Arrrgh, Scotland land of surprises and scenery

So where better to start with a night time cruise around the streets of 'Burgh, well there was lots to see with Paul and Lisa including the botanic gardens home to a giant palm tree that will very soon break the roof. Well, they might need to extend the roof but they already did that a couple of times, so keep working at it trusty Scots. What followed, was some fine vegetarian food (yes, Scotland can do it occasionally) and a selection of late night pubs. One of which may or may not be missing a Groslch glass which is probably making itself much more useful at someone's house.

The next stop on the magical mystery tour is Dunfermline, home to a B grade football team, a collection of shops in a mall that are exactly the same as every other mall in the UK and an 11th century abbey. It was quite nifty and proved a fine afternoon out in some bog standard Scottish weather. The modern church only a few hundred years old, is pretty damned impressive and holds the remains of one Robert the Bruce, who appeared to be some type of king hero or something. All I know was that he had a giant sword and went around slaying Englishmen who accused him of drinking too much whisky.

Trying to remember all the names of the castles that we've visited has proved quite challenging and after a fine Dunfermline time, it was down to the coast to Aberdour castle and views out over the firth of forth to Edinburgh. Its another amazing castle and of course can be hired for weddings, parties, bah mitzvahs or whatever. Just tell em that Bruce sent you and they'll throw in an authentic Scottish recreation battle with cannons, knights, axes and laser weapons. Pretty sweet for $5.99 plus VAT.

So Scotland in summer is a surprising place, the best thing about it is the countryside, now I know people like Edinburgh for the castle and the bars and Glasgow for the knife fights and glasgow salads, but for me, escaping to the hills, mountains, castles, lochs etc, is far more exciting.

Sunny Edinburgh

Hah, proved wrong at last Mr Negative Scotland weather. We've now had 6 days in a row of good weather including a trip to Edinburgh for some sightseeing and encounters with chip shop owners. First point of call was the gallery for the slightly disappointing Turner exhibition. I mean it was just a bunch of guys turning handles and had nothing to do with the famous painter at all. What a let down! Well actually it was all about Turner in italy, which was sort of interesting but not the most exciting of his works in my humble opinion.

Meanwhile outside, every person in Edinburgh was getting their yearly vitamin D intake by sitting in the park. Which we attempted to do after Mr Chip Shop lunch. Kathleen had rightly ordered a vegie burger which we were assured contained 'vegatables love'. Little to our knowledge it did not contain a bun or salad or anything else except a deep fried vegie patty and some soggy chips. 'What do you expect love, its just a chip shop' was the defence used by the large Scottish gentleman when queried about his 'burger'. Oh well next time we'll ensure the burger is more than just a pattie. The afternoon's entertainment involved bagpipes and a walk up to Arthur's seat. The bagpipes were being played on the royal mile (as usual) and the walk up to Arthur's seat provided spectacular views of the area directly beneath the hill and of the castle and main town. Kathleen's thongs probably weren't the greatest footwear for the occasion but once at the top it was so worth it. A few beers and dinner in the city followed to round of the best weekend of Scottish weather since 1243 when MacArrrrrgh defeated MacAayye at the battle of Loch Haggis.

Edinburgh, its not said how its spelt

So I've been to Edinburgh quite a few times over the last few weeks for sightseeing, work and a variety of other dastardly deeds. It intrigues me because its so old and cranky with a really strange design whereby all invaders are directed through narrow streets into the forefront of the castle so they can be shot with bows and arrows.

This of course caused me no problems as my germ warfare tactics avoided all the narrow alleys by being delivered by aeroplanes directly from the Belgian Congo (Mexico). So really what's it like, amazing geography, cool bars and a nifty history make Edinburgh a fun day. There is the new parliament house which was meant to cost 30 million but ended up costing 200 million odd pounds. So it was kind of impressive but a lot people don't like it because its too modern and doesn't fit in with the Scottish heritage of everything being a pub. Just nearby is holyrood house and there's a sense that everything is in walking distance from the centre of town.

The new town (only a couple of hundred years old) offers a welcome diversion from the old town (quite a few centuries old) and just nearby is the seaside at Leith, which from my understanding is mainly filled with warehouses, druggies and expensive restaurants. The old town has the castle and a selection of churches and whisky bars the likes of which you'll struggle to find anywhere else. The whisky experience tour was fun, but probably not quite worth the 11 quid entry fee although you do get a whisky shot and a glass to take away. So now that I know that its all there, I'll be back for more summer festivals, music and all kinds of crazy stuff that can only be had on the far side of the world. My invading army has been slowly spreading across the city and soon the whole place will be mine to run amock with down the royal mile while dancing a jig to the bagpipes in the centre of town. Currently bagpipes in full volume are banned in central Edinburgh because they were too loud and annoying. I'll soon be changing that!!!