Scottish travels 3

The next morning in Edinburgh we began by sending Mike off to tour the castle, the seat of government for Scotland through most of its history and for some centuries now the seat of British royalty when they're in Scotland. This is where the Stone of Scone is kept, as well as the Scottish crown jewels and other antiquities. But as I had toured it less than two years ago on my previous visit with my brother Tom, I offered to go shopping for a replacement for Mike's camera cable, so we could clear his flash card and start a new batch of photos. I walked for three or four miles and finally arrived at Jessops, which is no doubt the premiere camera store chain in the UK and Ireland. They almost had just what I was looking for, but it had already been sold. And while I was waiting to learn that, a large piece of the ceiling many feet above the faux acoustic tile ceiling in the old building, fell no more than six feet from where I stood. Had it hit me it would have done major injury or possibly been fatal. But providentially no one was struck and, while a course of action to clean up the mess was put into place, business continued unabated! My nonplussed clerk offered to have a cable waiting for us at the Jessops in Oxford the last day of our trip, but I asked for and he found a substitute for the cable, in the form of a a flash card reader that he guaranteed would work on my laptop, which I bought for about £30. It did serve the job well and we continued our picture-happy way, putting some 630 or so pictures in the computer.

Mike and I met up near our hostel and decided to splurge on a big breakfast at a fancy hotel, in whose parking garage we'd left our car the night before. It was a Crown Plaza, the upscale international upper crust of the Holiday Inn company. The breakfast in their dining room was a buffet, with all the eggs, fresh and canned fruit, juice, ham, bacon, sausage, cereals, fried tomatoes, fried bread, toast, pastries, scones, coffee, and tea—and more than I can remember—we could eat and drink. We were surprised that the price, when we went to pay, was about double what we'd been led to expect from a hotel sign, but as that was close to what we were used to paying for our dinners we agreed that it was worth it. It could keep us until late that evening.

Then it was back to our hostel to retrieve our luggage, schlep it to the car, and disembark en route to Glasgow, via Loch Lomond, and on to the Hebrides islands of Mull and Iona, the highlight destination on this trip.

Photo: Mike posed in a sentry booth at Edinburgh Castle.

More theology from Woody Allen

I don't want to achieve immortality through my work. I want to achieve it through not dying.

Sent by Elias

Another theology

In order to receive direction from God you must be able to receive correction from God.

Sent by Zan