I know I always say this, but I honestly feel like this month has flown by. I blinked and I missed it. I have done so much stuff in September! I started the month on a trip to Scotland, went to the Lake District, met up with family, and was just in general very busy. Here’s what I got up to this September!

Where I Went

Glen Etive, Fort William, Ben Nevis, Glenfinnan, York, Matterdale, Latrigg Fell, Blencathra, Skiddaw, Keswick, Ullswater, Castlerigg Stone Circle, Kirkstone Pass, Chester Zoo, Ness, Parkgate (United Kingdom)

Best Moments

My birthday in the Lake District! I went to the Lake District for my birthday last year, and I loved it so much I decided to make it an annual thing. This year, we stayed around Ullswater, and got to explore a different part of the Lakes. But I still got to go to some of my favorite places, like Castlerigg Stone Circle! The Lake District is honestly one of my favorite places in England, in Europe, and in the world in general. I love being there so much, and I couldn’t have asked for a better place to ring in 26 this September.

Seeing the Jacobite Steam Train cross Glenfinnan Viaduct in Scotland. On my roadtrip to Scotland, I ticked a few pretty big items off my bucket list. One of them was visiting the Glenfinnan Viaduct, made famous as a major film location in Harry Potter! The Jacobite Steam Train crosses the viaduct twice every day during the summer. I timed my visit to see the train (aka a real-life Hogwarts Express!) crossing the viaduct. It was just perfect. Such a magical moment!

I got a new laptop!!! If you’ve been following me for a while, you’ll know that I’ve been pretty desperate to buy a new laptop for about the last 18 months. But other things kept coming up, I kept booking plane tickets and trips (whoops!), and it meant that it just got pushed to the side. When I came back from my big trip this summer, I knew it was time. It no longer connected to any other wifi networks, it was SO SLOW, it just didn’t work. After lots of questions, lots of hesitations, and being very scared of paying my credit card after—I bought a new MacBook Air.

My new laptop is AMAZING! It’s so fast. It’s so light. It’s so perfect. I transferred everything from my old laptop over seamlessly. Things that would take me literally 4 hours? I can do them in just under an hour now. Posting one tweet could sometimes take me 30-45 minutes (not kidding). Now I can do it in less than a minute. It just works. And it has made such a difference!

Making it to the top of Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in Britain! One of the things we really wanted to do in Scotland this September was hike up Ben Nevis. At 1345 meters, it’s the highest mountain in Britain! It wasn’t the most enjoyable walk, but damn. I am so proud of myself! That time last year, the highest I’d ever hiked was about 800 meters (the Old Man of Coniston in the Lake District). So I was especially proud that I made it to the top of Ben Nevis! Now I’ve done Ben Nevis, I’ve done two out of the Three Peaks, the highest mountains in England, Wales, and Scotland. I went up Scafell Pike in May. Snowdon in Wales still eludes me!

A really nice day at the Chester Zoo. This last weekend in September, Adam and I got to meet up with some of his family in Cheshire and had a really nice time! I’m not the biggest fan of zoos, but Chester Zoo was really well done and had so much stuff to see! We had fantastic weather, and it was nice to just wander around and check out so many animals. It was a great day!

I voted! This upcoming 2018 election in the US is so important. And everyone I know had better be out there voting in it. I voted last week and it was honestly so easy! I asked for my ballot materials to be sent to me by email. I got them the next day. All I had to do was fill it out, get it in envelopes, and mail it off. SO. EASY. Get out and vote!!!

Perfect timing for views in the Lake District. I’ve made no secret that I absolutely adore the Lake District. One of my favorite moments from my trip was getting up to the final push of Skiddaw, and the clouds lifting. The views of Derwentwater and Crummockwater were just incredible. It was something out of a dream—just as I was getting up there, the mist disappeared. I couldn’t have asked for better timing.

Worst Moments

I messed my knee up in the Lake District. There’s nothing like spending the night before your birthday at the hospital in urgent care to make you feel old… I went on a really difficult hike in the Lake District, taking in both Blencathra and Skiddaw, with a two-hour stomp through a marsh in the middle. I had physical therapy on one of my knees years ago. But my “good” knee became so painful coming down Skiddaw that I didn’t think I would make it. I honestly just sat down and cried. Coming down from a 931-meter mountain with a knee that is pain everytime you go downhill… well, you can see where that went.

I thought it might just be from overuse. But when it was still incredibly painful the next day, I called the non-emergency medical line, and went through a medical evaluation over the phone. They recommended I see a professional, so off I went to urgent care. 3.5 hours of waiting and my first x-ray later, it turns out that my knee (structurally) was fine. I didn’t have any fractures and hadn’t torn any ligaments. I’m glad I went in, but it was really horrible!

Ben Nevis was a slog. I have to say, I hated the walk up Ben Nevis. It was really hard, and really steep. The switchbacks never seemed to end. There were no views at all. It was misty and wet and cold and miserable. I’m glad I did it, but I honestly didn’t think it was that great of a walk.

Not to mention, the only thing that can make you feel bad about climbing the highest mountain in Britain? When you see 600 people running up the mountain. And they lap you on the way down. This race happens every year, and I just so happened to see it! These people are absolutely mental.

Finding out I can’t vote in local elections. When I applied to vote absentee, I said a few choices of options to choose from. Between a US citizen “temporarily residing abroad” and a US citizen “permanently residing abroad,” I ticked permanently. This apparently disqualifies me from voting in my local elections. As I live abroad permanently, and not just temporarily, I’m only allowed to vote in federal elections. This was a huge shock to me (and obviously one I wish I could take back…). I felt very disenfranchised. This is my election too! I want to vote for my people too! Why does the US seem to be the only country in the world that is constantly and consistently aiming to punish its citizens who live abroad?! It definitely wasn’t great.

Posts Published

Since getting a new laptop, I have been so inspired and productive blog-wise! I have SO many blog posts planned and so much more to be written. I published loads this month compared to the last few months. Here’s what I published in September!

5 Years Since Nottingham: Reflections On My Study Abroad

16 Things You MUST See In Yerevan, Armenia

The Best Travel Safety Tips For Night Trains

Where To Take The Best Photos Of York Minster In York

The Best Bars In Tbilisi

Flamborough Head: Hiking Along The Yorkshire Coast

Visiting The Scottish Border Abbeys In One Day: Jedburgh, Kelso, Dryburgh, and Melrose

Instagram Top 3

My Scotland pictures definitely proved to be popular this September!

 

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“It is important to remember that we all have magic inside us.” ⚡🚂 . Ticking off bucket list items and living out my dreams in Scotland, this trip was one for the books and better than I ever could have imagined✨🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 . . . . . . #glenfinnan #glenfinnanviaduct #jacobitesteamtrain #harrypotter #scotland #scottishhighlands #visitscotland #visualsofscotland #loves_scotland #scotspirit #scotlandsbeauty #scotland_greatshots #scotlandisnow #hiddenscotland #thisisscotland #scotlandexplore #scottishcollective #igersscotland #instabritain #photosofbritain #lovegreatbritain #explore_britain #ukpotd #gloriousbritain #mytinyatlas #flashesofdelight #dametraveler #girlswhotravel #guardiantravelsnaps #passionpassport

A post shared by Maja Proescholdt (@awaywithmaja) on Sep 3, 2018 at 10:50am PDT

 

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“No story lives unless someone wants to listen. The stories we love best do live in us forever. So whether you come back by page or by the big screen, Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home.” ⚡✨ . It’s real for us ❤️🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 . . . . . #glenfinnan #glenfinnanviaduct #scotland #scottishhighlands #visitscotland #visualsofscotland #loves_scotland #scotspirit #scotlandsbeauty #scotland_greatshots #scotlandisnow #hiddenscotland #thisisscotland #scotlandexplore #scottishcollective #igersscotland #instabritain #photosofbritain #lovegreatbritain #explore_britain #ukpotd #gloriousbritain #mytinyatlas #flashesofdelight #dametraveler #girlswhotravel #sheisnotlost #womenwhoexplore #ladiesgoneglobal #guardiantravelsnaps

A post shared by Maja Proescholdt (@awaywithmaja) on Sep 12, 2018 at 11:44am PDT

 

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Did you even go to Glencoe if you didn’t take a picture of this house?! 🏡 . But actually though, how cute is this Insta-famous house! Can you imagine what it would be like to live there and have the mountains literally right out your back door? This Glencoe house is everywhere on IG but I had no idea where exactly it was until we were driving and turned a corner of the road and it was there!! . It’s right off the A82, past the mountain resort and before the main Glencoe (Three Sisters) parking lots. There is space for parking to see this house, but it’s really small and a bit treacherous how uneven it is! Good news is that it’s still free parking 😉 . Glencoe was a real highlight of my trip to Scotland. The area is stunning, and I was so lucky to have just amazing weather on my day here! Really makes all the difference 😊 . Have you been to the Scottish Highlands?! What was your experience like? If you haven’t been, would you like to go? 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 . . . . . #glencoe #scottishhighlands #scotland #visitscotland #visualsofscotland #loves_scotland #scotspirit #scotlandsbeauty #scotland_greatshots #scotlandisnow #hiddenscotland #thisisscotland #scotlandexplore #scottishcollective #igersscotland #instascotland #instabritain #photosofbritain #lovegreatbritain #explore_britain #ukpotd #gloriousbritain #scenicbritain #mytinyatlas #flashesofdelight #dametraveler #girlswhotravel #guardiantravelsnaps #beautifuldestinations #passionpassport

A post shared by Maja Proescholdt (@awaywithmaja) on Sep 7, 2018 at 11:38am PDT

Coming Up In October

This month will be another busy one! Next weekend, I’m off to London to hang out with two of my best friends from home. I am honestly so excited to see them! The following weekend, I’ll be heading to the Peak District! The rest of the month will be pretty quiet and busy with work. But I’ll kick off November 1^st with a pretty exciting trip—Iceland!

What did you get up to in September? What do you have coming up in October?!