4:45 am comes really quick. I must say today was a very long day and I can tell the students are beginning to see how these trips really work. The meeting we had before our trip couldn’t explain how busy we really are traveling around the world. I am also very proud of the students for their endurance, especially today. As the wake-up call came in at 4:45 am (11:45 pm your time) I know today would be a long day. It was important that we treated it like a marathon and not a race. Our first trek was to get from our Hotel in Belfast and head over to the Dock for our 2.5 hour cruise to Scotland, our third country on this trip. We made it with no issues. We took all of our bags off the bus and brought them into the port to be loaded on the Ship. The process was quite easy as you put your own bag on the belt. Once you do this you head to the waiting area to board the boat. Kind of like a regular cruise ship at home without the glamour. Once the 2.5 hours of much needed rest and relaxation from our cruise ended. It was time to enter our third country on the trip Scotland. The weather was quite miserable here in Scotland today, we experienced rain, sleet and a lot of snow. Not quite the welcome that we expected from the Scots. We also met our third driver Peter, quite the character and a really good guy who wants to do his best for his passengers. Our great Tour guide Roberto (Pop, Pop) made sure everyone collected their luggage and we worked as a team to get it on the bus. Once everything was on the bus we headed towards Glasgow, about a 1.5 hour drive from the port. This allowed time for another much needed time for rest. The drive to Glasgow was very scenic as we drove through the coast of the Irish/Scottish Sea. As we entered Glasgow, Peter gave us a quick tutorial of the important buildings of the city. We stopped briefly for lunch, which we actually enjoyed some Italian today. Once lunch was complete, we headed to the other side of town to learn about the Tax collectors tower and the hangings in the city during the 16th century. Now it was time to head out to Edinburgh, another 1.5 hour drive to the other side of Scotland. Again, we experienced weather all of the way to Edinburgh and all of our time in Edinburgh. It really did not clear up until we left the city. We received a short tour of the city before about an hour and a half of free time before dinner. Dinner was a mash and sausages, it was not too bad, but not the best representation of Scotland which would be Fish and Chips. I could probably do the Fish and Chips at least once a day. It is so fresh and the chips so crisp. After dinner, it was off to the hotel about a forty-five minute drive to the city of Stirling. A very medieval city with a beautiful castle on top of the hill. It is also the home to William Wallace (Of Braveheart fame). There is a huge monument to him above the city. Now the hotel was a little bit shaky from the beginning. Normal small European rooms, but more like dorm rooms compared to hotel rooms. Our first Fire Alarm went off around 10:30 am because the boiler overheated. This did not allow me to finish this blog this morning. The Second alarm went off when I started to finish the blog and send it out this morning. It went off for the same reason. I would say that we probably shouldn’t shower since that is the reason that it went off, but for the bus and the sake of the bus we must shower. Today we do our tour of Edinburgh castle and this afternoon we head to our final destination on this trip London. We arrive in London quite late, so I am not sure what we will be able to see before lights out. More tomorrow
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AuthorMr. Lopez is the primary author of our blogs. However, on each trip Mr. Lopez invites guest bloggers to add their flair to our experiences. Guest bloggers will be noted at the bottom of the blog. Archives
April 2018
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