Especially songs in the Scots dialect, with so many layers of meaning an uninformed listener would just feel like there was something vaguely distasteful going on, perhaps, be unable to say precisely whatI've known of the song "Cam Ye O'er Frae France?" for almost a decade now, thanks to a freshman seminar I took on folk ballads. (Talk about ( Read more... )

I was about to write, I've been a space cadet today, but then it occurred to me that I've been a bit spacey for the past week. Basically I spent my entire time in Scotland either about to get to 'flu, getting sick, or being unable to get out of bed. Scotland, let's try this again, I promise I'll be in better health for you. Just give me a few ( Read more... )

Made it to Glasgow! Survived making it to Glasgow! Amped up on more paracetamol, thank goodness, and I actually ate real food this evening, whee! Importantly, I was actually hungry this evening -- first time in like five days that's happened ( Read more... )

So I literally spent most of today in bed, dozing or sleeping. On the one hand, I'm sad that I have seen almost nothing of Inverness except the views out the hostel windows, but on the other hand, I seem to be in a pretty quiet place to crash ( Read more... )

*whistles*

THE GOOD NEWS

- I hauled myself out of bed early enough to get to the post office and ship some books I'd acquired!
- With the help of a taxi, I made my 10:30 bus!
- The bus driver eventually turned on the AC ( Read more... )

A real live palace, dear readers! I mean, it's in ruins, but not so much that I couldn't imagine the ceilings and the tapestries and the furniture... I just wish I'd felt better, so I could've taken it all in (and taken pictures, which I forgot to do).

I took the train to Linlithgow (lin-LITH-go), where two wonderful women met me and showed me ( Read more... )

I suppose it was bound to happen: I've come down with a cold. I felt it setting in the night before last, and took some EmergenC (something I never travel without, honestly), but still the cold came. So I am extra proud of myself for going out and about yesterday, and for taking that tour, because today I was mostly useless. I still got out of ( Read more... )

I hauled myself out of bed this morning in time to make it to the meeting point for this day tour, because it's supposed to be really good and I had hoped to go on it. Thing is, I forgot to make a reservation, and when I looked last night, they were booked through til Friday, which is the day I leave Edinburgh. But the website also said to show up ( Read more... )

I am thinking to myself right now, I should go out again! Maybe grab a pint in a pub somewhere and take it all in! And I am thinking to myself, My legs hurt!

I did a lot of walking today, see. Walking and standing and visiting museums and more walking and standing and visiting more museums, and stopping once for a late, big lunch at a Kurdish ( Read more... )

I woke up this morning at 6:47 and thought, Edinburgh! Or, more precisely, I thought of standing on the North Bridge in the early morning, and how wonderful that could be ( Read more... )