When you go abroad, people will do everything they can to convince you not to let anyone visit you because it’ll be hard to leave them again. This is true, no doubt, but I’m here to tell you not to listen to these people. If you have the privilege and opportunity to get friends or family to visit you for a few days, do it.
My boyfriend and his mom visited me this past week. I have been looking forward to this for so long, but it was also bittersweet knowing that after they left, my experience would be nearly done. That second goodbye still hurts, I can’t lie about that, but it was worth it a hundred times over to be able to experience some of this with the person I love.
I’ve explained to people in my life how lonely I can be sometimes, especially in the mornings when I know I can’t talk to anyone at home until they wake up, which is the late afternoon for me. Having a week where I knew I never had to be alone was something I didn’t realize I really needed until I got it. They were here for a little less than a week and have given me some of my favorite abroad memories.
Here are some of the highlights from each day:
Day 1:
After a full travel day, they finally arrived in Scotland! I could tell how exhausted they were from the second I saw them, and remembering how I felt when I arrived, I decided to take it easy on them. We did a short tour of the University of Glasgow, where we took photos in the infamous cloisters, which are beautifully lit up for Christmas.
The university is a big tourist spot, so there are always dozens of people walking around and taking pictures even during the school day, which I find funny now that I was one of those people.
I then took them to my favorite little food spot, which I highly recommend to anyone in Glasgow, called Derby Lane. It was a hit, but they were almost too tired to get through the meal. The day ended there, and I let them go to bed early, knowing we had to be up with the sun in the morning to begin our 3-day Isle of Skye tour.
Days 2-4:
We woke up bright and early and made our way to the bus station to get picked up by our tour guides. While I’m not a huge fan of being stuck on road trips with touristy strangers, I really loved these tour guides and the little fun facts they kept giving us about Scotland.
We saw the classics: Glencoe, Loch Lomond, and Fort William in the Highlands, which I’ve seen before, but it was fun seeing them experience these things for the first time. We finally made it up to Skye at around dinner time to the town of Portree, where we would be staying for the next two nights.
I tried fish and chips for the first time, which I know was way overdue. I shockingly loved every bite. I found it funny seeing my boyfriend struggle with all the same stuff I did when I first got here, like not knowing you have to flip all the outlets on in order to charge anything, or realizing that the jokes about the food being bad here aren’t really jokes at all.
We spent the next day sightseeing and beginning to realize how beautiful the island truly is. I saw the first bits of snow on the tops of some of the mountains, and it was very foggy, which I hadn’t seen much of up until this point.
My favorite part of this entire trip was when we got to Sartle. It was so beautiful, but the wind was seriously almost strong enough to knock me over. I had always seen videos of people talking about how crazy the wind was, but actually experiencing it was so much fun. We were just laughing the entire time, having to scream to hear each other. I’ll never forget standing in front of this insanely gorgeous view while the cold wind froze a smile on my face.
We also saw one of the famous black sand beaches, where we found a crab and some shells as we walked along. We got lucky that it didn’t rain much over the days we were there, but the wind was once again almost too strong. We then saw a waterfall and got a perfect view of the sunset by the Old Man of Storr, which was just breathtaking.
For our final day there, we made our way back, hitting up a castle or two on the way. My boyfriend tried Irn Bru, which I’m surprised he really enjoyed, and we attempted to have a traditional Scottish breakfast at the hotel, but I fear I am not as brave as I wanted to be.
Our last stop was easily the best. Not too far from Glasgow, we found a little place with highland cows that you were able to feed grain to. I’m not even being dramatic when I say this was the best moment of my life. These cows were hungry, and one tried to bite my finger off, but I loved every second of it.
Day 5:
We went on an Outlander tour! My boyfriend has no idea what this show is, but his mom and I are raging fans. We took tours of many filming locations, including my favorite, Doune Castle. This time of year is really difficult for day tours since it gets dark at about 4 pm, but it was very fun, and I can’t wait to rewatch the show once again and be able to say I was there.
Day 6:
No Scotland trip is complete, of course, until you go to Edinburgh. We took the train to the Waverley station in Edinburgh to see the Royal Mile, Victoria Street, and the Christmas market, which had just recently been put up, and I hadn’t gotten to see yet.
We walked, and walked, and walked the streets with all those stairs and windy roads I’ve come to not be a big fan of. Something that I had seen a while ago on TikTok was this experience where you could make your own Harris Tweed purse. I have been obsessed and wanting to do it for months, so we booked a workshop! My boyfriend’s mom and I made our bags while he explored the city a little more until it got dark and became prime time to see the market. Thankfully, the admission was free, and since we went on a weeknight, it wasn’t too packed at all.
I might actually be braver than I seemed earlier because I tried haggis for the first time on some pizza. Everyone makes it out to be this nasty, scary thing, but I loved it! I can now happily say I have tried it and truly gotten that full Scotland experience.
We toasted some marshmallows and rode the giant Ferris Wheel before hopping back on the train to Glasgow and spending our last night together.
Day 7:
We woke up disgustingly early to ensure they could catch their flight. I had to keep reminding myself I would see him soon again, but saying goodbye to him wasn’t easier the second time. It also sucked knowing that he got to go home, and I still have a few weeks left. The FOMO was definitely at an all-time high.
I’m getting to the point where I’m feeling every emotion all at once and don’t quite know how to feel. I want to go home, but I also love it here and wish I could stay longer at the same time. Having a piece of home and getting to share experiences with my favorite person was something I am so glad I got.
I’ve learned to enjoy my own company and be content being alone and doing things for me, but having these pictures and moments with people I care about make it even better. While it was hard letting him go and not jumping on that plane with him back home, I am so glad I got the opportunity to show my boyfriend around my second home.
❤
DU Abroad 