Week Break - SCOTLAND, and transit to Florence.

[dramaturgy]

Yes. It deserves ALL CAPS because Scotland was awesome, not the least of all because bubosquared is awesome and better than any youth hostel. For one, the only person I had to worry about was Melle. And really... there was no time when she was there and I wasn't, so. XD She was awesome and carried by big suitcase, and got up at four in the morning to walk me to Haymarket so that I could take the shuttle to the airport.

It was nice, because I didn't do much. I'll just come right out and say it. There were a couple of days when I simply vegetated and it was nice. I like vegetating. Having nothing to do but convert oxygen to carbon dioxide is, at times, one of life's greatest pleasures. I watched Space: Above and Beyond (*significant look!*) and Firefly and also Ghost World which I hadn't seen in awhile. I also managed to watch the entire first season of Rome. Go me.

But don't get me wrong, I wasn't going to stay inside the whole time. I was in Edinburgh!

I took the place to Princes Street, which is... sort of I guess the main shopping street, you'd call it. It's the city center, anyway. I didn't actually go inside the castle because they wanted eleven pounds or something like that and, excuse me, but no. I don't think even that much was paid to get into Warwick Castle, and I know Pembroke Castle was only three pounds. So I stood on the street and took pictures.







I saw this on the side of a building and. Hm.



I don't know what's going on there. There was another one that I took a picture on chalked on to the steps of the National Gallery of Scotland, and even another one on this building. "End Westminster rule."









This is the National Gallery of Scotland. A lot smaller than the National Gallery of London, obviously, although it's nice and has some very pretty stuff. A lot of Impressionists, actually, and I love Impressionists. They had a Degas original that I just stood and looked at 'cause. PRETTY.



This is the Scott Memorial, that is, Sir Walter Scott. It reminds me of the Albert Memorial but it's so much... less. XD All the black is from pollution, which is what all of London would look like if they didn't clean things up every so often. There are some things that are unforeseeable, and the advent of the automobile and huge industry were two of them.

Across the road there's a little pub called the Ivanhoe. :)



I saw this ad on the side of a bus stop and I giggled. According to bubosquared it's a pagan ceremony thing, which I'm sure it is and I think that totally legitimate. It just made me giggle. Not to mention I think some Christians would say the same thing. XD



This is the other picture I talked about. These are in absolutely no logical order, whatsoever.



Statue with the castle in the background.

Here's a couple pictures from the train up. I was shocked as how close to the sea we passed:





Okay, the rides here... from Edinburgh to Frankfurt there was a man beside me who had absolutely no concept of personal space and it was not fun. The Frankfurt airport was huge, and confusing. I went up four escalators before I found where my gate was supposed to be. *shakes fists* And then the T-Mobile wifi was Not For Me (as in, password protected with absolutely no help whatsoever) and I'd not slept at all, so. It was frustrating. I slept on the plane to Florence from Frankfurt, but really, that was only about an hour and a half. The taxi ride to the Pensione Ottaviani was... well, it was kind of like driving in Chicago at rush hour, but nobody paid attention to the lane divisions. I tried not to hide. :x

I needed to sleep when I got there. *thumbs up*





It's pretty. Not gonna lie. And it's so nice.

We move in with our host family tomorrow. The combinations of the words "no elevator" and "top floor" makes me gird my loins. *nod* o_o I'll be okay. Internet gods smile on me.