29/07/13 - Scotland, part B

St Andrews

Edinburgh

Getting sorted by the Sorting Hat into my Hogwarts' house. As you do.

Tom Riddle's gravestone.

Lunch of goddamn champions.

The aftermath.

"Hogwarts"

Haggis on haggis on haggis.

Gluten-free pizza crust!

Fife

Queen's View, Killiecrankie

 
Scotland is beautiful. It’s been cold, it’s been rainy, it’s been sunny, it’s been crisp, it’s been soggy and damp and I adore it. And I adore this trip – seeing people I haven’t seen in years, staying with family, visiting places I’ve wanted to visit. Road tripping with my mama. This is how we roll.
Last Thursday we visited St. Andrews, which has been on my hit list for a long time, and I fell in love with it. It’s quaint and small and full of American tourists who have come to play golf, so in that regard it’s not ideal. But it’s all old streets and grey buildings and the smell of the ocean is in the air.
We went on the next day to Edinburgh, which is a beautiful city. I couldn’t imagine studying at university there – the sheer number of people and tourists is enough to completely put me off – but it’s such a lovely place. We had a (surprise!) Harry Potter tour of Edinburgh – seeing where Jo Rowling wrote various parts of various books, and seeing various inspirations for the books. We spent the rest of the day walking the streets of Edinburgh, breathing in the city. It was nice to have that time in between this whirlwind trip of visiting people.
We then spent a couple of days in Glenrothes, with family, and then drove up to Nethybridge yesterday, where we will be until tomorrow evening. We’re staying with some friends we met in Norway – a good seven or eight years ago now – who we haven’t seen for four years. So, it’s nice, but a little surreal.
It’s three weeks exactly until I leave, and mostly that’s brilliant and exciting and excellent. But there’s a part of me that is screaming because that’s not long enough. I don’t feel ready. I’m not in a healthy enough state of mind right now to look after three children, and the sand is trickling away my time.
But I know that if anyone can do this, it’s me. I am fierce and strong and determined and I’m going to fight everything inside of me that tries to tell me otherwise.