Weekend in Prague

Ok, so once again, I admit that I have been a slacker! :) I promise to be better about this moving forward, as mom reminded me that there are alot of people that aren't on Facebook that want updates! So here goes...

Last weekend, I t00k a quick weekend trip to Prague, Czech Republic. Apart it from raining the entire weekend, I had an amazing time! I arrived in Prague on Friday around lunchtime, and headed straight for Old Town Square after getting checked into my hotel. It was incredible! One of my friend's called it the "grown man's Disney Land" and I think she pegged it just right! At the heart of Old Town Square, you find lots of shops and outdoor cafes, street performers, historic buildings, churches, and of course, the famous astrological clock! I spent much of Friday just walking the streets and taking in the beauty of Prague. I went in and out of the crystal shops, picked up a few wooden Bohemian stacking dolls, watched a candy making demonstration at a Chocolate Shop, toured St. Nicholas' Church and the Church of Our Lady before Tyn, stood under the astrological clock as it chimed marking a new hour, enjoyed some gelato, got lost in the Jewish quarter, and finally made my way over to the famous Charles Bridge. That evening, I kicked my aching feet up and sat at an hour door cafe for several hours...people watching, enjoying the crisp summer air, and enjoying some fine Czech cuisine!

The next morning, I got up early and headed straight for Prague Castle. I had been warned that it is a tourist trap, so i decided to get an early start to beat the crowds. It was a good walk uphill from where I was staying, but I eventually made it, and boy was it a treat! Prague Castle sits high up above the city and from the top, you can see everything. I didn't pay to tour the castle, but I was able to walk the castle grounds for free. I was also able to tour St. Vitus' Cathedral which is within the Prague Castle complex. It was enormous...and grandiose. The stained glass windows were absolutely breathtaking...they were probably the most ornate stained glass patterns that I have ever seen.

Later that afternoon, I ventured back across the Charles Bridge and into Old Town. It was pouring rain on Saturday afternoon, so I spent much of the remainder of the day huddled under the umbrella of an outdoor cafe.

All in all I had a great weekend! It was so refreshing to get away and leave all my cares behind in the UK! I really needed it...what a treat!

Castle Hopping!

Today was an ambitious day for me...after running some errands this morning, I decided I was going to see some castles! The weather was beautiful here and since days like this don't happen very often, I decided I was going to make the most of it!

First stop was Crathes Castle...a beautiful castle just outside of Aberdeen built in the 16th century. The castle itself is stunning, but once again, it was the castle gardens that took my breath away! It just so happened that there was also a wedding in the garden...and a Scottish wedding means bagpipes! I can't even explain how beautiful a sound it is...

I walked in the gardens at Crathes Castle for hours...the flowers were in full bloom and could be seen in every color of the spectrum! I must have taken a million pictures, but every flower was so unique...so different that what we have back home. The colors, the shapes, the height, and the fragrance...indescribable!

Next stop was Drum Castle. This castle was less impressive than Crathes Castle, but still had something beautiful about it. This castle also had stunning gardens similar to Crathes...they were smaller, but still had so many unique and beautiful flowers.

Balmoral Castle & The River Dee

Today I took a road trip into the Scottish Highlands and visited Balmoral Castle. Balmoral Castle is one of the Scottish homes to the Royal Family. The interior of the castle is off limits to tourists (apart from the Ballroom), but I was able to access and explore the castle grounds which were absolutely exquisite! The Castle sits along the River Dee which is a flowing river that runs through the heart of Scotland.

I picked the perfect weekend to make the trip...the lush gardens were in full bloom and the flowers were spectacular! I have never seen anything so beautiful! I've posted a lot of pictures on Facebook--check them out!

Funny Story...As part of the castle tour, I was able to visit the Royal Stables and see the Queen's ponies. After admiring the ponies for some time, I decided to walk on and see more of the castle grounds. Just as I was RIGHT behind one of the ponies, it let out an enormous amount of gas! I should have known what was coming when I saw it lift it's tail...Luckily no one else was around to hear it because I would have been concerned they thought it was me!...Needless to say, to save myself from the stench and what else might come, I quickly made a run for it! Here is a picture of the culprit...cute but very dangerous! :)

ok, ok...I'll admit it...

I have been a MAJOR slacker! :) After some gentle (and not-so-gentle) nudges from my mom and friends, I guess I will get back to blogging!

This weekend has been a lazy one...Over the last month, I have worked an obscene amount of hours, so rather than make any big plans for the weekend, I opted to stay in and catch up on some rest. I spent much of the day yesterday researching trips to various places like Lake Geneva, Prague, Athens, and Lisbon. I'm thinking that I need to go ahead and get some trips booked otherwise they won't happen and I will leave Europe with alot of regret! I will keep you posted on where I decide to go...

Tomorrow I am off to London for a few days for business. I'll be in Bentley (countryside; outskirts of London) on Monday and Tuesday and then I am back to the city on Wednesday. I am very much looking forward to the change of scenery! Tomorrow evening, my co-worker is taking me down to the seashore for dinner. I am really excited...will post pictures when I get back to Aberdeen!

Is THAT a whale?!

After work, my mom and I decided to take in Dunnottar Castle located near Stonehaven. The castle was in ruins and most of it was inaccessible, but the views were absolutely spectacular! The castle sits high up on a cliff and from the top you can see the North Sea stretching to every corner of the horizon. Beautiful!



The funny part of the story is that along our hike up to the castle, I could see a dark shadow looming in the water and every now and then I could see it poke it's head up out of the water. My mom and I watched for a few minutes before I said "Is THAT a whale?! Shortly after making my profound announcement and capturing the attention of others, it became very clear that the whale I had spotted was nothing more than a boulder in the water! :) Tomorrow morning we are off to Loch Ness to hunt down Nessie ...hopefully then I can finally make my profound discovery!

CHEESEBURGER!

Who would have known they have a TGI Friday's here?! Cheeseburger & Potato Skins...that's all I have to say! :) Umm Umm...

Let's Do It

Just got home from our weekend road trip to Edinburgh. My mom and I were so taken by the beauty and serenity of Scotland...every place seems to have a different story and everywhere you look there is so much richness...it's in the buildings, the ruins, the landscape, the people...

On our way down to Edinburgh, we "accidentally" stumbled across Glamis Castle. It appeared on one of the brown tourist markers along A90 and at the last minute, we looked at each other and said "let's do it!" Little did we know that that one phrase would capture the essence of our entire weekend. No distance was too far and nothing was off limits...

Glamis Castle (pronounced Glah-ms) is a cozy little castle tucked away in the hills of Scotland. The Castle which was built in the 1300's was once home to the Queen Mother and, although still owned by the Earl of Glamis, is open to tourists. This castle is most noted for uniting the Kingdoms of England and Scotland together; this can be seen symbolically throughout the castle through illustrations of intertwined rose and thistle bushes.

Next stop on the list was Edinburgh Castle. This fortress sits high up on a hill, dominating the city's skyline. Although it felt like we had climbed hundreds of stairs to finally reach the castle, the views from the top were worth every step! From the top, you could see the entire city outlined by the beautiful North Sea. Although the scenery was breathtaking, we soon learned that the Castle was not built there for beauty. It was a place of warfare and a place where prisoners of war were kept against their will. Edinburgh Castle is now home to the Scottish Crown Jewels and Stone of Destiny.

After touring the castle, mom and I ventured down the Royal Mile and spent some time going in and out of the local shops. As we were walking, we could hear the distant but noted sound of bag pipes. The more we walked, the louder we could hear them. Eventually, we found them--a man standing on the corner along the Royal Mile wearing a traditional Scottish kilt and playing the bag pipes. Simply beautiful! After standing there for some time, the rain forced us back toward our hotel.

On the drive back home to Aberdeen, we once again had a "let's do it" moment when we ran across the sign for Falkland Palace. Although the palace was closed, we were able to capture a few pictures from the perimeter and also took some time to walk through the quaint little town.

Further down the road, we had another "lets do it" moment and found ourselves at Edzell Castle which was built in the 1100's. Much of this castle lies in ruins today, but the remains are truly beautiful.

Our final stop on the trip home was to the coastal town of Stonehaven. Although much of the town appeared to be deserted, we found signs of life along the coast. It was here that mom and I ate THE BEST fish and chips EVER at "The Bay Fish and Chips!"

Left Side, Right Side

I don't know which is tougher: driving on the left side of the road or from the right side of the car! I am proud to say that I survived my first UK driving adventure...and lived to talk about it! :) Today made me feel 16 all over again! No confidence...no clue...I am an accident waiting to happen!

Tomorrow we are off to Edinburgh and I will once again find myself behind the wheel! Wish me luck...and say a prayer for all of the innocent bystanders!

Reporting for Work

Today was my first day at my new office in Westhill. I spent much of the day getting unpacked and organized, meeting new people, and catching up on a pile of emails. I think I'm going to like it...Tomorrow is my big introduction to the employees and from what I understand, there is cake involved! YUM! :)

The days are extremely long here which has made it difficult to sleep. It doesn't get dark here until 10:30 or 11:00 PM...and I wouldn't really even call it dark. Its darker than daylight, but still light enough that the birds are chirping and shrieking outside my window at 2:00 AM. Hopefully I will adjust soon....tonight I closed all of the curtains around 7:00 PM to trick my body into thinking its dark outside. We'll see if it works...

This weekend my mom and I will be renting a car and taking a road trip to Edinburgh, Scotland. On the list of things to do is take a tour of Edinburgh Castle. I hear it is amazing! I will be sure to take plenty of pictures and get them posted...just as soon as I find my camera cord! :)

First Day in a New World

Well, I've made it over...today marks the first day of my new life in Aberdeen.

My flat is nice, but very very small. It's located near Union Street, which I understand is the place to be in Aberdeen. I'm located above a real estate office and an Italian restaurant and I'm directly across the street from a mini grocery store. It's a good location, but the area is a bit grey. They call it the "silver city" after all!

Mom and I spent much of the day getting settled into my new flat. We unpacked suitcases, put clothes away, and found ways to organize in small places. We also tried to conquer some of the washing with my "washer/dryer" two-in-one combo. It's a sore subject at the moment...the thing doesn't work at all and appears to have ruined one of my sweaters. Mom just got finished reading the instruction manual and it says that it could take up to 180 minutes to dry 7 pieces of clothing...are you kidding me?! That's THREE hours!

We also ventured over to ASDA which is the UK version of Walmart (on steroids). This place is unreal! It's a 2-story version of the American favorite...AND the coolest part is that you ride a conveyor belt from floor to floor WITH your shopping cart! Mom took a picture of me to capture the experience...will post later when I can find my camera cord.

Signing off for now...have some things to do before I make my debut at the office in the morning!