We flew to Scotland first. After landing in Glasgow, we took a bus and then a train to Stirling, with little more than three hours of sleep to run on. The lack of sleep was something we'd quickly have to get used to; when you're traveling the world, there's no time for sleep.
Stirling was a beautifully small town. We were there for three days, which was just enough to pack all the must-see items into. A college friend and sorority sister, Hillary, welcomed us to her small flat, showed us the sights, and recommended good cuisine for us to try. She even introduced us to many of her friends from uni, who were from all over Britain. In our short time in Stirling, we fell in love. We tried haggis, neeps and tatties, beans on toast, and Tuttle tea cakes, and we washed it all down with hard cider and Irn Bru, the most popular soft drink in Scotland.
We saw the River Forth, the Stirling Castle, the university, the William Wallace Memorial, and the Stirling Bridge, which Wallace took his troops across to fight the British centuries ago. We hiked a baby mountain (as I like to call it, though it could be more accurately considered an enormous hill) called Dumyat, and it took most of the day. The views of the town, the hills, the flora and the fauna, were all spectacular.
We also saw Edinburgh, the capital. We took a magnificent 12-hour mini-bus tour from there; it was called the "Scotland in a Day" tour. Tony even dipped is foot in Loch Ness (though no luck in spotting Nessie).I became enamored with the white sheep that dotted the green hillsides, the rampant plaid garb the citizens sported with pride, and the genuine spirit of the land. The music was magical, the flowers were breathtaking, and the accents, of course, were beautiful.
For some insane reason, we decided to take a 12-hour Megabus the next day to Milton Keynes, England. It was miserable and resulted in foggy head the next day (due to another night without sleep), but it was affordable, and it got us there.
My cousin Drew picked us up where the bus dropped us off and took him to his home. Admittedly, both Tony and I were a bit nervous with how well we'd get along with Drew and his wife, Sonja, just because we see them so infrequently. We hit it off wonderfully. I've never felt so at home outside of Pennsylvania! As soon as we got there, we were greeted with hugs, cups of tea, breakfast sandwiches, and a wagging tail of Bear, the lab.
We saw the Windsor Castle, where the Queen spends much of her time; we had a cream tea in the Cottswolds; and we endured the chilly rain and overcast skies like champs (more or less). Of course, we spent a whole day in London and saw Big Ben, the Westminster Abbey, the houses of parliament, the Supreme Court, the Tube, Buckingham Palace, and the London Eye (and much more!). We chowed down on fish and chips and steak pie, Scotch eggs and British biscuits, and lots and lots of tea. I must say though, that I enjoyed nothing more than spending time with family across the pond. We played tons of games, laughed, ate and drank, and were generally merry the entire time. I didn't want to leave!
But, of course, we had to. Our next stop was Germany, where we would meet a college friend and roommate of mine. Drew and Sonja drove us to the airport at the unkindly hour of 4, and we had a quick layover in Brussels (so quick we nearly missed our connection... though it was actually the same exact plane we had gotten off of). As soon as we got to Berlin, we learned that our luggage was missing. Bad news + no sleep from the night before (surprise)! + general fatigue from traveling, meant that we had to make an effort to keep our chins up. But with Tony by my side, it's hard to resist his natural optimism (plus, the bags were delivered the next morning).
Farrah took us to see the Brandenburg Gate and the Parliament building, and while we were there, we bought a currywurst at a hippie festival! Delicious! We joined her family for dinner at a restaurant near her house, right next to a lake. We had wiener schnitzel and other unpronounceable German cuisine and really enjoyed it. I learned how green a capital city could be; the flora was rich, and people rode their bikes everywhere, all the time. We became familiar with the S-bahn, one of Berlins railway systems, as we visited the East Side Gallery/the Berlin Wall, a concentration camp called Sachsenhausen, and beautiful botanical gardens. Every morning, we had the typical German breakfast of various meats, cheeses, and fresh bread from the bakery; and every night, we would have wonderful homemade family dinners. Farrah's family welcomed us in so graciously.
After two and a half weeks of adventure, it was time to head for the airport one last time. On the way home, we discussed our favorite memories through our exhausted smiles. I feel so fortunate that we took this opportunity to do something amazing together before we dive into our adult lives together! It took a lot of courage (and money) to commit to this voyage, and we will look back on the tons of pictures we took, and the painting of London we bought, and the cases of Irn Bru that weighed down our luggage the whole time, with no regrets.
