on 28th June 2008 we joined jim wilson's trip for international students to Mount Stuart, Isle of Bute. all in it cost 20pounds, including train, ferry and bus fares to and fro, not forgetting the entrance fees to the grounds and the house. the trip there was quite hectic though, as we had to continually run to catch the next mode of transportation. once we reached there, it was fun though.
me and fiona on the train
me and jacinta
we had many laughs on the way, investigating the origins of goats from sheeps, marvelling at the nice houses and trees. i think the people around us must have thought we were nuts.;p
on the ferry's back part. the front part's wind was so strong it made me believe for the first time that the wind can actually blow you away. don't even need an umbrella, unlike mary poppins. it was so cold that when i opened my mouth to speak, it was like i was drinking ice cold water.. brr..
with leng and yin yin
my god-cousin ^^
finally, we reached the place. we still had to walk some distance from the visitor's lodge though. however, the scenery, as usual, was beautiful.
there were funny-shaped trees
not to mention the road to the enchanted forest
Finally!! the house!! there was no pictures allowed to be taken, so i just got these online. i think it's coz they wanted to make money selling the pictures as postcards.
the marble chapel - the whole area was built from white marble and god knows how many types of marble. on top, there was some kind of special glass that made red light stream in when the sun was out, flooding the front of the chapel. personally, i think that's a bit freaky. anyway, we didn't get to see it that day, since it was raining.
the marble hall - again, it's all made from marble. the pillars had flower carvings of wood. the place was used as a hospital during the world war - forgot which one. it's so beautiful that the patients opened their eyes and thought that they were already in heaven. on top of this centre area, there's stained glass and prisms which turn sunlight streaming in into rainbows. again, we didn't get to see it due to the rain. this is really a pity.
Dining room - it was really lovely. i liked it because they adorned the tables with white orkids. gosh, this is the first time i realized that i also like white orkids. haha..
drawing room - do you know that they actually hang shields on the ceiling? just look up. i wonder whether they actually fell on anyone's head before. and they have the most expensive painting, or most queer - made from egg, among other material.
one of the family's room - do you see the door on the left? it leads on to some garden. what really caught my eye is the glass panels on the right and left of the wall. they are made of stained glass, with cyrstal-like figures playing 4 musical instruments, e.g. harp. around that is blue and red light streaming through. pity i don't have a picture to show you.
after the tour of the house, we went around the gardens.
had our picnic in wee garden too! drank ginger beer (totally alcohol-free), just like in enid blyton stories. haha.. food was abundant and scrumptious. my latest favourite - egg sandwich! simply yet delicious. make sure you put thick thick layers of egg though! ;p
the sky was blue
the grounds wide
me leng and yin with the mansion behind us
jump jump jump! oops, didn't we just eat??
the adventurous group who dared to venture to the sea. not forgetting the camera girl. little did we know what was yet to come...
taking a rest before heading to the calvary lake. adeline tricked me into putting my legs up. ;p
we crawled through fallen trees, went under wet dripping bridges, through iron gates, forged our own paths through shrubs, leaped over giant puddles, pushed the thoughts of snakes or any other ferocious animals out of mind - we were actually thinking bout it, but dare not voice out for the sake of others. haha.. actually, there was no turning back! with calvary lake in mind, and a map which had previously been used to alas some guy's butt (we all know who. haha..), we forged on!!
okay, we were lost. but who cares?! the hills are alive...~~
k la, we still needed to hurry and find a way back. if not the bus will leave without us. so don't hiaw hiaw take pictures oredy!!
we did get to meet some new friends
and foes??
on the way back to the bus, i saw this dog sitting so obediently without it's master. reminds me of that story i once read about.. bout this hole in the ground with lots and lots of money, guarded by three big dogs which would sit on the carpet and let you extort them all. you must bring the correct carpet though. anyone know what's the name of the story? it's driving me nuts to recall it. so if you know do let me know.=]
whilst waiting for our ferry, we went to the rothesay castle. it's very small, but it still has a moat. i like this animal though. is it a goose or swan? not duck i think.
seriously, i can't remember where this was taken. haha.. central station? latest update by leng - it's on the ferry la.. haha.. forgetful me.;p
it was a very nice trip. i feel like i was in one of the enid blyton stories, of course this is not england. but still. my only regret was that i couldn't find a sheep to take picture with. nevermind.. our time will come. you can run but you can't hide. your fleece is too thick. =]
gambling...
we walked until the sun went down and lights switched on. the night scenery was beautiful. however, the people got more rowdy. it's quite scary actually, even though we had two guys with us. i don't ever want to be out when people start drinking. 
without realising it, we've been coursemates since 2003! that's like 5 years dy. 
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