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Scotland 5: Day 44

04.13.16 | Ullapool Ferry Terminal | 12:11

I’m sitting in the Ullapool ferry terminal, just trying to keep out of the cold wind. I’m frustrated with the fact that I have to be out of the hostel every day from 10:00 until 16:30. I just walked up a hill and have come back to shower and possibly take a nap- nope. They told me I can’t be inside. Understand that it’s April in Scotland. There is cold weather and there is rain here, more often than not. I basically have no shelter during the day while I’m in this windy, seaport town. Once I’m allowed back in, I’m going to have to jump on the internet and see if I can afford another place. I’m budgeted to almost the dollar so this will be interesting, I’m sure. This isn’t normal. I have stayed in hostels all over the U.K., and in France,

Once I’m allowed back in, I’m going to have to jump on the internet and see if I can afford another place. I’m budgeted down to almost the dollar so this will be interesting. This isn’t normal- I have stayed in hostels all over the U.K., and in France, Germany, and Australia. This has never happened. I understand closing a room or two at the time while it’s being cleaned but to have to leave the entire property?!

Sorry for that. I just had to vent for a moment. My walk up the hill was absolutely marvelous, even though it was quite cold today. I know I said it last night, but this valley is extremely beautiful!

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21:01

It’s nice to be in the hostel again. Even though I’m still frustrated, I’m not upset like I was earlier. I shouldn’t write when I’m that upset. It’s like shopping while you’re hungry- there’s no telling what may happen.

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Scotland 5: Day 43

04.12.16 | Invergordon > Inverness | 07:22

The artwork at the Invergordon station reminds me of the artwork at Denver International Airport. It’s nice but disturbing. This one has a few morbid scenes, but not as many as Denver. I know there’s a story there and I should google that. Maybe later.

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I woke up this morning just before 06:00 so I could put all my clothes in my backpack and grab a quick breakfast. The little old lady who works in the hotel kitchen confronted me to let me know that I didn’t have to leave a tip, as I’d been doing each morning after breakfast. She was a bit embarrassed by this confrontation, I could tell. I told her that it was not a big deal and left her another few pounds. I don’t think she’s used to being tipped because the breakfast is actually included in the hotel stay. She’s a sweety.

Ullapool Hostel | 20:02

Ullapool is an absolutely beautiful little town! It sits right not he water and the view from the hostel is breathtaking! I can’t wait to get out and explore tomorrow. Tonight I’m just too tired to do much this evening. I’m told there are some great walks nearby and things to see. Once my devices are all charged up, I may just head to bed a bit early.

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Scotland 5: Day 42

04.11.16 | Invergordon Hotel | 21:41

This morning I have confirmed what I already suspected: There’s not much going on in Invergordon. As I explained the other day, it is about the size of Thatcher, the little town in southeastern Arizona where I grew up. I love Thatcher, but most of my entertainment was the friends I hung out with. I walked two blocks south to the back of Cromarty Firth and followed it out of Inverness and into Saltburn, the next town over. I was thankful that the sun was out, even though there was a cold breeze blowing.

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Scotland 5: Day 41

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04.10.16 | Invergordon, Scotland | 18:08

Not too much to report today. I woke up this morning, and the rain was pouring down- not just sprinkling. Cold wind too! It was crazy! I bundled up and walked down the street to find the local place to attend church. It was just what I needed! About 25 people were in attendance, and they were so happy to see me, or they acted like they were. They really went out of their way to make me feel welcome.

Dinner was a simple Chinese take-out. Will make for good leftovers for breakfast tomorrow. I am planning on getting a good look around Invergordon tomorrow. This is a great little town. I hope to have some great pictures soon!

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Scotland 5: Day 40

04.09.16 | Thurso > Invergordon | 13:09

Yesterday’s sunshine was very short-lived. Today, Thurso feels more like late February than the beginning of April. After a fast look at the ocean in the rain, I made my way to ‘Reid’s’, which is the place I’ve been eating my breakfast the last three mornings, for one more meal. A steak puff and some hot chocolate- the same thing I’ve had every morning while here. This has become my morning ritual in Thurso.

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Since the hostel required me to be checked out before 10:00, I had no place to go, other than the train station. It’s too cold to be the tourist, and with my heavy pack back on my back, I didn’t want to wander too many places either. For the past three hours, I have been pacing the cold train station. I didn’t want to sit because I know that this train ride to Invergordon is going to be a three-hour tour.

Invergordon Hotel | 19:58

Invergordon is a very sweet little town. The population is just over 4000 people, so this is about the size of Thatcher, Arizona, the town where I grew up. In other words, I can relate to Invergordon. Take Thatcher out of the desert, put it in a more wet climate and add some older buildings. This is Invergordon. At least that’s my opinion so far.

There’s not much here as far as entertainment, however. I went to google maps and put in ‘cinema’ and the nearest one that came up is in Inverness. One of my friends in the states googled “Invergordon Scotland Entertainment” and I guess the have some kind of Country and Western celebration in July. That’s awesome! Too bad it happens to be April!

After dinner, I walked down the main street in town to find something sweet to take back to the hotel with me. I asked the cashier at the convenience store what people do for entertainment on a Saturday night here. She told me there was a great pub nearby, and proceeded to explain the directions. Since I don’t drink, this was off-putting, but maybe there’s live music or something there. I may go check it out in awhile. Otherwise, I think it’s a Netflix kind of night.

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Scotland 5: Day 39

04.08.16 | Thurso Hostel | 13:30

This morning I followed the Thurso river to what was supposed to be a big Salmon hatchery place. I must have misunderstood. There was nothing there but a dammed part of the river. There may have been salmon in it, but I couldn’t tell. The way it was talked about, I was expecting an actual built facility. I guess not. It was a short, but scenic walk.

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I have two new roommates. They are a father and son from Fair Isle, which is a tiny Island between Orkney and Shetland [map]. They are biking around the U.K. and are on one of their last stops before going back home. The son is young and full of so much energy, but the father is a bit aged and set in his ways (that’s the nice way of saying it).

They’re nice and there is love there, but I can see that there is a bit of tension in their relationship. I’ve gathered that the father has recently divorced the mother and are now living separately. I was sitting on my bed earlier, and the father asked me if I felt disconnected to the world since I’m staring at my laptop.

I told him that I definitely wasn’t disconnected from the world. I told him that this isn’t a scenario where I’m sitting down at the dinner table, ignoring my family or loved ones. This is a scenario where I’m traveling in a country alone, staying in hostels by myself and have chosen to spend a few minutes watching a movie.

He went on about how horrible he thinks it is that people are constantly on their phones and electronic distractions in this day and age. I do agree with him, but I know this frustration comes to him because he really hasn’t kept up with what is going on nowadays. Yes, it can be overdone- but these electronic “distractions” are how we shop, communicate with our loved ones, plan, and so many other things. It can’t help that he is in his upper 60’s (from the looks of things) and that he has chosen a place to live such as Fair Isle.

I’m not knocking his choice of location. I, as much as any person understands that want and the need to live rural, but I also understand that there is often a lack-of-progress in such places. That’s not a bad thing at all. I just think it’s easier to acknowledge that the world has ALWAYS changed and like it or not, is going to ALWAY change (hopefully for the better).

14:51

I found out (a little too late) that today there was a surfing competition. I thought I’d go check it out for a few minutes. When I got to the bay, I regretted not having my scarf or hat. The wind has kicked in, it was hitting me in the face. It was like a constant ice cream headache.

I took one picture of some surfers swimming in, and decided to head back to the hostel and bundle up a little better. Then I heard the announcer over the loud speaker at the event say that there was only 5 minutes left of the competition. I guess I missed it.

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19:06

Dinner was curry again. Just like the last curry, it tasted delicious, but this one had no spice to it. I’m too afraid to ask for hot though because I did that once at and Indian restaurant up on Shetland, five years ago, and they made it so hot that I couldn’t eat more than one bite. Such a traumatic memory!

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Scotland 5 Day 38

04.07.16 | Thurso Hostel | 21:15

I decided this morning to explore the east side of the bay this time, hoping I’d get further along than my visit to Scrabster yesterday. I tried to reach the ocean. Soon, the farm road that I was following turned and headed off in the wrong direction and I found myself getting further from my goal. Still, it was a beautiful walk!

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Tonight I went to see Superman vs Batman for a second time, ignoring my nephew Sam’s advice on Facebook (wait for it to come out on DVD). I actually liked it a lot better this time. Last time, if you recall, I was half asleep throughout the entire film. That was a tough watch for me. I hated it for that reason. I actually like it now.

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Scotland 5: Day 37

04.06.16 | Thurso Hostel | 16:15

This morning was a perfect morning! I wandered into town and found a “breakfast roll” for breakfast. Like a pig-in-a-blanket, but instead of just the sausage, there was sausage, egg, bacon and beans. I wonder when and why Scotland decided that beans is a breakfast food. I’m not mocking them, but beans are everywhere here- especially when it comes to breakfast choices. Don’t they know about gas?

I went for a long walk to the ocean. Oh, how I love the ocean! I wandered for about three hours, walking very slowly toward Scrabster along the beach while listening to podcasts and conference talks. This is such a beautiful place! I didn’t realize this before, but Thurso happens to be the northernmost city on the mainland of the United Kingdom. File that one away for later.

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When I made it back to the hostel, it started raining and it’s pretty much been doing that all day long, or at least up to this point. I get it April showers bring May flowers. No prob. A nap was in order. I probably got about 20 minutes of sleep and have spent the rest of the afternoon indoors.

18:06

I just got back from an early dinner. I found a really great Chinese food place, and since I hadn’t had any lunch, I ordered way too much! You know the expression “Your eyes are bigger than your stomach”? Yeah- that. It was pretty great food, even though there was zero spice to it after ordering a dish that was supposed to be spicy. No worries, though.

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Scotland 5: Day 36

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Pigeon at Waverly Station in Edinburgh.

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Waverly Station

04.05.16 | Edinburgh > Inverness | 09:40

It’s sad that most of my entries discuss the condition of the wifi. When did that become a thing? How did we survive as a species before the early ’90s when the internet wasn’t available to everyone? You know- before Al Gore invented it. Keeping with this theme: The internet on the train going north is horrible. I have to swap to a different train as soon as I reach Inverness. I hope things will improve.

If you’re following along with a map in hand, you may be wondering why I went from Inverness, all the way down to Edinburgh for a week and am now going all the way back up north. When I was booking my stays, one of my friends asked if he could join me for part of this trip. He told me when he was available and I had a thought that if he was only going to see two places, Inverness and Edinburgh would be the places to see. I’m not sure how much of a country boy he is, and these two places would give him a great feel for Scottish culture.

So I backed Inverness and Edinburgh up next to each other, booked my rooms and transportation and then my friend decided that he couldn’t join me after all. So, onward and upward- the next stop is going to be Thurso.

I’ve been to Thurso once, the last time I visited Scotland. It’s a lovely little city, right on the ocean. Someone once told me that that was a good place to surf. I would add: Yeah- if you want to freeze to death. Apparently, where the Atlantic meets the North Sea, there are some killer waves. I’ve never surfed so I cannot confirm or deny that claim.

Inverness > Thurso | 14:09

I had about two hours to kill when my train got to Inverness, so I thought I’d trudge over to The Godfather’s and enjoy a fish and chips. I use the word ‘trudge’ because my backpack is pretty dang heavy. Maybe ‘trudge’ isn’t the right word. I’m open to grammatical suggestions.

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Now I’m on my way- the couple sharing the train seats with me are also going all the way to Thurso. I haven’t gotten all their deep, dark secrets yet… they’re way too quiet for my taste. When I do, I’ll be sure to update you.

Thurso Hostel | 20:14

I love this hostel. I’m attracted to hostels that are old and just a little run down. As long as they’re clean, that is. I like their quirkiness. It’s like going to visit grandma’s house. The perfect example is the hostel I stayed in when I was in Hobart, Tasmania last year. Brilliant! This one isn’t as old as that one, but it tries. When the train arrived in Thurso, I remembered the directions from the station to the hostel. Not bad after only having been here once! I wanted to go see the ocean immediately but was very hungry. More than five hours on a train does that to a guy.

I went to the first restaurant I saw, right near the hostel. So tonight was curry again! I love it so much! I may be spending a little extra time in the loo tomorrow, though- totally worth it! A good curry burns going down, and then again coming out. That was crude! I’m sorry! You can quote me, though.

After sitting and eating, I could feel my body wanting to fall off to sleep. The ocean will have to wait until tomorrow morning. Sorry- no pictures from Thurso tonight. I’ll take some tomorrow. Think I’m going to call it an early night.

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Scotland 5: Day 34

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04.03.16 | Edinburgh, Scotland | 10:29

It’s raining today—a cold and windy Sunday morning. I just got back from breakfast and think I’ll stay inside and see if some of this cold weather burns off. I don’t mind the overcast weather, but I planned to walk through a cemetery or two to look for names. At the moment, that would be a damp mess. Instead, I’m sitting on my hostel bed, waiting for some inspirational talks to download onto my iPhone.

19:31

I found a late lunch at a restaurant west of the castle called Bun Meats Bun. Quite a creative name- many of their menu items had clever names as well, such as “The Lamb Shank Redemption.” I giggled as I looked it over. I ended up getting a burger, but this was unlike any other burger I’ve had. You see- this was called a Butter Bacon Burger… but the butter was made from bone marrow!

This is what I call opening myself up to trying new things. The problem is that the burger tasted quite weird. I think it’s merely the fact that they told me what I was eating, so I wanted to reject it automatically. That’s not what life is about- life is about (or should be about) opening yourself up to new experiences, at least in my opinion. I think it would’ve tasted better if I’d not known the ingredients.

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19:35

I feel sorry for one of my roommates at the hostel here. He stays up all night playing some game on his computer, and then he sleeps all day. Doesn’t he realize how amazing this city is? There’s so much to see and do and experience! That being said, I’m going for a walk, maybe up Calton Hill, but I haven’t decided yet. I have downloaded most of the General Conference talks and am going to go have a listen.