I have always wanted to visit the land of my ancestors and now that was going to happen. I was going to visit Ireland and Scotland; two out of three wasn't so bad. Next time it will be Germany but I just couldn't fit all three places in this time.
The real bonus was that I was going to visit some friends that I had made online whilst there.
I was a bundle of nerves as the day of departure drew closer. Checking and rechecking my flight info and what I was going to pack. Finally the day arrived and the shuttle to the airport picked me up.
I posted a message to my online friends that I was soon to be on my way and invited them to meet me at a local pub later in the evening, after I arrived. I was nervous and uncertain that anyone would show. I was unable to check until after I landed to see if anyone responded.
The flight was long and uneventful. If I wasn't sleeping, I was reading a book or some stories I had saved to the kindle app on my phone. I was able to take some great pictures out of the window, as well. Finally, we landed and taxied to the gate.
As I disembarked the plane I noticed a gentleman standing at the the bottom of the ramp, wearing a kilt. I knew he was there for me and I grinned when I saw him. After countless conversations with Kirk on Lush and my love of men in kilts, I knew it had to be him. I noticed others around me laughing and pointing at him. As soon as I could break free of the crowd, I ran to him and gave him a big hug. I also pulled out a first place ribbon from my bag and pinned it to his sash. We retrieved my luggage and headed for the hotel. My very own Scottish tour guide, how the heck did I get so lucky!
After checking in at the hotel, Kirk and I went shopping. I needed to buy my very own kilt, after all. After a few hours of shopping, we went back to the hotel and got cleaned up and ready for a night out at the pub. I took a few minutes to check my post on Lush and was pleasantly surprised that a bunch of my friends would be joining me for the evening.
Kirk and I made our way to the pub and found a nice big booth. While waiting for the others to arrive, we ordered drinks and food. Non stop chatter the whole day between us, it was almost like we had known each other forever. Slowly, people started to arrive.
Dianne, Trisha and Heather were the first to arrive. Then Jim and his wife Trixy; Jennifer and her partner Lilly, and Jason. After proper introductions, drinks were ordered and the real party began.
The pub reminded me of home: Friendly atmosphere, cheap drinks and great friends. We closed the place down, not really leaving much alcohol behind the bar. No one was in any condition to make it safely home, so I invited everyone back to my hotel suite. I had plenty of room for everyone. They all agreed and off we went.
Once back at the hotel we poured more drinks, not that we needed any more to drink.
Now as you can guess, when you get a bunch of writers and Lush friends together, the conversation is, at some point, going to lead to talk about sex. The latest debate was about sensuality and the importance of it during or leading up to sex. Heather, who was a bit more reserved and somewhat innocent when it came to sex, said she didn't quite understand the need for sensuality.