Breaking Free in Scotland! Day Three

Thursday 19 May

Thursday was the day that we went to the Orkney Islands, the day that I had been most excited for. It didn't end up being anything that I expected, but it was absolutely amazing!

We got up at 7:30 to walk to the ferry, which took us about an hour. Apparently I had already made reservations for the ferry, which I didn't remember, so all we had to do was pay really fast and then we were on our way. The ocean was wild, and we all felt a little nauseous, but Kiersten was the only one who actually threw up. I stayed on the deck for a while, soaking in the ocean air, closing my eyes and feeling the wind on my skin. Here's some pictures from the ride over:

I was so excited!

Carolyn, Chelsea, Kristen, Meisha, Me, and Kiersten

Orkney from a distance

For those of you who don't know, the Orkney Islands are a huge inspiration for my book. I'm basing the islands that they live on from that area, as well as much of the culture. Everywhere I went, I kept thinking about scenes in my book and things that my characters go through, trying to remember every moment so I could more accurately describe what they were feeling, seeing, and hearing. Standing on that ferry, I thought of when my main character, Kenna, is tied to the mast of a ship, freezing cold and unable to escape. The wind on my face was just a taste of what she would be feeling, but it was more real to be than ever before.

Once the ferry landed, we quickly found our hostel and grabbed some lunch at a little cafe down the street. I had a delicious panini with Orkney cheese, brie, and ham, as well as a wonderful hot chocolate. (It was so cold outside that all of us ordered the hot chocolate!

I had a list of places I wanted to go, and I mapped out the best way to visit them all. Little did I know that the bus system in Orkney is practically nonexistent. We all went exploring in the town, and I went to the tourist office to get directions on how to get to all the different places. The lady looked at me like I was crazy when I asked how to get to Marwick Head, the number one place on my list.

"Are you renting a car?" she asked.

"No."

"Then you don't."

Apparently, there are no buses that go there and to get a taxi it would cost thirty pounds each way. I was, to say the least, heartbroken. It's just another cliff side to most people, but it is the perfect spot to place my city in the book I'm writing, and I couldn't wait to go there and see it myself. As it was, I had to give up that dream and save it for another trip (I will be back there someday, I will!)

So instead, I asked how to get to Skara Brae. Skara Brae is a neolithic village from the year 3000 BC that was built underground (we referred to them as hobbit holes while we were there). This is another place that I was dying to see since I used it for the basis of my main character's home in my book. I asked about buses to get there, and was shocked by the conversation that followed.

"Well, the buses only leave on Mondays and Thursdays," the lady said. "The one today leaves at 1:20."

Seeing as it was 1:00 and I wasn't sure where everyone else was, I asked her when the next bus left. She looked at me like I was crazy.

"There is no next bus. That's the only one."

I stared at her for a minute, then snapped myself out of it. "All right. When would the bus bring us back?"

"The bus doesn't return from Skara Brae until 6:30."

I almost laughed out loud. Though Skara Brae is amazing, there was no way we were going to spend five hours there. Still, I hurried and gathered everyone up, since I knew they all wanted to go to Skara Brae, and we waited at the bus stop while trying to formulate a new plan for the day. It looked like Skara Brae was the only site we were going to see, and I was disappointed but wasn't going to let it ruin my day.

When the bus arrived, we asked the driver for advice. The other girls had really wanted to see the Yesnaby cliffs, since there were pictures everywhere and they looked absolutely beautiful, but Yesnaby was about five miles to the south of Skara Brae and there was no bus to take you there. The bus driver suggested that we go to Skara Brae, see what we want to see, and then hike down to Yesnaby. "Once you're there, go to this intersection," he said, circling one on the map. "It's not a bus stop, but I'll pick you up there around quarter six."

We thanked him, only realizing afterwards that we weren't exactly sure was 'quarter six' meant, and bought our tickets. When we got to Skara Brae, I was extremely excited, but tried to remain clam and not run to the ruins.

We went through the visitors center, and then went outside to see a replica of what the lodgings would have been like while they were inhabited. When I got into that room, I had to sit to catch my breath. It was like walking right onto the pages of my book. The passageways were narrow and low, and the room and furniture were made entirely of stone. The air was cold, but not as cold as the wind outside. I just sat and tried to soak it all in.

Dresser

Bedframe

Then it was on to the ruins. They were a ways away, but right next to the beach. I got some amazing pictures of the beach on the way, and there was no one in sight. Though Orkney has beautiful beaches, it is much too cold to actually go swimming.

When I got to the ruins, I again had to catch my breath. These stones had remained in place for 5000 years, and I was standing over them looking down in. The roofs had been washed away by a storm years before, which was how they were discovered. It was amazing to see the way these people had lived, and imagine the events in my book taking place right in front of me.

Once we were finished there, we set out on our hiking adventure. I can't even describe to you how amazing it was. I never thought I'd be doing anything like this in my entire life, yet here I was, hiking along the edges of cliffs. The six of us were the only people in sight, literally. It was as if we were the only people on earth. There was no path for us to follow and no signs to let us know how to reach the nearest town. I've never made so many Lord of the Rings references as I did that day, walking along the green grass with our little band of adventurers, as if we were on some sort of quest. I earned the title of Gimli by being the slowest and telling myself to keep breathing, but it was completely worth it. I've never had such a thrill in my life, and my life has literally been changed by this experience. I feel as if I can do anything, and I've realized just how much of a love I have for hiking and seeing sights, no matter how hard it is for me. Seeing the beauty and glory of God's amazing creations was breathtaking, and I would do it again in a heartbeat.

Chelsea

Chelsea and I took some risks to get
 amazing pictures like this...like leaning
over the edge of the cliff and
balancing with one foot...

Like I said, literally the only people

I was able to get a glimpse of Marwick Head from a
distance. I need to go there someday.

Kristen (she took a picture of herself stepping off)

Random ruins on our way there

Kristen

Probably my favorite scenic picture of the day

Can you believe where I am?!

Again, amazing, isn't it? (that's me!)

I took about a billion more pictures, and I've dumped them all on facebook for your enjoyment. I have seriously never had such an amazing experience in my entire life, and I can't imagine having one in the future.

When we'd finally reached the Yesnaby cliffs (they're more touristy, so there was a place for cars to park and we knew we were there) we took a few pictures before heading inland to catch the bus. We were running short on time, but we were planning to get there around 6:15. It wasn't until we were halfway down the road that we started wondering if 'quarter six' had actually meant 'a quarter to six', and started slightly panicking. We were about seven miles from the town, and there was a storm rolling in. We hurried down the abandoned road, ignoring the cows that stalked us (yes, I said stalked) and trying to find the intersection the driver had circled.

They literally stalked us, on both sides of the road

We waited by the side of the road for about a half hour, worrying more every minute that we had missed it. There was no way we were going to make it to town if we had to walk, and even though we weren't allowed to hitch hike according to the rules of the program, we were seriously considering it. Around 6:50, when we had started walking down the road a little bit farther to a different intersection just in case, we all heard Kristen yell "BUS!!!" Little did we know that it wasn't the same bus driver who had told us he was going to pick us up.

As he approached us and didn't start slowing down (even though Meisha was jumping around in the middle of the road) we started to realize that he wasn't the same person, and became hysterical. It was clear that he wasn't planning on stopping. We all started yelling "STOP!" in hysterics when he started to pass us. Finally, he slowed to a stop, and we all ran inside. There were three other people on the bus, and they were confused and extremely amused. We were all in a giggling fit, and I'm sure they thought we were crazy.

You can get a taste of what we were feeling by Chelsea's face on the right

When we got back to the hostel, we bought some food from the grocery store and cooked it in the kitchen. There was a French guy in there as well who invited us to go to a pub with him, but we were absolutely exhausted and had to decline. Besides, it would have been awkward to go and not be drinking.

Then, around midnight, Alicia Cicon and Amber Coleman skyped me. If it weren't for those two, I wouldn't have actually started believing in myself and my book, so it was amazing to be able to talk to them while I was in Orkney. Coleman had just finished my first book, and I couldn't believe it when she told me she liked it better than Harry Potter. I still don't quite believe it (no matter what you say, Coleman!) but I was near to tears. It was amazing to be in the place where the events in my story happen and to feel the excitement I felt when I first became involved in it all over again. Somehow I know that this book is going to be published, and I really hope that other people can enjoy reading it as much as I've enjoyed writing it and discovering this world.

This was definitely the most adventurous day of my life, and I will never forget it.