Edinburgh

Matt and I have spent the last three lovely days in the Edinburgh area. We were lucky enough to be staying with my Aunty Ishbel's parents Helen and Bill in Glenrothes, just north of the city, for 3 nights. This provided great access to Edinburgh and it was wonderful to catch up with them.

On Saturday Elaine and Scott, Aunty Ishbel's brother and sister, took us into the city for the day. It was a jam packed day full of walking, history and a lot of local knowledge. Scott served two terms in the Scottish Parliament (starting in 1999 as an inaugural member), so Matt and he hit it right off talking about politics. All I can remember is that he has met the Queen ... three times, once having dinner with her at her table with the Dali Lama. Elaine was also a wonderful host, pointing out places of interest and telling us interesting stories. It was nice to not have to think about where we were going or constantly have our noses in a map.

We started off by walking along Princes Street, which offered spectacular views to the castle sitting precariously on the edge of a craggy mountain. We then headed up the Mound and along the Royal Mile to the entrance of the castle. Assembled outside the castle was the stand for the Edinburgh Tattoo, which looked more like a Quidditch stadium than anything else. We then headed off through the cute streets of Edinburgh, stopping for an Indian lunch, ending up at the base of Arthurs Seat. Feeling particularly active and enjoying the rare sunshine, we hiked up the Salisbury Craggs to soak in the fantastic views.

The next day, after going to church with Helen and Bill (which Matt wants to write about later), Matt and I headed back into the city on our own to catch some of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. The whole atmosphere is quite awesome, with people everywhere and entertainment on all of the streets. There are over 300 venues for the fringe dotted all over the city, which is an amazing feat.

We saw 4 different comedians at 4 different venues in 6 hours: Australian Hannah Gadsby, Irishman Dave Callan, Londoner Shappi Khoursani and American Rich Hall. They were all fantastic and we laughed till we cried. Matt was, of course, entertaining the audience with his Mozart laugh. We were in the front row for Hannah and Dave and got to chat to them in the show. Between each show we enjoyed drinks at the various venues and chillaxing in the bars. Such a wonderful day!

Staying with Helen and Bill was quite the experience. Matt and I were treated to Scotch malt whisky and liqueurs and haggis and pork sausages (which we loved!), not to mention a constant need to concentrate on understanding that thick accent :)

Unfortunately we had to get back on the road and are now making our way up to Inverness. We are currently parked at the top of a hill that slopes gently into Loch Tummel and provides the most wonderful views of the mountains. This is without a doubt the most spectacular campsite yet. We've just had happy hour outside. It's a tough life.