Wake up, we're in Scotland.

Last night we rode an overnight train to Aberdeen, Scotland. We're currently in a mall that is connected to the train station awaiting a train to Inverness. Two thumbs way up for the Apple store right now allowing us to utilize their internet connection as we wait for the train. Brilliant. (Especially since it's obvious we're not here to purchase anything, we're wearing giant backpacks as we muck around this place waiting for a train...)

So we went the rail pass route, when planning for this trip. It's worked out really well so far. Here's the process: basically, you show the pass, and they say, "Sure, hop on this train here." No payment exchanged. Fantastic. Only one exception: you have to pay extra for things like sleeper compartments, etc. So Alex and I were pretty much resigned to being hardcore and sleeping in the comfy (but vertical) overnight train seats. They definitely beat out the airline seats we had to sleep on when we flew over here. Plus, did I mention how hardcore we are? Therefore, we weren't really concerned about sleeping a night or two upright on a train. After all, this is part of the backpacking experience. So we thought.

But lo and behold, last night we got super lucky. Turns out the coach where our seats were reserved had an issue with a door. So they moved everyone over into sleeper compartments. Including my brother and I. FOR. FREE. So we rode up to Aberdeen on the 10 hour train ride (yes, that is as long as the flight over here took) in style, horizontally, in a two person sleeper compartment, complete with complimentary toothbrush sets and a delicious breakfast. Holla! (I honestly had one of the best nights sleep I've had in a long time - maybe it was the fact that I was rocked to sleep by a high speed train - ahh, brings back memories of the cradle...)

But apparently we slept too comfortably, because this morning, we somehow were overlooked, missed breakfast, and the rubbish people were cleaning up when someone noticed us. (To be clear, I am referring to the people who take care of the trash on the train. In my opinion, the word 'rubbish' is a much better term than 'trash.' I'm not attempting to call the people 'rubbish'.)

"What are you still doing on the train?"

"Sleeping..."

So they proceeded to back up and drop us off along the side of the tracks. By this, I mean, "Please remove your backpacks so you can leap down from the train, not onto a platform, but upon the tracks, 6 feet down. Then you can pick your bags back up, and walk around the utility areas to get back into the train station. Silly Americans." Yes, that's us. 

Side note: I'd have to say Alex and I are excellent choices for travel partners. We have similar personalities, we know each other pretty well to be able to read each other's moods, and we feed off of each other well. Sometimes it's a bit of a comedy routine, but at least it keeps the locals entertained by "those crazy foreigners". But the one thing we are both equally NOT good at, is waking up. It could be possible we slip into comas when we sleep. It hasn't been proven yet, but I'm pretty sure what we do when aiming for REM cycles is a near-coma experience. That being said, we've done a bit of sleeping in on our trip thus far. (Hey, we're on vacation!) But it is now quite obvious that we run the risk of sleeping through a country here or there along the way...

...wouldn't that be a feat of marvel?

Anyway, we're in Scotland now. Inverness, Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Argyll. (We're going to see what we can do to make that last one happen).

Cheers!

“Without new experiences, something inside of us sleeps. The sleeper must awaken.” –Frank Herbert