Edinburgh, Scotland

Greetings from Scotland!

I only have a few minutes on the computer in the lounge of the Hostel, so everything will be shortened until I have more time to update later (and upload pictures).

Danielle, Hannah and I flew out of the airport in Newark on Friday to arrive in Scotland at around seven in the morning on Saturday. Although Danielle had planned a few activities, we all felt the exhausted from the jet lag for most of the day. The first day, we:
- Visited Scott Memorial
- Toured Giles Cathedral
- Visited the National Museum of Scotland
- Shopped in the Royal Mile

We ended up going to bed at 6pm, sleeping for four hours, waking up at 10pm, and going to sleep at 1:30 am. Then we woke up at 7am the next morning and we're back on our regular sleeping schedule. Word of advice for travelers: force yourself to stay up as much as you can, and then sleep a solid twelve hours or so.

On the second day, we began the day by having breakfast at our hostel for one pound. Throughout the day, we:
- Hiked up to (and picnicked at) Arthur's Seat
- Toured the Palace of Holyrood House
- Bought trashy souvenirs from shops and classy souvenirs from street vendors
- Ate at Wetherspoon

On the third day, we:
- Had breakfast at the hostel
- Toured Edinburgh Castle
- Ate at the Queen Ann Cafe
- Shopped

Although it would appear that we didn't do much, in reality we walked many miles each day and were exhausted beyond belief at the end. The following are some of the observations I wrote down in my notebook.

Words and terms:
- chips: french fries
- bang your hooter: honk your horn
-Sky TV: cable TV
- toilet/loo: bathroom, restroom
- boot: trunk of the car
- bonnet: hood of the car
- pants: underwear
- trousers: pants
- fanny: vagina
- "thank you for your custom": "thank you for your business"
- Way Out: Exit
- loch: lake
- wee: little, small (used in the States but not as often)
- biscuits: cookies ("digestive biscuits" are common)
- pram: short for "pramulator," a baby carriage
- concession: money off, discount, for elderly people, young people or students
- charity shop: thrift store
- queue: the get in line for something, to make a line, a line
- ice lollies: ?
- advice slip: receipt
- What, Not Butter!: I can't believe it's not butter!
- Nappy: Napkin
- "mature" cheese: sharp cheese
- prawn: shrimp

Common clothes/garb:

For the women: tights or slacks with a long shirt or with a dress OR skinny jeans, with boots OR flats. On a cold day, add a trendy jacket either longer or shorter (not in the middle), in black, grey or brown.
For the men: Pants with dress shirt and sweater.

Food:
- bangers and mash: sausages on top of mashed potatoes
- nips and tatties: a kind of root vegetable with mashed potatoes
- scone: looks like a giant biscuit, served with jam and clotted cream during afternoon tea
- pasty: a flaky pastry with food inside (we had one with onions and cheese, but most contain meat)
- haggis: traditional Scottish dish that is a sheep's stomach with lots of leftover meats and oatmeal


So those are the cold, hard facts. When I can get my computer adapter to work, I'll update again with actual thoughts and a few pictures.


(As I heard several times today:) Cheers,
Emily