Scotland: Day 6: North Side of Skye

Day 6: North Side of Skye

If yesterday was full of sitting in the car, today was full of All The Things. Katie and I roamed the north side of Skye today! We got off to a slow start, sleeping in, cherrios at our hostel, and tea at a local restaurant for some wi-fi, which we used to make plans for the our days here. 

After setting off, we first stopped at the standing stones in Borve. We turned off to a single-track farm road looking for a mini Stonehenge. After several minutes of seeing nothing but homesteads, we came upon three rocks on the side of the road. Literally. Had we been looking to our left, we would have missed them. No sign, no marker. Just a couple boulders chilling on the grass. They were about three feet off the side of the road, and there were two rocks about 5-feet tall and a third maybe 2-feet tall. We both asked one another if this was it and kept driving. Well, after googling it later, yes, that was it. You guys. The stones looked about impressive as the rocks on my parents’ alley entrance that keep people from driving on the grass. Needless to say, we were unimpressed. The Isle of Skye is supposed to have THE best of Scotland’s sights! What the heck happened here, guys? If this was a yelp review, I’d have to give it zero stars. 

We continued on our way and made it to the Old Man of Storr, which is a giant rock face with some rocks protuding into the sky. Just as we parked, it started raining--hard. So we decided to wait it out. Luckily, the rain ended after about ten minutes, so we pulled on our jackets and headed out. The hike took us about two hours round trip (about two miles), and was absolutely stunning. The majority of the path was paved with gravel, while the last bit was rocks and mud. It was pretty steep, but totally worth it. We stopped multiple times along the way to take in the view. By the time we got to the top, we were met with an incredible view of the Old Man (the famous rock), and snapped a few insta-worthy photos. We sat for a while and soaked it up before heading back down. Though we enjoyed dry weather and even a little sun on our way up, a rain cloud rolled through on our way down and tried to take us with it! One section of the path is totally exposed to the elements, and the wind was more powerful than I’ve ever felt. Oklahoma has nothing on the Scots! KDew and I were blown off the path multiple times and couldn’t stop laughing. Check out the video I posted to see what it was like!

After returning to the bottom, the rain stopped and we shook off the leftover wet before climbing back into the car. Neither of us had expected such a long and instense hike, but we enjoyed it. I had been hoping for some hiking out here, so I was glad to have found it! 

The wind had us looking a little less than polished, though. 

After our hike, we stopped for lunch/snack at a cafe in Staffin and used some of their wi-fi. Then we continued along the top of the island. Dunt did an excellent job on the single-track road! 

We stopped by Kilt Rock, which is most appropriately named for the pleats in the side of the mountain. The wind was whistling so uniquely off the coast that it sounded like someone was using wine glasses a la Miss Congeniality. 

Next, we stopped at Duntulm Castle, which is really just some ruins in a beautiful bay. Again, the wind was incredibly strong, so we made a fool of ourselves roaming about like lunatics and trying to avoid all the sheep poop. 

We even came across Hudson’s sheep twin: so fat he was sitting down, but still eating!

We took in the beautiful coast and gave a lot of graditude that it was sunny and dry the whole time! 

We took a quick break at our hostel to refuel and then headed to Faerie Glen, a land formation tucked inland just a bit that looks exactly like where fairies should live. It was a series of cone shaped hills running a long a gentle slope, and I could just imagine Tinkerbell and her friends flitting about from hill to hill. 

Tired, but still grateful to have dry sunshine, we took one last drive out to Quiraing, which is another jagged rock face. We didn’t hike it, but we drove around it a bit to get some views. My photos were from inside the car, so they aren’t much. We may return to hike it anther day. 

Back at our hostel, we just finished dinner and are chillin’ up in our room. Sunset should be in about an hour, 10:30 or so local time, though it never really gets dark. Tomorrow we’re going to hit up Portree and then head to the west side of the island to see what’s out there. Can’t wait! 

Scotland: Day 5: On the Road Again

After clearing out of our glamping pod (also, please enjoy this pic showing Katie the Giant, with her traditional towel-bib on), we hit the road and headed toward the Isle of Skye. Along the way, we pulled over to check out a couple of old churches and cemetaries as well as some breathtaking views! 

The scenary keeps changing on us, too. Roseneath and Fort William had an abundance of trees, ferns, shrubbery and gently sloping hills. As we drove northwest, we got more arid lands--grass and small shrubs, and then we rounded a corner and fell into thick forestry and dramatic hill slopes. Waterfalls cascade off each hill side, carving valleys into the sides of the mountains every few feet. Feral goats chill on the side of the road while we pass by. 

About halfway through the day, we stopped by Eilean Donan Castle. It stands on the intersection of three lochs and was originally built around 800AD and rebuilt on the 1800s by the family that still owns it today. The stronghold of the MacRae family, it’s been remodeled several time over the years and is open for private events today! One of the docents inside told us all about the family and some interesting tidbits. Like the secret rooms with slits thru the walls so that the guards could monitor the room’s activity and how the walls were so thick that there were secret passages between them. The walls have ears!

After our lunch, the tour of the castle, and quick pet to a fluffy pup in the parking lot, we hit the road again and crossed the Skye Bridge! 

We passed through Portree and kept going to our hostel. As we approached Uig, we climbed the mountain along a single-track road. We knew the view would be fantastic, but everything around us was blanketed in fog. We cooked some dinner and are now chilling in our room. The view from our window proves that we chose the right option to stay in tonight. It’s currently foggy, raining, windy, and chilly. Katie is listening to her new Scottish CD while I try desperately to tune out Scotland the Brave on pipes. So until next time! 

Scotland Day 4: The Day of Magic

"Harry, you’re a wizard!" 

Today was epic! In the world of Liz McLane, choosing a Harry Potter-based activity is always the right choice. Luckily, KDew (sorry, Trel, it’s a thing), knows me well and booked us seats of the Jacobite train from Fort Williams to Mallaig, aka, the Hogwarts Express!

Okay, think about the arial shots of the Hogwarts Express in the movie. Specifically, think about in the Chamber of Secrets, when Harry and Ron are flying in the car above the train as it speeds along the huge viaduct. THATS WHAT WE DID TODAY!! We rode the train along the Glenfinnan Viaduct and geeked out like crazy. Dunt is also a Harry Potter fan, so it’s not like I was alone here. It was just wonderful. The scenery along the way was also extraordinary. Green, sprawling mountains, lakes, fog settling along the ridge lines. Breathtaking. 

The train drops you off in a little coastal town named Mallaig, where we had lunch, popped into a souvenier shop, and then, because it was raining, found a little cafe for a spot of tea before heading back. 

On the way back, we also snapped a few photos of the filming location for Dumbledore’s final resting place. So basically, heaven. 

After returning to Fort Williams, we grabbed some snacks from a weirdly fancy grocery store and headed out to Loch Ness. Yes--THE Loch Ness. I had no idea what we were in for. I was expecting something between Glen Arbor and Niagra Falls in terms of touristy situations. 

We stopped at Loch Lochy (Lake Lakey!) for a quick photo op along the way. Here’s Katie, our fearless driver, with Seamus Finnigan, our trusty car! I mean, just look at this scenery! 

Back on the road, Dudders took us to Urquhart Castle! It sits along Loch Ness and was the largest and most powerful castle in the area. Originally built in 400-something-AD, it changed hands multiple times as it was attacked, destroyed, rebuilt, remodeled, and eventually abandoned around the 1500s. That’s right. By the 1500s it had peaked and was no longer worth rebuilding. The ruins left today are fascinating, showing glimpses of what life in the medieval ages was like. 

Also, in a model of God’s good glory, the rain stopped, the clouds parted, and the sun shined brightly! We were both left in awe, and I told Katie that I could stay there all day. (not to mention I totally found Nessie!)

Since we got there later in the day, there were very few other tourists, so we had the place nearly to ourselves. We’re both quite interested in history, so we appreciated having time to let the place sink in. Not to mention that Loch Ness in the evening light is incredible. 

On the way home, we stopped at a pub in Fort Augustus for dinner and sat right along the canal to relax. It’s now about 10pm, we’re driving back to our travel pod, and the sun has yet to set. We’re so far north that we don’t get much darkness. I’m absolutely loving it! 

Tomorrow, we head to the Isle of Skye. Rumor has it we won’t have much wi-fi, so y’all have a great weekend!

Scotland Day 1 (and 2?) and 3: The Day of Too Many Hours

The time for Scotland has come! 

KDew and I met up in the Philadelphia airport Wednesday afternoon to catch our flight to Glasgow. She’d been traveling since about 6am, and I’d been up since 6am, so we knew it’d be a long day. Boarding our flight was easy and painless. Kdew escaped sitting next to a baby, while I ended up next to Professor Ken Hobson of the OU science department. Small world! Our other seat mate, Ross, was a Scotland native, and we asked him all sorts of questions. Prof. Ken and I chatted quite a bit about the new OU president, the various professors at OU who I had who he knew, and my travel abroad experience. The flight was reletively short (only about 6 hours), and we soon landed after maybe an hour or two of awkward plane sleep. 

***Commercial break! I bought the Trtl pillow advertised on FB, and it was AWESOME! Highly. Recommend. ***

Annnyyyyway, we landed in Glasgow around 7am (2am Phily time), got our car (keep left!) and found our way to our first B&B, where Helena served us a hot breakfast with tea. Let me tell you what, this was the best bacon I’ve had! She also set us up in the nicest room in the house, so it’s going to be all down hill from here. 

Despite it being the middle of night for my brain, the day was just starting for the Scots, so we pushed ourselves to stay awake. We attempted to drive over to Inverary Castle, but the high winds had knocked some trees onto the road, blocking passage. We turned around and instead drove up and down the little peninsula that we were on until we finally made our way over to Loch Lomond. We took a boat ride around the loch (I may or may not have fallen asleep on the boat...) before grabbing a quick meal. Finally, we decided we had stayed up late enough and could return to our B&B to sleep. We were nearly home when there was a massive traffic back up on our peninsula, so we had to turn around and go around the other side. Luck was on our side as the sun came out for a few minutes. We ended up driving along the coast, seeing some amazing homes, and getting to explore a little rocky beach. It was our first glimpse of the scottish magic that is to come!

Back in our rooms, we were served some very nice cake, took hot showers, and collpased into bed. I had been awake for about 30 (million?) hours, and Katie even longer than that. Needless to say we were both dying and ended up sleeping soundly for another million years.

Day 3: The road to Fort William

After the best night of sleep ever, Dunt and I headed to Fort William. We started the day by driving to Inverarey Castle--and stopping about every 15 minutes or so to get out and photograph our surroundings. We quickly learned that this would become quite a process. Put the rain coat on, zip, hood, climb out of the car, take pics while exclaiming "Wow!", run back to car sopping wet, clamber back in, take off rain coat, mop up water with small towel, pull out gps and iPod. Repeat five thousand times. But man, oh man, was it worth it.

Kdew and I (okay I) were pretty excited about twinning for the day, too. 

***Commercial break: rain pants! Holy moly! This was a last-minute purchase for me, as I kept talking myself out of it, but I am SO glad I brought them along. So helpful to keep me warm and dry #LayersForLiz ***

Okay, back to the drive. We made it to Inverary, where we stopped in the little village for some lunch before heading over to the castle! And you guys--it’s, like, a real castle! Not one of those silly chateaux that France lies about. It’s got turrets and a ridged roof line and just, wow!! 

They let you walk around the dining room, sitting room, saloon, turret rooms, and a couple rooms upstairs. This particular castle is owned by the Campbell clan, and the 14th Duke of Argyl still lives there today with his family! They even had a trampoline and a baskeball hoop on their driveway! 

Anyway, I decided that when I become a princess, then Inverary Castle is about the right size. Not too over the top, but still unmistakably a castle, thankyouverymuch. 

We took some pics with the neighboring Highlander coos and then were on our way! 

The rest of the drive consisted of us pulling over at nearly every scenic stop to take pictures. We stumbled upon Kilchurn Castle and plodded thru a lot of mud to check it out from across the loch. I wasn’t yet wearing my water-proof boots, so I quickly ended up with wet toes, but c’est la vie. Kilchurn was built around 1450 as a fortress of the dominant Campbell clan as they conquered the surrounding lands. It’s in ruins now, but still so beautiful! 

Back in car we crossed officially into the Highlands and immediately saw the change in scenery. Where we had been seing rolling hills and green forestry, we now saw soaring peaks of snow and short shurbbery. Waterfalls of melting snow scattered all the hills, filling the lochs below. 

By dinner time, we arrived at our glamping pod in a cute little village called Spean Bridge. It’s literally a pod in these people’s yard with two beds, a kitchenette, and tiny bathroom. Dunt has to duck. 

We grabbed some traditional meat pie for dinner and then retreated to our pod to relax before bed. If today’s adventures are just a sample of the ones to come, then this trip is going to be amazing!!

(Have I mentioned that it's been raining? Like, a lot? Cause it has. And all signs point to it raining forever and ever for the rest of time.)

Go Scots!

I'm leaving! I'm leaving! I'm leaving! Y'all have fun digging mac and cheese outta your kids' noses, Imma hit up the Highlands.

I know I get to do this a lot, but I swear it's still not enough. This time I'm tagging along with my girl Katie as she explores Scotland! She's planned the whole thing--from renting the car to booking accommodations--and I've done nothing except worry about packing plenty of layers. #KeepLizWarm

We'll be flying into Glasgow and then driving up to the Highlands to search for the Loch Ness Monster, ride the Hogwarts Express, and avoid haggis.

Though Katie will continue for about a month, I only get to join for about ten days. So follow along if you want. Or not. I'm going to have fun either way. 

And hey--this will be the first time I head back to Europe since college. And I already have the Scottish flag. So who knows what will happen!

Just please, God, keep those damn bagpipes away!

I Was Not Raped Last Night, and I Don't Understand Why.

Dear #BoysWillBeBoys,

I was not raped last night. And I’m not sure why. Here, let me fill you in on the details. 

At approximately 10:30 p.m. last night in Los Angeles, I ordered a Lyft. It’s the holidays, and I’m semi broke right now, so I opted to do a ride share instead of a private car, since the ride share option is a little cheaper. When the male driver pulled up, I got into the back seat where another guy was already seated. Both men were in their twenties, I would guess, and both were dressed pretty casually. Driver Dude was playing cool music and both guys said hi to me as I climbed in and confirmed my drop off location—the Airport Marriott Hotel. 

During the drive, Back Seat Dude scrolled his instagram and looked out his window. I think he also kinda passed out against the door. Driver Dude drove, and at one point, when he slowed down on an especially dark street, it was because an emergency vehicle needed to pass us. 

Neither male raped me, though. Neither one made lewd nor even suggestive comments to me. Neither one touched me, nor did Back Seat Dude stretch his hand, leg, or dick across the Neutral Zone of the middle seat. 

After everything I’ve been told lately about men and women in confined spaces and how men are just wired differently and can’t help it, I figured it was finally going to happen—my first raping (not to be confused with my first reaping, which includes less dick but equal amounts of fear, I’m assuming). 

But, neither of those men grabbed me by the pussy. Can you believe that? In fact, it was a pretty chill ride. I said good night to them when the driver dropped me off, and both guys mumbled some sort of “have a nice night” pleasentry in return. Neither man got out of the car to follow me into the hotel and up to my room. 

I’m so confused, because, according to the men in the government and in Hollywood who are being accused of sexual harassment, I should have had it coming. I mean, let’s even consider the most important element to the story—my outfit. That would be the court’s first concern anyway, so let’s address it! I admit I was wearing skinny jeans, which I remember specifically because I lamented bringing them for this trip when I woke up on the morning of my flight having started my period. I was bloated and cramping and skinny jeans were the last thing I wanted to squeeze myself into for a three-hour flight. And these were skinny, skinny jeans, too. Not the more relaxed fit ones I wish I had worn, so they were extra tight on me, accentuating my rear end, which, according to every boyfriend I’ve ever had, is one of my best features. 

Now, I realize that my scoop-neck, keyhole blouse was hidden under my form-fitting, light weight jacket, but my hair and makeup were on point, and hello? Skinny jeans! What more do you people want? 

So, I was definitely dressed provocatively enough. I mean, if tweens in baggy sweatpants get raped, my skinny jeans were a dead giveaway. And besides, it was late on a Saturday night, and I was obviously an out-of-towner, considering my drop off location was the AIRPORT MARRIOTT. How easy would it have been for Driver Dude to feign a car maintenance issue for ten minutes while he and Back Seat Dude overpowered me, ripped down my amazingly tight jeans and went to town? And then, BONUS! Because there’d be blood, (remember, I’m on my period, so, hello gushing river of doom), Driver Dude could probably peg me for “vehicle damage” and force me to pay for new leather seats or something. I mean, what jury would convict him? He was just doing his job when a petite, non-local chick, dressed like she was asking for it, willingly got into his car with another man who she didn’t know. I’m obviously the most irresponsible and ditsy girl there ever was. What smart woman in her right mind would accept that ride, instead of cancelling and paying the measly $2 cancellation fee? I mean, was I really willing to risk my vagina for $2? I was obviously asking for it. 

So, I’m not really sure what happened. The driver never pulled over, the man in back seat never groped me, and neither one of them raped me. It was like they were exhibiting some sort of super-human self-control that stopped them from reacting with pure instinct. It was like they weren’t focused on sex and sex alone. Or at least not expecting it from me just because I dared to get in a car with them. But they shouldn’t have been able to resist, if that’s truly just the way men are wired. 

Anyway, I’m obviously very upset, as everything I’ve ever been told about the way men are wired has now been completely disproven. And, since I’m a woman and unable to think for myself, an explanation would be great. Not that I needed to ask for one, as I’m sure you’ll be giving me one anyway. 

Because, that’s the whole point, right? Even when I’m not asking for it, you’ll give it to me. 

Sincerely, 

A concerned female, Liz

*Side note: If you’re too thick to recognize the sarcasm dripping from this post, I recommend this book, to help you better learn the art of it.

How to Write a Killer Resume (and other good information!)

Howdy y'all!

Spring has sprung in Texas, which means it's time to dust off your resume and hop on out there! For anyone interested in learning my secret sauce to writing a killer resume and prepping for those dreadfully awkward interviews, I'm giving a talk at the end of this month!

Register now, and you'll get to hear all my secrets! (er..about writing resumes, not...like...whether or not I'm still afraid of the Boogie man hiding under my bed*)

Here's the link to get signed up. There will also be a talk on how to develop job searching skills and a couple panels where you can hear from successful Dallas professionals on how to network and land a great job. It should be a fruitful afternoon and..drum roll please...it includes dinner! Who doesn't love a great free meal?

Anyway, hope to see you all there!

*He is. And I am. *Shudders*