Haven’t been writing much about Scotland since arriving last Sunday. It’s been a good visit so far, at a much slower pace than Ireland was, mostly of our own doing.
Staying with my brother has been a good thing — it’s given us a steady place to call home, a place to do laundry, some free email, and the like. He’s also got a pile of books and maps that have helped us out when we have ventured outdoors.
The city is old and beautiful – piles of old buildings, narrow alleys, cobblestone walks and drives … all of the sorts of things that you might imagine. The public transportation system is very good, and it makes it quite easy to get around. They’ve even got a sizable mountain right in the middle of the city, which makes for some great hiking. From certain vantage points, you can see nothing but nature … no evidence of a modern but historical city around.
Earlier in the week we had a visit with some relatives — my grandmother’s youngest sister, as well as some cousins of my Mom’s. Very friendly people … interesting accents and stories as well as some good snacks. Tea rather than whiskey seemed to be the beverage of choice with my Scottish (Scotch?) relatives.
Yesterday we hit the rails, and went up the coast to St. Andrew’s. It is famous for golf and Scotland’s oldest university … it was a nice little town, and an easy day trip for us. So far we’ve been on planes, buses, trains, ferries and in cars … I’d have to say that trains get the royal thumbs up from us. A great way to get around.
Today is our last full day in Edinburgh, at least until August … we’re making the most of our free Internet access, and trying to sort out the last details for our visit to Italy, and also trying to get some things sorted out for Croatia. Looking further ahead, I think that our time in Eastern Europe will certainly be more challenging and adventurous … I know that we’ll make it through, but, booking transportation and accommodation in Ireland/Scotland/Italy has been much easier than our so far fruitless attempts in Croatia and beyond.
Regarding photos … I’ve been taking piles and piles … unfortunately, most of my own shots won’t see the light of day until I return home. We’ve been taking a few shots with a borrowed point and shoot digital (thanks Mae!), and have had a bit of luck getting them online. Bear with us.