I can\u2019t believe how emotional I got when I entered an exhibition that\u00a0eventually led to a chamber holding the Scottish honours and the Stone of Destiny. First, there was a mural of each Scottish monarch up to and including Robert I, then there was a statue of the coronation of Robert I. I almost broke down seeing all this history I\u2019ve been studying come to life. And when I came face to face with the Honours themselves…<\/p>\n
But that was nothing<\/em> compared to how I felt walking into St-Margaret\u2019s chapel. She\u2019s my \u2018favourite\u2019 Queen and to stand where she prayed… I also saw the chamber where Mary Stewart\u2019s son James (1st<\/sup> and 6th<\/sup>) was born. Wow. At one point, a guard noticed how, um, awestruck I was, standing by the walls listening to recordings of a history I know very well, and asked if I was okay. I could only nod. If this is how I react to Edinburgh Castle, can you imagine me at Stirling and Bannockburn?!<\/p>\n After, I walked around for hours<\/em> looking for cheap grub. I ended up having pizza at a decent price. After, I saw the grave of \u2018Grey Friar\u2019s Bobby\u2019 as well as that of his master John Gray. Then, I nosed through a used book shop and ended an exhausting<\/em>\u00a0day at the Royal Museum for a 1.5 hour whirlwind tour of the most amazing collection of stuff<\/em> I\u2019ve ever<\/em> seen (even in my own room!!!).<\/p>\n I hadn\u2019t sat down since I left at 9\u00a0:00 this morning (not even for lunch!), so I figured it was time to come in and get off my feet for a few hours. I think I pulled a muscle at one point during my Ben Nevis adventure. Going down stairs has been excruciating today. Oh, and in the Edinburgh castle gift shop, I found my favourite whisky to date. It\u2019s sweet and not too \u2018alcoholicky\u2019. It\u2019s name? Unbelievably: Wallace, and made at Stirling!!!<\/p>\n Tomorrow, I\u2019d like to try the Whisky Heritage Centre. I really am growing fond of the stuff! The lady who offered a very<\/em> wee dram of \u2018Wallace\u2019 didn\u2019t seem too keen to answer my questions about the whisky like: how\u2019s it made? what type is it? etc. Either she didn\u2019t know or she couldn\u2019t be bothered with someone who was obviously new to the whisky tasting business.<\/p>\n One thing I find unbelievable about staying here is how late the sun sets and how early it rises. I mean, there were still red streaks in the sky at 12:30 AM and when I woke up at 5:00, the sun was totally up! By 7:00, it was quite literally cooking me!<\/p>\n June 27th<\/sup>, 1998 1:17 AM (note that technically this is the same day!)<\/p>\n Well… I\u2019ve had a most unusual night (for me, for others it was really quite normal). It started at a pub around 8 where 3 of us got carded. We chose to leave and actually had to search<\/em> for another one! In Scotland<\/em>, imagine\u00a0! Anyway, we found one and settled down to watch the match (by the way, \u2018us\u2019 refers to the 3 South African girls and on Australian guy, Jason, and me).<\/p>\n In my case, a pint of Guinness later, we headed off to the Mercat Cross at Saint Giles in order to join a tour about Edinburgh\u2019s creepy, supernatural, and darker side.<\/p>\n We were led down into these catacomb like vaults where our guide succeeded in scaring us s\u2014s by telling us about supposed malevolent spirits, etc. down there. Let\u2019s just say that the place was claustrophobic (to say the least) and gave off very<\/em> bad vibes. I was glad to end the tour at a cemetery where the vibes were better.<\/p>\n The tour then dispersed and we (the gang I\u2019d been following all night) ended up on a bench outside the cemetery where we shared a joint (my first).<\/p>\n After that, we headed back for the pub that had carded us. Only two of us ordered drinks (I couldn\u2019t afford anything else by that point!), but Jason got fed up with his Guinness (it was like his fourth\u00a0that night!) and I ended up finishing it for him. By that time, I was loosened up to the max, but I\u2019d had enough \u2018fun\u2019\u00a0for the night. They wanted to go clubbing, so we went our separate ways.<\/p>\n I enjoyed this evening very much (although I was worried about getting caught by the authorities with the \u2018you-know-what\u2019) but I\u2019d had enough. The lifestyle is brainnumbing! To think that my idea of \u2018fun\u2019 is a movie (at home) and my knitting! It still is, but I\u2019ve tasted another world. I wouldn\u2019t want to join it with any regularity, but now I know that occasionally<\/em> it can be rather enjoyable to almost let down the little hair I have!<\/p>\n
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