Scotland: a lowdown

Scotland was excellent! I didn't get the t-shirt (I had a particular design in mind, incorporating the Lion Rampant, but couldn't find anything), but did just about everything else thanks to the good weather for most of the time. The Jojo bus was an easy way to get around - I jumped off in Pitlochry, Inverness, Isle of Skye (Kyleakin), Fort William, Oban, and lastly Glasgow, before returning to Edinburgh.

Initially, I just liked Edinburgh. I found I was bored after just two days, but I guess being alone in a new city for the first time is partly why. Also, it smells like Bovril (or dog food, or hops, whoever you ask). But after Thursday night, I loved it. The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (the largest arts festival in the world), running for this month, has set the city alight like a wild fire of activity. It was amazing - street corners buzzing with people, hundreds of venues showcasing hundreds of shows. I would have spent the rest of the weekend there but couldn't extend my train ticket without incurring extra cost - and that's a whole other story.

Inverness and Oban were my other favourite places. And of course Glencoe (blog pic). I don't know what the big fuss is about Skye though - it was nice but not as scenic as I anticipated. Didn't see much of Glasgow thanks to rain, but did get to try some Haggis, the national dish, and was pleasantly suprised. Although I'll pass on the neeps next time. I also enjoyed a night of Pub Quiz (more difficult than Trivial Pursuit!) with my cousins Andy, John and James. Also thanks Moira for a comfortable two nights, hopefully I'll be back soon for a longer stay.

Well, that's the lowdown. All the photos will follow shortly, until then some tripod-less shots from the festival. Side-note: Don't you hate it when you lower your digicam resolution, and discover days later that you forgot to change it back?

Up next: starting in September, backpacking solo through Western Europe for three months. Oooh.