August 11

Day of Traveling Home

Finally, the end is here.  It's time to go back to the U.S.  We took a taxi to Edinburgh Airport to prepare for our first flight. 

Our checked luggage could not exceed 23kg.  Mine was 14.8kg.  Karen's just barely made it.

We flew back to Amsterdam, then on to Detroit, and back into Indianapolis by 11:30pm.  Our husbands were overjoyed to see us, having barely survived without us for 26 days. 



August 10

Scotland

Karen and I spent a lot of time this morning going through our luggage and preparing for the flight home.  I braved the shower again, and I guess it takes some getting used to...the scalding water and all.  Today we were a little slow-going...must be the mild hangovers from the pub crawl :) 

We went through Newtown again to find an indoor mall - we kept getting caught in small downpours outside!

We went back to the most amazing Mexican food we found on the entire trip - Mariachi's!  Just around the bend from the Grassmarket, this restaurant had the best margaritas and spicy chicken nachos in the universe!!  We ate there twice while in Scotland...yet never tried haggis.  Perhaps our priorities are amiss...

We prepared to end our evening with yet another stop at Deacon Brodie's, where we learned that its namesake - William Deacon Brodie - lived a double life back in 1886 and thus became the inspiration for Robert Louis Stevenson's The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.  How cool is that?

The insanely long parade of pictures to follow were all taken during the performance of the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo.  It was pouring rain during the entire show.  Yeah...the entire thing.

This picture is the money maker - there is an Edinburgh Military Tattoo picture contest, you know?

Ok, so after sitting in the rain to watch the show, we walked the two miles back to the hostel...in the rain.  See how soaked my pants were!

OMG!  I had to roll them up in a plastic bag to pack them away for the flight!!

August 9

Scotland

In the morning we caught a train at the Haymarket to South Queensferry to visit Margaret, Karen's friend who was in the play the other night.  We didn't know, however, that the doors only open when you push a special button to get off the train at your stop.  We missed our stop and had to ride back on another train.  I guess we were not being proactive with our journeys *sigh*.

Anyway, after a lovely lunch of Scottish salmon, cheese, bread, fresh fruit, and wine, we took a stroll around Queensferry.  Here is the railway bridge that we accidentally crossed when we didn't get off the train :)

The views were just exquisite, and the weather was perfect.  Who knew they had sunshine in the UK?

Here is another Jacob's Ladder.  It looks like we are going down this one, right?  No...we just climbed up the entire thing.

Karen and Margaret at Margaret's house - we had a wonderful time!  Thanks for everything, Margaret!!  :)

This is a road sign.  For real, it is a road sign.  I know.  What were they thinking?

Upon meandering in Newtown (north Edinburgh) in the afternoon, we happened upon a small pub called Scott's.  Named after my noteworthy husband, no doubt :)

In the evening, we saw "Medea" - actually it was a condensed, adapted script of "Medea."  I was expecting a cutting of the original Greek script, but sadly, no.  The performances were good, but I didn't care for the actual script.

Then...we met our last tour group for the Edinburgh Pub Crawl.  OMG.
1. The Bank Bar - a glass of wine
2. Belushi's - a shot of Fruity Blue (?) and a Jagerbomb (oh yeah, I don't like Jager) :)
3. ???? - 2 rum and cokes separated by a shot of Scottish whiskey, which burns, by the way...and a shot of something fruity - mine was Cherry (yum!)

Karen had Red Stripe b/c there was no Killian's - sorry, Ralph!

4. Frankenstein's - a shot of something pink from a test tube (so cool!) and lots of dancing!  More rum and coke!
5. Night Club - last rum and coke of the night

I have no idea what time we made it back to the hostel.  And I don't care.  I totally had fun.