From Anzac Day's dawn service we sallied forth to Scotland (after a wee snooze - that 3am start was a killer!).
Edinburgh rocks! We more or less decided on the spot to move up there as fast as we can, for as long as possible (Sarah, Becky and Kerry, you'll understand!).
The town itself is stunning, rising from a valley floor, full of winding cobbled streets and steep hills, with mountain views on every side. The Scots have a talent for building huge castles on highly defensible outcroppings of volcanic rock - which is good, because they have lots of them! Thus were born towns like Edinburgh and Stirling (the latter, for many centuries, was the site of the only ford over the Forth river, connecting highlands and lowlands).
Scottish pubs serve an abundance of haggis (which Anthony sampled all three days we were there - my favourite is the one that comes with a whisky cream sauce), cheap pints, various whiskies (we counted 32 in one bar alone!), live music and good cheer. The Scots are a friendly folk - although we weren't sure about the fella offering "cheap gammon steaks - just 10 quid" to everyone in the bar. Oh, and they love their literary quotes - from excerpts of the noble "Declaration of Arbroath"* in 1320 to the hilarious "Ode to English Rugby", you'll find something to read on every wall.
*"As long as a hundred of us remain alive, we will never be subject to English Domination, because it is not for glory or riches or honours that we fight, but for freedom alon, which no worthy man loses, except with his life". Way better than Mel Gibson's twaddle about some king putting his head between his legs to kiss his own.. y'know.
By the way, we also found the best backpackers - apart from its unfortunate name (http://www.argyle-backpackers.co.uk/). Gorgeous room - and a bigger bathroom - than the hotel we called home near Hyde Park. And half the price.
The rest of the highlights from this trip deserve postings of their own...
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment