Day 8: Scotland! A Little Different Blog Entry. Ha!

After a full day and night at sea, we docked this morning at Invergordon, Scotland, and this morning mom and I ate breakfast, had a good talk and then hopped on a bus for the afternoon tour of Loch Ness and Urquhart Castle. It was such a great day. (I have to say right now that this blog post will be colored by a few cocktails, so it will probably be much more entertaining than usual. Ha!)

Urquhart Castle

The Loch Ness

Ok...so I liked seeing the castle, I really enjoyed the drive to Loch Ness because I had the opportunity to see the traditional homes of the Scottish Highlands that looked like they were built a century ago, and the Loch was beautiful, but our tour guide was hilariously monotone. Mom and I giggled about it for at least an hour. As for the Loch Ness Monster, he was a no show. I have to admit that I was a pessimist today who didn't believe, but was still looking for signs of the curved neck or back every second I could see the water. Haha! Oh well. Maybe another day.

Tonight I finally let loose enough that I could laugh at the funny things other passengers have been doing. I think the vacation is finally working. To say that I have been a little stressed out over the past few months is to put it lightly, so my sense of humor has been a little compromised. Well folks, it has made a comeback. Tonight, my friend Lydia (the daughter of one of my mom's friends who is also on this trip) and I decided that we would take in the ship's "nightlife" after dinner. We attended a game night called, "Majority Wins," where people who wanted to participate were split into two teams. 13 questions were asked and each team member submitted answers. Whichever team had the most submissions that were the same as the majority answer won. Most of the answers involved the words, "Boobs, condoms, etc." Add in cocktails and we were entertained.

Then we went to karaoke. I was a little disappointed because we had chosen to sing, "Don't Stop Believing," from Journey, a la Romy Owens style, but didn't get there in time to sign up. What we did arrive in time for were thrilling performances from people who couldn't quite find the pitch and our favorite was a repeat performer on this trip, Steve from Kansas. This guy sang the other night and Lydia had told me all about him, including his 1984-feathered hair and his penchant for 70s and 80s music. (I don't judge. I obviously was going for the same style.) Anyway, Steve did not disappoint. In fact, this gentleman from Kansas chose a Kansas song, "Carry On My Wayward Son." It was scrumtrulescent, to use a Will Ferrell reference.

Steve from Kansas

After karaoke ended, Lydia and I visited every bar on the ship, finding that no one was left out and about. We suspected as much. There is a big crew party tonight that we heard about, and even though we had no intention of breaking the rules and attending, Lydia still asked every crew member she talked to if they would get us in. Haha! It was very "Dirty Dancing" - no fraternizing with the passengers. I was as entertained by Lydia as I was by the events of the evening. She told our waitress at Karaoke tonight that we were waiting on nice men to buy our drinks, and the lady replied, "Where?" Hahahaha!

I'm having fun and it's nice that there is no pressure to even try to attract someone. It's like camp for big kids. Who cares? We're going to Edinburgh tomorrow and I'm looking forward to whatever our last day in Scotland brings. We only have a few days left and I plan on living it up, laughing as much as I can, enjoying my time with mom, and relaxing even more. This trip has been really good for me. I'm so grateful for today.