A cheeky wee tale. Pt. II

Where did I leave off...I think I was complaining about my accomodations, but I'm really not that mad. I got to stay there for freeee! It took me about a day to get over the jet lag. I really struggled to stay awake, especially with a full day ahead. It was painful having to go to Somerfields to buy groceries shortly after landing...I naturally found myself gravitating towards the candy aisle to see what kind of candy I could grab for myself (the Guylian dark chocolate I bought from duty-free was not enough). I think it's a blast to look at how different the packaged food is in different countries. The major observation I made was that everything is packaged into smaller portions - really strange. I tried to nap for the rest of the time, but I had to wake up in the middle to watch the French Open Finals...damn, Federer lost again! That was basically the end of Day 1.

Bus trips was the theme of this trip - I didn't realize how cool it would be to take a bus trip in Toronto. I always see those red double decker buses driving around downtown and I just might hop onto one of them some day. The red double decker really is universal and I just couldn't help myself, I had to get onto one in Glasgow...and Edinburgh. The first day in Glasgow was a dream. Blue skies and 20 plus temperature. I could have gone around all day on the top of the bus. Glasgow is pretty with its old buildings and interesting architectural details. We ended up stopping at the University of Glasgow and the Hunterian Museum, which had some cool medical displays. Unfortunately, we were prohibited from entering the library as a non-student!! I can't really recall seeing a single homeless person there, something that really surprised me. But as it was explained to me, Glasgow has a strong social support system rooted in its blue collar history. The last stop, of course was to Argyle St. for some shopping. I was a bit disappointed that most stores close at 6pm though. I fully expected to go to Scotland/UK and come back with a new favourite store...BUT I was overall very disappointed. I was also really surprised to find that I couldn't shop in most stores because their sizes begin at 8! Below 8 is considered petite. Is this the land of giants?? It would really suck to have to shop in the kid's section all the time. Topshop had a petite section but the maternity section was just as big. It got me to look around, and I realized that there weren't many small people there. There weren't many obese people, but they weren't small either.

*What I did realize while I was there is that I need a hot pair of boy-fit jeans!!!*

The next bus trip was in Edinburgh, a short train ride away...the train ride was so smooth that I seriously now am considering to take the VIA Rail rather than Greyhound. As soon as we got to Edinburgh, I was blown away by the character of the city. I was instantly 20 times more impressed with Edinburgh than I was with Glasgow. The first good sign - an H & M...familiarity is wonderful ;) I noticed a distinct difference between the accents. Unfortunately, the weather was really bad. It was sooo cold with just a sweatshirt on that I had to buy a wool plaid scarf. Later in the day it was drizzling rain. But I had a blast walking around the city, in between buildings and discovering interesting little quotes and bits of history written on plaques and carved into stone pathways. It was amazing to be able to stand at the top of a hilly road and look out to the horizon and see the water peaking out amongst the old architecture. Amazing. The view of the water was even better from the castle. I won't say much more about the castle other than being able to see the Crown Jewels...no pics allowed unfortunately. They were displayed along with the Stone of Destiny, on which Scottish kings were crowned; apparently this Stone of Destiny, returned from the English is not the real deal...it was a dummy stone that replaced the real stone when the English came to steal it. The last stop before dinner was to Mary Kings Close, a tour beneath the city to learn a bit of the history of that part of the city along the Royal Mile. The tour was a blast - it had a mix of the learning experience along with mystery, intrigue and oooooh, suspense. Very fun. I definitely could have spent more time in the Burgh but my biggest gripe is that there is nowhere to eat!! Where does everyone go after 7pm??? I suppose home, but most likely the bars...which were nowhere to be found. Anyhoo, we finally found a place to eat after walking in the rain for 20 minutes.

*Note to self. If anyone wants to lose weight, go to Scotland. Not for any reason other than that the food STINKS!!!*