December 22, 2008
The next morning came and I woke up relatively early to get a head start on the day’s events. I quickly emailed my Mom’s work buddy Fraser letting him know I’d arrived in Scotland and had all day today and the next, and that if he was free and didn’t mind showing me around I’d be forever grateful. After that I set out to find and buy postcards, get some breakfast (this hostel didn’t come with breakfast but I wasn’t complaining), and set out to either find the ever eluding post office or find a way to unlock my cell phone. Also deciding that if worst came to worst I’d have to purchase a whole new cell phone instead. So I set off in search of a cafe or some small place I could enjoy a nice warm breakfast before beginning the day ahead. It was at this point that I found a grocery store and decided that the best and cheapest way would be to buy breakfast, lunch and dinner for the day here. So I bought some fruit for breakfast, and a premade pizza for dinner, deciding to keep it simple. Realizing the time I made no point to do lunch as breakfast was about to become brunch.
After that I went back to the hostel to check email and eat. I received a response from my mom telling me that Fraser’s email was being tricky and he may not answer right away. So I headed back out after cleaning up my mess and decided to do as I’d done in Dublin and just lose myself in the city. I spent most of my day following the river upstream on a hiking trail to the edges of the city. Something in the back of my mind told me I wasn’t going to find Nessie this way but it was well worth a shot. I spent several hours walking down this trail through a forest area during the afternoon hours. It was here I found an assortment of things from an ice skating rink and sports center, to old soccer and rugby pitches, to Christmas lighting and decorations placed through out the woodsy area I’d been traversing through. I saw mom’s and dad’s taking some “Baby’s first Christmas” pictures by placing the baby on the backs of the reindeer Christmas decorations and even took a family photo or two when asked. This was a most enjoyable experience, wasn’t much in the way of excitement and adventure other then my meeting with this strange bird that kept following me until I turned around and it hopped back and flew off a few yards until I once again started walking in the other direction. I have a picture of this little guy and it was an amusing 10 minutes or so. It started after I took his picture. I found him on a pitch of grass placed a few feet away in the river and thought he was a strange looking thing so I snapped a quick photo. As I began to walk away I heard a flapping of wings and glanced behind me to see the bird landing a few feet back. Thinking nothing of it I continued on my way hearing little feet on the leaves and twigs behind me. It was when I turned around abruptly I noticed him look at me for just a moment before jumping and launching himself back a few feet. My eyebrows creased in wonderment, did I somehow obtain a stalker? And not just any stalker but a bird? I shook my head thinking it impossible and continued it was the second and third time I turned around and saw the bird react the same way as before the I realized I truly did have a stalker. I chuckled and continued on my way wondering why this creature of all creatures would be following me, but knowing it made for a comical story none the less. As I made it back from the ends of Inverness night was beginning to fall. Darkness falls surprisingly early in the UK, and thinking it later then it was I went back and did a little more shopping this time purchasing a few things for a few people as well as some post cards to send out and some to keep.
I spent the rest of the evening reading the fourth twilight book and enjoying my pizza in peace as well as trying to use the internet until I lost it completely. After a few chapters of my book my eyes started to close and I decided that turning in early once more might’ve proved a reasonable idea.
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