Scotland days 9, 10, 11, 12 and USA
Sunday and Monday were both nice, quiet days. We hiked into town, got soaked on the way because of course it decides to start raining halfway into town. Had lunch at the tearoom. Only difference with Monday is we bought a bunch of postcards to mail home and I bought a bunch of souvenirs from the tearoom gift shop.
Tuesday we were able to book a hotel right by the Edinburgh airport, at a full service Marriott, which came with breakfast even! So we got up early, caught the 9:45 bus from Newcatleton to Hawick, which made all of us extrememly nauseous, then caught the X95 to Edinburgh. We got in about 1:30 pm, checked in then went out to discover the town.
We went to the Edinburgh Castle which was absolutely amazing! I stood in the hall where Mary Queen of Scots got King Henry's VIII invitation to court, to be assasinated!
Then we went and found a pub and I finally had my sheperds pie! And they also got it too and loved it. I also had this amazingly tasty berry cider and Cynthia had a tasty strawberry lime one.
Afterward, we hiked around town for another two hours before heading back to the hotel to fix Cynthia's iPod then pack up.
Wednesday I woke up around 5 and dozed off and on until about 8:30 then we went downstairs for breakfast. Afterwards I got to lay in a nice hot deep bath before taking a shower, then finished packing up my stuff.
That's when things started going downhill. At first I couldn't help but laugh at things, but by the end I was so tired, frustrated, sore, grumpy and just wanted to get home I ended up crying. But we'll get to that.
Tuesday, bus fare from our hotel to the center of town was only 1.40, it was like 20 minute ride... From the hotel to the airport, same bus, we figured it'd be the same... So we all had change in hand but wallets stowed away... Bus to the airport from hotel was only 5 minutes... it was 2.50, not bad, but annoying and a bit hard to manage when I was carrying both backpacks.
Get checked in, get through security, everything is hunky dory. When we get to Birmingham we have to go find where to check in for our connecting flight tickets, don't see our luggage come out so believe it is being transferred for us. Cynthia and I made a joke about hoping our luggage got lost so we didn't have to haul it around... Well, Karma is a bitch and sure enough, her suitcase and my backpack gets misplaced, but not Lisa's.
When we go to go through security, I, wearing the same stuff as I had been earlier in the Edinburgh security, get to be patted down because the machine decided I set it off, when it hadn't earlier at the other airport. And, on top of that, they have to search my backpack... for nothing... Fine, whatever, not a big, deal, just annoying because it meant we were held up and couldn't go eat. We catch our flight, get to Paris to find our luggage not there.
Cynthia and I both go file claims for our luggage and are given over night bags with toiletries and a clean shirt.
Then we spend the night in the CDG airport and get maybe 30 minutes of sleep. Go get my suitcase from Baggage du Monde and spend about 15 minutes trying to find where to go for our next flight. At this point, Cynthia is super tired and we part ways, her to catch her bus back to Paris, us to find checkin.
We get to line and are both asked if we'd be so kind as to stay in Paris a day because both hers and my flights had been over booked, we were both OH HELL NO, wanting nothing more than to get home. So we get checked in, go wash our faces, brush teeth, etc, then get through security, only to discover there are on restaurants on that side of the security. Awesome... So we spend nearly 20 euro on tea, a muffin, orange juice, a sandwich and a macaroon... Fine, I had the 50 for that day anyway.
We go to our gates, and sit for the next two hours where Lisa and I have to say goodbye, which we both cry. I'm really going to miss her. You don't find many TRUE close friends in life, and Lisa is one of mine and I am really going to miss seeing her everyday. Maybe I can convince her to move here ;)
The 7 hour and 54 minute flight, I was close to falling asleep about 3 times and everytime I did, someone would walk down the aisle (aisle seat again...) and jostle me awake, so I gave up and watched movies, which was nice and Free!
Get in to Philly, get through customs easily, my suitcase is thankfully NOT lost, get to my gate (still not hungry, been nauseous pretty much since leaving Edinburgh so havent eaten much) try and nap there, but can't.
On top of that, my phone is being a POS and pissing me off. Time goes by soooo slowly, and at this point I have been awake since about 10 pm MTS Tuesday night and it is now Thursday afternoon. And I got a voicemail from Paris air france saying they had my luggage but not my address, even though it was filled in BEFORE my phone number, and I had no way of calling them back.
Finally board, where we get to sit on the fucking plane on the tarmac for two and a half hours. I had it, I lost it. I called Charles in tears, frustrated, tired, upset, hungry, nauseous and all around just done, wanting nothing more than to get home. And on top of things, he can't be here when I get here because his laser broke while in Albuquerque so he has to stay an extra night which is icing to my freaked out cake...
We finally get to leave 2 and a half hours late, which puts me in to Denver at 10:30 pm. Luckily Kyle is there and immediately makes me feel better with a dorky text. We get my suitcase, get to dads house around 11:30 pm.
Dad stayed up to meet me, let me use his computer to call air france, where I was told they did not have my luggage and were not handling my claim and to call Edinburgh, which isn't even open yet. So he showed me some new stuff with the house after to calm me down and we talked til about 12:30 where he went to bed. Then mom got up and came to say hello and we talked til about 1:30 where she went back to bed, and I finally went to bed about 2 am.
Then I woke up about 5, laid awake for about 40 minutes before deciding to get up and call Edinburgh about my bag, where I was told to call Birmingham who told me they didn't handle my airline anymore and I needed to call the airport I made the claim at originally... Again...
So I call CDG back and basically verbally bitch slap the woman on the other end of the phone telling her to go personally check and look for my damn bag and get it shipped to me. I'd reached my last straw.
Mom heard me up and came and talked with me some more then I stayed up til about 7 am, not able to sleep, started my laundry, then went back to bed where I slept off and on in about 30 minutes bursts until about 11.
I had me a Miko and Sapphire for sleeping buddies then I got up and ate breakfast, laid in a big old bubbly jacuzzi bath, took a shower, and am now just hanging out with Sapphire, relaxing, waiting on people to get home and Charles to get here. I finally feel human again! And much less grumpy.
All in all, it was the most amazing 6 weeks I've ever had and I had a blast and made some great friends and spent time with a great friend. We're planning on doing something next year, maybe a roadtrip or a Yellowstone trip, something new and exciting. And that's a wrap!
Tuesday we were able to book a hotel right by the Edinburgh airport, at a full service Marriott, which came with breakfast even! So we got up early, caught the 9:45 bus from Newcatleton to Hawick, which made all of us extrememly nauseous, then caught the X95 to Edinburgh. We got in about 1:30 pm, checked in then went out to discover the town.
We went to the Edinburgh Castle which was absolutely amazing! I stood in the hall where Mary Queen of Scots got King Henry's VIII invitation to court, to be assasinated!
Then we went and found a pub and I finally had my sheperds pie! And they also got it too and loved it. I also had this amazingly tasty berry cider and Cynthia had a tasty strawberry lime one.
Afterward, we hiked around town for another two hours before heading back to the hotel to fix Cynthia's iPod then pack up.
Wednesday I woke up around 5 and dozed off and on until about 8:30 then we went downstairs for breakfast. Afterwards I got to lay in a nice hot deep bath before taking a shower, then finished packing up my stuff.
That's when things started going downhill. At first I couldn't help but laugh at things, but by the end I was so tired, frustrated, sore, grumpy and just wanted to get home I ended up crying. But we'll get to that.
Tuesday, bus fare from our hotel to the center of town was only 1.40, it was like 20 minute ride... From the hotel to the airport, same bus, we figured it'd be the same... So we all had change in hand but wallets stowed away... Bus to the airport from hotel was only 5 minutes... it was 2.50, not bad, but annoying and a bit hard to manage when I was carrying both backpacks.
Get checked in, get through security, everything is hunky dory. When we get to Birmingham we have to go find where to check in for our connecting flight tickets, don't see our luggage come out so believe it is being transferred for us. Cynthia and I made a joke about hoping our luggage got lost so we didn't have to haul it around... Well, Karma is a bitch and sure enough, her suitcase and my backpack gets misplaced, but not Lisa's.
When we go to go through security, I, wearing the same stuff as I had been earlier in the Edinburgh security, get to be patted down because the machine decided I set it off, when it hadn't earlier at the other airport. And, on top of that, they have to search my backpack... for nothing... Fine, whatever, not a big, deal, just annoying because it meant we were held up and couldn't go eat. We catch our flight, get to Paris to find our luggage not there.
Cynthia and I both go file claims for our luggage and are given over night bags with toiletries and a clean shirt.
Then we spend the night in the CDG airport and get maybe 30 minutes of sleep. Go get my suitcase from Baggage du Monde and spend about 15 minutes trying to find where to go for our next flight. At this point, Cynthia is super tired and we part ways, her to catch her bus back to Paris, us to find checkin.
We get to line and are both asked if we'd be so kind as to stay in Paris a day because both hers and my flights had been over booked, we were both OH HELL NO, wanting nothing more than to get home. So we get checked in, go wash our faces, brush teeth, etc, then get through security, only to discover there are on restaurants on that side of the security. Awesome... So we spend nearly 20 euro on tea, a muffin, orange juice, a sandwich and a macaroon... Fine, I had the 50 for that day anyway.
We go to our gates, and sit for the next two hours where Lisa and I have to say goodbye, which we both cry. I'm really going to miss her. You don't find many TRUE close friends in life, and Lisa is one of mine and I am really going to miss seeing her everyday. Maybe I can convince her to move here ;)
The 7 hour and 54 minute flight, I was close to falling asleep about 3 times and everytime I did, someone would walk down the aisle (aisle seat again...) and jostle me awake, so I gave up and watched movies, which was nice and Free!
Get in to Philly, get through customs easily, my suitcase is thankfully NOT lost, get to my gate (still not hungry, been nauseous pretty much since leaving Edinburgh so havent eaten much) try and nap there, but can't.
On top of that, my phone is being a POS and pissing me off. Time goes by soooo slowly, and at this point I have been awake since about 10 pm MTS Tuesday night and it is now Thursday afternoon. And I got a voicemail from Paris air france saying they had my luggage but not my address, even though it was filled in BEFORE my phone number, and I had no way of calling them back.
Finally board, where we get to sit on the fucking plane on the tarmac for two and a half hours. I had it, I lost it. I called Charles in tears, frustrated, tired, upset, hungry, nauseous and all around just done, wanting nothing more than to get home. And on top of things, he can't be here when I get here because his laser broke while in Albuquerque so he has to stay an extra night which is icing to my freaked out cake...
We finally get to leave 2 and a half hours late, which puts me in to Denver at 10:30 pm. Luckily Kyle is there and immediately makes me feel better with a dorky text. We get my suitcase, get to dads house around 11:30 pm.
Dad stayed up to meet me, let me use his computer to call air france, where I was told they did not have my luggage and were not handling my claim and to call Edinburgh, which isn't even open yet. So he showed me some new stuff with the house after to calm me down and we talked til about 12:30 where he went to bed. Then mom got up and came to say hello and we talked til about 1:30 where she went back to bed, and I finally went to bed about 2 am.
Then I woke up about 5, laid awake for about 40 minutes before deciding to get up and call Edinburgh about my bag, where I was told to call Birmingham who told me they didn't handle my airline anymore and I needed to call the airport I made the claim at originally... Again...
So I call CDG back and basically verbally bitch slap the woman on the other end of the phone telling her to go personally check and look for my damn bag and get it shipped to me. I'd reached my last straw.
Mom heard me up and came and talked with me some more then I stayed up til about 7 am, not able to sleep, started my laundry, then went back to bed where I slept off and on in about 30 minutes bursts until about 11.
I had me a Miko and Sapphire for sleeping buddies then I got up and ate breakfast, laid in a big old bubbly jacuzzi bath, took a shower, and am now just hanging out with Sapphire, relaxing, waiting on people to get home and Charles to get here. I finally feel human again! And much less grumpy.
All in all, it was the most amazing 6 weeks I've ever had and I had a blast and made some great friends and spent time with a great friend. We're planning on doing something next year, maybe a roadtrip or a Yellowstone trip, something new and exciting. And that's a wrap!