Wrap it up baby~going to America

Coming home to America today, glad for it. What a trip. I feel like I know and appreciate Scotland and my friend Julian much better for it. I got a good glimpse at the country, now I need to Conquer Ireland and England, before moving back down to Europe, oh yea and Canada is on the list.
Tips for visiting Scotland:

1. Do not expect to understand anything anyone says just because it is an English speaking country, we have dropped a lot of saying and phrases in American culture that do not translate and the accents, wow, like listening to singing.
2. Be ready for cussing and curse words to be used in every sentence, including the F* bomb, it is a way of life here, I love that people can say whatever they want. It is a little like N.Y., but even more so.
3. The ATM fees can rack up, have cash and learn what it looks like so you know you got the right change.
4. Come in the off season, tourist can be a hassle, oh wait, I am one too, darn.
5. Take a bus tour the first day, it helps to get a lay of the land and hear the accent.
6. Do not eat the Haggis, unless you are very, very brave, and do not even ask me about black pudding.
7. Wear good shoes for walking and do alot of hill training before getting here.
8. See the North country, like nothing on earth: DSL: Deep Scottish Love.
9. Avoid, "in America" conversations, switch the conversations to "Scotland is so lovely", it avoids any messy political talk.
10. Have a good friend to tell you where the locals go.
11. Wear a helmet whilst biking.

HAVE FUN!

Haggis Tour to Date

Cheers Mate,
been a long week. Came back on Wednesday from three days in the Higlands. Learnt how the Scotts lived in Black houses with three generations and the cattle in one room, a fire with no chimney, covered in soot, not fun. Saw the tip of the world, land of giants and legends, Lochs and narrow cliff roads. Learnt to dance a Scott Jig, walked in castles and forts. Grew tired of 20 year olds and their babble. Drank and laughed, hiked and slept. Me favorite spots were William Wallace monument, climbed all 200 feet, the view was amazin', and the walk to a river on the side of the road. Bus tour tips: do not eat where they tell you, explore and find off the way places with locals, but expect slow service. Do not have a coffee before getting on, bring a neck pillow, and you can bring a bottle of beer with you on the bus. Do not sit near the Americans, they like to chat you up.
Got back to Edingburg, Thursday, another day all alone in the burg, walked along the river Leith and a lovely path to the Modern Art Museum, went for the longest, but most beautiful bike ride of my life, ending in me choosing, whilt going down hill, to either hit a man that stoped in the road, in the back; hit an oncoming car; hit a sign post or the bus stop. I hit the brakes, but only the front one fired and flipped me over the top and smack into the pavement. I will never remember the minute second when my brain fired the thought, "the back tire is off the ground" and the distinct smell of burning bone as my teeth smashed into the hardest pavement I ever felt. I knew immediately that I was hurt bad and that I should not move as my head and neck were involved. Luck was with me, as I was with three doctors and a medical student. Through their generous actions and level headedness, I was able to stay calm. I kept trying to remember the face of my Guru and telling myself to breath. I could not help but to cry a little as the thought that I may have permanently injured myself in one slight second. I will spare you the rest, but safe to say that I am alive, nothing is permanently injured and though it took 14 hours of waiting to get sown back together again, I should come out looking just a little different. In the days after I am thankful for my life and the fact that I had a helmet on and can walk. When the thought of what could have been had I not had the helmet on, flood my mind, I say a quiet thank you and push them away. It is interesting seeing all the peoples faces that see me on the street, some stop and outright stare, human nature, but it rolls of my back as I remember that had those people not been there to help me at the accident, or if I had been without a helmet, I would not be here to get stared at, and it makes everything ok. You never know, we never know when it can all come crashing to an end....
Thats the end for now, off to a Fringe show, hope this one is better than the one earlier.
Troy

Travels in Scotland

Thanks for joining me on my trip, here are some thoughts and experiences as I adventure about in Edinburgh and Scotland:
Day Three: Thus far, I have had a brilliant trip. The first day, my friend I am visiting is working until late so as I landed at 7:30 a.m. and breezed through customs, I have most of the day to myself. After a long talk with the tourist lady, very nice and chatty, I sort out my agenda, have some late breakfast and catch the bus to center town. So far everyone is friendly after a little warming up. I figure everything out even though the accent is quite hard to follow and store my luggage at Waverly train station. I board a double decker bus tour and ride around town, debording at the Castle for a bite and look around. I walk down the hill and find my way to a Yoga studio, Ashtanga. A nice friendly business, but a brief class for £10. (roughly $15.) again nice chatty people. I try my luck at a eatery and find one has to order at the bar and give the table number that you want to sit at then they bring your order to you, even if it is just drinks. Head back to the bus tour, ride completely around again to soak it all in, then head to my friends flat by taxi, also easy to navigate, but not to friendly of a driver.
Day Two: again alone, so sleep is in order. I dash my plans and sleep all day, answer some emails, do some banking and sleep. Pubs at night, nice, but very quiet before the festival begins next week.
Day Three: alone again, decide to venture to Rosalyn chapel as seen in Divinci Code movie: wonderful bus ride despite the hour wait for a bus and being surrounded by loud Brazilians talking at the same time. Depart the bus at a pub and as all the 'tourist' rush to the chapel, I slip in the pub for some delish poached salmon and a pint. Friendly staff. I take the nice walk down a tree covered lane to the chapel and am shocked at the £7.50 entry fee. No pics allowed inside, and the roof covered for restoration. I do not feel a huge amount of 'energy' as the 'ghost hunters' suppose, but I do get a heavy feeling and an experience of timelessness. But it may just be the pint:). Pleasant bus ride back to town, beautiful day trip to see the country side, cow and sheep and small towns and roads. I wake up somehow just at the stop I need to depart from and head up to the Castle. Beautiful, much more than I expected, a must see. I had a time transcendent feeling entering the gates, you could almost hear the clanging of the armour on ancient knights ridding up the cobblestone. To imagine all the souls that have passed through those gates and ascended to the castle is mind boggling. The great room and crown jewels are straight out of a fairy tale. A light rain and I hustle into the castle eatery for a spring berry cheesecake and delishisly cold white wine blend. First red currents that I know about that I have eaten. Off to my friends as they will actually be home and have dinner and a movie in to rest.
Day Three: Meet some locals for coffee in the a.m., nice talking to locals. Met a Mom of two with another on the way, kids age three and one, same look of tiredness and exhaustion I see in the Mom's I train. Doesn't matter the culture, people are people. Walk around town to little shops with my friend, up to the city center again and this time, Sat. it is packed with people. All week I have had little other tourist, but now it is filled up. Lunch in the National Gallery cafe and a tour of the permanent gallery exhibit. Nice to see a John Singer Sargent original and a very rare Monet nighttime painting. Nice walk back, Edinburgh has such beautiful green ways all throughout the city. Out to some pubs in the evening. Getting a little tired of having to defend America with comments like 'well you have to excuse us, we are only 300 years old', or 'well we try our best', or if I want to make a point, 'well, when you are cleaning up other peoples messes all the time, it is hard to remember manners'. Funny how political histories can be divides between people, when we are all essentially the same. End the night dancing to a song from Trainspotting, I am dancing to a song from a movie about Scotland, in Scotland, cool: followed by my new favorite song, Black Eyed Peas, 'Its going to be a good Night'. Good night for now.
TrainerTroy