Losing time...

I am beginning to realize more and more that nothing is permanent, that something that seemed impossible 4 months ago is actual a reality and coming to an end. I still have some time-over a month in fact to say my goodbyes to Edinburgh, but it is hard to say goodbye to a place that has welcomed you and given you a home. Before I sound too maudlin as I mourn the loss of yesteryear (like some sort of Lifetime movie) I do want to state that here, like back in Kentucky, things can be bad. I don't even want to think back to the nights that never seemed end as I inserted as many flowery words into my writing as possible to make my essay reach the word count. Nor am I particularly fond of the day I was walking back to my dorm and it was raining so hard that my legs started to go numb. However, these have all been a part of the experience and I do love Edinburgh for each second because things always do get better. This post wasn't really supposed to start off like this, rather it was supposed to be a summary of my spring break. I guess I can do that too...so here it goes.

Shetland Islands:
They are a perfectly quaint place to be. In some cases I felt like I was stepping back through time as I looked at the fishing nets strung over the gates or when I stumbled upon the old viking settlement a short walk from my B&B. I felt torn between two times as I tried to grasp what it was like for the people who lived out their lives on this small Island that I decided to visit for a holiday. On one hand the old fascinated me while the new drew me in through it's convenience. For the short time I was there I lived off of Tesco food that I bought when I got there because being without a car is a lot more inconvenient than one would expect. I bought some bread, the makings for a sandwich, pears, and water- all of this I  sat outside on my windows ledge (I wonder what the B&B owners thought?). I did of course have breakfast prepared for me. Before I get caught up in highlighting every detail I will just say that I it was nice, truly nice. I like to be alone and the Shetlands are the type of place where it feels nice to be alone.

I want to mention, more than the sights and sounds, some of the people I met there. First of all the bus driver. I know that normally bus drivers appeared almost as robots handing us our tickets then taking us to our desired destinations, but the bus driver in the shetlands was not like this. He did of course do the standard bus driver-ish things, yet he also did more. He had a deep brogue so I really had to listen to understand him but he told me about where I was going and what to watch out for. He also made sure I would get back safe and sound as the bus timetable I had been given was out of date. I don't remember much of him, just the gray hair and work-worn arthritic hands but I remember our conversation. It was short sweet and to the point. He gave me the best route to take to get up to the lighthouse and then proceeded to tell me to be careful because people die up there. "Stay on the left side of the fence", he said, "and you will be fine". I nodded my understanding. He finished with the statement, "I don't want to hear of a young kentucky girl getting washed up after being lost for weeks." I responded that I wouldn't either, but he informed me I probably would because you know well...I would be dead. So with these instructions in my head I walked up to the lighthouse past some angry dogs, a farmer who smiled and commented on the weather, and some geese that were very irritated with me. However, I did make it and was just astounded. My pictures don't do it just and neither will my words so I am not even going to try. The lighthouse itself was rather eerie and when I first got up there and old man was standing outside his car staring out into the distance. It turned out that he was watching out for the orcas spotted by the ferry to Fair Isle, but the warnings of the bus driver accompanied by my active imagination had me a wee bit worried. Anywho, it was, as I said, amazing. I even saw some see birds which were scared off when my mother decided to call me. Oh well, they weren't puffins.

On my last day on the Island I went on a boat around Bressey, an island that is only populated in the summer. I was on a boat with a bunch of Norwegian students who were in the Shetlands for internships (I didn't know there were enough businesses in the Shetlands to provide internships...). They were pretty entertaining to watch with their ultra fancy outdoor wear and high-tech cameras as I stood there in my jeans, organic shoes, and raincoat I got at Zappos. Yeah, I guess you could say I am pretty fly. The highlight of the day, despite the Norwegians and the puffin I saw (though that is a close second) would be the captains impression from a couple from Alabama. The captain is a marine biologist who takes out tourists to make money and share his passion, but apparently last year a couple from the south took exception. As he was talking about evolution and how we can learn so much from the sea, the wife apparently looked at him and said, "Boy, don't you ever read your biiiiible?". It was both entertaining to hear his southern impression and to realize that as a Kentuckian I am hopefully not embarrassing my fellow citizens at home and abroad.

The last person I met was rather unexpected. After searching for a pub (who knew one would be so hard to find?) I settled on an Indian restaurant which was, after all, just as good. The waiter there was actual from India so I really had no idea how he ended up in the Shetlands, but we started to chat. He asked me all about Kentucky I asked him about his home in India. He lives in the north of India in the mountains which apparently makes him comfortable with the weather in the Shetlands. He asked me what it is like in Kentucky in Spring and I said it is warming up and it even got up to seventy. However, I screwed up on the conversion and I think that he now believes that Kentucky is as hot as death valley with people dropping dead all over the place. If he ever stumbles across my blog in the wide world of cyberspace I can only say I am sorry for being so horrible at math.

The adventure back to Edinburgh was entertaining as the ferry crossing was calmer and I didn't have to wait forever for my train. It was on to athens after that, but I am tired of writing now so more to come at a later date.