Chassen Haynes in London: Edinburgh, Scotland: Thursday, July 17

Thursday afternoon, John and I headed out to Edinburgh, Scotland via the Brit-Rail. It was a 4.5 hour train ride with a lot of great views on the way. We arrived in Edinburgh around 10:00 PM, so we were not able to see much. After we checked into the hotel, we went out and enjoyed some of the local night life. Both of us found a nice Scottish ale called, "Caledonian." It is brewed in Scotland, and unable to be shipped anywhere else because of it's inability to travel. We hung out at a place called "The Rat Pack." It was interesting to say the least! I met two chaps there named "Willie," from Ireland, and "Oliver," from Scotland. I introduced them the delicacies of Grizzly tobacco. They fell in love with it, until it made them sick. They emailed me the next day, and I think they will try to come meet up with our group sometime this month in London. They were some good lads.

Train Station

Bored on the Train

Big John

Lighthouse on the ocean

On Friday, I woke up and decided to hike around the city. I ended up walking up a goat path that led to Edinburgh Castle. My short stubby legs didn't hike too well, but it was worth it. It was a magnificent image from the top. The castle was filled with so many historical artifacts and stories since it has been there since before Christ. It was difficult for me to comprehend a country having that much history. I got to see the royal artifacts, but was unable to take pictures.

After the castle, I walked down the "Royal Mile." I visited St. Giles' Cathedral, and did my tourist thing in there. It was a magnificent place of worship; I can only imagine how amazing the services are there. Walking through the streets of Scotland, was an experience in itself. The street entertainers are absolutely crazy. I listened to an old fashioned bagpipe player (in a kilt), watched a gypsy act like a crazy woman, and viewed a show by a lad that couldn't have been 15. After a long day, John and I decided to take it easy for the afternoon. We went and ate dinner at "Dirty Dicks" and called it a night. We headed back to London Saturday morning. I wish I would have gotten me a kilt while I was there...