The Wallace Monument

Here we go again. When we at Stirling Castle we realized we could actually see the William Wallace Monument, as it also stood up on a hilltop not far from the Castle. We took the drive through town and when we got there we realized - by god, what a hill! (I'm so glad I am healthy and fit..ish.. so that I had the strength to walk up.)

Here you see the William Wallace Monument with Mr Wallace himself standing watchful over Stirling county.

After that climb we went to our first BnB where we were going to stay two nights. It was situated in Inverkeithing, on the other side of the Forth River, close to Edinburgh. That night we took a pub-round (we call it 'pub-runda' in swedish) in Edinburgh and managed to find the cooolest pub in the whole of Scotland, Jekyll and Hyde in Frederick Street near Old Town, Edinburgh. It was completely redone to look like a mad scientists home with the darkness, the horror cabinets, the candelabers, the hidden doors in the bookshelf. Being a sci fi nerd my self, I fell in love with the place instantly!

The picture to the left shows a little alley we just stumbled upon in Edinburgh coming up from Market Street near the trainstation. Iit just like taken out of Oliver Twist or something similar?

The next day we went to the Deep Sea World where we saw sharks swimming above our heads. Unfortunately I didnt film it because the batteries had then ran out. Typically. All though, I managed to take a photo of a fake shark and it looks almost as scary as the real thing!

Grrr arrg.

That's all you get for tonight folks! Now I'm going to get comfy (is that how you write it?) with The Buddenbrooks by Thomas Mann, and of course the obligatory chocolat. Some day I really have to think about quitting chocolat...but not today.

Haste ya back!

Stirling Castle

Just started transferring pictures to the computer and realized that I better divide it up into themes, starting with the first castle we went to, The Stirling Castle.

The first day that we were in Scotland we really didn't have the time to start sightseeing because we were just adjusting to driving on the left side of the road and trying to find our hotel in the million-city Glasgow, (which would have been really simpel if there just was one Mill Street instead of two)... The second day, we started out for Stirling Castle and then the William Wallace Monument (or as I constantly miss-said: 'The William Wallace Document'. I am a wee bit whimpsy, I am. I get that from my mother... ;)

The Stirling Castle is the second most important castle in all of Scotlands history, with only Edinburgh Castle toping it. It played a big role in many of the battles between scots and englishmen until it was destroyed in the 16th century and later rebuilt by the Stuarts (if I undetstood it correctly...)
Here's some pics, enjoy!

The inner wall, inside the courtyard, and looking out from the inner wall onto the outer defence, where I stood in the picture below.

Now, some of the more important historical persons of Scotland. Lets see.. there's me, Robert the Bruce and James Stuart the Fifth. In that order...

The view of Stirling Castle and from Stirling Castles outer defence.

Next post will be about the William Wallace monument, stay tuned!

I'm back!

I'm actually quite sad to say this... but I'm back from Scotland... (where I have spent one of the loveliest weeks in my life!) The trip was mainly across the country, staying at B&B's, visiting historic sites, listening to folk music and photographing mountains.

What surprised me the most was that the villages were so old, that every place had been touched somehow by the violent history of Scotland (and there is sooo much history). I loved how every house was so small and pitoresque (some of them even dating back to the 18th century) , built in and with old cracked slate roofs. And the town with the windling streets with cute little shops, with old signs... and of course the language was even better than I've imagined. I've heard scottish before (hello, Star Trek fan! Scotty is my main man!) but now I got to hear it in real life and I loved the melody of it and had so much fun small talking with people I met.

During my stay I've visited some acquaintances to my boyfriend, and they taught me a few scottish words. I learned the meaning of the word "haver", which I've heard a million times in the song "500 miles" but never fully understood... until now that is. It means yappering on, babbeling, talking mumbo-jumbo, bullsh$t, something like that.

I've been to Glasgow, Edinburgh, Perth, Inverness, Pitlochry, Kyle of Lochlachan, the Isle of Skye with Portree on it, and many, many more places. I've been on a boat trip on the Loch Ness, I've been to Edinburgh Castle, Stirling Castle, Linlithgow Palace, Eilen Donan Castle, The Man of Storr, The Kilt Rocks... I've seen the amasing view of the mountain group the Five Sisters on the road to Skye. There were not a lot of time though, and Skye I didn't see much of before I had to turn back towards Glasgow to get to Prestwick Airport in the early morning (for which I'm really sad).

What I know for sure is that I've fallen in love with the country and some way or another I will return, as often as I can. Maybe I'll book a weekend to wander in Skye, or maybe I'll take my dad on a whiskey and golf-tour, or my mother on an historic adventure. My acquaintances has told me that their parents have a house in Orkney where we could stay, and of course I want to visit Orkney and see that part of the country too, so I definitely think that'll happen.

Isn't it strange how you come to a place you often have thought of going, and when you get there you feel right at home? Maybe I'm actually ment to live in Scotland? Or at least have a holidayhouse there?

More to come when I upload all the pictures from the trip!

Fia over and out!

A rolling stone gathers no moss

I miss my parents yard... playing darts, sitting in the caravan tent at night, sitting outdoors drinking the old english style, working with the garden, pulling up the weed.

My parents now have old stone stairs that connect the lawn next to the house with the lawn on the lower level. The stones have been there for more than fifty years and were completely overgrown with grass, moss and weeds, until I started working on it. But I didn't have the time to finish my work, so I had to leave it half done. Manual labour can be so rewarding, so peaceful. And after a hard days work, you get to eat good food and enjoy your new suntan (if the weather was sunny).

I don't have a lawn here, just a common land which is not as pleasant to sit by because of all the neighbours watching. When we can afford it, we will buy a house where we can enjoy a large garden with wild roses and stone steps, swirling around the yard. Then I will invite you all to play cubb and crocket and darts, barbequeing and maybe even playing football. (Well, I can dream, can't I?)

Norrbotten pictures

One can see I've found good use of my new camera. :)

Norrbotten

Since tuesday I have been soo busy! We went sightseeing to Storforsen and Långtjärn, and then in the night we saw the movie Into The Wild (which I LOVED!). I've payed a visit to my aunt and cousins on my fathers side, and we've have also had a longer visit from a cousin on my mothers side, accompanied by his wife and two daughters, two and four years old, who seemed to think I was the best thing in the world. They just wanted to be with me every minute of the day, so we've played all day yesterday and all day today. Now I'm so tired I can hardly stand, but I'm happy! They are so sweet and clever!

I've also helped mother and father with an allotment (potatislandet). I've picked weeds, raked pine cones and pine-needles. The weather is cloudy and cold, the first day we only had 9 degrees celcius, now it's a bit warmer but we still wear our coats in the evening. Yesterday mother and father bought a caravan, we are going to raise the caravantent tonight, and maybe visit a neighbour.

Oh, and I almost forgot. I found a lot of books in the Red Cross. Ursula Leguin - The Earthsee-series, a book by Anita Shreve (and I also bought a second one by her in Umeå) and some others. Anita Shreve has written one of my favourite books, The Pilots Wife. I highly recommend her!

Now we have new visitors, a former workingpartner to my dad. More coffee for me!

Greetings from Norrbotten

Hiya guys, I'm back!

I have been home since this saturday, during which I have:
*Gone on a 500 km trip (back and forth) to Umeå to see my brother Johan
*Gone on a 250 km trip to Arvidsjaur to buy a caravan
* Helped my mother with her CV and personal letter for jobs
* Seen Highlander (The one with the large ugly guy who as a scar across his throat)
* Read Marian Keyes - Last Chance Saloon

You might wonder why I'm writing in english. I just thought it would be nice to be a little more international, and perhaps the few people I know of that doesn't understand Swedish can finally understand what I'm saying. What do you guys think? Are you still interested in reading it?

Blogging in Arlanda

Nu slösurfar jag medan jag väntar på flyget från ARN till LLA, tidigare i morse åkte jag från CPH till ARN. Det är lustigt att det ska vara närmare till Kastrup än till Malmö Aviation.. =)

För att jag skulle hinna med morgonflyget var jag tvungen att stiga upp 05.30, men det var inte SÅ farligt med tanke på att jag i vanliga fall stiger upp kl 06.00 (ser framför sig hur massor av människor tar sig för hjärtat just nu).

Flyger går 12:35 och jag blir uppplockad av föräldrarna kl 14.00 på Kallax, tills dess så ska jag:
* Äta på max (om jag nu blir hungrig någon gång)
* Fortsätta läsa Marian Keyes
* Möjligtvis blogga på bokbloggen med

Föresten så har jag kändis-spotat Robyn och den där miljöministern (What's his name?) Jag stod mitt mellan dom vid bagageutlämningen. Häftigt vad? Sen kom inte mitt bagage för det hade åkt vidare till Lule. Men ändå.

Och ni... en sak till. TJOHOOOOO! Jag har min första betalda semester!
SiFi over and out

Ps. Observera mitt nya smeknamn som jag helt nyligt gett mig själv. Är det inte coolt?! ;P Det kom sig från Fia, som ledde till Fia Hia, som ledde till FiHi, som ledde till HiFi, som ledde till SiFi. Bubblare var Fajid, Feejay, El Fayed, FjollFia, FjantFia, The Fajster. Ds.

Ps. nr 2. Nu är det meningen att ni ska glömma bort Fluffe. Ds. nr 2.

So Exciting! It will run for fifty years!

Jag talar förstås om Australia. Mycket bra film... Baz Luhrman rocks.

Detta är den stressigaste veckan i mitt HELA liv!! (Förutom *den veckan*. Ni vet, den gången då jag tog examen från gymnasiet, flyttade hemifrån, tog körkortet, opererade knäet och fyllde 19 år inom loppet av sju dagar. Den veckan var kanske snäppet stressigare.)

Jag talar förstås om jobbet. Har massor med saker att ordna innan jag går på semester i tre veckor, och så måste jag ordna inför semestern här hemma med. Igår jobbade jag över, idag jobbade jag i normal tid, men vette faen om jag inte ska måsta jobba över imorgon och på fredag om detta ska gå vägen. Som tur är har jag arbetskamrater som hjälper till...

Och på lördag tar jag mig till Danmark och vidare till Norrbotten.

So Exciting, It Will Run For Fiiiiftyyy Yeeeeeaaars.

Ridån faller.