Scotland...WOW!

Tooley, Catherine, and I just returned from a wonderful three day trip to Scotland! Wow...Scotland has the most breathtaking scenery I've ever seen! My internet SHOULD be connected tomorrow, so I'll put up pictures soon, b/c I can't wait for everyone to see the Edinburgh, the Highlands, the Loch Ness, and a hairy coo! :) (A hairy coo is a Highland cow, and they're actually really cute.) We arrived in Edinburgh early Saturday afternoon, and settled into our hostel. PK Thomas, one of Tooley's and my friends from MSU, used to work at the Castle Rock Hostel, so he recommended that we stay there. It was really nice, and located right across the street from the beautiful and enormous Edinburgh Castle. The three of us walked along the Royal Mile, which is a street in Edinburgh (pronounced Edinburra) that has a castle on either end. On one end is the Edinburgh Castle, and the other end is Holyrood Castle, which is where the Queen stays when she comes to Scotland. Both of the castles are on top of cliffs, and they have an old, spooky look to them...gray stone, tall towers...but they're both beautiful! We tried some real Scottish food, including pies (not the dessert...meat/cheese baked into a breaded shell), Scotch pancakes (very sweet and delicious), and lentil soup. We just couldn't bring ourselves to eat haggis...sheep intestines. Yuck. We also ate at a cute little Italian restaurant. Almost every souvineer shop in Scotland sells kilts...it's so funny! We actually saw quite a few guys wearing them, too. Kilts are traditional wedding attire for Scottish men, even today! Saturday night, we went on a Ghost and Ghouls tour of Edinburgh, which is rumored to be the most haunted city in Britain. We saw haunted churches, underground vaults, and learned about the ghosts that supposedly haunt the city. Edinburgh actually does look a little spooky at night. The tall, gray, stone buildings, old churches, cobblestone streets, looming castles...put all that together with a cold, windy night, and it's a little scary! :) On Sunday, we took a 12 hour tour of the Highlands...beautiful! We saw where parts of "Braveheart" and "Harry Potter" were filmed, and learned a LOT about Scottish history. The mountains (the Scottish word for mountain is Ben) were incredible...bright green, with a little snow at the top of the tallest ones. We went on a boat cruise on the Loch Ness...home of the Loch Ness monster! Sadly, we didn't see Nessie, but they sell lots of Nessie dolls in gift stops all over Scotland. :) The weather in Scotland was very cold, especially in the Highlands. It got down to 45-50 degrees on Sunday night! Our tour guide, Penny, was great and had a wonderful Scottish accent. I love hearing Scottish people talk - the accent has a soothing cadence, and it's kind of melodious. Some people were hard to understand because they were speaking Scots, which is a strong dialect in Scotland. Some of their words are English, but they pronounce the vowels differently, so it's impossible to understand. And some words are completely different! Penny said that language experts are debating whether or not Scots is a language or a dialect. On Monday, we explored the city a little more and did some shopping. We got a glimpse of the typical Scottish weather...cold, windy, and rainy. By the time we got on our train Monday afternoon, we were completely soaked. Tooley and I observed that the fashion trend of tucking jeans into tall boots isn't so much a trend as just plain practical...it keeps your jeans and socks dry! We were really sad to leave Scotland on Monday - it was beautiful, fun, and an awesome experience! I think anyone would love seeing the Highlands. It's nice to be back in Stratford-upon-Avon, though, where the sun is shining. :) Our internet should be connected tomorrow, so everyone please call us! Don't forget about the time difference...we're six hours ahead of Mississippi. If for some reason the internet or phone aren't working, don't be surprised...I'm sure a few delays will pop up between now and then. :) I miss everyone!