particular order.  Great views.





















Cole, Olivia, Rachel, Annabeth, Amalia, and Kyleigh went swimming in Loch Ness.  They managed to scare Nessie away! If you go to their facebook page you can see the video of them going in the freezing water!!!  Pretty funny!


One of the killer sheep!


















I think Alec, the Texan, was a wee bit cold!!!!


















The group with their tour guide, Stewart, who is in the rear middle.

On Monday we took the 12:53 train back to London and arrived at 6:30 pm

THAT'S ALL FOLKS!!!

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