Episcopalian By Birth

Daffodils, Sheep, & The Countryside

The Smallest Scotch Distillery

A Cottage In The Country

Two Italians & A Brit

The Castle & The Graveyard

Internet Cafe

The Bunny Women

Ready To Go

Technology Abounds

I've finished lunch after wandering around some park next to the castle and decided to take a walk down The Royal Mile (Ediburgh sister to Chicago's Miracle Mile). I saw a sign for free internet access at a cafe over a club in the university district, so I decided to text my best friend (I need her ring size for a celtic jewelry gift). Lo and behold, I'm drinking beer, writing in my blog, and surfing the net for free. And the bonus, my phone is working! I called my mentor earlier, received text, and I'm planning to call my parents this afternoon. I do love technology...now if I could just figure out how to fight sleep and overcome this jet lag :-p

An Early Arrival

I've just arrived in Edinburgh (no delays along the way & in fact, 20 minutes early) and it's a beautiful day. The only way to describe it is, "Blue skies! Barthy burgers! Girls!" (in a sort of You Can't Do That On Television kind of way [mental note: I watched wayyyy too much Nickelodian as a kid!]). The weather is fine with clear skies, low humidity (my hair held up great on the flight over), and a pleasant 60 something degrees. As we flew in over Scotland from the west coast, I could see much of the rolling green hills the country is noted for...and quite a few sheep. Now that I've Mapquested my hotel, I'm going to attempt to get there via Blue bus which is supposed to be the least expensive way to get into town. It'll likely be a long walk from the drop point to the hotel, but I have time to kill (check-in is at noon) and I've been sitting for a mighty long time so I could use the exercise. Afterward, I'm off to Edinburgh castle.

P.S. My cellphone is fully charged & showing a signal (go Cingular Orange go!), so I'd appreciate a call to set the time right. I'll leave it on until the battery dies :-)

Another Detour

I wasn't planning on taking this trip (Scotland wasn't on my wish list), but it seems like such a great opportunity to hang out with my mentor. I also don't think I'll make it to July without a vacation given all the stress I've been under since my last vacation to Paris almost a year ago (i.e. the move, the job, the kid, etc.). Even that vacation came long overdue with the last detour trip to Norway as a bust, Katrina and her waves nearly drowning me in a deep depression, work stress, & mom's hip mess. The last detour was for love, this one is for life & career. I'm pretty certain I'll be in better company, and at the least, I'll have enough rest to get back on the road to where I want to be.