I was not wrong with the whole sleeping well thing. Woke up all lovely and refreshed and had mountains in my window. Well, what I could see of them. It was 9:30 and sunrise isn’t until 11. My hostess was gracious enough to supply me with some eggs, a package of bacon, four slices of bread, and a box of orange juice. That, combined with the V8 juice that I had brought, and a cup of hot coffee, this was an amazing breakfast that I haven't had in a long time!
Not going to waste this beautiful opportunity, I shower and get ready to go out and roam the country side. I waited until sunrise because I didn’t want to get hurt while it was still dark. Armed with a bag of trail mix, a big bottle of water, my camera, and the soundtrack to Guardians of the Galaxy, I hit the trail. Walking down paths, finding old farming equipment, watching sheep roam around, and checking out the slightly frozen over rivers, I spent the afternoon out in the wilderness.
Walking back to the cottage by 4, a hour before sunset, I noticed that the outdoor light that I had left on was off. Going inside, the lights in the kitchen don’t work either. I call my hostess and tell her about my predicament and she tells me that it’s a power outage from the massive storm last night. That’s right, I had completely forgot about that storm. Hail the size of peas, strong winds that almost left bruises with its pea-sized hail arsenal. That made partial sense, but why was the power working this morning? Not really fretting about it, because there was nothing I could do, I say thanks and say my goodbyes. Not really wanting to eat cold leftovers because there’s a microwave here, I start eating some of my trail mix and start watching the movie Brave. What a wonderful movie! I had never seen it nor knew anything about it. I really liked it! Love the Scottish accent.
Finally the power came back on, I heated up some leftovers for a proper meal, with a glass of schnapps. Still hurting from my hike yesterday, I put on my swimming trunks and jump into the hot tub. Just what I needed. Hot tub plus delicious schnapps equals a happy Derek. Two hours pass by with me just staring up at the country night sky, I begin dozing off. That’s the sign that it’s time for me to get out.
Drying off, putting the top back on the tub, I go inside to do the dishes. I did make quite the mess. After doing them, I start packing my bag, keeping the things I want to send home separate from everything else so that I don’t have to figure it all out again. Once these are gone, it should lighten up my bag a bit.
I got a call that night from the hostess, offering me a drive to the station at 9 so that I don’t have to hike it again. I gladly take her up on her offer, thanking her profusely.
Getting ready for bed, I grab my Gameboy, climb under the sheets, and play for as long as its remaining life and bestow upon me.