An Inside Perspective

Realizing that I've never posted pictures of my Christmas-time adventures, I've decided that late is better than never.  So here you are with a visual recap of my Scotland/Spain travels!  Enjoy.

This is a pretty terrible shot of the Rosslyn Chapel (in renovation, hence the terrible shot), which you may recognize from the book-turned-movie The Da Vinci Code.  It's rumored that the body of Mary is buried here.  I never saw it.

From a-top of Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh, the highest point in the city.

This is where I study.  I must say, it's pretty cool.

German Christmas market, held for the month of December in downtown Edinburgh.  Plenty of good schnitzel and bratwurst for the bit of Bavarian in each of us.

Edinburgh Castle at dusk.  Not the greatest shot of the castle itself, but the trees were a good environment for the foreground.

Overlooking Edinburgh Royal Mile!  Far left is the castle, far right is Holyrood Palace (tough to spot in this picture).

This is a university building that hosts the School of Theology.  In the far-right background is the castle.

A night-time shot overlooking the Christmas time festivals held in beautiful downtown Edinburgh.

Edinburgh at dusk.  What a great city!

On to the travels!  Joel and Allison at Loch Ness.  They were nearly certain that they'd found Nessie.  If you look closely you can see her head poking out directly over Allison's head.  I'm positive.

Urqhart Castle, on the muddy banks of Lock Ness.  Unfortunately it was closed due to Boxing Day (Dec 26th).  On the other hand, the fence was short and unmanned, so after a quick hop and walk, we found ourselves with a free pass to explore the ruins!

Inverness Castle at night.  We found out only after fully exploring the exterior that it's been remodelled and converted into an court building.  Would have taken the fun out of exploration had we known before visiting it.  Sometimes ignorance is bliss.

Back in Edinburgh at the Castle.

In the Castle, Joel and I in front of one of the older portions built in the 1600's.

From the castle, a view of the city.

Scotch Whisky Experience...largest collection of whisky in the world.  This was but a small portion of room.

Pondering the beauties of Barcelona.

Welcome to Barcelona, 2012!

Montjuic, Barcelona.  Home of the 1992 Olympics.

The sagging facade of the most well-known Gaudi structure, the Sagrada Familia.

Tapas, Tapas, and more Tapas!

La Boqueria outdoor market.  Carnage everywhere.  It was like a bomb had gone off at a pig farm, then kindly trimmed, smoked and wrapped everything for its victims.

So that's the trip in a nutshell.  Hopefully it has provided you with not only a shot into a visit from my family, but also with a better look at the city in which I live, study and explore!