Scotland Days 2 & 3

I’ve gotten lazy about writing. Hope that’s OK. It’s just that…well…I’m tired. And at peace. Son and I are getting along comfortably. The only thing that we haven’t done that I wish he could experience, is talking with locals. In spite of all the adventurousness he’s showing, he’s still shy and easily embarrassed by his mom if she interacts with strangers. So, so far, we haven’t really gotten in conversation with the locals. But I’m not giving up on that experience for us yet. There’s still time. Andy likes to blend in, so, while he hasn’t ventured to talk to locals, he was pretty excited to tell me that as he was waiting outside the market for me, someone asked him for directions and expressed surprise when he explained, in his American accent, that he wasn’t from here. That was more important to him than actually talking to the locals. That’s my son.

Andy did tell me yesterday that he wished he had brought more than one pair of boxers. I asked if he meant in addition to the ones he wore over. He said “no. That includes the one I wore over.” We will be buying at least one pair of boxers in Liverpool today!

In the meantime, here’s a bunch of things we have done and discovered in the last few days. In no particular order. Took a long, long morning walk, with no direction in mind. Ended up discovering two fabulous cemeteries and a spectacular view of the City. Explored the underground city (a bit like Seattle’s underground, though closed up for the plague, not a fire) where ghosts are said to hang around. Found the “Writer’s Museum” which featured items and photos from the lives of Robert Burns, Robert Lewis Stephenson and Sir Walter Scott. Wandered through the Edinburgh Castle, especially soaking in the Soldiers’’ Memorial and the war museum. Found that non Scottish food (like Indian and Italian) is the best food in Scotland. Andy learned the importance of sipping cappuccinos at an outside table wherever you are in Europe. Partook of the “Scotch Whiskey Experience” where we learned about how it’s made, what makes each distillery’s product different, how to discern Scotches and then tried some really good ones. Listened to fantastic folk music in a good pub where I fell in love (from a distance) with the guitar player who also has a singing voice so sweet and strong it made me want to cry. Good tears. Had long naps in the middle of the afternoon. The one after scotch tasting was particularly deep and included interesting dreams. This was however before I fell in love with the guitar player. The dreams may have been more wonderful if it was the other way around.

We catch a train in a few hours to Liverpool where we’ve booked a Beatle’s Taxi Tour. Ooblah

Dee!