Eurovision

I have so many AWESOME things to update on, but by far the MOST awesome is EUROVISION! Therefore I am skipping chronology for the sake of AWESOMENESS.

Whoa, slow down buddy - you hve just exhausted your CAPS and awesome quota.

 Firstly we got to catch a Eurovision ferry to Eurovision Island. The we got to enter the Eurovision pre-party and enjoy refreshing Eurovision beer (the beer wasn't actually branded as Eurovision beer, it was Carlsberg, but I was kinda excited). Ringing the outside of the party space were the European flags. After much searching I was able to locate Malta's behind stall, a couple of coils of rope, and a wheelbarrow.

 And the costumes, of the costumes!

 Eurovision was held in a massive warehouse that was decked out in ways that only Eurovision knows how. At the entrance there were blokes dressed as Conchita offering free hugs, in a great show of support for the Austrian entrant.

Free hugs! Bargain!

Charles, Aleena, and got in nice and early so that we were only a one row from the front. Looking to my left I chuckled as I saw a bloke in a green top that looked surprisingly like a Raiders jersey.

Wait, wait wait...that IS a Raiders jersey! Everyone meet Rowan!

Turns we weren't the only Aussies to travel to Eurovision. In fact, there were Aussies everywhere. Pretty soon the acts started up; unfortunately I did not get any good photos of the Polish act  but I was there for the atmosphere and not photos. Whie not as intense as many concerts I have been too as it is a family event, everyone was super friendly and the music was really good. The acts sound much better live. Despite common conjecture, the British singer was really good when seen and heard through digital media.

They even had a halftime show!

 We smashed a few beers while rocking away to classics like Tick Tock (Ukraine), My Słowianie (Poland), Coming home (Malta), and Cliché Love Song (Denmark). And, of course, we went crazy when Conchita sang Rise like a Phoenix.

Guess which my favourite was (hint, even though it was ruled by my more basic of instincts it was not Conchita).

The countdown was less exciting than watching on TV, but we covered that by throwing back a few test tube shots. It then took us all of three seconds to decide that next year we should travel to Austria in May...

 Clearly the Norwegian behind us are impressed with our drinking skills.

Scotland the first

After my job interview I headed back to Swindon to visit Goof and Amanda to await the result. Upon hearing of my success and celebrating with not one, but two grilled cheese sandwiches I decided on a final trip to finish off my six months of traveling: Scotland.

Scotland: Cloudy, misty, wet. This is Glencoe and it sums it up perfectly.

I decided on Scotland because it has awesome mountains, was recently voted the best holiday destination in the world, and because Alison. We hired a car and so started the 10 hour drive to THE NORTH (yup southern UK has road signs that don't indicate what cities are ahead, just that you are heading to THE NORTH).

Commando Memorial - because the Brits realised if you could survive here the war would be easy.

Our plan was to visit Alison, who was at the time managing a hostel on Oban - a small town on the west coast of mainland Scotland and to visit the isle of Skye because Goof told me it was a good idea. Amanda, well, she had a job and had to work for living; someone had to pay for Goof's jetsetting lifestyle!

When Goof and I travel only the most luxurious travel methods are used. 

For the uninitiated (like I was), Scotland is essentially a whole bunch of islands very close to northern mainland Britain. Most are connected by bridges. It is really mountainous, and hence, incredibly scenic. Common myth suggests that it is extremely cold in winter - these myths are true. It is also full of Scots; they drink a lot and punch each other, which is hilarious. Many of them are extremely difficult to understand. It has Lochs, which is their name for a lake; no one could tell me what the difference was (not even Google could give a conclusive answer). Similarly it seemed that Glen was just a fancy name for a valley.

There are also cows. Lesson complete.

We arrived in Oban just in time for a Halloween party at Al's place, Oban Backpackers. Al gave us some costumes and we drank our way into the social cliques of the hostel. The following two days we toured the small town visiting places such as McCaig's tower, a nearby castle, and a quick visit of the distillery.

A lovely view from McCaig's Tower over Oban with the Isle of Mull in the background. Don't let the blue sky fool you, it was both freezing and raining.

We also drank a beer; lots and lots of beer. This was not out of any desire to please our baser needs, but more an attempt to fit in with the locals. We also broke up a fight (this became a habit of Goof and over our next few adventures together...). Then we set off on an epic adventure to Isle of Skye.

An Aussie incognito in Scotland.

This drive took us the better part of a a day and we some of the best scenery I've come across that rivals that of Switzerland and the Blue Mountains. We stopped off at a memorial to British commandos, which if I remember correctly were first introduced into the British army in the Great War; Loch Ness, but it was waaaay to cold to go swimming; and Glencoe, a famous glen that was used in Skyfall because the moutains and mist make it look so spooky.

Loch Ness - even Baiky didn't want to swim.

We stayed overnight in another hostel in Kyleakin, a small town on the east coast of Isle of Skye before our next day of sightseeing. We spent the day following a coastal road around the northern part of the Isle. This included rock formation the Old Mann of Storr; Staffin, a place where dinosaur fossils were found; Fairy Glen; and Uig. Uig just had cows, but it has a cool name (and cows).

  Old Man of Storr - it was also raining in this photo.

That's pretty much it. We drove back to Oban, and the next day back to Leicester where I was to start my first full-time and permanent job. I believe academic term this a career. By the way, in case you were wondering - Scotland deserves the title best tourist destination.

 Fairy Glen - the fairies had little quaint little messages for us.