This past weekend I went to Firbush Point, an outdoors center that the University of Edinburgh owns. It sits on beautiful Loch Tay, just two hours from Edinburgh. One word sums up the experience: awesome (because apparently we used that word a lot).

Basically Arcadia University, the study abroad program that I am at Edinburgh through, arranged for us to sign up for a complete weekend package of outdoorsy fun for just £75. We were there from Friday evening to early Sunday evening. Accommodation was in the lodge owned by the University of Edinburgh and was very decent: hot showers, and comfy beds after long days of activities. And the scenery surrounding Firbush is absolutely breathtaking (see picture above). So what did we do?

We got there Friday evening, settled into our rooms, had dinner with a scrumptious berry crumble as desert, and then played some casual board games and hung out. Saturday, however, we were up for breakfast at 8:30: porridge, cereal, toast, eggs, bacon, sausages and more. Then, after the hearty meal, some of us headed out on a “low level walk” with a Firbush guide. We hiked for a good four hours, through fields, tricky ice and snow patches, passing wandering sheep all the while. It was an amazing workout: I got so sweaty and winded. The scenery was gorgeous the whole way and the pictures I got were priceless! Some sheep stalked us too, which was fun.

When we got back to our lodge we were all hot and exhausted. The showers were a must. But the evening was just starting: the staff had prepared a traditional Burns Supper for us. Held on January 25^th, the day of Robert Burns birthday, this supper is a time when Scottish people get together with friends and family for a dinner of Haggis, Neeps and Tatties (turnips and potatoes), and speeches to honor the national poet, Robert Burns. He did much to preserve Scottish national identity during a time when England was assuming more and more cultural influence in Scotland. This is his lasting legacy. This part of the evening, the recreation of the Burns Supper, was so special. I will never forget it. It was my first try of Haggis: I liked it a lot! Peppery! A very well known bag-piper played for us: such a unique instrument. It gives me chills. The speeches were great too: the men in the group traditionally make a “Toast to the Lassies” where they poke fun at us girls, and then end on a conciliatory note. A girl in the party responds to this at the end. The boys in Arcadia made a poem that was very clever and cute, and then one of my friends responded, making us all laugh. The staff put in so much effort to making this occasion memorable, and all I can say is that it’ll stick with me forever.

The evening wasn’t over yet! Next the staff had prepared a Ceilidh for us. This is pronounced “kay-lee” and is a traditional Scottish dance. We danced for three hours! It was so much fun even though I managed to fall flat on the ground, and pull my partner down with me, so that everyone was staring and laughing at us. Yes, typical Sara moment. It gets better: one of the staff members requested us ladies to help him demonstrate the steps to each new dance. This is, of course, mortifying when you cannot dance for your life, like me. He was an expert to top it off. So I hid behind people when these moments came up. One of the dances happened to be Swedish. And of course everyone knew that I hail from this particular country up North… so I was suddenly up there in front of everyone, learning the dance steps. Can you guess the color of my face during this entire ordeal? I bet you can: purple. Lovely. But in all seriousness, I loved the Ceilidh anyway… everyone was just having fun, and nobody cared what mistakes you were making.

Of course, bed was then necessary at 1am… the next morning we were up early again. We did a historical tour of the area in the morning, which was really interesting. We saw a Scottish miniature Stonehenge in a field of cows, and an old castle in ruins. In the afternoon, after lunch, we went kayaking! We had to squeeze into wetsuits, prep the boats, and manage to get into the icy water without falling in. Oh and learn how to get about. Yes, I know, kayaking in the middle of February seems somewhat weird. But the Loch we kayaked on was very calm and serene. More importantly, it was so cool to actually be kayaking on a real loch! That experience won’t come up again, so I risked the cold.

We headed back to Edinburgh later that evening. I can’t give anything but a huge thumbs up to a weekend full of laughs and fun moments with good friends, great scenery and memorable cultural insights. I love Scotland.