Advertisement
Published: December 3rd 2009
Edit Blog Post
Day 7: Thursday, December 3rd, 2009
Edinburgh, Scotland.
I had another "sleep in day" and woke to rain. You know, typical Scotland & Ireland weather. One difference between Edinburgh and Dublin, though, is that there isn't the frigid wind here that there was in Dublin, so much easier to walk around in.
My first stop today was back to Old Town to pick up a gift for John (that he already knows about so I get to blog about it.) As you know, he and Sarah are getting married next June but, as you may not know, John is honoring Mom's side of the family by donning a kilt for the ceremony! However, he still needed the hardware that goes with the outfit (a
Sgian Dubh and a
dress Sporran). I was able to find the Sgian Dubh with the clan crest (
Davidson), but, according to the shop keep, Sporran's don't really come with the clan crest. I hope he's telling the truth because I bought one from him that has a Stag on it (and a Stag is a part of the Davidson crest, so close enough I vote!) I was proud of myself, while I couldn't remember the word
"Sporran" I kept myself from calling it a "man purse". I asked them what I could get the bride and they suggested a
sash that goes over the dress. Don't worry Sarah, that's not coming your way! 😊 Personally, I would rather show off my wedding dress so I assumed you would be the same way.
After that, I walked back to New Town where I was told a Post Office was located in a mall. Found that with no problem, but then spent about 30 minutes in the Post Office trying to get all the goodies (bought other stuff of course) into a box. I then finally sealed the box and took it up to the counter and the desk clerk had me fill out a customs form. When I asked how to spell a Sgian Dubh, she informed me that I wasn't allowed to ship a weapon to the States. Hmmm, that would mean the alternative would be to carry it with me for the next 6 months or try to sneak it out in another box and not claim it. Luckily, she called her supervisor over and they looked it up and I could ship it
to the States- yea!!! So, it's been shipped off- enjoy guys!
I then took a walk, a very uphill walk, to
Calton Hill. This hill overlooks Edinburgh and even on a rainy day, the view was magnificent. The
Dugald Stewart Monument, the
Nelson Monument, the
City Observatory and the
National Monument are all up there. And now, so is Mom as this is the site of P.O.N. #2.
I decided I was cold and drenched enough and headed back down the hill to the hotel. Along the way, I caved into an American urge and stopped at Burger King and, after fighting with the front counter worker, got a cheeseburger without any BBQ sauce on it. It mostly resembled the cheeseburger's back home, and was good enough for that craving to go away.
So, I'm camped out in my room for the night. While I do really like this city, I need a night to crash because I'm about to hit up 9 countries in 21 days. So I'm guessing this is my last night to just chill and in a room to myself. Tomorrow I join up with the tour group in London and I'll be matched up with a roommate.
Goodnight for now! My next update will be from London!
Advertisement
Tot: 0.063s; Tpl: 0.009s; cc: 7; qc: 27; dbt: 0.0301s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
Chris
non-member comment
You became a Scotish arms smuggler?
More great pics! Love it. Snag me a kilt, too, while you're there. And some bagpipes. I'll practice them everytime the cat gets too meow-y.