Scotland: From Glasgow through Glencoe to Inverness

I arrived in Glasgow on April 1st (yesterday) around 2:30pm after a flight from Miami with a stopover in Heathrow. During the flights, I estimate getting 2 or 3 hours of interupted sleep, but that didn't stop me. I rented a car from the airport and (not having booked a hotel prior to arrival) punched in City Centre into the GPS.

Let me back up slightly. When I arrived in London, the Customs agent asked me the typical questions like "Where will you be staying?" and "What is your current employment". He quickly realised he wasn't going to be able to just stamp my passport and move on and was clearly going to go through a routine. I could see him try to remember the "extended questioning". He was very polite and did his job, "So, you don't know anyone in Glasgow? And you don't have a job? Where are you going to stay? How long are you planning on traveling?" Etc. He stamped my Aussie passport and through I went.

After arriving in Glasgow and picking up the rental car (a sweet black Citroën), I drove around for about 2 hours. Snapping pictures here and there. I took a picture of the building affectionately known as "The Armadillo", which is very similar to the Sydney Opera House. I also saw the BBC Scotland building and the Glasgow Science Centre. It was my intention to get free wi-fi somewhere and book a room online to save money, but the wi-fi at the McDonalds wasn't great, so I stopped by three different hotels asking for their cheapest room, eventually opting for the Travel Lodge, which was surprisingly nice. The room was big and clean and the shower was fantastic.

I opted to stay in for the rest of the night, unwind, book hotels for the next night and my last night and catch up on sleep and head off to Inverness in the morning.

That brings us to today.

I woke at 6:30am and took my sweet time getting ready. I walked a block and a half to a Tesco Express to pick up bananas, water, nuts, cereal...basic road food. I had been looking online for routes to Inverness and though there was a more direct route (3 1/2hr), I opted to take the A82 (highway) for one very specific reason. In Skyfall, the James Bond movie, Bond and M are driving through Scotland and stop to have a chat on the side of the road. The A82 is that road and I wanted to see that spot. It would add an extra hour of driving time, but 15 minutes into the drive I knew it was the right decision.

This is no exageration, the A82 was the most fun, most scenic, best paved, most beautiful road I've ever driven on. Even better than highway 1 in California or whatever that road is that goes around Ohau. This was breathtaking. And sure, I'm comparing beach roads to a mountain road, but this was SO FUN to drive. I stopped to take pictures more times that I can count and each time I stopped, I stayed as long as I would allow myself (knowing I still had a lot of road in front of me). The Merril hiking shoes I bought were given a workout. I climbed up small hills or followed footpaths, trudged through mud or snow, squished my way through whatever the ground in Scotland is made of. At one point, I was climbing up this small hill and could've sworn I was on that hill in the Neverending Story that sneezed. I took pictures of mountains and sheep, waterfalls, roadsigns, the road itself and none of the pictures did the place justice.

One hotel/café I stopped at had a sign that read "walkers welcome" and just as I was about to leave, there they were. Backpackers about to walk into the wild white mountains. Scotland is super accommodating to tourists who want to enjoy nature walks or just stop to take a picture every 400 yards. There were SO MANY opportunities to stop on the two lane road. I was worried I'd never get to Inverness because I couldn't tear myself away.

Eventually (after about 3 1/2 hours), I had to turn right onto B852. Again, AMAZING road and I'm sure the views were good, but I couldn't really stop to look becuase this is a 1 lane road...going both ways. So, if a car was coming your way, you'd have to pull over or move into a "passing place" - so labeled because they were 1/2 circles of pavement every so often to allow for squeezing by other drivers. I was 100% focused on the road. There was VERY LITTLE traffic on this road though. I could drive for 10 minutes and not see anyone. At one point a sheep was my oncoming traffic, but he ambled over to some more interesting grass.

Finally, I arrived in Inverness and found my hotel. Again, pleasantly surprised by the room. This time, I booked ahead and paid nearly 1/2 as much as I did for the Travel Lodge. The room at the Glen Mohr is probably 1/5th the size. You know when you're walking up some stairs and there's a landing, you turn, and then you walk up the rest of the stairs. Well, my room is on the landing. I opened the door to find a spectacularly clean room about the size of a prison cell...maybe a little longer, but possibly narrower. This is not a complaint. The room is fine. The twin sized bed is comfortable, the bathroom looks new and clean and the heater will take no time at all to fill the room with warmth. There is room service available, but I don't know where they'd put it. =)

Making the decision to come to Scotland (and to travel in general) was the right choice. I knew it on the A82 today. I knew it on the windy road leading me between two snowy mountains. I smiled for at least a solid hour, talking to myself out loud, "Best decision ever!" or "Ha! Snow!" or "Sheep! oooooooh, cute little baby lamb!" Seriously good day.

California Continued

I am already in Florida and have been for days. It is much harder to blog while travelling than I expected. I get to the end of my days and am exhausted. When the next day comes, I want to get up an go enjoy new experiences.

For the most part, California was low-key. I only saw a few friends, which is really how I wanted it. I had been there twice in the past year and felt like focusing, rather than seeing and doing as many things as possible. Also, it is my hope that at the tail end of this adventure, I will go back to the Bay Area and catch up with everyone (or get a job there...depending on the circumstances).

I slept in nearly every day, went to dinner with a few people and mostly hung out with my friend Kate. I got a SIM card with AT&T for use within the US. This is not something I'd done before. Every other trip to the US, I've either been fine without a phone or only had wi-fi, but I have to say this was so much better. I was able to text on the go, or check where I was on a map. I felt more mobile and more connected. I felt safe. In hindsight, I think I would rather have gone with Verizon as AT&T doesn't have great service where I am in Florida, but it's been fine.

One day, I had a public transportation adventure trying to get from Castro Valley to Palo Alto. I took a local bus to the Bayfair BART station (Bay Area Rapid Transit) then Caltrain from Milbrae to Palo Also. The whole trip took me about two and a half hours. When I got to Palo Alto, I had lunch at a cafe which shared it's space with a co-op art gallery. I had a nice chat with a woman who had been making art there for 25 years. 

Another highlight of my Bay Area trip included helping Kate buy a BRAND NEW CAR! On my second to last day in town, we went to a few dealerships in the morning and then back to the Ford dealership to haggle and negotiate for a fully loaded Ford Escape - Titanium edition. I had a blast! Seriously, the process of buying a car and getting a good deal is exhilarating. And BOY did we get a good deal. The finance guy showed us that the dealership lost $2,100 on the car. It's the first time I'd ever seen someone not lose money the minute they drove off the lot. 

The weather in California was sunny every day, which isn't saying much because they are in a massive draught, but still...I enjoyed it. The temperature was very reasonable except for the day we went car shopping. It was windy and cold (probably 50). Keep in mind, I'd come from Summer in Australia. 50 F was not pleasant.

When I left Australia, I took all my belongings with me to California. This consisted of two VERY FULL suitcases (30kg & 23kg) and one very full backpack. I reorganised my belongings and left one of those full suitcases at Kate's house. It was full of clothes, books and my laptop...things I am not going to need while travelling. 

On Feb 28th Kate took me to the San Francisco airport in her fancy new car. I had one full sized suitcase (45lbs) and one backpack to take with me to Seattle...

I landed in California 4 days ago, but it feels like I've only been here 1 day. Jet lag, I guess.

The first thing I did after being picked up at the airport and sitting in typical California traffic was get some In n Out burger! Cheeseburger, Fries and a Barq's root beer. SO GOOD.

Most days/nights have been a blur since then. I've been sleeping a lot. I can easily sleep to 11am if not longer. Partially because I can't fall asleep until 3am (on average) but also because the room I'm in is so dark. It's luxurious and I'm enjoying every minute of sleep.

Friday night, Kate and I went to Chili's (Buffalo Chicken Salad) in San Leandro. It was packed. We waited for about 30 minutes to be seated, which I enjoyed tremendously. Taking in the cultural diversities was entertainment enough. I'd say the clientele were 90% African American and Latino, 10% Caucasian (and that might be generous). 

Saturday night was Chipotle (Salad with Chicken and Guacamole) and then over to a friends' for Cards Against Humanity, which I can only describe as a Mad Libs style card game where you can only fill in the blanks with the most offensive options available to you. Check your sensibilities at the door, and it's WHOLE LOT of fun. 

Sunday was spent shopping with Kate and then we had Casper's (Cheesedog with a little mustard) from the Hayward location. I once got very stoned in college and ate TWO of these foot long hotdogs. I did NOT feel well afterwards. But then, I didn't really care either.

It may seem like I'm having a food tour of the bay area, but a girl's gotta eat and I am enjoying all my favorite things. Even Thin Mint Girl Scout Cookies and Trader Joe's frozen burritos and tamales. 

Two posts ago, I said I was concerned that US me would want to stay in the US and that Australian Me would be out of luck. Well, US me is still concerned for Australian me, but at this point and for the next few months, I'm going to relieve myself of the burden of figuring out "the rest of my life". There is no great sin in enjoying where you are in the moment and future me is just going to have to live with that. Wherever that may be.

So far, I'm having a great time taking it easy and enjoying myself with no agenda.

Last night in Oz

It's my last night in Australia before the big adventure. Everything's all taken care of. I've checked into my flights, booked an airport shuttle, packed my bags and enlisted the help of my flatmate to assist me in carrying my luggage down 4 flights of stairs in the morning. My friend Kate will pick me up from the airport in San Francisco.

I've really enjoyed the last two months, which is exactly how long I've been unemployed. Coming and going as I please, watching all the movies in the theatre, golfing, planning this trip I'm about to go on. I've spent a lot of time with friends and that's been the best part.

The next two months (hopefully longer) will be more of the same. A quick recap:

• San Francisco / Bay Area for 9 days
• Friends
• Seattle for 4 days
• Friends
• Pike's Market, etc
• Florida with the folks for 25 days
• Met's vs Red Sox spring training game
• Harry Potter World
• Scotland
• Glasgow
• Loch Ness
• Paris
• Too much to list...I'm looking forward to these blog posts =)
• Italy (not yet booked)
• Copenhagen (not yet booked)
• And then whatever my heart desires

I vow to update this blog at least once in each location, ideally a little something everyday (at least when I'm in Europe). I will also try to include more pictures than I have included thus far (current photo count: zero).

Stress Bucket

There is a clear difference between knowing something and feeling something. For example:

I know that:

• I'm going to have a great time travelling
• I am building amazing memories
• No one ever said, "Gee, that was a terrible idea to travel the world" (thanks for that one, Meegz)
• I have enough money
• I have enough time
• If I have any problems, I have friends and family all over the world who would help me

But the closer I get to Thursday (when I fly out of Oz), the tighter I feel. I have been trying to define it, describe it...nail it down so I can get over it. I have no fears about running out of money or getting injured. I have no fears about getting lost or being in a plane crash or terrorist attack (which would be reasonable fears considering the state of the world in 2015). Here are my best attempts to explain what's got me all bunged up.

• At this point, I want to move back to Australia and fear that when I'm in the US, I'll want to stay there, leaving "Australian me" out of luck
• I am saying "Goodbye for now" to all my friends in Sydney but it still feels like "Goodbye forever". The heaviness in my chest and tightness in my muscles are strong as ever.
• I've been "planning" for 6 months. Planning every detail of when to quit my job, where to go, what to do when I'm there. I've trained myself to focus on the future. Now that it's here, it's time, I am worried that I will not enjoy myself in the present moment.

Even as I type these things, I know they are ridiculous fears. I will not be sitting at a cafe in Paris thinking, "Why am I here? I should be planning my trip to Copenhagen." Just like today - I am going to a farewell lunch in a half hour with a handful of friends. I will be in the moment, enjoying their company. Just like two days ago when I was out golfing with a friend. At no point was I thinking about anything other than how wonderful the weather was and what awesome chip shots I was making. =) 

Knowing that my 'fears' are irrational, I want them to go away. I want to loosen up in my down time. I wanat to stop filling these quiet moments with worry. 

Ok, nerdy/self-help time.

What would future me say to today me?

"Don't give it another thought. When a worry comes up, let it come and just as easily as it came, let it go. You don't need to keep yourself busy to distract yourself either because then you're not letting the worry go. You're capturing it and putting it deep inside you to deal with after the busy work. It doesn't need to be dealt with because it's not valuable or valid. 

Pretend like it's someone you accidentally run into on the street. Say 'Oh, I'm sorry" and move on.

P.S. You're going to have a great time on the trip and no matter how much you plan, you can't possibly predict it all. It's way more awesome than you can imagine!"

Thanks Future Me! I feel much better!

Bagpipes, Loch Ness and Kilts. Oh, my.

After two restless nights and acidic stomach-churning days of research into flight plans and options, options, options I finally found something that would work perfectly.

Glasgow Scotland!

Scotland's largest city with tons to see and do. The flights were easy to book and the transfers made sense (for example, some options had me flying into Gatwick and out of Heathrow...a bullshit complication that I just didn't need).

The options and opportunities never stop, and this is something I'm going to have to learn to lean into but I'll save that line of thinking for another day.

I've booked flights from Miami to Glasgow and Glasgow to Paris. It's starting to feel like the adventure is about to begin...and it damn well should as I fly out of Oz in 8 days!

P.S. On Saturday, I was in a park in Sydney having a coffee and some dude was playing bagpipes. If my life were a movie, that would've been excellent foreshadowing...and we could have a montage of my flights with bagpipe music playing throughout. 

-end scene

What I've learned so far

Last week, I went to Samsung (my old place of work) to have lunch and coffee with some friends. One of whom asked me, "What have you learned so far?" Meaning, what have I learned since my last day at Samsung, since being jobless and free. It was a HARD question. Here is my attempt to answer it.

My instinct, once becoming unemployed, was to pinch my pennies. Save all the money I could for my "upcoming adventures." I think I spent $20 in something like 4 weeks. Great effort really! But what a miserable time I was having. I rarely left the house, watched too much TV, didn't see anyone for a meal or coffee.  Like any corporation will tell you "Plan, Do, Check, Act (or Adjust)". I planned to save money. I did save money. I looked at how it was making me feel (bored and lonely) and adjusted my plan. "What's the point of saving money when you're not really living?" I asked myself. I decided that I would still be frugal, but at least buy a coffee every day. 

Side note: Australia has fantastic coffee. Really. They know their stuff. For instance, Starbucks never took off here. I know of two in Sydney and they're where all the Americans go to be tourists and drink terrible coffee. Australia, instead, has small coffee shops EVERYWHERE. And Lane Cove (where I currently live) has some of the best coffee I've had. 

So, I'd at least buy coffee, which helped me relax and spend money here or there on meals out with friends, seeing Wicked at the Capitol Theatre, golfing, etc. Lesson 1: Just because I wasn't in America or Europe didn't mean that my life wasn't worth living (aka spending a little money on). Phrase to remember: "Enjoy yourself".

The second instinct I had was to sleep in. Why bother waking up at 8am, when I didn't have to. Sleeping in was great for about a week and then I started to feel like I was wasting the day. It's much better to go to the movies (which I've done A LOT - one of my favourite things in the world) while people are at work. There are far fewer people to hate for talking during the film. The buses and trains always have a seat in the middle of the day. The library is open (free wi-fi and endless entertainment). Everything is better. And if I wanted to stay up to 3am writing or reading, I could do that and then sleep in, but as a treat, not a habit. Lesson 2: I prefer to be out and about in the world while everyone else is at work. Phrase to remember: "Sleeping in is great...every once in a while."

There's one final thing. It's not something I necessarily learned recently, but it's something that keeps coming up in my life. A lesson I tend to have to learn and then re-learn. Lesson 3: Options are great, but they can be a great burden too. Phrases to remember: "Pull the trigger" or "Throw my cap over the wall"

I have spent more hours than I'd like to admit just looking at my options. Example: When would I like to fly to the US, where would I like to go and for how long in each place? First, I knew I was getting my Citizenship on Jan 26th and could then get my passport (after waiting 10 business days and then applying for my passport and paying to expedite it's delivery - p.s. The Australian Government completed my passport within 48 hours). So, I did my math and figured that Feb 19th was a good day; enough time to get my passport (and allow for any unexpected mishaps), not so much time that I'd be sitting around doing nothing for too long. As it turns out, I have about 2 weeks "down time". Then came the 'where'. Did I want to go to San Francisco to see friends or just one friend or should I settle down there for a while? Did I want to go to Cleveland to visit family? Did I want to go to Boston because I'd never been? Should I fly or buy a car somewhere and drive around? These types of questions are fun at first. But the options become too many and a little too crazy. "I suppose I could fly into Cleveland for a day or two, but then who would I see and how could I only see one or two people and then fly out of there? No, when I go to Cleveland I'll want to go for a week or so. Could I do that now? But then you're postponing going to Europe." Blah blah blah. I finally just sat down and forced myself to book flights. I decided that whatever I booked would be perfect. 9 days in San Francisco, 4 days in Seattle and then on to visit my parents. As soon as I booked the fights, it felt like a HUGE weight was lifted...until today.

I have to book my flight to Europe and I'm done putting it off. I am meeting a friend in Paris on April 6th. You'd think that'd make my decision easy. You're wrong. The airport(s) near my parents' house don't fly to Paris that week (I'm using Qantas Frequent Flyer points - that was another decision...do I pay cash or use the points). So, do I fly to another US city and fly out of there (Boston?) or do I fly to Europe earlier and entertain myself for 4-5 days somewhere other than Paris?

Oh boy, that was today GONE. I started looking up Easter Festivals. Did you know there is a small town on a Greek Island where two churches fire rockets (like fireworks) at each other across a river all night from 8pm until after midnight on the Saturday before Easter? So, I looked into that for the better part of an hour. Three layovers on several airlines I'd never heard of, 18 hours total travel time -- Yeah, I could do that, but there were NO websites that give opinions on the best hotels or how to get to the festival. Plus one site said that most people actually hide in the churches for safety because "Dangers: Being hit by a stray rocket." Would I even be able to get a picture of it or would I be hunkered down somewhere, trying to avoid fiery rocket death?

I've thought about (meaning fully planned every possible option for) going to Iceland, Chicago, Boston, Greece, Ireland, Seville Spain...I don't even know if I'm having fun anymore. It is at this point where I throw my hands in the air and say, "STOP IT! Just book something! It doesn't have to be perfect. Just pick something and GO!"

So, tomorrow (after I get confirmation that my parents can take me to an airport that's 2 1/2 hours from their house) I'm going to 'pull the trigger'...'throw my cap over the wall' and book something. I will book it and after I've booked it, I will make it work.

Stay tuned for destination deatils (because even I don't know at this point).