The main reason I signed up for this trip was to get the experience of teaching in a different country, but the part of it that excited me the most was the fact that I’d be spending a lot of time traveling all around Scotland. On the second day in the UK, we were scheduled to take a train from London to Dumfries, Scotland. After an eight-hour plane ride, I was not looking forward to a five-hour train ride. However, the hours on the train zoomed by as I watched the scenic English countryside transition into Scotland. We finally arrived in Dumfries. Being from Tifton, Georgia, I am not much of a city girl, and Dumfries had the small-town feel that made it my favorite place from the whole trip. While we were there, we all had the chance to tour an agricultural college, hike through the countryside, see the ruins of ancient churches, and get to know some really cool people from the area. 

After we finished teaching at Troqueer Primary School in Dumfries, we set off for Glasgow. We spent our day in Glasgow shopping, exploring the city, seeing a movie, and eating some delicious pad thai at the largest Thai restaurant in Europe. The next day, we left Glasgow to go to the Isle of Skye. We took our time traveling and made lots of stops to see how the landscape changed as we entered the Scottish Highlands and to get pictures of centuries-old castles and ruggedly beautiful islands. After spending the night there, we spent the following day touring and taking in the scenery of the Isle of Skye. 

Our next destination was the city of Inverness. I was a bit worried that I would accidentally travel back to the 1700s while in Inverness like Claire from Outlander, but fortunately, I spent all of my time there in 2022. Inverness is located very close to Loch Ness, so we were able to take a boat tour of the loch. Much to my nephew’s disappointment, I wasn’t able to find any Nessie eggs to bring back to him. 

After Inverness, we rode south to Edinburgh, stopping on the way to tour the buildings and gardens of Blair Castle. We explored the city of Edinburgh, walking the Royal Mile that led to Edinburgh Castle. This Castle is full of history, and even though I didn’t see them, it is allegedly full of ghosts. Edinburgh was the last Scottish city we would visit before returning to London and parting ways. On the train ride south, I contemplated all of the wonderful things that I had seen in Scotland. I am certain that it is the most beautiful place that I have ever seen.