Rock candy, Flapjacks, and Shortbread

I know that many of you have been chomping at the bit for a description of my trip to Scotland this weekend. I'm sorry it has been so long in coming.

As the title of this post will suggest, we tried all kinds of exciting dessert foods. If we didn't walk all over God's creation, I'm sure we'd each weigh 300-lbs for all the sweets we've been consuming. Edinburgh rock candy is not at all like the kind of rock candy we know in the states, but it is just as sweet. Flapjacks are not pancakes, they are made of butter, oats, and sugar and sometimes have a topping like butterscotch, chocolate, or almond frosting. They are heavenly, and we have them all the time in London, but the one we ate in Edinburgh was the best so far. And, of course, the Scots are famous for their shortbread, so we bought some for our journey home.

We took the bus to Glasgow to save money, and because I had an extra day off from classes. The ride was about 7 hours, and wasn't too bad on the way there, but the night ride to return to London was terrible. It was very difficult to sleep; it was cramped, people smelled funny, and the seats don't recline. Really, though, I can't complain. It was cheap. And I had a FANTASTIC time.

My weekend in Scotland was my favorite trip so far. Edinburgh is amazing. Maike and I spent the better half of our day there in Edinburgh Castle. It's elevated on a huge hill along the Royal Mile. Inside are the Scottish Crown Jewels, the Scottish War Museum, a prison, the 1:00 cannon salute, and a lot more. There is a great view of the city from inside, too. You can see the ocean, green crags, and both new and old Edinburgh. Maike and I also went on the Scotch whisky tour (oh, the most vile tasting/smelling beverage in the world!) and did a bit of shopping. The Loch Ness monster is in every gift shop in that city!

In Glasgow, there's not a lot to do, but it has beautiful architecture and very friendly, although hard to understand, people. We went to Glasgow Cathedral and saw St. Mungo's tomb. We also saw a production at the Citizen's Theatre and watched a snowboarding competition being held in the city square.

I did have a small clothing disaster when the shower curtain failed to protect my last outfit from the streaming water. Really, it was most unfortunate. Eww.

Overall, spectacular, superb, magnificent. I do not have the kind of adjectives necessary to accurately describe Scotland. (And that's saying a lot, for a comm major!)