Bagpipes played by hot men in kilts on cobblestone streets.

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Do I have your attention now?

Apparently my top visited blog post is the one titled "The men here are beautiful." So I am going to stick with what's popular and mention beautiful/hot/dreamy/-insert adjective of choice here- men at least once in each post. You're welcome.



Top 10 Reasons Why I Like Scotland More Than England:
10) They have real, normal water available rather than the gross sparkling water that is sold in England.

9) When giving directions, people actually give you correct time estimates. In London, everywhere was just a "5 minutes walk"... and then you were still walking 30 minutes later.

8) People walk slower. On the tubes in London, when someone wants to get off at the next stop, they yell "Excuse Me!" even if there is no one blocking their way... it's like a reflex or something. I wanted to say, "There is no one in front of you to excuse you! GO!"

7) All the little "closes." A close, in Edinburgh, is a narrow walkway in between tall buildings, like an alley only with cobblestones and brightly painted doors lining them. (Don't get me wrong, there are some "back alley" looking ones as well..)

6) I can hear bagpipes being played on the streets. The flaming tuba outside of the Natural History Museum in London was a close second, however.

5) Businesses stay open later.

4) EVERYONE stays out late to party, so that means I get the hostel room to myself for a bit.

3) People, like everyday people, wear their Scottish garb around town. I was always under the impression that kilts and what not were only used ceremonially or in formal situations but, I was wrong. London had hot men in suits--Scotland has hot men in kilts. I'm not complaining.

2) The redhead ratio is a little more even.

1) Primark. Think H&M but half the price. One of the girls in my room came back with three huge bags full of clothes and told that Primark is THEE PLACE to go in Edinburgh. Naturally, I had to take a break from historic sites and museums to check this joint out. That was probably the worst decision I have made so far. I avoided H&M's like a champ in London and Edinburgh because I knew that I had very little space in my pack and very little money to squander.

Now I have a little problem. Actually, a whole bag full of little problems. But they are the CUTEST little problems in the world!!!!! The U.S. needs one of these stores! Desperately!

Besides that little adventure, I also saw Edinburgh castle (didn't tour it, I met some friends on my ghost tour that said it definitely was not worth the money), visited a Tartan weaving factory (A Tartan is a clans' pattern for their kilts/scarves/etc. Each clan has their own Tartan.), shopped for collectors spoons (if you saw my collection you'd be either really impressed or really disgusted), and wandered around. Nothing too crazy this morning.

Then I met some people who had just gone to Camera Obscura and said it was amazing. I hadn't heard of it before but it is this interactive museum/fun house that seriously made me feel like a 6 yr old little girl again! I was grinning like a goober the whole time! There is a mirrored maze floor that actually gets you really twisted around, crazy optical illusion floor, etc. It was built around the actual camera obscura built by the royal family hundreds of years ago to bring tourists and impress other countries. It's a mirror at the top of the building that projects the image down through the pipes into a room near the top. You can rotate the mirror (camera) around and get a panoramic view of the city. It was pretty high tech back in the day. I played in there for probably 2 hours and then figured I should probably move on.

I stopped for some apple pie and hot chocolate at The Elephant House, where J.K. Rowling wrote Harry Potter. It's the cutest little shop! Right across the street is a really old private school that was the inspiration for Hogwarts. The guy who made my hot chocolate was also quite the visual treat. Mmhmm.

The Rosslyn Chapel was next on my list and, although it was farther away, I HAD to see it because it was built by the St. Clair family which later became the Sinclair clan of which my paternal heritage comes from. The chapel is said to hold the "Holy Grail" and the Sinclairs were instrumental in forming the Free Masonry Guild, who were to protect the Grail. Anyways-watch the DaVinci Code and you will see the chapel in there I think.

**Side note-- super glad I don't drink. People downstairs are completely schnockered and barking/making strange animal noises. No thank you.

The bus ride was about an hour to Rosslin where I got to enjoy another beautiful glimpse of Scotland's countryside. I walked around the Chapel, which was being renovated, bought and studied up on the history behind the site, and got back on the bus to video chat with me mum for a bit. (Hi mom!)

I was going to get something to eat--but thats when I was told about Primark and was sidetracked.

Primark, delicious Italian food, huge caramel brownie dessert, Scott Monument, hostel, shower, and now sitting in bed debating whether or not to start The Walking Dead...

I also plan on posting another little blip about the Sinclair clan at some point.

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Comments

[Leslie Hixson]

Thanks!
Sweet Kaitlin-you have always been such an adventurer! And I'm impressed with your writing ability. How fun you are making this trip for me. Thanks for sharing. Be SAFE (do I sound like an mom?!) I will continue to read with great appreciation for your experiences. Love you-one of my first beehives! Leslie