On
May 9th Mike and I went to the Edinburgh Zoo and climbed Arthur’s
Seat in Edinburgh. I was very
excited since the zoo had Giant Pandas (we were lucky enough to see one of them
awake and walking around!), koalas, pygmy hippos, penguins, and LOTS of
monkeys! Afterwards, we headed
back to the city centre of Edinburgh, walked along the Royal Mile, and then
trekked all the way up the mountain called Arthur’s Seat. It surprisingly only took us about 45
minutes to climb. The views were
spectacular.
On
May 17th I had my last exam.
After I was done it was such a huge relief since I’m fully done 3rd
year at university now! Mike and I
spent the next couple days around Glasgow shopping and sightseeing. We explored more of the West End one
day and saw the Armadillo building, the Glasgow Science Centre, the Riverside
Museum, and the Clyde Arc bridge.
We also went out for dinner at my favourite burger place called
Ketchup. Mike ended up getting the
Colossal burger and finished it all!
We then got the largest sundae I’ve ever seen in my life. Right when it came I couldn’t believe
that they made sundaes that big.
That dinner was definitely extremely filling but REALLy good! Mike and I also explored Pollok Park
one day. It is a park south of
Glasgow where there are 100 Highland cattle and some Clydesdale Horses. Walking around the park was very
beautiful since lots of flowers and trees were in bloom and it was a warm day. Parts of the park reminded me of
Highland Creek. Mike and I also
went to North Queensferry one day to the Deep Sea World. We saw the Forth Bridge there, which is
famous in Scotland, and then we explored the tiny little town – there was
hardly anything there. We then
decided to go to the Deep Sea World.
We saw many fish, frogs, an alligator snapping turtle, which has the
strongest recorded bite on the planet, eels, piranhas, and crabs. We then went in the longest underwater
tunnel in Europe where there were sharks and other sea creatures! I loved the giant aquarium because many
of the creatures were very interesting.
Afterwards we saw a seal perform a show and saw a Bearded Dragon get
fed. We then went back to
Edinburgh and explored the Royal Mile one final time before going back to
Glasgow.
On
a gorgeous day last week we went to Loch Lomond for the day. Loch Lomond is a national park that is
known for being very beautiful and a great hiking destination. Mike and I hiked around the various trails
throughout the woods and by the water.
We also people watched a lot and relaxed in the shade on top of a hill
overlooking the loch by a castle there.
Over
these past few weeks being done school Mike and I have done a lot of day trips,
but we’ve also relaxed around Glasgow and hung out with various friends here
one last time. Now I’m sitting in
the Glasgow airport waiting for my flight to Heathrow. From Heathrow I’ll head back to
Toronto. I’m so excited to go home
after these past 5 months since I miss everyone and everything about home so
much, but I will definitely miss Glasgow.
I’m so thankful to have had this opportunity that not many people get to
experience. I feel like I’ve
learned a lot more than a normal term in school at McMaster, just by travelling
and living abroad. Although the
schooling wasn’t as busy and hard as McMaster, it has still been very
beneficial to my education and myself as a person. This will probably be the longest day, but in about 12 hours
I’ll be home! Fingers crossed that
there won’t be any delays! Canada
here I come! <3