Scotland Was Better than Expected

Cheers to a place that opened my eyes to a better world!

My group and I had been planning this trip for months. We booked the flights the year before the trip, booked all the places we were sleeping at about six months prior, and looked for every excuse to visit as much as we could in a short timeline. We felt accomplished after a well-planned trip… but shoutout to the real mvp (most valuable person), my sister.

Scotland was a dream.

One of the most unexpected places we’ve traveled to and it exceeded every expectation. I went in with an open mind but everything was just SO great- the customer service, the locals, the adventures, especially every spontaneous photo opportunity we created.

But let’s not forget about our adventure in the stream by the Eilean Donan Castle… Don’t worry, I’ll get to that!

Let’s cover the basics… Harry Potter.

For all the Harry Potter fans, United Kingdom is where it’s at! They filmed all over the country but I visited some of the ones in Scotland.

It all started with The Elephant House Cafe in Edinburgh, where J.K. Rowling started writing the Harry Potter series in the early 90’s.

We went for breakfast and it was the cutest little place. I loved the vintage look and this little sign.

I had bread with peanut butter and bananas with an Italian iced coffee. It sounded fancy but it’s really an espresso with ice cream. SO good.

Throughout the day, we explored other sites and even did a tour in a designated space, kind of like a museum for the whole Harry Potter series.

We explored what is Diagon Alley in the movies after Scotch Whisky experience, Hogwarts or the University of Glasgow, and Tom Riddle’s grave. It was fascinating visiting everything in person and thinking we could be in the movies too.

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Eilean Donan Castle

Cheers to one of the greatest travel stories ever!

I think you’ll need some popcorn to hear this. SO our bus dropped us off at the entrance of the bridge to Eilean Donan Castle. Every normal person walked the bridge, went to the castle, paid the fee, explored and came back. We are not normal.

We walked on the rocks to take artsy photos. The castle looked so beautiful in the back. Just look at it…

It’s all fun and games until we get stuck.

The tide had risen and we were literally stuck. The security wanted to call a lifeboat to get us because there was no way back but to either walk or wait for the tide to go down. Honestly, living in Miami has prepared us for the worst.

We didn’t take the security seriously because we thought the guy was exaggerating. He looked and sounded crazy enough to think we needed a boat to cross the high tide. Everyone was filming us and I wasn’t sure if they were laughing or worried but their faces looked funny.

We were pro’s.

As the tide rose, we took off our shoes, raised our jeans and walked the stream. A big YOLO (you only live once) moment. We were laughing about it because we thought people took it more seriously than it really looked. I think the experience overall was just hilarious because of course it would happen to us.

Not everyone is as adventurous as we were this trip, but if you’re one of those people, always be prepared for the worst!

Exploring

The best part about free time is exploring! Even between our very precise schedule, we chose to walk around and really live the Scottish experience.

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Feelin’ Holy

It’s so nice to just let go and let God create your path. We visited the beautiful Glasgow Cathedral and explored its ancient architecture. I love how Europe helps maintain its ancient buildings and structures. Everything is kept tidy and ready for the public eye to see.

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We had such a blast in Scotland. I’d love to revisit sometime. I hope you learned as much as I have through this adventurous experience.

Happy Travels!