Some Random Pics from the Trip!

Loch Ness
Jumping shot in front of our second hotel!
Breaking down the door at Eileen Donan Castle
On the moores

El Retiro in Madrid

My school highway

Video Re-do

I did a remake of my spring break video, it just has a few more pics in it of me and my host family.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Cm-reOXNZ8

Vacation!

***NOTE: I do not have any of the pics from Madrid or Scotland with Mom, so I wont be posting pics of those right now***

So as many know, Mom and I went to Great Britain for a couple days a few days ago. On Thursday night, she came and stayed at my house here for a night then we left the next morning. I had to fit in all the sights I wanted her to see in Madrid in in that afternoon and the couple hours in the morning. We were running, but we mangaged it alright. I got to take her around to my school and the little plaza by there, then to see the royal palace and Sol and Gran Via and some parks and all the places I like here. Then we went back to the apartment and repacked all of our stuff (which took a long time!) and got a few hours of sleep.

We left for our fight at around 11 and got there in plenty of time, but it took forever to get checked in, then finding the terminal was really hard. But we didn't miss the flight. So we had a flight from Madrid-London, then London-Edinbourgh. We rented a car and drove to our hotel. Mom drove really good, considering it was all opposite. It was a little scary, but I just had to keep reminding her to stay on the left side of the road.

The first hotel was really nice, with lots of space and a big bathroom (although the view was terrible). But there was a wedding going on, so that disturbed Mom while she was trying to sleep (I didn't hear anything). in the evening we called room service for dinner and watched Finding Nemo. We left early in the morning and just drove and drove up the left side of Scotland. We got to see some pretty neat castles and got good pictures. It took up the whole day, and in the evening, we arrived at the next BnB. It was a really pretty place, but it didn't have an elevator or anything, so we had to lug all of our luggage down some halls and up some stairs. But it was easier to find our room in this place! We got all dressed up for dinner, then went down and ate. It wasn't very good (they tried to have fancy/weird food) but the desert was nice. We went to bed and woke up early and packed and went down to breakfast. We were the first ones there because we were trying to check out so early. They had a better selection of food for breakfast, but it still wasn't very good. So after, we got all our bags out to the car and took a walk around the property. It was cold and kind of misting. It was really pretty, all green with trees and sheep.

Then back to the road and drove back down to Edinbourgh. We stopped a few times along the way to look at stuff-like Stirling Castle, which was really cool. But then we got lost on the way back and had to take a bunch of extra time. We returned the car and took a taxi into the city to our last bed and breakfast. It was a really cool place, but it didn't have an elevator either. And we were on the very top floor. So 4 flights of stairs later, we got to our room. It was pretty small, but cozy. And it had a really cool opening window with a great view.

We had a 'ghost tour' staring at 9:45. It was cool, but we didn't get to go into the vaults as mcuh as we would have liked. It was more the guide just telling ghost stories about the town and going to the places they were supposed to have happened. Then after we ate in a Pizza Hut and went back to the room and watched a bit of Harry Potter 1. We didn't have to wake up very early the next morning, our only tour was in the afternoon. So we just wandered around the city.

The tour only had 1 other person in it besides me and mom, and this tour we just went down into the vaults. It was nice because there weren't very many of us, so we could kinda just go and do our own thing. The guide gave us little machines (don't remember what they were called) that measured the electromagneticy or something in the area. So when you were around 'ghost' energy they would beep. They were really fun and I was getting a lot of beeps, untit MOM STOLE MY BEEPER! And she gave me her broken one! But I got a new one from the guide, but I just didn't get as many beeps after that :( Wish we could've had more time in there though.

So after we didn't do much, we ate in McDonalds and and a desert in Pizza Hut. Then got back late and packed it all up. We had to wake up really early in the morning and take a cab to the airport. It was a short plane ride back to London, but then it took a while to find where to leave Mom's luggage then where to catch a train into the city. We finally worked it all out though and found our way to Victoria Station. We wandered outside, looking where we should go, and found a 'Big Bus Tour' bus. So we bought tickets and hopped on.

It was 25 pounds for Mom and just 10 for me because in all the UK I'm considered a child! So I always got in for cheaper! How lucky :] It went all around the city and was a pretty good deal. We could just sit down (which was good because we still had my bag-to-be-checked and my carry-on) and see the city and get some history. At first we sat inside, but when we switched drivers and guides we went upstairs to see better. It was definitely a better spot view wise, but it was really cold and when the bus was in motion, very very windy! So it was a little miserable, but a good view of the city.

After we did the full loop back the Victoria Station, we grabbed a bite to eat at KFC and went to buy our tickets back to my airport, and to my airport and mom's airport for mom. It was really confusing. But we finally got the tickets we needed, but we had to make a bunch of stops and stuff. So we had to go in the underground, which was really confusing and badly market and small and a little dirty. But we found our right stop, then didn't know how to get to the station for there, but we walked a little and asked people along the way and found it. So we got to my airport in plenty of time. There were almost no seats in the area before security, so we had to sit on the floor. But then we got kicked out of the area because there was going to be a 'function' going on there. So we went to sit in the restaurant right beside it, but then got kicked out of our seat again because it was reserved, so then went to another area inside it, but went to order a smoothie, and the waiter told us the area we were in was only for people ordering dinner, so finally we found a seat. It was a bad ending to our already not-so-absolutely fabulous day in London.

So that's the trip. I arrived back in Madrid at like, 11pm on Tuesday and my host mom picked me up. I really wish we could've stayed longer, but I'm happy that I got a little break from Spain at all.

And hey, only 67 more days until I'm home!

I'll try to make another Youtube slide show of the pics I do have of the trip.