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