COUSIN! - GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - DAY 1
Arrived on schedule and greeted by my cousin Andrea, (from mom's side). Not too much happened today as she pulled an all nighter from studying and I couldn’t really sleep on the plane rides over.
Both of us pretty excited to see each other as it’s been three years in the making for me to come visit while she studies at Uni to become a Veterinarian- The Second Doctor in that side of the family. We load up her red mini cooper and we whisk off. My cousin is such a badass being able to drive on the other side of the road, and driving stick shift no less- I’m very proud and impressed. I take in everything as we whizz by- Not only is this my first time getting to see my cousin overseas, it's my first time being in Scotland. The Scots will hate this comparison, but I must speak my mind- With the climate often raining, cold and cloudy, the city and suburbs look like an extension of England and / or Ireland. I haven't seen any of the countryside yet, but I know those are the views you hold out for.
Although excited, we’re rather exhausted as well. We arrive at her flat, and it's so charming- A Typical college dorm that smells of pizza. And what you know? We hang out, watch the season finale of Game of Thrones and eat pizza. It was very disappointing- The show, not the pizza. We shifted gears and started watching Fleabag for the first time by Phoebe Waller-Bridge. Our heads explode at the brilliance that is Pheobe Waller-Bridge. Her genius is of God-
like proportions, and her talent makes me worship her as my new idol in the industry...And in general, just as a person.
We pause, I take a shower in a European style bath where the hose only reaches to your waist. I find Andrea passed out on the couch, so I take note, and finally take a nap. I set the alarm for two hours. It feels like minutes until I have to wake up again, and it is truly painful to get out of bed. But once I’m up, I’m up.
Andrea's up too. We decide it’s a good idea to get groceries for the trip. We go to two supermarkets, and return home, only spending about 40pounds each. I know that’s actually a lot with the conversion, but we basically have to cook and stock up for nearly our whole trip. It was really funny because Andrea bought a bunch of Harry Potter stuff as well! If you have a Harry Potter obsession, Scotland is the place to be.
We come home and cook a bit, until we meet some of Andrea’s friends for drinks. Glasgow is very charming! It’s your typical gray, always raining architecture, with the buzz of young people at Uni. Between Andrea’s friends, Ethan and Sarah, we all have a pint each, and laugh over Rick and Morty.
We carry on to tour Andrea’s school, and the library. They actually shot a few scenes of Harry Potter at Glasgow University. It’s been gray the entire day until sunset where everything looks absolutely majestic.
I know Andrea works her butt off and studies until she could have a break down, but there are so many activities, people and beauty in this city, that I continuously state multiple times how her life is a dream! I’m grateful for the life I have, but this always seems like fun 24/7 with a bit of studying in between haha!
We make our way over to meet a few more of Andrea’s friends for the night, but call it quits before they go out clubbing. We’re honestly too tired, and they’ve all just finished their finals, so they have good reason to party.
We walk home sharing more stories of our Uni experiences. We return home to the familiar pizza-scented flat, and enjoy more pizza with more Fleabag until we decide to hit the hay.
I’ve already gone around the clock, but I’m lying down hoping to fall asleep and stay asleep until at least 8am or 9am tomorrow.
In the morning, we plan to practice building the tent, pack our food supplies, and hit up the Vet’s Party in the evening (with a curfew), before getting up bright and early the next morning to begin our road trip!
I’m so excited!! We’re in the city, but it smells incredibly fresh and it's very green with all the rain they get here. At one point, we drove just over a small hill and could see gorgeous countryside with a splash of light coming from the sun! It’s meant to rain up north everyday we're there, but I’m hoping, wishing and praying for at least a little sun in Isle of Harris.
Love you!
