Dutch Shultz's Spring Break Adventures

Thanks to Dutch Shultz for sharing his spring break adventures with us!

Spring break with Dutch:

My spring break this year was spent wandering through Europe. I left in the late of night with my travel companions from Scotland headed to Dublin, Ireland. We arrived and breezed through security and found ourselves without transportation. We quickly found a bus near our hostel and then walked with confidence to our hostel, in the wrong direction. Several blocks later we realized our mistake and turned back to the way we came. Finding our hostel at 1am we tried quietly to crawl into the room with 9 strangers. Dublin surprised us with wonderful sunshine and interesting people. I met a great guy from the room named Alessio who was on holiday from Italy. We spent most everyday with him going on tours and him giving me cooking lessons on Italian dishes. Going to historic sites and exploring the Guinness brewery were some of my best memories of the great city of Dublin. We also took a tour of Ireland and went to one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. The Cliffs Moher.  

 It was now time for the next leg of our journey, so once again we boarded the plane and flew to Brussels, Belgium.  This city took me by surprise. It was filled with interesting history and the city was beautiful. We were again blessed with sunshine and warm weather for the duration of our stay. We took a walking tour of the city and our guide carefully described the city and its life. I found the streets to friendly and I felt like I was at home even though I could not speak the language. I would definitely come back to the great city and not just for the wonderful chocolates! 

We caught the train to Breda in the Netherlands a large city that offered us a quiet retreat from the hustle and bustle of being a tourist. Friendly shops and parks invited us from every corner. Sitting in the park watching the wild chicken under the willow trees was just the break we needed. Rest was not long as we had another stop planned for spring break. 

Once again we boarded the train and headed to Amsterdam, Holland. Arriving in the midmorning we decided to walk to our hotel. What we didn’t realize was that it was 4 miles from the station and the city does not have a straight street line plan. So after wondering around at a leisure pace, stopping to see buildings and shops we made it the hotel and quickly unpacked into a private room. It was small but we didn’t have to share and that was nice enough for us. We came up with a game plan and left the hotel. 

Wondering the streets once again we soon found that we were pleasantly lost in the city. Making the best of it we just wandered around. Finding parks to relax in and coffee shops to visit. Stopping to listen to street performers was a great memory. We broke our group and just walked around. The sun was shining bright and we were prepared to soak up as much as we could. The next day we took a walking tour of the city and found some rhythm to the street plans and visited the red light district and historic buildings. Listening to the history and local culture was very interesting. One of my fondest memories from Amsterdam is on the third day we packed a lunch and found a park ad just hung out there for hours laughing, playing Frisbee and taking in all the sunshine. 

 It was now time to head back to our home in Edinburgh Scotland, the palace was a welcome site for this weary traveler. I enjoyed my spring break immensely and would recommend to anyone to loosely plan a trip somewhere and just go with whatever happens, that’s how memories are made!

Katrice's spring break

Although many students searched out warmer climates for spring break, I did not want anyone in Wisconsin to feel too envious. My family and I spent our spring break exploring Scotland – winter coats and all. We rented a car, a wee yellow Fiat, to see how much stuff we could fit into it. Somehow we stuffed ourselves, clothes, and food into a car that makes a mini Cooper look like a station wagon. 

Seryahna and Djanko at a seaside playground along the way.

 Our first adventure in the daffodil-colored car was to drive along the coast of the Firth of Forth to St. Andrews, home of golf, the 2^nd oldest English-speaking university in the world, the beach in the opening scene of Chariots of Fire, and more. Okay, we did not visit any of those fabulous features, but we did see the beach. Instead, we went to the ruins of St. Andrews Cathedral. I was awed at the fact that the origins of the structure began in the 1100s. It fell into ruins after the Protestant Reformation in the 16^th century.

 

Everyone needs a break...

Golf: a way of life and, in this case, death

Eiders in the North Sea at St. Andrews

Eider at St. Andrews

St. Andrews is also home to St. Andrews Botanic Garden. Although it is not as large as the Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh, the garden in St. Andrews is impressive. Several glass houses contained micro-versions of various climates and ecosystems, such as Mediterranean and alpine. The garden also had several trails which we explored, admiring the rhododendrons and other plants that were just beginning to flower. 

 

The main part of our spring break consisted of a road trip to the Isle of Skye. On the way, we stayed a night in Kinlochleven, a small town set in the midst of the stunning Scottish Highlands. I will admit that the years that I spent in Washington state have spoiled me in regards to mountains. However, my jaw dropped at the sight of the Highlands. Although many of the mountains are only around 3000 feet, they are not gentle, rolling hills. They are snow-capped, jagged peaks towering all around. No wonder mountaineers seek out these peaks. The peaks look like the tops of the Cascades or Rockies were lopped off and set in Scotland. Absolutely amazing! Ahmyn, Seryahna, Djanko, and I took a couple of hikes, one along the river and another bushwhacking to the top of a wee mountain at the edge of town. The hostel where we stayed seemed to be full of mountaineers, drying their wet gear and planning for their next ascent. In my search for places to stay in the Highlands, having a drying room was often advertised as a bonus feature.

Walking along the River Leven

Kinlochleven

Djanko at the river

Eagle and salmon sculpture

Sculpture? No, machinery from the aluminium industry that was prominent in Kinlochleven.

This is Scotland?!?!

Views from our hike

Djanko, Ahmyn, & Seryahna at the summit

A wee hobbit hut at the hostel

We climbed the wee mountain in the background.

From Kinlochleven, we headed to Skye. The drive was stunning, including a stretch across the Skye Bridge. The clouds had cleared and we could see the Highlands crowding around us. The Isle of Skye’s geography seems to consist of bleak hills fit for sheep, the awe-inspiring Cuillins mountain range, and beautiful shores.   

Did I mention, WOW!?!?!

I'm so glad that it wasn't cloudy. I would've missed this.

We explored some of each of those features. We stayed in the largest town on Skye, Portree, population of less than 2500. Luckily, the weather held out for a hike in the Quiraing. The name comes from Gaelic words meaning pillar and closure (“walkhighlands,” 2013), and that description fits these rocky outcroppings and cliffs. The walk was wonderful as we had stunning views across to the Highlands on the mainland. Walking by old dry-stack stone walls that seemed to separate – well, I am not sure what many of the miles of stone walls separate. Have I mentioned that there are miles and miles and miles of stone walls across the rolling and not-so-rolling hills of Scotland? Anyway, our hike was gorgeous as well as challenging.

The descent

Great spot for  picnic

View from the top of the world -- or so it seems...

The next day entailed a hike along Coral Beach. The beach is a white beach, not due to sand but due to coral. The beach is made up of little tiny bits of broken coral. It looks tropical, but I would not suggest swimming.

Coral

We also hiked to the fairy pools. I am sad to report that I did not see any fairies. However, I did see beautiful waterfalls and pools. Ahmyn was so struck by the surrounding mountains that he climbed a peak in the Cuillins while the kids and I trekked along the river. 

Fairy Pools on Skye

Fairy Pools on Skye

The Cuillins

The Cuillins

Back on the mainland

 
After Skye, sweet Skye, we drove to the Cairngorm Mountain Range. We stayed in a hostel outside of a small town called Carrbridge. For some reason (maybe it was the cloudy weather), we did not hike in the Cairngorms. Instead we headed north to a small town named Forres to see the Falconer Museum. I was a bit disappointed to learn that the Falconer Museum really had nothing to do with falcons. Instead, it was named after Hugh Falconer, a geologist, paleontologist, botanist, and friend of Charles Darwin. For a small museum, there were interesting exhibits, and the folks who worked there were phenomenal. They were excited about Falconer’s work, the town of Forres, and the surrounding area. Thanks to their advice, we saw the Suenos stone (which is Pictish), the Witches Stone, one of the smallest working distilleries in the Speyside region (Benromach), and the beautiful bay to the north in Findhorn. “Witches stone?” you may have asked. Women who were accused of being witches were taken to the top of the hill and rolled down in a barrel. The Witches Stone is where they stopped before they were burned (Forresweb.net). I guess historical examples like the Witches Stone provide a gauge of how justice has progressed over the centuries.  

Suenos Stone from the Picts in Forres

In the park in Forres

In the gardens at the Glen Grant Distillery

The only fairy I saw -- at the Glen Grant Gardens

At the Glen Grant Gardens

For guests at the Slochd Hostel in Carrbridge

Old bridge in Carrbridge -- don't cross it!!!

For more on Forres and Findhorn, see http://www.forresweb.net/attractions/attractions.htm.

After exploring the Speyside region of Scotland, we were glad to head home to Dalkeith. We did stop in Perth along the way. Did you know that Perth was formerly the capital of Scotland? We enjoyed a quick picnic along the River Tay and the sculptures along the path.

sculpture in Perth

Perth and the River Tay

Perth

Once we returned to Dalkeith, we were weary and ready to get out of the wee car. Our travels for the break were not completely finished, but more on that later.