It’s Official! I’m going back to Scotland.

Image of Edinburgh Castle by Jorg Angeli (Unsplash)

It has been a while… But I’m officially going back to Scotland this summer.

I’ll be honest… For the past two years, I have been painstakingly paying back my backdated taxes. That’s a big mess of a story for another time, but let’s just say, it was not easy. Essentially, I have just been head down and work, work, work for the past two years. I couldn’t miss a payment, and for a while, most of what I make every month has been going to the government (between a student loan, GST payments, backdated taxes and saving for the next year’s taxes).

It was hard to see anything outside of the here and now. I was so focused on one payment at a time, I couldn’t look forward to the future. I wrote about this in the last blog. Go check it out!

But I am officially done paying that back, and now I get to be excited and look toward the future! I get to start saving again, I get to be excited about my work and my goals again.

And since I’m done… That means I get to start travelling again.

If you’re not new here, you’ll know that Scotland is my favourite place in the world. I have been three times, and when I’m not in Scotland, I just think about how much I want to go back.

All three times, I have gone with my pipe band (yes, bagpipes and drums. No, I do not play the bagpipes). Twice was for the World Pipeband Championships. Eventually, I’ll make a blog post about World’s Week, but let me just say that it’s an unbelievable time to be in Glasgow.

I teach in a kids’ band as well, and my best friend’s daughter is one of my drummers (I might have forced my bestie to bring her down because, in the beginning, I didn’t have any kids who wanted to play my instrument). Well, it turns out she’s actually really naturally gifted at this instrument. The problem is… Because she picks it up quite easily, she doesn’t practice to work on her technique or memorization (she’s still young, too).

My best friend and I have always joked about travelling together, but she has two kids, so in the end, it’s usually just us sending reels back and forth and dreaming.

However, this time, we decided to make those dreams a reality.

We finally made it official, my bestie and I are going to Scotland for the World’s next year… And we are bringing her daughter!

We decided that since the kids are getting a little bit older, it’s a good time to take them travelling, but we wanted to treat each kid to their own trip. We wanted to choose a trip that would be meaningful to each of them.

So, for little E we decided to take her to the World Pipeband Championships in Scotland next summer. Our hope is that she gets inspired by what she sees. We want her to experience the culture, the community, and everything that makes the pipeband world so great. We wanted her to see what she could accomplish… If she’s willing to put in the work and practice.

Scotland is the place that means the most to me. And I can’t wait to get to experience it through her eyes. I can’t wait to show her and my bestie all of my favourite places, share all of the memories I made there and to make some of our own.

Greyfriars Kirkyard–Photo taken on iPhone XR

So now, I get to start saving up for my next trip!

I’ll be working hard to save everything I can to make this trip the best one yet. There is so much that I still want to see of Scotland (hello Highlands!) and, of course, reexperiencing all of my favourite places with two of my favourite people.

I also want to get E something really special from the trip. Something that she can cherish and use to remember her time for years and years. But I haven’t yet decided what that will be.

What about a short story of my first time at the World’s?

The joy and the energy that filled Glasgow Green on the day of the World’s was incredible. I really can’t describe it to you, but it was infectious. It made you want to be there; it filled you with uncontained joy.

When you compete, you do a qualifier in the morning. In my grade, there were two heats. The top 6 from each heat qualify and move on to the final competition. In 2017, we did not qualify, so when we went back in 2019, the stakes felt high, and we were all hungry to experience qualifying.

At a certain time after all of the bands in your grade have competed, you go and stand by this large screen where all of the bands who have qualified appear, one-by-one. In 2017, we waited and waited, and our name did not come up. It felt devastating after all of our hard work. In 2019, we were far more nervous after not qualifying 2 years before. So, again, we waited and waited, and finally, the second-to-last name to appear on the screen was ours.

All of us lost our minds. We screamed, we jumped, we hugged. It felt like the greatest moment of our lives. But that meant that it was time to get to work.

In 2017, when we didn’t qualify, it meant we were done for the day. Most of my band wandered off to the beer garden. I, however, immediately went and watched the Grade 1 competition. Bands I had only ever seen on a screen were suddenly real. I was not missing that opportunity. I do not regret watching the Grade 1s instead of hanging out in the beer garden. It completely blew my mind to see that much talent in one arena.

In 2019… It was right back to work because in only a few hours’ time, we would be playing our set once again for the big stakes.

The way the World’s finished (up until this past year, 2025) was by having every band do a march pass to march in and to their spot. The first bands to enter the field are the top 6 Grade 1 bands. They were also the only bands to play while the other bands marched on.

In both 2017 and 2019, we were incredibly lucky to get a spot directly behind that front rank of grade one bands. In 2017, I had no idea that would end up being the most amazing experience of the entire trip. When they announce the winners, they start with the lowest grades and work their way up to the professional, Grade 1s (yes, I know that can be confusing, as my kids’ band kiddos have told me).

When we finally got to the grade one competition, the field was silent, expectantly waiting for the result. When they announced the winner, the official Champions of the 2017 World Pipeband Championships as Inveraray and District Pipe Band, we happened to be standing one band over from them.

There is nothing quite as amazing and thrilling as being that close to the best pipe band in the entire world when they win the World’s… For the very first time.

Do you want to know what’s even funnier?

When we came back in 2019, we, once again, were right behind that front rank of Grade 1 bands (this time we were directly behind Inveraray and District). And while we only came 10th that year, Inverarary won the World’s once again. Check out the photo of them upon hearing they won (it’s in the slide show below).

They have since won two more times, and both of those times, members from my band happened to be in attendance at the World’s in some capacity. At this point, members of my band have been there every single time they have won the World’s… They really should start paying us to come at this point. We are clearly their good luck charm.

They won in 2024 and 2025. I will be there in 2026. Do you think they can win a third year in a row?

I can’t wait for my best friend and her daughter to experience the energy and the thrill of the World Pipeband Championships.

The Feeling of Seeing An Iconic Sight For The First Time - Acropolis, Athens, Greece

Outside and below the Acropolis of Athens

I know this is a blog and this will be a funny thing to say…

But words cannot describe the feeling of wanting and dreaming of something for your whole life and finally walking in and seeing something so incredibly iconic for the first time.

It literally takes your breath away.

After a cluster-bomb of a time getting to Athens (try 55+ hours, a 2-hour delay causing me to be a day and a half late, a strike in Italy, baggage being stuck and no one wanting to get it for us, being the only person who didn’t get on the earlier rebooked flight, etc.) having this be one of the first things we did was exactly what I needed to start turning this trip around.

No matter what time or day you go there are a lot of people there and long lineups so just brace yourself and get in line.

The sight is worth the wait and it didn’t take all that long. I highly recommend buying tickets online ahead of time and even finding a combined pass.

LINK

The pass we got was $30 each for 5 days and included all of the major attractions including the Acropolis. Look around on Google to find the best deal

When you enter you head to the South Slopes and you see the Odeon of Herodes Atticus.

Looking down on the theatre was really neat. It looks huge. However, when you compare it to the Theatre of Dionysus on the other side of the hill you realize it’s actually quite small!

Imagine watching a play at either of these theatres! It must have been exhilarating.

Next, walk all the way up to the Acropolis area itself.

The entrance to the Acropolis, Propylaia, is amazing! Built between 437 BCE and 432 BCE, the marble pillars tower above you like this incredible dominating presence. The first time we went you could walk right up the middle. There were no ropes partitioning the sides.

The feeling of walking through this entrance makes you feel like you’re part of greatness. You’re walking into something great. The ancient Greeks certainly liked to make their greatness known and this entrance is absolutely a statement of that.

My favourite part about travelling around Greece and going to all of the historical sites was imagining when these places weren’t tourist attractions but the real town.

Imagining what the people at the time were like, what they did, how they interacted with these things. I imagine ancient Athenians walking through this entrance to get to the Acropolis. I imagine myself as an ancient Greek walking through this entrance into the Acropolis and seeing the Acropolis for the first time.

At that moment all of the tourists ceased to exist and it was just myself and other ancient people going about our business here!

Just when you think you’ve seen the most amazing thing you enter the Acropolis.

Videos don’t do it justice.

Just imagine walking through this incredible hilltop when it was in its prime.

Fun fact, nothing is allowed to be built taller than the Acropolis in Athens. So still to this day, the Acropolis is the tallest feature in the city. When we were walking around almost everywhere nearby you caught a glimpse of the Parthenon at the Acropolis.

We, of course, took photos every time we caught a glimpse.

At the top of the Acropolis, there are a few different sights to see. Of course, you have the Parthenon which is the biggest presence at the Acropolis (and throughout the city). When we went it was going through some restorations so we had to use our imaginations a bit (ooo, a tough one for me hey).

This incredible temple is one of the largest temples to have ever been built in Greece. It was dedicated to Athena Parthenos and was completed in 438 BCE in time for the Great Panathenaic Festival (Lonely Planet).

The Parthenon consists of 8 columns at each end and 17 on each side and were meticulously sculpted.

You can also walk over to this round tower where the Greek flag is and look out over the side to see the rest of the ancient city (all of the sights of Athens are quite close to each other naturally).

Aside from the incredible Parthenon the Acropolis is also home to the Erechtheion which consists of the Porch of the Caryatids and the Temple of Poseidon.

The Erechtheion was an incredible sanctuary. It was said to be built on the most sacred part of the Acropolis Hill; the spot where Poseidon struck the ground with his Trident. The goddess Athena also planted a sacred Olive Tree at the back of the sanctuary (a tree that still resides there today).

Attached is also the Porch of the Caryatids which is supported by 6 maidens designed as columns. However, the columns residing there today are recreations. 5 of the 6 original columns are currently housed in the Acropolis Museum with one empty spot for the 6th column which is in the British Museum.

On the back side of the Sanctuary is the Temple of Poseidon. It is recognizable by its 6 incredible columns and the fissure in the floor which is said to either be from Poseidon’s Trident or Zeus’ Thunderbolt.

The back side is also where you can find Athena’s sacred Olive Tree.

This ancient building may seem quaint in comparison to the Parthenon residing on the same hill but let me tell you, it holds its own and has an even more incredible mythology.

To me, the stories, the history and the mythology are the parts I care about. I invested in doing some reading before I left for Greece and since being home have also been researching. That’s why I love letting my imagination run wild in my own little world while exploring these incredible pieces of history. My husband, however, prefers to know how it was built and when it was built so he spends a lot of time reading the signs at the different sights.

The best part is that there is a little bit for each of us up there. He can casually take his time reading the signs and I can gaze at the different landmarks and zone out.

You can head back down the opposite side of the Parthenon from the hill.

The back side shows another beautiful view. There are a series of signs that depict the entire process (my husband was in heaven) and you get a great view of the Theatre of Dionysus (a fraction of its former glory. To see what the theatre looked like originally spend a day in the Acropolis Museum).

It may feel like you’re leaving but there is still plenty to see.

On this backside, you’ll be able to see the Temple of Athena Nike. It almost feels like it’s hidden but I assure you, it’s a hidden gem you want to see. It’s small but mighty. Inside is a statue made of wood of Athena as Victory (you can get a better view in the Acropolis Museum which also houses a depiction of Athena Nike fastening her sandal (Lonely Planet)).

I highly recommend taking a quick stop back toward the entrance to see the Beulé Gate before heading to the lower slopes. The gate is an interesting feature. Beware, it’s quite hard to get a photo without other people (I used the magic of Photoshop for mine) but if you have a bit of patience you can find a lull and get a photo with very few people.

From there backtrack to go past the Odeon of Herodes Atticus so you can reach the lower slopes.

I particularly loved the lower slopes for their light and peaceful atmosphere. It almost seemed like most people didn’t realize there were things to see down here.

But there are a few great smaller things to see such as the Asclepieion, the Stoa of Eumenes, the Temple Of Themis and a gallery of statues.

Take your time down here. The Acropolis Hill is loud, bustling and overwhelming but down here is a lot more serene and you don’t feel rushed.

There are a few sights in Athens that are well worth seeing. Some take you a short amount of time while others may take a little bit longer. I will be writing a blog on the length of time the other sights take to help you plan your time in Athens.

But if you only have a day or two in Athens, the Acropolis and slopes is a must-see attraction. It is often quite crowded but you get the biggest bang for your buck and you get an amazing big picture of what life in Athens was like in ancient times.

Enjoy!

All photos taken on iPhone 14 Pro