Greetings from Scotland!

Saturday 15th April
Hello everyone!
Sally and I arrived in Scotland by bus on 12th Wednesday though we were very groggy from the bus trip we managed to explore a little of Edinburgh but the cold kept us indoors for most of the day! It is much colder here than in London so weve had lots of hot drinks!
Our hostel was wonderfully clean and very well equipped which was a great releif to both of us. We had internet, bar, kitchen facilites and a movie room so really we didnt need to go anywhere!

The following day we headed towards the Royal Mile which is the street which leads up to the Edinburgh Castle which is very huge! Our first stop along the way was St. Giles Cathedral which was a very lovely church but I have to say there are a lot of them around but they are all unique! Along the Royal mile we checked out the souvenier shops in which there was lots of tartan scarfts, miniture bagpipes and Lochness merchanise! A few good Scottish treats are fudge and tablet (like fudge only hard), shortbreak and castle rock!
Also Sally wants to try Haggis but I'm not sure I'm all that excited about sampling liver and who knows what else! There is apparently a very good vegetarian version but I think it could possibly be something I could live without!
I was excited about the castle and though it cost an arm and a leg we went in and saw the Royal Aparments, The Great Hall, The Prisoners of War mueseum, St Margarets castle and my favourite the Crown jewels! We were also tickeled by the pet graves which were dedicated to loyal muts such as Tinker and Roger who I'm sure died with honor.
We also were able to test taste some fabulous Whiskey and I personally havent tried it before ( I dont think so...maybe once) but it was really more a liquer than a whiskey because it was quite sweet and yes I have a big sweet tooth so I liked it and we were both warmed up very quickly! I think it would be very easy to become a whisky-a-holic in these cold countries! The lady we spoke to said she ate it with batter fried banana and ice cream...probably more calories than you should consume in one day but Sally bought a bottle and we have just been drinking it straight. We are going to come back to Edinburgh for a day or so because our bus leaves from here anyway so there will be more later...

On Easter Friday Gregor, who is my cousins Holly's husband Andrew's cousin (yep thats right) picked Sally and I from Edinburg and very kindly drove us to stay with him in Glascow which turned out to be a touch warmer and more scenic than Edinburgh. He first took us to Loch Lamond which was beautiful and very scenic with mountains that had just a touch of snow on the top! It was a beautiful place to walk around and very relaxing.
After we drove around Glascow City which has lots of fantastic older buidlings, lots of churches which have been transformed into galleries, cafes and even house brand shops such as Ralph Lauren and Louis Vuitton!
That night we went out to dinner at a lovely Italian restaurant and I had a spagehetti which I doubt very little will compare! We were very generously treated to dinner by Gregor who has been a fantastic host and I think I would like to come back!

Today we went into the city centre again because we werent sure what we wanted to do so we thought we would just wander around the city! We went to George Square which is a lovely place to sit and eat though maybe a bit more sunshine would be nice, Gregor keeps telling us its not that cold but Sally and I arent so sure...however we were lucky most of the day and the rain only came later afternoon. We went to a Modern gallery which was interesting..and then to the pound shop which was very exciting because everything is a pound!! We also visited a craft market which happened to be on and there was beautiful still photography, jewellry and handbags and paintings, inclduing a man who was doing paiting demonstratiosn which was great to watch!
Glasogow really is just a fantastic city to look at because its such an elegant mix of modern and old and just speaks for itself! We have taken some photos so I will load them as soon as possible!
Also 9 days until my birthday and I will be legal worldwide! YAY!
Happy Easter everyone!
xxoo Emily