Trip to Scotland

Hello everyone and happy New Year!

During these Christmas holidays I have gone to Scotland to visit my family and spend Christmas with my dad for the first time (I usually spend it with my mum).

I have visited a few places in Scotland and in the post I'm going to tell you a bit about all of them.

Day 1

This day I basically sat in the airport because my flight was delayed by hours and when I finally got to Scotland I just had a chippy for dinner and went home with my dad where my Uncle was waiting to say hi to me before he went to bed.

Day 2

On this day my dad had work so me and my Uncle went to Edinburgh, he needed a haircut and I just wanted to visit the place and take photos (which I did). While he was getting his haircut I was walking along Princes Street taking photos and looking in a couple of shops (I needed a few things for while I was staying that my dad did not already have in the house). Here are a few of the photos I took on that day.

The first and third picture is of The Scotts Monument. This monument was build in honor of the author Sir Walter Scott, a few years ago I was lucky enough to climb to the top of the monument with my sister, it was a dream of mine since I had heard of the monument and had to write about it on one of my Secondary school projects (we had to talk about different monuments in different countries and this was one that I had chosen). The second picture is of the Royal Scots Greys Monument with Edinburgh Castle (which you can also see in the fifth picture) sitting behind it. I don't know very much about this statue (actually a monument), really only that it has to do with honoring people who thought in a battle.

The fourth picture shows the sun rising over the hill where Edinburgh Castle sits.

The next two photos are also views of Edinburgh Castle with the Princes Street Gardens in front of it.

Day 3

This day was one of the most exiting. I went on one of my dad's tours to Loch Ness, which I had already done earlier in the year, but this time my dad was doing the tour on the other was around and obviously there was different people going on the tour as well so it made it more different to the last time I went. Also, last time I went to Urquhart Castle and on a boat trip over Loch Ness but it costs extra money my dad would have had to pay and I have already seen it all so I didn't go again this time. I took loads of photos I am very proud of on my way to Loch Ness and the way back, but they are way too many to show you all of them so I'll only show the best.

These are just a few photos, the first and third taken on the bus. The little teddy you see in the photos is called Angus, he is a highland coo, my dad takes him on his tours to bring more culture. Some people even take photos on the tour with Angus! The middle photo is of a little river on one of the stops, I love how the trees grow moss and go all green and colourful.

This photo is of a cute little Robin Red Breast that lives near Loch Ness (the lake in the background) and visits my dad when he goes there on is tours. It isn't very shy and will let you get close to it, this is how I was able to take such a close photo to it. To be honest with you, this is like 1/1000 photos I took of it. I absolutely love these little birds.

This photo I took in the same place as the one of the river. I don't know what this mountain is called but it was high and cold enough to have snow covering it. I thought it was the best photo to take using the reflection in this puddle.

This photo is my most favourite of the whole holiday in Scotland (and probably my favourite out of all my photos I've ever taken) because it is one I have been wanting to take ever since I began to love photography.

A sort of shinny puddle, with wheat looking plants, a mountain covered in snow and the most beautiful colours combined together to make this amazing photo (I sound like I'm putting ingredients together for a soup advert ha ha).

This beautiful view was also taken on one of our stops, in this photo I have combined four kinds of photos: a sunset, a snowy mountain, a lake with a forest and some mountains with clouds all around them.

Honestly it was hard during this tour to take photos without people in them, as on our stops we were allowed to go wherever as long as we made it back to the coach on time. This is the reason why I decided to go against my own photography rules of not allowing there to be people in them and did the exact opposite as I usually would: I took a photo with people in it! Obviously I tried my hardest not to get anyone's faces in it, which wasn't too challenging as most people were facing the mountains.

If any of you are considering going to Scotland and visiting the Highlands or you want to go to Loch Ness or Skye or anywhere like that here is the website for the company my dad works for. The tours aren't all just looking, the drivers of the coaches tell old tales and say interesting things about different places, but they don't overdo the talking either, they will leave you to your own things like taking photos or listening to music or even taking a nap! I love going on tours with my dad and I hope on my next visit I can go to Skye with him.

Day 4

This day was actually Christmas day and I spent it as my Aunt's and Uncle's house with a couple of my cousins, their wife and girlfriend and my dad and other Uncle. We had a great day all together eating food, exchanging gifts and playing games like Trivial Pursuit!

Day 5

This day was boxing day and I had spent a lot of it sleeping because I hadn't had much rest the past few days, especially waking up really early to go with my dad on the day of the tour, because we have to pick everyone up at 8 am but my dad has to get the bus checked and ready before we even set off to pick them up. So this day me and my dad just went to the cinema at around 5;30 pm and watched the new Jumanji film, it was quite funny. After that we went and got a Chinese take away for dinner.

Day 6

On this day I didn't initially have plans until my family said on Christmas that some friends were having a party at their house. I felt quite uncomfortable there because I knew only my family and the people having the party but there were so much more people there who I didn't know. Usually in these events I would go off and play with the children (basically babysitting them so my cousins can have a break and enjoy being with adults) but there were so many other kids there that I wasn't really needed, they had other friends to play with instead of their parent's cousin so I had to be with the adults like I'm not used to doing which is what made me feel so uncomfortable.

I took my traditional taking a photo of everyone's Christmas tree which I started doing last year. And I don't mean to insult my own tree but this was the best photo of a Christmas tree this year.

Most of the time I spent there I was listening to my family talk and taking photos of the house because it was so gorgeous (my family's friends are rich and build their own house from the plot of land the man got from his dad).

Day 7

This was the day I had long been waiting for, the day I got to go to the Cat Cafe in Edinburgh! I had been to this place before with my cousin's wife (back then they were still engaged) and my sister. I knew from the moment I left that that would not be my last time there, that I had to visit this place again, so this time I booked an to go in this day just to make sure that I would get to go (they get full sometimes and I would have been unable to enter). I especially wanted to go because I have been missing my cats back in Spain and I just wanted some cat loving.

I will tell you the names of the cats in the order of which they are in the photos: Guillaume, Jacques, Alain, Elodie, Marcel, Pauline, Coco, Amelie and Fabian. One of the cats are missing which is Marcel's brother, Phillipe, I didn't take any photos because I didn't see him there.

If any of you want to visit the Cat Cafe here is their website or if you just want to see the cats and the cafe here is their Instagram page, they also have a Facebook page which you can find on their website. When you go there they will tell you some rules you have to follow so that you don't harm the cats in any way or you don't have any problems during the visit either (like some of the cats stealing your food and drinks!).

This day I also watched a few street performers in Edinburgh and saw the Christmas Market. Which I took a picture of during the day and during the night.

Day 8

This was my last day here and also one of the best. I don't have any photos to show you from this day as I spent it in my cousin's house with all of my family there (including the family's friends and their two girls). This time I felt much more comfortable because there wasn't as many people and I knew everyone there. We all had an amazing time together.

Day 9

This was the day I went back home. This trip was one of the best I've ever had, so much had happened that it felt like I have been there for a month, not just a week. I was honestly quite upset to be back home, Scotland is where I have always felt most at home and it feels like I'm leaving a part of who I truly am behind. I know one day I will move to Scotland to live their till the end of my days, it is the most beautiful country in the world.