Beer and Bonanza in Las SCOTLAND

Three words: Scotland is amazing.

Hey, just because I like Hunter S Thompson DOES NOT make me a hipster, kthnx.

I heard so many stories this past weekend I had to write them all down just so I could keep them all straight.  Instead of boring everyone to death about Clan battles, JK Rowling and Hogwarts histories, five hundred year old castles, and brilliant Scottish architecture, I'll just make write a quick list of all the awesome things I saw and did in three days:

-Edinburgh (including JK Rowling's favorite cafe where she wrote parts of Harry Potter!)

-The Dalwhinnie Whiskey distillery

15 year old whiskey is just as icky as any other whiskey

 -The Highlands (battles, clan stories, murder, deceit, all that fun stuff)

 -The school were James Bond, Tony Blair, and Sean Connery attended
-The castle that imprisoned Mary, Queen of Scots
-Both castles in Monty Python and the Holy Grail (yeah, you're jealous)
-A bone fragment of Robert the Bruce

The bone fragment is hidden by the shadows, but why people gawk at a dead dude's piece of bone is beyond me

-Wallace Monument

Behind me is the town of Stirling

Researches have come to believe that Wallace was well over six feet tall due to where the hilt of his sword hit, therefore Mel Gibson was an inadequate Wallace (but we didn't need research to tell us that)

-The rails that the Hogwarts Express takes
-Loch Ness and Loch Awe

I tend to look like a tool when I'm freezing my butt off

And that's half of my list.  Now, our guide was about a forty year old Scotsman who was determined to wear his kilt and a wool knit sweater despite the freezing rain and cold winds.  He was awesome and even went out to the pubs with all thirty of us Arcadia kids.  Actually, he reminded me so much of an older, Scottish version of my friend Stefano!

What?  Oh, it's just the sunrise over Edinburgh, no big deal.

 Speaking of Wooster, two Wooster study abroad kids were on the trip with me.  I'm beginning to think the world is just as small as the COW!

And now, I will leave you with the coolest video you will see today:

Hee-land Coos!  Or Highland Cows, whichever you prefer.  That is the wife-highland cow and the baby-highland cow of Hamish, a 14 year old hairy beast who became famous when about to be sent to the slaughterhouse but saved by the adoring school children's petition!  Now he has a home and a family, and many travelers stuffing their wooly faces full of radishes and feed.

I have to say, it was my favorite weekend so far.  Also, I'd like to brag and say that not only do I have the Wooster McLeod tartan, but also the Hunter clan tartan too!

Cheers!