It's already been a week?!?

I can’t believe that on this hour, exactly ONE WEEK AGO, I was boarding my plane in Newark to Edinburgh!  The flight over was great, although very turbulent, but just 6 hours and 15 minutes! My Rotarian host parents, Ken and Jackie, are angels sent from heaven and they kindly opened their home to me until I can find accommodation for the year.  Ken picked me up from the airport just before 8 AM on Tuesday, August 14 (Scottish time, it was just 3 AM Pennsylvania time) and took me to their house, which is just two miles from city centre.  Within 10 minutes of my arrival in Scotland, I had already made both classic American mistakes:  (1) nearly got hit by a car while looking left before crossing the road and (2) went to the driver’s side car door before seeing the wheel on the left.  After safe arrival, Ken took the official "First photo" in Scotland to the left!

Over breakfast, Jackie invited me up to their cottage in the Highlands, where several of her cousins were congregating to celebrate one cousin’s Golden Anniversary.  I instantly accepted, and before I knew it was in the backseat of their car driving north to Glenshee!  I spent a terrific four days with Keith and Mags (celebrating their 50 years of marriage), Jean, Anne, Ken and Jackie.   We shared many laughs as I struggled with Scottish words and phrases (it IS a different language- really!) The cottage is surrounded by 360 degrees of beautiful hills covered in lush green, heather, and lots of SHEEP! I joined the cousins on some of their outings:  we went to see the castle in which the Queen spends the month of August every year, which was only about 20 minutes from our cottage (I now understand why Queen Victoria picked the Highlands for this castle so many years ago- it is BEAUTIFUL!) That same day, we went to ‘Carthie Kirk’- the church where the Queen and Royal Family worship on Sundays through August.  AMAZINGLY we had missed the Queen coming through by less than HALF AN HOUR (she was driving her RANGE ROVER back from a HUNTING TRIP in the mountains…I hope I am half as cool at 86!) I hung back at the cottage with Ken a couple days to do some work outside- he has a tool shed filled with all kinds of fun toys! I drank more tea in 4 days than in the past 22 years, but since Ken introduced ‘Irn Bru’ it soon accompanied every tea time.  Scotland is the only country in the world where Coca Cola is not the dominant soft drink:  Irn Bru is an orange soda, which to me tastes like a hybrid of Sunkist and Bubble Gum- it’s very popular, it’s delicious and it’s high fructose content cures hangovers!  I had my first sherry (yum) and an assortment of Scottish whiskeys (working on it).  We went out to celebrate Keith and Mags 50^th and the first thing on the menu was “Traditional Haggis with Neeps and Tatties”.  It’s exciting to order something without the slightest idea what will show up on your plate.  Well ok, I’d heard tell of Haggis but I was PRETENDING I didn’t know what I was eating (for those of you who don’t know, Haggis is sheep heart, lungs and liver mixed with onions, oatmeal and spices simmered in a sheep’s stomach).  In all honesty, it was delicious- as were the neeps and tatties (potatoes and turnips) and all finished off with a sticky toffee pudding mmm.  Thank god Edinburgh is very runner-friendly!! Our last night in the Highlands, Jackie made a phenomenal meal for Keith and Mags, the whole dining room decorated in golden streamers and candles! It was such a special night that I will remember for a long time! We came home on Saturday night, and Ken compiled a slide show with all the pictures everyone had taken from the week- a perfect way to end a perfect holiday! 

Sunday was my first time going into the city!!  WOW I have never been to a more beautiful, unique place in my life!  The skyline, Edinburgh Castle, Holyrood Castle, Royal Gardens, the parks, the buildings, the shops, restaurants and pubs!  I spent the entire day yesterday and today in the city, and I am beginning to feel that even with a whole year I won’t get to see the half of it! Edinburgh is currently hosting several festivals (International, Book and Fringe) so the streets are bustling with live acts, music and comedy on top of tons of ticketed events!  I saw a man dressed as a genie levitating in the street today (after 10 minutes of staring closely for strings, wires, magnets etc I finally gave up). I met another Rotary scholar, Caitlin, who is terrific…we were good Scottish girls and swapped stories and experiences over tea time! We are both hot on the apartment hunt (or as they are called here “flats” or “digs”).  We have tickets together to the Military Tattoo on Wednesday night together- should be fantastic!

I know I skimmed over some details trying to fit one week into one post- I'll get better at this!  The sun is shining in Edinburgh and LIFE IS GOOD!  Until next time, here are some fun Scottish vocab and phrases (I think I’ll put a couple at the end of every post!)  Cheers everyone!

Boot and Bonnet (Hood and Trunk of car), Dreich (Dreary/Dull..often referring to Scottish weather), Posh (Fancy), Wee (Small/Little), Spurtle (Tool used to make porridge), Zizzer (Blender), Kirk (Church)