Scotland, Visiting Edinburgh and Glasgow

I’m just a couple days into a serious vacation – nothing I could get away with calling a “long weekend,” but an honest to go, using vacation days, vacation.

I won’t be back in Berlin for a while – instead I’m in Scotland with a friend. Our adventure starts with a few days in Edinburgh – including a daytrip to Glasgow. Then, Thursday, we hop a (smaller) plane to head further north to a land where Internet service is less reliable, including several days in a place with zero Internet access.

Not sure how we’re going to cope, but we’ll cross that bride ride that ferry when we get there.

In the meantime, here are a few of my favorite photos from the first few days. It’s been challenging to take photos outside because of the low, grey, clouds.

Not everything about this vacation can be perfect.

Edinburgh Castle

No doubt I must be the only person to have ever photographed evidence of Cockburn.

The lowest class bar on the Royal Yacht Britannia — where the men of the lowest rank could drink and relax without having to worry about serving the queen. Except, of course, if she wanted an invitation to party with them.

I ordered a pint of Guinness, and here it is, settling nicely.

Mackintosh’s house had to be demolished, but it’s interior was saved and built into the museum at Glasgow University. Just don’t try to go in or out the front door.

The stairwell to the top of Mackintosh’s Lighthouse in Glasgow. I was too tired to climb the stairs.

I just realized, after posting the photos that while I’ve been to Edinburgh before, it was before I started blogging.  The first time was in summer 2002, and I wrote a couple of emails about it; the second was in winter 2003  — which I never wrote about.