My parents came to visit the week before Christmas--our first real visitors since moving. I love putting together travel itineraries when I travel somewhere or when someone travels to see me. Even though my dad was unknowingly suffering from strep throat during this trip, (he was taking allergy pills for a "runny nose") we managed to pack in a bunch of fun stuff. The highlight was probably just laughing a lot together mostly as we tried our "best" Scottish accents, and watching my dad run around like a kid, enjoying his first non-US vacation. We did a walking tour of Old Town where we live, a full day in Queensferry and Dalmeny where I work, and a day trip to St. Andrews. We went inside the Castle, hiked up Arthur's Seat, poked around museums and Christmas markets, and saw about every square inch of St. Giles, and some of New College. We ate haggis, fish & chips, sticky toffee pudding, & so much more. We drank whiskey that was apparently strong enoug...
At the start of February, we went to Inverness to celebrate Craig completing his second major paper, and to explore a place we'd only traveled through before. Inverness is a bit of a hub into the highlands--there are lots of cool places you can visit nearby or by traveling through. We'd been through before on our way to Skye. This time we took a bus from Inverness to Culloden Battlefield, the site of last battle of the Jacobite Rising, where the Jacobites were ultimately defeated. We also strolled down the streets and canals of Inverness browsed their museums and the world's best used bookstore, and consumed lots of pizza and craft beer (that's really all it takes to make me happy.) The train ride there rolling through snow covered hills was actually one of my favorite parts of the trip. Who knew we'd get to see so much snow in Edinburgh a month later?
Today we've lived in Edinburgh for exactly years. If the first year was about adventure/adjustment, and the second was actively settling in, then year three was actually being settled. For me this was the year I stopped being homesick for DC. Not that I don't still love it there, but I rarely think about or compare the two anymore. The streets here are starting to have so many memories of their own. Each one reminds me of moments from different seasons I've had here and the different people I've been here. Craig says for him its the year he realized he wanted to stay. Not that we know if we can find a way to stay, but still. Its been a significant academic year for him too, and this next year will be more so. Unfortunately we were not in the most celebratory mood this morning. I don't know about you, but five months of relative isolation is where I hit a wall. I'm very much wired for the aloneness, but the lack of activity, adventure, and direction is wearing ...
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