And after the Marriage of Figaro??

OK that seems like it was two years ago. i'm not even sure i can remember what happened after that. That opera was fun... and it was the last night i would see most people because the next day, Melissa, Melinda, and I all flew to London! Ah, now i remember.
So, the next morning we all met up at my apartment, grabbed a quick bite to eat at Pizza Bizi, and then went to Westbanhof to catch a shuttle to get to the airport. after a passport scare (i thought i had left mine. i'm an idiot) we got to the airport with plenty of time to spare. we sat in the airport lounge for a while, then finally got on our aer lingus flight. We landed in London with plenty of time until we had to catch the night bus to edinburgh, so we bummed around Victoria station. We ate asian food in take out boxes whilst sitting on the floor, took Melissa to get her first starbucks, and wandered in and out of stores. We boarded the National Express bus from London to Edinburgh close to midnight. Let me just say... could be one of the worst experiences ever? My body is still trying to forget it... the headlights from the cars on the highway were always in my eyes, i had no leg room, and a constant paranoia that my things would be stolen. At 3 in the morning we stopped at some place in the middle of nowhere, designed just for these overnight buses. it was really weird. We looked at cards and i got nutrigrain bars to keep me going. the bathrooms were clean and free, so it was worth it. i looked like a mess.
We got into Edinburgh around 7 o'clock in the morning. check in at our hostel ended up being about 2, but they let us keep our stuff in their storage closet. Very nice. I LOVED OUR HOSTEL. It was called Castle Rock, it was super cheap and cool, and the staff was way helpful. They had everything you could ever need. We went up to see the Edinburgh Castle (which is right by our hotel), wandered around Prince street, and just enjoyed looking at the beautiful city. Because really, Edinburgh is incredible. You feel like you're in a movie from the 1400's just being there because the houses up on the hill are all wobbly and crowded and dirty. It just felt good to be there. We checked in and collapsed. checked e-mail, and tried to get Melissa some money (since her card had been eaten in london). What happened after that? I can't even remember. Possibly a shower. I think we got dinner at Pizza Hut, but i can't be sure. Maybe it was somewhere else...
The next day was spent knowing that it would be our only full day in the city. We bought rugby shirts, got melissa some money, ate lunch, wandered around the city some more. Nothing extremely productive happened, it was just nice to shop and lounge about, even if i did look gross and my pants hadn't been washed in 2 weeks (and wouldn't be washed again for another 2...). we went to go and find where our bus for our loch ness tour would be the next day. we found it after an hour or so, and then we went back to the hostel to clean up and relax. checked my email, we had to rush a new tour because our other one got cancelled. The next morning, we left at about 6 o'clock. Walked all the way over towards prince's street and found our bus.
the tour took the entire day, until about 7 or 8 at night. We drove through the highlands, into all of these small villages. There were plenty of coffee breaks and lunch stops, and i wish that my family had been there. It was so incredibly beautiful. The colors were all fall ones, so the green had faded into these oranges and reds and browns that were just breathtaking. The Loch Ness tour had to be the most fun. We learned all about how they track "monsters," which, it turns out, are real. We saw pictures. Our guide new everything about everything loch ness. We talked with him and even got a photo. It's awesome. Ate lunch at some italian place near where the bus dropped us off. went to bed early because the next morning we'd be up at 3.
I know, that's hardly anything, i didn't even finish a whole trip, but i'm just so tired of talking. I really feel the need to recall what i've been doing this week. But i just don't have the energy! So let me leave you with this::: modern opera, lots of late night hang outs, and total and utter confusion. I will never understand the male mind. My parents come into town the 5th! I cannot wait to show them around.