Science Fiction, Double Feature...

To prove Sarah wrong, I decided to pause my episode of Community and write another blog post before going to bed.

So, my 20th birthday was the 26 of February (a Tuesday). To celebrate, we ate part of a fantastic cake that Sarah got for me and watched a movie.

It took us like two weeks to eat all of it.. but it was sooooo goood.

You can also see the chocolate she got me - my favorite Cadbury!

She's a keeper, this one.

But, the fun was just beginning. A few weeks back I had found out that a live performance of the Rocky Horror Picture Show was coming to Glasgow. Needless to say, I was excited out of my mind. Sarah agreed to go with me, and we got tickets! So, on Thursday the 28th of February, we walked down to Kings Theatre and spent the evening singing/screaming our hearts out with the rest of the audience and cast. I had never been to a live showing of Rocky Horror, but I kind of knew what to expect. Sometimes a live showing of Rocky Horror consists of actors acting/singing along onstage while the movie plays in the background, but what we went to was an entire theatrical performance with set changes and everything. it was AMAZING.

Now, there are certain things the audience is supposed to yell and throw during the performance. Unfortunately, the throwing of things was not allowed in this performance, but we still got to yell the traditional parts.  (Near the end of the performance, Sarah and I could sort of hear the Scottish accents drifting back to the performers' speech, but until I heard that, I didn't even notice that they were speaking with an 'American' accent... how soon we forget.)

Here's our view from the Gallery seats we had. 

We were waiting for the curtains to rise - shivering with antici.........................pation.

A shot of the set! 

This was taken during intermission, before they dropped the curtains back down to reset the stage.

We struggled to get a picture, but this is probably the best one :)

It was so much fun, and one of the best experiences for me. It was exhilarating to be surrounded by the energy and chaos of Rocky Horror and just a live performance in general. I am so glad we got to go!


(so there, Sarah. I do NOT sit on a throne of lies, and YOU smell like beef and cheese.)

Isle of Skye!

I know, I know... I'm terribly late with this. TERRIBLY. Like, three weeks late. In my defense, I did have an Organic Chemistry test today... So, this post seems extremely long - but it's really not that bad, honest. There are just a lot of photos, to make it seem long. Power through!

So, 23-24 February I went on a bus trip to Isle of Skye! It was a fantastic experience and I only got slightly motion-sick once, yay! Isle of Skye is a good five or six hours away from Glasgow, so instead of just going straight there, the bus stopped at a lot of different places along the way.

Day 1. February 23rd
We left Glasgow at about 8 in the morning, and drove for about an hour until we got to Luss. Luss is in Loch Lomond, and I had actually seen this place before when we went with Gary and Student Tours Scotland. But, we saw it from a different angle and it was still just as beautiful. It was, however, eight fifty in the morning and freezing.

I had fallen asleep on the bus (as per typical Becca fashion), and was quite chilly.

After Loch Lomond, we drove until about 10:30, when we stopped at Loch Tulla. Loch Tulla is a pretty small loch, and it's located in the central highlands. It was (as is all of Scotland) beautiful. It was just so... open and huge. I had another one of those "Oh my goodness, I'm in Scotland" moments.

(Loch Tulla is actually to the right of where this photo was taken)

After Loch Tulla, we drove to Glen Coe, also known as the Three Sisters view point. This is one of the more famous Scottish landmarks, and is the location of the Massacre of 1692. There is a song (click to listen) about this massacre that you should really hear. Much like the Loch Lomond song, it is such a pretty-sounding song, until you listen to the lyrics. Then it's just downright depressing. Needless to say, I have heard these songs more time than I can count since I've been here (in fact, I'm listening to them right now). I'm not complaining though, I love the songs, and I especially love listening to the way the words are spoken by these singers. It's fantastic and always makes me picture the vast open space that I now associate with Scotland. Fun fact - parts of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and some of the James Bond film Skyfall were filmed here at Glen Coe.

Following my new tradition, a 'Becca Jumps Through Scotland' picture at Glen Coe! 

I have an entire facebook photo album dedicated to this series of photos. 

This may be my best one yet. I should crop that guy out... he ruins the effect.

We had a quick pitstop at Fort William for lunch and some photos, and then on to Loch Garry. This loch is unique in that, due to a "quirk of perspective" the loch looks like a map of Scotland, with a bridge marking the Scottish/English boarder. This photo may not be the best representation of that, but Sarah and I look good, so... The loch (lake) you see behind our heads is Loch Garry.

Following Loch Garry, we stopped at Eilean Donan Castle - aka one of the most iconic images of Scotland. This castle is the one often shown on postcards. We didn't get to go inside, but we got to explore the outside. It was impossibly sunny - in fact, the weather this entire weekend was unreal by Scottish standards. I actually needed to wear my sunglasses for the first time since we've been here!

Saturday night was spent in a really nice hostel in Bradford, in Isle of Skye. We spent the evening in, and then went to bed to prepare for day two!

Day 2. February 24rd

We started the day at Sligachan, where we saw the Sligachan bridges and the Cuillins mountains. So pretty! This was just a really quick photo stop to snap some shots and admire the scenery. Here is a photo of Sarah and I with the Cuillins mountains in the background.

After Sligachan, the day got a little more athletic. We hiked up the Storr - a "rocky hill on the Trotternish peninsula of the Isle of Skye." In other words, an icy, steep, rocky and treacherous climb to the top to see Old Man of Storr - a famous Isle of Skye landmark. I only slipped once, thank goodness - and then it was just a nice slide on some ice before I was back up again. I've become quite the short-distance hiker since I've been here - something my family probably will not believe :) Sarah and I can take these hills at a pretty rapid pace, except when I slow down so that I don't break my neck on an icy patch :) It was chilly when we were at Sligachan, but by the time we made it to the top of Storr, we had taken off like three layers. Phew! I felt like I was on top of the world once we stopped, though. It was gorgeous.

We then proceeded to three other quick photo stops - Kilt Rock (the rockside looks like a kilt! but, I was more fascinated by the vast water) and Mealt Falls & Mealt Loch, and Lealt Falls.

There was just so much water... Mealt Loch!

You can sort of see Kilt Rock on the left, there.

At Lealt Falls. This man (yes he is wearing an actual kilt) is a sheepherder. 

Every Sunday, he brings his sheep here and just lets them wander. 

We got a photo with him, but it's on Sarah's camera... I'll get that soon :)

Our final stop was in Portree - the main town on Skye. Most everything was closed, as it is a pretty small town and it was Sunday. But, we grabbed some lunch from a convenience store and ate while we walked around the town. 

A storefront in Portree.. We were extremely entertained by the 'ish' and 'sometimes'.

These coloured houses are a pretty typical postcard photograph for Portree.

Then, the long journey home to Glasgow! It was a BEAUTIFUL weekend, and I'm so glad I got to go on this trip!