In 2019, I finally got to visit J during the winter! And we got to spend our first Christmas together, which was super awesome. I was excited to see Scotland in December and January, even if that meant it would be wet, cold, and windy, and to spend a new time of year with J! Lots of the places we visited had lights and decorations up, which added to the magic.
I flew with Air Transat, going from Vancouver to Toronto to Glasgow, with a delay in Toronto (after boarding) due to snow and ice. Good news is that I was seated near the front, in the aisle, with a space between me and the person in the window seat.. It was awesome to have a little extra space around me and to be able to stand up and stretch without disturbing anyone.
During this trip, J and I visited Edinburgh for the Christmas Market. Our hotel was just down the street so it was an easy walk to and from the Market for the two days we spent there. It was well worth it because the Christmas Market was free to enter, and there were so many options for activities and stalls! We bought loads of food to eat (there were a lot of variety!) as well as some small keepsakes and gifts, like fudge and ornaments, and we rode a ferris wheel.
We stayed for hours the first day we visited, walking around and exploring everything the Market had to offer. It was really cold once it got dark, so remember to dress warm! Lucky we had lots of layers on and were able to stay for a bit into the evening before retreating to our hotel for the night. We spent our second day in Edinburgh exploring the local areas, going on a bus tour of the city, and revisiting the Christmas Market before heading for the train home.
We spent the days leading up to (and after) Christmas adventuring through cities like Glasgow, making homemade pizzas, and ordering hot drinks everywhere we could. I bought us art supplies for drawing at home, and J brought out puzzles he had for us to try. We spent time playing co-op games on his PC and watching The Witcher (season 1) on Netflix. It was really nice and I loved every moment!
Overall, our first Christmas together was the best! I ended up bringing an extra suitcase back with me because I overestimated the amount of room I would need to bring back gifts and shopping. But luckily I had an extra bag on my ticket already, so there wasn't an extra charge at the airport. Visiting in the winter was very cozy and I enjoyed being able to bundle up at home, drink tea, and hang out with J.
Before I left, J and I discussed our next visit. We planned for J to come to Canada in April 2020, or have me return to Scotland in the summer of 2020. However, 3 months after my return, in March 2020, the world was in lockdown. Which meant for J and I, our next visit was up in the air (not literally, unfortunately). We had hoped to look into me moving to Scotland on a visa following my university graduation in 2020 as well, however this was also put on hold. All of our plans and hopes for the future were paused. Despite all this, we found new ways to connect and continued to learn new things about each other. We used our time apart to rethink our future goals as individuals and as a couple. Going through a global pandemic and multiple lockdowns in a LDR was a challenge, but so were so many other things during that time and we didn't take for granted our heath and safety.
Remember to give your loved ones an extra squeeze before you leave, enjoy your time together, and be ready for any type of adventure, good or bad, because you really can't predict the future.
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