I journeyed to the town of Killin up in the highlands of Scotland with other American study abroad students to a outdoors resort called Firbush this past weekend and was amazed by the open beauty. On Saturday, we hiked up a mountain-side. I met two friends (Will and Jacob) who are also studying in Glasgow, and was delighted by the fact that they were both quite good singers and actually knew some scottish tunes. It gave a magic quality to the cold mountain air. My favorite part of the hike was when Jacob, for no apparent reason, picked up a rock and chucked it down the mountain. It landed (rather lamely) about 3 yards in from of him stopped by a snow bank. "Worth it," he declared. I laughed for about five minutes straight. On Sunday, we went kayaking in Loch Tay. There wasn't a breath of wind and the kayak's sailed silently over the glassy water with barely any ripples. I got bored in the middle so I starting singing songs in time with my own paddling. The rest of the group kept their distance after that point (whether it was my singing or the fact that no one really knew how to steer, I'll never know). In the end, I can see why people love nature. Don't get me wrong, I'd never want to live in it, but it was amazing to get away for the weekend.
