Free as a Bird! Let's Make Tour Itineraries!

Today I had my first and last exam. It's over! Yay!! It's over! *jumping out of joy* I'm free! No more studying! No more do I have to feel bad about being lazy all day, now I can be As Lazy As I Wish!
I'm going to develop my idleness into a form of art during the coming months, because it will be my default mode for all summer. I won't work a single day. I will just lay in the sun and read the monstrous pile of books I've bought here. Ooooh, cannot wait! *a sunny smiley* I might be the only person here who doesn't actually feel that bad and sad about going back home, because I have the whole vacation waiting for me there. And Lauri and friends and family of course, that goes without saying.

And before that I have loads of fun to look forward to here in Scotland. On Wednesday next week Lauri is coming here. First two days in Glasgow, then on Friday 8th June off to York and Yorkshire Dales. The magic of Hadrian's Wall on the way there, the rollercoasters of Alton Towers on the way back, yippee! So there for three days, until Monday 11th.

Then, my parents are joining us on the following Wednesday, the 13th. First two days in Glasgow, again, and then on Friday the 15th off to Our Grand Tour of Scotland, starting from Glasgow, ending in Edinburgh, 9 days on the road in between! So Finland is calling on Sunday 24th June - mark that in your calendars ;)

For the better part of the last seven days I've acted as a tour organiser to the best of my ability. The itinerary for the trip has become quite clear by now (as we are four people, two of us parents, touring in June, we are just compelled to book accommodation in advance - my parents wouldn't certainly like spending the night under stars in the middle of nowhere - something me&Lauri could do in a really desperate situation). The touring schedule goes like this:

FRI 15.6. The trip starts. Glasgow ---> Bannockburn (1314 battlefields) -> Stirling (bridge & Wallace Monument) -> Kilchurn Castle -> drive through Loch Lomond ---> Night in Tarbert, Kintyre.

SAT 16.6. Day trip to Islay and Bruichladdich Distillery where the whisky cask 'Mr. Piispanen and friends' is located (Lauri is a co-owner :) ---> Night in Oban.

SUN 17.6. Day trip to Iona, the place where St. Columba formed his monastery back in 'the year of sausage and bread' (a Finnish saying, sounds pretty wicked translated btw! :D ). Night in Oban.

MON 18.6. Hiking around Glencoe. Driving northwest past the Five Sisters of Kintail mountain range for example... ---> Night in Portree, Isle of Skye.

TUE 19.6. Touring the Isle of Skye. Night in Portree.

WED 20.6. Touring and hiking on the Isle of Skye or in Torridon (quite nearby). Still in Portree for the night.

THU 21.6. Off to the picturesque Eilean Donan Castle -> to say hello to the Loch Ness Monster -> to wonder at the Urquhart Castle and to ---> Inverness, where we spend the night.

FRI 22.6. Driving southwards. Inverness -> Dunkeld and Birnam Wood (my dad's obsessions again, 'When Birnam wood march to Dunsinane'... - the final battle in Macbeth, Shakespeare) -> Scone Palace (the crowning palace of all Scottish Kings and the place where the famous crowning seat, the Stone of Scone, used to be located) -> to Glasgow to get my stuff from Anna-Riitta's place ---> night in Edinburgh.

SAT 23.6. Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Edinburgh... All of us except Lauri have seen the town so the day is basically reserved for unwinding, relaxing and shopping.

SUN 24.6. Finland calling... Bye bye Scotland! :( (but not for good!)


Dunno why I posted the itinerary here. Well, one reason. I think I won't be able to update my blog while we're there, so you can use this post to check where we're located on a given day ;)

Now gotta get a shower, I have to catch my friends on Ashton Lane, it's Sam's last night here. I'm ooooffffff......