The Perks of Being a European Traveler : Hiking in Braemar

This last week in Aberdeen has been filled with schoolwork and group work, but we were able to throw in some fun. I went to see Star Trek and The Great Gatsby at the Vue movie theater downtown. Both were fantastic movies that I would definitely see again! The theater was brilliant as well! They had seven screens total spreading out both downstairs and upstairs of the building. They have different prices of movies depending on your age (adult, student, teenager, senior citizen). They sell Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream as well as the normal popcorn (not buttered!), soda, and candy. The inside of the theater was complete with very comfy, big, velt chairs. When purchasing your ticket, you get to reserve your seat and there are even VIP seating that gives you the prime movie watching location in big leather chairs. I paid a total of £7.15 for both movies which is about the price of one normal adult ticket back in the States--win! Another really cool feature of this theater is that they hold special Autism screenings every last Sunday of the month. During these screenings, they limit the number of distractions in the theater, turn the volume down, and skip the advertisments and trailers. We were really impressed with this and thought that it was very considerate of them and good publicity for their organization.

Saturday we decided to be adventurous and travel to the town of Braemar wonderfully located in between several mountains. We went for a 4 1/2 hour hike totalling 8.2 miles. The climb was a bit more steep than I thought it was going to be, but definitely do-able. We searched up the various different hikes you can do around the Deeside District and chose to hike up one of the mountains on the Morrone Ascent http://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/cairngorms/morrone.shtml A total of 9 of us, including our professor made the journey in the on/off rain. We all had a blast hiking, taking both scenic and funny pictures, singing various songs to keep us going, and overall being very silly.

The final climb to the top where we reached an old radio tower was the toughest by far. The wind was howling and the rain was coming down in sleets. We weren't quite prepared for the weather and I was in desperate need of gloves. We sought shelter on the side of the radio building were there wasn't a giant gust of wind in our face, but still the huge amounts of rain. Our instructor told us to quickly eat lunch as she didn't want us to acquire hypothermia. We all inhaled our sandwiches bundled up and ran down the back trail where the mountains would cover us from the wind. I used my extra pair of socks as mittens which greatly increased my ability to feel my fingers. It was quite the adrenaline rush and we started using "Jessica's Daily Affirmations" to keep us positive: "I love the rain! I love my jacket, I love my socks! I love this mountain! I love my friends! I love this hike! I love going downhill!" Eventually the rain did subside and we made it further down the hill, when.... one of the girls I was with slipped on a downward slope (gravity was pushing us all down) and twisted her ankle. Luckily, we had Tylenol and her ankle didn't swell. She was able to continue walking but I now carried the hiker's backpack. It of course started raining again, but without the harsh top winds, it was bearable and we made it back to town for an early lunch and slight shopping.

It was such a fantastic day! I think with all of the hiking and walking that I have been doing on this trip that I am getting addicted to it. It might be a new hobby of mine when I get back! Enjoy the gorgeous pictures!