WhereInTheWorldIsMatt

My last weekend trip during my time here in Scotland was to one of my go-to destinations while I was here: London, England. I have always wanted to go to London and couldn't pass up the chance while I was here in the UK. I took a Megabus all day Friday and arrived that night at my hostel in Victoria Square. I went out and did some night sightseeing of Westminster Abbey, the London Eye, and of course, Big Ben. Then the real touring started on Saturday. I met with a group of friends I had met on the Highlands tour on the previous weekend and we all got the London Pass, which allows us entry into most of the main attractions in the city. We started off at Kings Cross to visit the famous Platform ... read more

This past weekend, I took a trip to the capital of Northern Island. Belfast is a city that has a violent history, but was very welcoming while I was there. The Tall Ships Festival was going on during my stay, and it was awesome to see sailboats from all across the world in the harbor. I also visited the Titanic museum to learn more about one of the most famous disasters in history. I was in Belfast from Friday-Monday, and while I was there I visited a lot of the local pubs and had some of the best Guinness of my life. I also did a Black Taxi tour, which toured the divided Catholic and Protestant neighborhoods of Belfast and examined the murals of the Belfast Wall. The wall is taller and longer than the Berlin ... read more

On Sunday, June 21st I went with two friends to go on a canyoning adventure. I didn't have much of an idea of what canyoning was, but when my friend showed me what it entailed I just couldn't pass it up. Canyoning has a little bit of everything, from rock climbing, cliff jumping, rappelling down waterfalls, and even sliding down waterfalls. We went through a company called Nae Limits based out of Pitlochry and the guides we had were awesome. The gear we used included a climbing harness, three layers of wetsuits, and a helmet. When we got to the canyoning sight, it felt like I had just taken a bus and ended up in Colorado or Montana. The scenery was not what I had in mind when I pictured Scotland, with cascading waterfalls and towering ... read more

Yesterday was all about exploring Edinburgh, the beautiful capital of Scotland. Our group actually started exploring Wednesday night, arriving in the city to explore some Scottish city nightlife and stay in a hostel. My first hostel experience was actually not that bad, with most of the group getting to stay together and the beds actually being more comfortable than the ones in our school dorms. We arrived by train, and the instant we stepped out onto the streets we were greeted with the centuries old architecture that looked absolutely breathtaking in the setting sun. Our day of exploring began by taking a trip to Edinburgh castle and walking the grounds there. We then grabbed some lunch and went on a Harry Potter walking tour, on which we saw the café that JK Rowling first drew her ... read more

After about 8 hours and 30 minutes on a plane, I've finally arrived at the University of Stirling! It is an absolutely beautiful campus, and is also quite large. It seems like there will be plenty to do, and it won't be hard to catch a bus into the main town of Stirling from campus. Tonight we have a reception (at the castle on campus) where everyone from the study abroad program will get to meet each other. I attached some photos from some of the walking I did around campus when I first arrived, and there's still much more to see!... read more