Chris and Paula’s World

We’re in Dublin however before I forget, I wanted to post some overall thoughts about Scotland. Odd as it may sound, I think I was expecting to fall in love with Scotland to the point where I’d be telling Chris that one day, I would want to live there. I don’t know why, but since I got a taste of Edinburgh years ago when travelling with Morag, I’ve always thought of it as a place I could see myself one day. Alas, this is not the case. I loved Scotland, however I can’t really picture myself living there (and no, I’m not out actively scouting new places to live!!).

1. We found it difficult to find a healthy meal in Scotland…
I love a good steak and ale pie with chips as much as the next person, but when eating out, healthier options are fairly limited. I take full accountability for my choices - for example a burger with beetroot, fried egg, bacon, cheese, onion and pineapple — I coudn’t resist such an odd combo. While we had some seriously tasty meals, my favorites were prepared by Chris (Pamela’s boyfriend) at home — a great curry, and a tasty pasta. Chris and I also had an awesome meal on our last night in Edinburgh at an Italian restaurant called Bar Roma, however it felt like cheating.

2. There are sheep everywhere!
I thought this was very cool! We took a gondola up a mountain at the Ben Nevis Range and there were even sheep up there. For some reason, even after the 100th field of sheep they still seem novel!

3. Pub life in Scotland…
People in Scotland seem to know how to relax and let loose with a pint in hand. Pubs close early and people start drinking pretty early too. Everyone we met was very friendly and people are helpful in the street.

4. Scots love their history…
We watched Brave Heart in preparation for our Highlands road trip (any other likeness of William Wallace did NOT portray a man with HUGE hair, by the way)… Scotland is FULL of amazing history, castles, battlefields, ruins, etc. It was great to get out of the city and see the countryside. It is easy to see why people there are so proud of their roots.

5. Beer belly
I would have one if I lived in Scotland. I think it would be unavoidable. This also applies to Dublin…

6. Scotland is gorgeous
In the city, and in the countryside… beauty abounds. What a gorgeous country.

That’s all for now!

More later.

P

This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 28th, 2007 at 10:57 pm and is filed under United Kingdom. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.