Kristin Goes To Ireland: Castles and Hostels and Rain

Greetings from Stirling, Scotland. We are currently at a youth hostel. Let me tell you, I am too old for a youth hostel. I like my bathrooms to smell like cleaner, not urine. This place is a hole.

This morning we woke up in Aviemore, had breakfast, loaded the bus, and headed out. We drove to Edinburgh and made our way to the city center. Of course the streets are narrow and winding, and the coach is huge. Our driver Jimmy did a great job of navigating for us. We started up the Royal Mile, which is a stretch of road between the Palace of Holyroot House, which is where Queen Elizabeth stays when she is in Scotland, and Edinburgh Castle at the top. The road is a mile long, and is said to be the basis for the mile measurement that we use today. **we found out today after I wrote this but before I published it, that the Royal Mile is actually 1 mile 109 yards long. That measurement is known as a "Scottish mile". (Incidentally, all of the road signs in Scotland show distance in miles, even though they use the metric system.). We had a little time to shop, and I had to hold myself back from buying a kilt. I desperately wanted one, but let's face it....aside from Scott Glasscock, not many people in Montana wear kilts. It's too bad, too, because nothing makes a man look better than a kilt.

We had lunch in the middle of the Royal Mile, and then continued up the hill to Edinburgh Castle. By this time, it had started to rain and the sea mist had rolled in. It was very spooky to be in that castle with the mist all around. It was very easy to imagine what it was like when Queen Mary was forced to abdicate in favor of her son.

After the castle, we drove to Stirling, which is a medieval city northwest of Edinburgh. We are staying at this hostel, which as I said before is a hole. I did take some kids for a walk through the city, though, and it is beautiful. We walked through a cemetery and up to the castle. Tracie (from Helena) and I are going to get up early tomorrow and go for a walk before breakfast.