Wednesday -- Arriving in Scotland

So we arrived in Edinburgh and mom was there to great us as we got off the train. Dad was still arranging the rental car, I guess they didn't have the car they had reserved, and when we got into the car they did have for us, it smelled really bad, like burning rubber. But it was all they had so we left with it, and drove on to Craigmillar Castle, near Edinburgh. It looked pretty small, but once we inside I realized what an amazing find this was. It's incredibly well-preserved, considering it's a ruin. Most ruins are just piles of stones and you have to sort of imagine what it must have been like. But this ruin still had entire rooms in tact, including fireplaces and balconies, so you really could imagine what medieval life was like living in this castle. It also has some historical significance because Mary Queen of Scots spent time there, mourning the murder of her “close friend and secretary” (a woman) and then plotted the death of her husband. You can read between the lines there. The castle also had amazing views of Edinburgh Castle and Adam's?? Seat, a popular hiking spot.

Mom and dad drove us back to their new/temporary home at Dalkeith Palace. It is funny how it looks so grand and palatial from the outside, and then we got inside and it was, in Nate's words “kind of a dump.” Really the deal is when the previous owners, the Buccleugh's moved out of the palace, they stripped it of anything worth any value (except one fireplace reportedly worth millions) and now the University of Wisconsin runs this education program out of the palace, so of course it's going to look like a college dorm on the inside.

So Nate and I unpacked in our little room, and then went down to mom and dad's flat. We had a mini celebration of Nate's and my engagement, and my birthday, with some presents and some port wine. Mom gave me some cashmere gloves and a scarf and she gave me and Nate matching Celtic eternity knot rings. Mine doesn't fit... I hope that's not a bad omen. We also walked down to the Cavalier Restaurant in Dalkeith, where the owners greeted mom and dad like old friends... I guess they're eating there quite a bit.

After dinner, mom and dad had planned a little reception in their flat for me and Nate to meet the faculty and staff there at the Dalkeith program. We had a fun evening of sharing stories and talking and laughing, and drinking, and talking and then we all realized how late it was... we all eventually decided we needed to hit the hay, because we had a big day planned for Thursday.