Day 2 & 3 Limbo Days

Right, the sun is setting on my 3rd and final Limbo day!  I think it's setting...maybe it's the fog rolling in...hmm.

Anyway, the point is that I managed to make it through 3 days in Glasgow staying upbeat about my situation.  Each day had a main event, and although I probably sound way to structured to some people, having a plan is good for me.  I like knowing that I made good use of my time.

Wednesday was Ikea day!  Yes, I've finally made it to the ultimate furniture store!  I can now join the general populace in shared admiration of the place.  It is very nice, but full of furniture that I will probably never get to buy...since I may never live anywhere near one of their stores.  I'm not gonna lie, that was a bit frustrating.

A Christmas Market

Today was local attraction day.  In every city I visit, my favorite part is exploring the area near where I stay, and doing this has made me really want to try city living someday.  Each neighborhood is almost like a little town in itself once you take a look around, just with better access to things.  We'll see about that goal...

The Big Mouth Coffee Co. in the West End gave me the best Vanilla Latte I've ever had!

Day 1: All the Time in the World

Today was the first full limbo day resulting from my travel woes & so far so good. No major adventures just yet, but I am venturing to Ikea tomorrow, so that should fulfil the adventure expectations of the trip.

So just how did I fill my time, you ask? Here's a quick action packed summary:

8:00am- housekeeping! Yes, that's right, at 8am I woke up to a knock on the door and a man's voice shouting "housekeeping!" Just as a key was turning in the lock of my door, I was conscious enough to yell "HELLO?" A stupid thing to yell, but what exactly is the protocol here?

10:00- the quintessential Glasgow taxi ride from the hotel to the flat. The driver had much to say about many things, but generally stuck to football, religion, woman drivers and the bloody English.

11:30- Chinese at the Buchanan Galleries food court! Nuff said.

2:30-3:30- Bookstore perusing, random window shopping, & trying on clothes I didn't intend to buy.

3:30-4:30- Starbucks, a book & an Irish Cream hot chocolate...it's been 7 years since I last had that pleasure, and I still love it!

4:30-6:30- The Chronicles of Narnia: the Dawn Treader 3D...enjoyed the experience, but definitely didn't judge it as cry-worthy film like more than one fellow audience member did (I'm not kidding!). Interestingly enough, there were no kids and quite a few other solitary movie-goers. By the way, it was my first theatre experience on my own!

6:30-8:00- Headed back to the flat, picked up a Subway sandwich with extra pickles on my way home... dinner!
Now- a Lord of the Rings marathon! I just finished reading the Fellowship of the Ring, so it was just a matter if time really.

I'm sorry if you all were expecting more detail ;)  More to come on the morrow!

To spare my island friends a bit of the intense pain of loss while I'm away,
 I left an ambassador to lend a listening ear.

Ach!

As I sit in a hotel in Glasgow, reflecting on the crazy "adventure" this trip home has turned into, I can't help but compare myself to the dozens of movie heroes and heroines that go to great lengths to make it home for Christmas.  Alright, alright, so the stress of my flight home being cancelled, and having to rebook for Christmas Eve may not be quite up to the calibre of the movies I've seen, but it's really just the beginning.

I have 3 days in Glasgow waiting for my flight home, and a lot can happen in 3 days.  Because I'd booked my island flight separately from the main event, I had to come to Glasgow even though I knew the chance of me leaving tomorrow was very very slim.  But somehow, knowing that a cancelled flight off the island can't stop me now is comforting.  One flight down...

And while I'm counting my blessings...here's another one: I will be staying in my neighbor's "city flat" for my in between days!!!  That's right, at least I will be able to while away the hours for free, and in an awesome location.  

Yes, I would much rather be heading home tomorrow, and am still sad that I will miss those days with my family and friends, but things could be much much worse.  I could be one of those crying girls stuck in Heathrow airport for 3 days that they've been interviewing for the news programs.  

Expect frequent updates as I make use of the £10 Starbucks gift card I bought myself last month :)  Over and out!

The Queen of Candy Necklaces

Here is the Queen of the Candy Necklaces, and she's mine!  A couple weeks ago I visited one of my Gaelic course classmates for a movie night (I LOVE MOVIE NIGHTS!), and this was waiting for me!  Let me give you the dimensions:  2' 4.5" x 3"

I was tempted to eat it straight away, but somehow have managed to leave it alone.  I've decided to save it for a rainy/snowy/cloudy day.  Judging from the recent headlines, that day is coming...and it's coming soon...  This weekend's supposed to be crazy cold and full of precipitation of the frozen variety.  I'm meant to leave the island on Monday to make my way home for Christmas, and I'm getting a bit anxious.

I'm going to make some soup.

Sheep Herding

These days I often say that I live a charmed life.  I said it when I was walking through the beautiful streets of Vienna.  I said it when I was shopping in an outdoor market in the Netherlands and realized that a pair of accordions were in fact following us around town.  I said it after singing "the hills are alive with the sound of music" on a green hill in Bavaria, Germany.  (I'd like to stop here and clarify that I did not sing the entire song, just that part.)

Anyway, today my charmed life moment came when we were confronted with this:

Sheep in the road is generally no big deal around here, I often see a sheep or two wandering in the road. However, an entire sheep herd, complete with 2 sheep dogs and crofter is more unusual.  These sheep were being herded by way of a major road, and the crofter couldn't have been more laid back.  I suspect that our picture taking and grins let him know that we were not feeling inconvenienced.  I'm sure he was relieved.

Now the sheep are on their way...without the sheep dogs?  

The crofter appears to be holding them back...

And here's where we take over!  Yes, we herded these sheep with our Ford (The Green Machine) for about 5 minutes.  I'm sure the crofter was impressed with our skill and technique.  Calmly and confidently we pushed the herd towards their destination.  When the crofter obviously decided that we must be free to go about our business, he sent the dogs back in to give us a way around.

I know it's too blurry to tell for sure, but there was sadness in their eyes as we left them.  

Take my word for it.