Gettin' around Scotland

In the past month we've had several opportunities to do some traveling within Scotland, and it's been wonderful! I've had a dream fulfilled of traveling by train across the expanses of the UK, and Tony had a chance to fulfill a dream of driving on the other side of the road. My heart was about to beat right out of my chest after the first 5 minutes in the passenger seat and I gladly offered the front seat to our friend Christopher when we picked he and his wife up for our weekend excursion!

We spent Valentine's Day weekend exploring the region of Inverness with our friends Christopher and Jackie. Jackie amazed us with her adventurous spirit despite being 8 1/2 months pregnant with her first baby. We rented a car (and GPS, thankfully) to get us to our hostel, explored Inverness the next day (including the infamous Loch Ness), and then drove through Stirling on our way home the last day. We soaked up every moment of beauty in the open spaces outside the city and cherished the long hours of conversation and fun with our friends. My pictures from the trip can be seen here, but here are a few highlights:

Placid Loch Ness

Lighthouse along a loch in Inverness

Beautiful shells along the shore
(this is one of my favorite pictures of the trip!)

Trying to stay warm while exploring northern Scotland!

A few weeks ago we had the opportunity to travel up to the University of Aberdeen to hear a lecture given by Alistair McGrath in the Gifford Lecture Series. It was a real highlight for me to put my academic thinking cap on and engage my mind with a fascinating topic - Natural Theology and the Quest for Meaning. The venue at King's Campus was inspiring and the whole evening typified what I thought it would be like to live and study in the UK. We managed to eat a quick dinner at Carmine's, a wonderful little Italian restaurant, before the lecture began. The food was wonderful - certainly the best Italian food I've had in 2 years - and was accentuated by the jolly Italian gentlemen that greeted us, took our order, made the food, and served it!

View of the ocean from the train ride up the eastern coast of ScotlandUnion Street - Aberdeen (The Grey City)

Then yesterday I had the opportunity to travel to Glasgow to attend an event for my work. I took the train out and back in one day, but had an hour to do some exploring before I came back. It rained on and off throughout the day, but it didn't deter me from marching around in my raincoat! I did manage to get hit by the 3 foot splash created by a car flying through a muddy puddle on the road (the second time this has happened to me, for the record!) and consoled myself by thinking of the laughter the scene undoubtedly provided for those who witnessed it.

Buchanan Street, Glasgow - shopping central!

A police booth? Haven't seen any of these in Edinburgh!

A statue in the park along the River Clyde

Bridges along the River Clyde

In St. George's Square

Reflections of St. George's Square on a rainy day

The charming entrance to a hotel along the square I would have loved to stay in!
Alas, my work budget only covers the train ticket...

And lastly, a shot of the beautiful flowers Tony had waiting for me after a long day of work last Saturday. It took a week for them to bloom this fully which has made them even better - I love waiting to see the true beauty of flowers when they open. They've been indulged with glorious sunlight pouring through our windows in the afternoons lately.

What a lucky girl am I.