If you couldn't tell, I am on the train from Edinburgh to London. My first ever train ride! I have so much to recap, I know. Hopefully you all read my mom's last comment. Halfway through our stay in Edinburgh, we switched hotels. The second hotel we stayed in did not provide free internet, instead, they charged 6 pounds an hour. That's like, 12 bucks (or 2 pints, hey, you have your conversion measures, I have mine). But anyway, regardless, I was NOT paying for it.
So, I apologize that I was MIA for a few days. But here am I now, and I know that you all are oh so happy that you're favorite traveling comedian has returned to entertain you all. I'm sure your days have been dull without me.
So, where did we leave off?
Oh, does everyone know who the Covenanters were? Or do I need to post it here? I'm going to go back and edit the formatting. I don't know why the text formatted wrong; I swear I typed it out, but when it posted, that posted in black font when it was supposed to post in white. That's why there's a huge gap in the text.
But I digress.
Anyway.
The next day I went on The Scotch Whiskey Experience (Dad, Ben, Nick, are we proud, yes?). It was very interesting. It was really funny; if you went before noon you were offered the morning discount, meaning that they were encouraging drinking before noon. Naturally, my happy little butt was on that tour prior to noon. Anyway, the first thing the tour guide does is offer you a dram of scotch. The guide then takes you through the five steps of tasting scotch whiskey, which are:
They even let you keep the glass as a souvenir. So now I have my very own scotch glass for all the scotch drinking I'll be doing back in the States. Nifty.
The rest of the tour was very informational. It went through all the history of scotch making, blending, etc, and at the end, they spit you out in a bar/shop.
To the most important men (i.e. Dad, big brothers) in my life, don't worry, I gotcha covered in the scotch department. Who loves you!? That's right. I do.
Anyway. After that. An interesting thing happened that day.
I saw a doctor.
I was pretty much dead set against going to the doctor for my foot, but it must have been fated, because I was re-taping my toes on the bus, when this guy asked me what I did to my foot. Well, it turns out he was a doctor. He asked me if I wanted him to take a look at it. He did the whole doctor thing, and it turns out that I have two broken toes. Apparently all the hiking and walking and climbing on them hasn't really been helping the healing process, either. In fact, it's been hindering it. So, for me, first stop in London, the hospital, for some crutches, which I get to hobble around on for the remainder of my trip and then some. I should be healed up by mid July, as long as I keep them splinted and taped and keep the pressure off that foot as much as possible. So says Scottish doctor, anyway.
So that was on the bus on the way to Rosslyn Chapel, which was apparently really important because it was in the Da Vinci Code, which I never read or saw, so I had no idea. Mom, any recollections for me on this one?
But that was that day.
Monday after class we all went up to Edinburgh Castle. It kind of sucked for me, though, because it involved a lot of climbing. I ended up just sitting on a bench in the courtyard area for the most part, feeding pigeons shortbread cookies, like the bird lady from Mary Poppins. "Feed the birds, tuppence a bag..." I didn't get much sleep the night before due to excruciating pain in my foot, so I called it a day early and went back to the hotel for some intense napping.
Another Tylenol with Codeine night and I was back in action. You know, I'm beginning to think that the only thing this trip is going to get me is an addiction to pain killers. Make my reservations at the Betty Ford Clinic now (OMG before you freak, I'm joking. I repeat I AM ONLY JOKING).
Yesterday I took it very slow, going at my own pace all day long. I went to Our Dynamic Earth. It was really interesting. It touched on a lot of issues that are important to me, like saving the environment and energy conservation, and what we can do to reverse damage on Earth.
My last night in Edinburgh was spent in King Mary's Close, which is an underground city. It's more of a historical tour, not really frightening. It, too, was rather disgusting, though, since most of the stories they told were about the plague, and let's face it, the plague was not exactly hunky dory. The coolest part of the tour was Annie's room. Apparently, a clairvoyant went on this tour at some point and got in touch with the ghost of a little girl named Annie, who was very lonely because she had been deserted by not only her parents, but also her doll. Hearing that, the clairvoyant sent her friend up onto the Royal Mile to buy Annie a new doll. Ever since, people have been bringing Annie dolls, teddy bears and other trinkets. Except for some horribly cruel person who brought her a Westlife CD, but who am I to judge other's music taste? I didn't have a doll or anything to leave her, but they did have a bowl for spare change that they said they brought to Edinburgh's Children Hospital, figuring that Annie would like knowing that other children would not have to suffer. I emptied my change purse into that instead.
I capped off the night in a pub, with a pint. Perfect.
So that was my last couple days in Edinburgh. Wow this post is long. Hopefully you weren't bored. Cheers!
So, I apologize that I was MIA for a few days. But here am I now, and I know that you all are oh so happy that you're favorite traveling comedian has returned to entertain you all. I'm sure your days have been dull without me.
So, where did we leave off?
Oh, does everyone know who the Covenanters were? Or do I need to post it here? I'm going to go back and edit the formatting. I don't know why the text formatted wrong; I swear I typed it out, but when it posted, that posted in black font when it was supposed to post in white. That's why there's a huge gap in the text.
But I digress.
Anyway.
The next day I went on The Scotch Whiskey Experience (Dad, Ben, Nick, are we proud, yes?). It was very interesting. It was really funny; if you went before noon you were offered the morning discount, meaning that they were encouraging drinking before noon. Naturally, my happy little butt was on that tour prior to noon. Anyway, the first thing the tour guide does is offer you a dram of scotch. The guide then takes you through the five steps of tasting scotch whiskey, which are:
- Colour
- Is it light or dark?
- What colors are in the whiskey?
- Body
- When you swirl your scotch around in your dram (looking all cool, you know it), the scotch leaves lines on the side of the glass. The more lines there are, the fuller body the scotch.
- Nose
- Really, just stick your nose your glass, open your mouth a wee bit, and inhale. Ahhhhh.
- Taste
- This is the best part! Raise your glass, lads and lasses, and give the Gaelic toast of good health, "Slainte mhath!" (pronounced slan juh va)
- Finish
- This is just how long the "kick" of the scotch lasts.
They even let you keep the glass as a souvenir. So now I have my very own scotch glass for all the scotch drinking I'll be doing back in the States. Nifty.
The rest of the tour was very informational. It went through all the history of scotch making, blending, etc, and at the end, they spit you out in a bar/shop.
To the most important men (i.e. Dad, big brothers) in my life, don't worry, I gotcha covered in the scotch department. Who loves you!? That's right. I do.
Anyway. After that. An interesting thing happened that day.
I saw a doctor.
I was pretty much dead set against going to the doctor for my foot, but it must have been fated, because I was re-taping my toes on the bus, when this guy asked me what I did to my foot. Well, it turns out he was a doctor. He asked me if I wanted him to take a look at it. He did the whole doctor thing, and it turns out that I have two broken toes. Apparently all the hiking and walking and climbing on them hasn't really been helping the healing process, either. In fact, it's been hindering it. So, for me, first stop in London, the hospital, for some crutches, which I get to hobble around on for the remainder of my trip and then some. I should be healed up by mid July, as long as I keep them splinted and taped and keep the pressure off that foot as much as possible. So says Scottish doctor, anyway.
So that was on the bus on the way to Rosslyn Chapel, which was apparently really important because it was in the Da Vinci Code, which I never read or saw, so I had no idea. Mom, any recollections for me on this one?
But that was that day.
Monday after class we all went up to Edinburgh Castle. It kind of sucked for me, though, because it involved a lot of climbing. I ended up just sitting on a bench in the courtyard area for the most part, feeding pigeons shortbread cookies, like the bird lady from Mary Poppins. "Feed the birds, tuppence a bag..." I didn't get much sleep the night before due to excruciating pain in my foot, so I called it a day early and went back to the hotel for some intense napping.
Another Tylenol with Codeine night and I was back in action. You know, I'm beginning to think that the only thing this trip is going to get me is an addiction to pain killers. Make my reservations at the Betty Ford Clinic now (OMG before you freak, I'm joking. I repeat I AM ONLY JOKING).
Yesterday I took it very slow, going at my own pace all day long. I went to Our Dynamic Earth. It was really interesting. It touched on a lot of issues that are important to me, like saving the environment and energy conservation, and what we can do to reverse damage on Earth.
My last night in Edinburgh was spent in King Mary's Close, which is an underground city. It's more of a historical tour, not really frightening. It, too, was rather disgusting, though, since most of the stories they told were about the plague, and let's face it, the plague was not exactly hunky dory. The coolest part of the tour was Annie's room. Apparently, a clairvoyant went on this tour at some point and got in touch with the ghost of a little girl named Annie, who was very lonely because she had been deserted by not only her parents, but also her doll. Hearing that, the clairvoyant sent her friend up onto the Royal Mile to buy Annie a new doll. Ever since, people have been bringing Annie dolls, teddy bears and other trinkets. Except for some horribly cruel person who brought her a Westlife CD, but who am I to judge other's music taste? I didn't have a doll or anything to leave her, but they did have a bowl for spare change that they said they brought to Edinburgh's Children Hospital, figuring that Annie would like knowing that other children would not have to suffer. I emptied my change purse into that instead.
I capped off the night in a pub, with a pint. Perfect.
So that was my last couple days in Edinburgh. Wow this post is long. Hopefully you weren't bored. Cheers!
1 comment:
Awesome post, except for the broken 2 toes. You! didn't read The DaVinci Code, you must! The movie doesn't compare.
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