10 Things You'll Love About Scotland

1. Scottish Whisky

Dubbed "Scotch" by Americans, this stuff is the crème de la crème of all the whiskeys. Our tour brought us to Tomatin, a whisky distillery we got to go inside of:

I'm not a huge whiskey fan, but when it comes to Scotch whisky, I'm suddenly converted. 

2. Castles! 

3. Men, in Kilts

4. The Sun Staying Up Late

I took this photo around 10 pm! 

5. These Guys

6. Signs that Remind you that you're in Scotland

I have a thing for finding unique signs in different countries. 

7. Dramatic Cliffs

8. Loch Ness

Okay, so it's not the most impressive lake in the world. But it's world famous and surrounded by pure serenity.

9. Profound Memorials to the Fallen

 Each protruding stone represents a Jacobite that died in the famous 1746 battle.

The dominant and undeniably cool William Wallace Memorial.

10. Green Fields Forever

Scotland: Greenery and Good Omens

Scotland is pure magic. If you're feeling down-and-out, depressed, manic, or all of the above, book a flight to Scotland straight away. There's just something about that shade of green mixed with the gregarious Scottish spirit that will set your heart right.

A story from my first day in Scotland: Laura and I had signed up for a bus tour; I was genuinely excited about the scenes I was about to take in from my window seat. Within the first hour of driving, I saw something that will be etched on my brain for eternity. Right out the window was a field of yellow flowers, with a single white horse and a waterfall in the background. It was one of the most beautiful scenes I have ever witnessed. I knew it was a message from the universe, God, and life that things were going to be ok. I call that moment my good omen. I didn't have a camera ready to take a picture; however, I'm glad I didn't cheapen that moment with a photograph.

***
The trip started with two eager women strapped in their seats, ready to go!

 Our tour was "wild and sexy." I highly recommend Haggis Adventures. They picked gorgeous and worthwhile stops for us to explore, and provided quite possibly the best tour guide I ever had! (More about him in the next post). Just look at the gorgeous places we stopped at: 

 This is the little hideaway where J.M. Barrie, author of Peter Pan, penned his famed novel.

And, these next set of photos...well, these are my favorite bits of Scotland! The first photo is from the Isle of Skye, and the next few photos are from the Glencoe region. GORGEOUS. 

AND I HAVE SO MUCH MORE TO SHOW YOU!!!!! *calm down Ashley, CALM DOWN* Until the next post, dear readers! 

A Three-Sentence Movie Review

(we interrupt our regularly scheduled travel posts for a movie review post)

1. Boyhood

I heard about this movie years ago--a movie filmed over the span of 12 years capturing a young boy actor actually growing up before your eyes--and it truly didn't disappoint. This movie will go down as a poignant masterpiece that succeeded in capturing the human disposition. A deeper-than-the-surface work of art that not only makes you think, but makes you relate so much you start to cringe in your seat from all the realness.

2. Endless Love 

I would rename this Endless Love (or At Least Until We're Twenty), cause that's what it really it is. Young love is still fun to watch and if you want a little bit of badly-acted fun, this is your movie! Kids these days.
















3. Guardians of the Galaxy

The soundtrack is as good as they say, especially because they added Marvin in the mix. One of the better done Marvel movies--it entertained and even made me cry! All I can end with is: WE ARE GROOT (tear).









4. Girl Most Likely

Compared to Bridesmaids (because, you know...Kristen Wiig), this movie is a C at most. However, there's something great about watching Kristen play in these down-and-out to fabulous roles. Because of her adorable awkwardness, the movie is worth a one-time watch.

Images via 1/2/3/4

Christmas in July Party

Whilst in London, I had the pleasure of being able to attend my friend Stu's "Christmas in July" party. Everything I love about London can be found in these photos: a cheeky community coming together drinking copious amounts of wine, wearing silly hats, and allowing for a little bit of humor. 

Stu = Sad Santa?

 I know you're chowing down, boys, but CHEESE! (I'm evil) 

 I had ripped my contact that morning and foolishly did not bring a back-up. So it was glasses for the rest of the trip (argh). Giorgio was my glasses buddy! 

 I just love when English companies go overboard with American-themed stuff ^

 We had a Secret Santa gift exchange! 

 The whole crew. 

Ya know. 

The aftermath ^

Laura and I actually couldn't stay at the party for terribly long because we had to dash to our train for Scotland. We hurriedly made our way to Kings Cross (one of my fave stations):

 And yes, this is the station to find Harry. 

We took our seats, ordered some tea and water to sober up a bit (ha!), and relaxed on a five-hour train ride up the U.K.! 

***

Next post: Scotland. 

Snapshots of London

As mentioned in my post before, London is a second home of mine. I didn't take a gazillion pictures because I felt like I was simply kickin' it in my neighborhood. I do have a few snapshots to share, though.

When I first got into London, I felt an intense need to visit all my favorite spots, places that I missed being in and looking at. This included:

The Natural History Museum: still my favorite building in ALL of London.

The Muffin Man: Cute little corner cafe I used to frequent to get cheap Devon Cream Teas. 

Notting Hill: Gosh, I love Portobello Rd. Market! 

Pub Quiz in Vauxhall: When I lived across the pond, we used to go to pub quiz almost every Tuesday. I told everyone we were having a mandatory quiz night when I came over! 

And Richmond: The part of London I used to live in, complete with cute cafes by the river. 

Besides my main checklist, the rest was just gravy: 

Oh yeah, um...I graduated!

Obviously, the best part about London was the fantastic and amazing people I got to (re)visit. My heart was so happy to see such a great lot again!