I always fear that someday, I won’t remember the things I’ve done and how it made me feel which is why I started blogging in the first place. Which is also why I wanted to start this new series I will shamelessly associate my name with: ACAn’t forget! (Get it? Char!). Instead of patiently waiting for throwback thursday to share something from the past, I finally found a new excuse!
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It has always been the plan – to go and build a life in California. It seemed so easy and at reach but complicated all at once. There were contradicting paces none of us could figure out. We had different timezones and timelines; My world was a whirlwind while his was stagnation. Looking at those things now with more seasoned eyes, I guess it’s safe to say the plan failed because we weren’t in sync with how to go about it. I am happy and thankful nonetheless. Because the plan will always be a wonderful memory of my youth.
How does this fit in my new blog series? Well because unexpectedly, this time last year, the plan was partly carried out. I was in California. This happened last year but my brain has a way of storing all this information making it look and feel like it just happened yesterday. That’s why I am also just writing about it now lol.
Now that I’m reminscing, I couldn’t help but feel emotional because all those years, the plan has always been there; it has become my guiding force to help me achieve my goals. When it ended, all these plans came crashing and for a moment I felt lost. By some miracle, I never thought there was still a possibility it would happen. Not the way it was originally drafted but still, I was more or less there. Same but different me.
We recently celebrated our first year of marriage and as per tradition, we’ve decided to reward our ‘hard work’ with of course, travel!
The original plan was going to Copenhagen (scored really cheap tickets) but due to unforseeable circumstances a.k.a me losing Gelo’s BRP (UK visa) we just had to ditch the plan and just go local. So for plan B, I let my ever dependable husband (why am I rolling my eyes typing this? Lol) plan the whole trip for a change. He arranged everything – from itinerary to booking the hotel to driving us there.
From Essex, it was more or less 10 hours getting to the Highlands. Since it’s winter season and the sun basically sets at 3pm, we had to leave early to catch at least a bit of light. Out first stop- Hadrian’s Wall.
Technically the wall still lies within England however, having taken our life in the UK exam (had loads of history questions) fairly recently, we understood how it was associated to Scotland and we got curious how it still exists considering the x amount of years it has been there. Honestly though, it’s literally just a wall.
From the wall, we drove for 4-5 more hours passing by the city of Glasgow to get to one of their famous Lochs (Irish, Scotting gaelic term for Lake), Loch Lomond.
This lake is actually one of the largest in the whole Great Britain. During this trip, I have been obsessed with taking pictures by the jetty (dock) and luckily we found this sweet spot. The water was so still and it almost looked like it was an extension of the sky. So serene I love it!
After that long drive, we had an early rest in a small town called Garelochhead and stayed overnight in the Anchor Inn. The next morning (day of our anniversary) we had the chance to enjoy the sunrise over Loch Lomond.
From there, we drove for another 2 hours planning to get to the famous Glenfinnan Viaduct. On our journey I must say we had to stop multiple times (too often that I may have annoyed Gelo a bit haha) especially when we passed by the Glencoe Valley just to appreciate the breathtaking views. If any of you are planning to visit and capable of driving on your own instead taking tours, I strongly recommend you to do so.
From the original plan to get to the duct by 10, we arrived 2 hours late lol. For food, we actually packed Adobo + Rice and just ate at the parking lot (Tipid techniques).
I’m sure any Potterhead would be familiar of this view – The Glenfinnan Viaduct. On arrival, there is an actual visitors area where you can buy souvenirs, food and use the loo. They also have a carpark and charge £3 for the whole day. On the side, they have a trail leading to a viewpoint which is the view you see from the picture above. If you want a better and closer look (which I’m sure you would), from the visitor centre turn right, walk until you see the next entry to your right.
We had to do a bit of hike (around 10-15 minutes) which wasn’t too bad considering you get this view. Thank god it was sunny too!
For our sunset session, it took us another 3 hours to get to our next spot, Eilean Donan Castle. Normally, there is an admission fee of £7.50 but they just finished a wedding event so fortunately the gates were opened to public. As much as seeing the inside of the castle is a treat, I personally preferred this view:
I couldn’t think of a better way to end this special day. Scotland continues to capture our hearts. Super stunning!
On our last full day before heading home, we visited more castles starting with Urquhart which overlooks the ever so famous Loch Ness.
Admission to the castle costs £9 and an hour would probably be enough to see the ruins. The next castle was Dunrobin and it was so dreamy I felt like I was in a Cinderella movie.
They are actually closed for winter but for some reason, they gates to the gardens were open so we just took the opportunity to snap some pictures! Would be a nice setting for pictorials or even weddings.
Overall, I think our anniversary trip is a success. Of course the most important thing is that we spent quality time and just enjoyed hours and hours singing and talking about anything. I also enjoyed the fact that I took a back seat in terms of arranging all details for the trip. Will let him do all the planning the next time we leave for a holiday.
I couldn’t sleep. As if that was new, lol. Since I’m here, might as well start blurting out random stuff I’ve been thinking about.
– I think that somehow, the month of November has been and is still is the closest to my heart. For some reason, it has left me with nothing but good feels and memories whether from the past, present and hopefully, the future. Tuloy tuloy natin ang sweet November veh. Even the weather is cooperating! I love the wintry feels! <3
– My first term in school is finishing soon but I haven’t started with my essays yet. I may start panicking after this post hahaha!
– I love Scotland. I fell in love with Edinburgh when I first visited in 2014 but for our anniversary, we decided to go the the highlands and everything was so breath taking! Will do a separate blog for this because I want to share some pictures as well!
– I managed to get an elusive Spice Girls ticket but as much as I would want to see them bring my childhood back, half of me wants to just stay at home and just sell it. Still thinking about it though hmmmm..
– I am still in awe of Ed Sheeran’s song writing skills and couldn’t get over the fact the he co-wrote (with Jess Glynne) Little Mix’s Woman like me. It has now become a habit of mine to check who has written these songs I listen to and I’m so impressed!
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