Wake at 8 am.
Make breakfast and sandwiches for lunch.
Bathe (some traditions die hard, even when I'm in Europe).
Walk into city center with Carly.
Experience springtime in Edinburgh.
Work at Elephant House, where JK Rowling wrote Harry Potter.
Go to Edinburgh Public Library in hopes of finding an electrical outlet and a seat.
Be annoyed at small-minded administrative type who makes me register for things.
Eat lunch with Carly at the National Archive of Scotland.
Go to cafe and work.
Exit cafe and experience summertime in Edinburgh.
Walk to a pub called World's End.
Drink beer.
Work.
Drink beer.
Meet Carly to walk home.
Experience fall in Edinburgh.
Shop for dinner.
Make dinner.
Drink wine.
Post about day.
Think about drinking scotch.
Work.
/drinks scotch
/passes out.
Repeat until August is over. This I could get used to!
Tuesday, 29 July 2008
Monday, 28 July 2008
Picture of the Day
Today was incredibly foggy...I mean, stereotypically London/Edinburgh wafting clouds of fog drifting through the city obscuring views of Mr. Hyde coming at you. Some video tomorrow, but for now, a new feature: the picture of the day.
Fog on the Meadows at Midnight
Fog on the Meadows at MidnightSunday, 27 July 2008
Isle of Mull Super Mega-Post
Well, we're settled in to our Edinburgh palace now, and have regular wifi access. For those of you we've been neglecting on email, be assured we'll take care of you soon!
But first: here's a recap of our trip to the Isle of Mull.
We drove from Glasgow to Oban in a rental car, then took the ferry across to the town of Craignure. Mull is in red on this map.
From there, we drove up to Tobermory. Super scenic, but on a 'one track' road that had passing places every so often. It wasn't too bad driving, but some of the locals tried their best to run us off the road. We got to Tobermory, and settled into our bed and breakfast, the Ivybank. The pictures below show the view of the Ivybank's garden, which overlooks the harbor of Tobermory. Needless to say, it was more breathtaking in person. After settling in, we went to Glengorm Castle, which has been converted to a b&b. Along the way, we saw these incredibly hairy Highland Cows, some of which were practicing for next year's mating season. Here's pics of this leg:
The next day were the Mull Highland Games, the annual competition that we just happened to be in town for. It was a pleasant surprise, and probably the most traditionally Scottish thing we'll be doing (outside of drinking whisky?) The games began with the Clan McLean elders marching through the streets of Tobermory, with a full band behind them. It was awesome, and as you can see, all the townspeople follow the procession up to the field where the games were to be played:
The games themselves had dancing, races, and a series of events starring the 'heavies'--the big guys shot putting, throwing the hammer, and tossing cabers. Here's dancing:
This is the world record holder Bruce Aitken tossing the light hammer. This guy was one of the most impressive people I've ever seen. He tossed the hammer probably 15 feet longer then anyone else. It was awesome.
Caber tossing: a traditional Scottish event wherein big people throw a telephone pole.
After the Highland Games, we took a long drive around the southern part of the island. While most of the days we've been here have been fairly gloomy (as you might have been able to tell from the pics), this day was incredible. Some people we met later at the pub said it was probably the only time in recent memory that it had been this nice for the games. The following pictures are some of the best we've gotten. Again, though, it doesn't really do justice to just how scenic this place is. Driving through the southern part of Mull was like driving through a calender.
That was Duart castle, home of the McLeans.
There are a lot of sheep in Scotland.
Sorry for the sideways video here:
But first: here's a recap of our trip to the Isle of Mull.
We drove from Glasgow to Oban in a rental car, then took the ferry across to the town of Craignure. Mull is in red on this map.
From there, we drove up to Tobermory. Super scenic, but on a 'one track' road that had passing places every so often. It wasn't too bad driving, but some of the locals tried their best to run us off the road. We got to Tobermory, and settled into our bed and breakfast, the Ivybank. The pictures below show the view of the Ivybank's garden, which overlooks the harbor of Tobermory. Needless to say, it was more breathtaking in person. After settling in, we went to Glengorm Castle, which has been converted to a b&b. Along the way, we saw these incredibly hairy Highland Cows, some of which were practicing for next year's mating season. Here's pics of this leg:The next day were the Mull Highland Games, the annual competition that we just happened to be in town for. It was a pleasant surprise, and probably the most traditionally Scottish thing we'll be doing (outside of drinking whisky?) The games began with the Clan McLean elders marching through the streets of Tobermory, with a full band behind them. It was awesome, and as you can see, all the townspeople follow the procession up to the field where the games were to be played:
The games themselves had dancing, races, and a series of events starring the 'heavies'--the big guys shot putting, throwing the hammer, and tossing cabers. Here's dancing:
This is the world record holder Bruce Aitken tossing the light hammer. This guy was one of the most impressive people I've ever seen. He tossed the hammer probably 15 feet longer then anyone else. It was awesome.
Caber tossing: a traditional Scottish event wherein big people throw a telephone pole.
After the Highland Games, we took a long drive around the southern part of the island. While most of the days we've been here have been fairly gloomy (as you might have been able to tell from the pics), this day was incredible. Some people we met later at the pub said it was probably the only time in recent memory that it had been this nice for the games. The following pictures are some of the best we've gotten. Again, though, it doesn't really do justice to just how scenic this place is. Driving through the southern part of Mull was like driving through a calender.
That was Duart castle, home of the McLeans.
There are a lot of sheep in Scotland.
Sorry for the sideways video here:
Friday, 25 July 2008
End of Radio Silence; Tantalizing Tidbits from Mull
We've landed in Edinburgh, and plan on having a more extensive post soon about our trip to Mull. But for now, after waking at 7 am and driving through exquisite countryside, the following pictures will have to suffice to tantalize you:
(look closely--these are highland cows 'hugging' in front of our car)
(look closely--these are highland cows 'hugging' in front of our car)
Tuesday, 22 July 2008
Glasgow, Day 3
Here's the Glasgow Museum of Modern Art, the Glasgow Cathedral, and the Glasgow Necropolis.
Organ Recital at the Kelvingrove
The Kelvingrove art museum was amazing; something like a 100 million pound renovation and six years has turned it into a great place with a lot of interesting stuff from around the world. Every day at 1 pm, they have an organ recital:
And something for the kids:
And something for the kids:
Veggie Haggis
This is (was) veggie haggis, and it was delicious (complements of Bar Budda). You may commence making fun of us in the comments...
Sunday, 20 July 2008
Glasgow, Day 1
We're in Glasgow now, and settling in. Here's some pics from the train ride and from around town (including seagulls pooping on Robert Burns' head).
The Whale Joke, UK Style
I had a dream...a dream that involved telling my semi-famous whale joke to the Buckingham Palace guards. Alas, they're behind the gates now, and apparently you can't get close enough to them to interact at all (protecting the Queen from terror, or from V?)
So, I did the next best thing...I told it in their general direction:
So, I did the next best thing...I told it in their general direction:
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