The land of haggis, golf, & Sir William Wallace

Farewell March of The Royal Scots


Greyfriars Bobby, the loyal little dog who kept watch over his master's grave for 14 years in Greyfriar's Cemetery.


Edinburgh Castle


Gary got this amazing picture right as the 1:00 gun went off at Edinburgh Castle, nice timing!


The tale of Deacon Brodie, his double life is thought to have been the inspiration for Robert Louis Stevenson's novel "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde".


Any relation, Fi?


Dolly the sheep


Everyone in Edinburgh was so friendly, even the local Fire Brigade!


Our new friends from the Literary Pub Tour

Not only has Gary had Good Friday AND Easter Monday off, but on Thursday, May 25th he had the day off for Ascension (you have to love the Swiss and all their holidays!). What is this day? Well, I had a general idea, but then in French class they wanted us to explain it... in French! Now, I can barely explain to someone what I did yesterday, let alone explain a holiday I have never officially celebrated, my vocabulary just isn't quite that advanced yet. For those of you who don't know, this is the brief explanation (in English): Ascension Day commemorates the ascension of Jesus into heaven following His crucifixion and resurrection. Now in French: Il vole loin après la mort (or He flies away after death)... not quite the same.

So, to celebrate, we went to Scotland & Ireland! Two days in Edinburgh and two in Dublin. It was a very quick trip, and it only made us want to go back to both countries to really get to know the lay of the land, but we had a great time none the less.

I've wanted to go to Scotland ever since junior high, when I first met my dear friend (and now cousin-in-law), the newest Mrs. Hansen, of clan MacGregor. As soon as we arrived I was completely entranced and wished we had booked all four days here, but I know we'll return someday, so we took in everything we could in the time we had.

Edinburgh is an amazing city... it's a fun town, full of history & amazing sites. It's the birthplace of Sir Walter Scott & Robert Lewis Stevenson and it's the town that stories such as Peter Pan & Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde were dreamed up. It's also the home of the oldest known golf ball, the first curling stones, and Dolly the cloned sheep.

Our hotel was right near a place called "The World's End", which used to be the place where a huge gate marked the edge of the city. Now this busy corner on the Royal Mile is home to a great little bar that serves really good local food. We were right near all the old sights and within walking distance of almost everywhere.

The only problem was, besides it being a little overcast, it was really, really cold! Of course I was in weather denial when I packed... the winter has been so cold in Switzerland and finally we've had some warm weather (in Geneva, 780 miles to the south!). Because of my wishful thinking, I failed to bring anything heavier than a light sweater! We went from store to store, but because of the season there was not one coat to be found anywhere in the city (although I could have had my pick of bikinis!) So, I'm now the proud owner of a brand new heavy-duty Scotland sweatshirt which saved me from the frigid cold!

The first night we went on a "Ghost Tour" which sounds a bit hokey, but it turned out to be quite fun. Our guides talked to us about all kinds of local history while getting us involved in the act (Gary was chosen to play the part of an invading Roman soldier). And of course, they took us around to some "spooky" locations, including Greyfriar's Cemetery, where we were led into a very dark crypt that is haunted by the famous MacKenzie Poltergeist.

We were lucky to be in town for the "Farewell March of The Royal Scots". The Royal Scots were founded in 1633 and is the oldest, continuously formed, active army unit in the world. But, in a move to modernize Britain's Armed Forces they are now being merged with the rest of the national army. There were bagpipers, soldiers just back from Iraq, and lots of very proud veterans. We stood in the rain and clapped for these brave men. It was actually a quite moving event.

The night we switched gears and joined up with a Literary Pub Tour, witch was led by two very entertaining actors. We learned a little literary history, drank some great beers (& Scottish whiskey), and met up with some really cool people. After, we hit the town with our new American friends (not from California). Needless to say, it was hard to get up the next day for our early morning flight to Dublin!