August 29/30- HELLO SCOTLAND

Well the fateful day has finally arrived and after months of preparation, applications, fretting, waiting, deciding, packing and other eventful things, I collected my dearest belongings in 3 large suitcases to move to Scotland to pursue my dream of becoming a veterinarian.  I won't bore you with details but I will give you the gist of what occurred over the last 24-36 hours (depending on how you count with time change and all that jazz).

We began by artfully packing the back of the vehicle with 6 large suitcases and making our way to the airport for a first flight which would connect in Toronto which would then allow us to catch our second and final flight to Edinburgh, Scotland.  All flights went without a hitch, with the exception of turbulence at the most inopportune times which was always when I would begin to drift off.

My first sight of Scotland was one of cloud which seems appropriate given that it is normally overcast and often raining here.  Eventually we broke through the low cloud and landed in my new plush, green surroundings. We collected our goods and made our way to the rental car area.

Fun fact:  renting a car is fun, you can chose whatever you want, sometimes nicer than what you have at home and go for a little joy ride.  What is not fun is that in Europe the vehicle is right-hand drive and is driven on the left side of the vehicle so that makes for an interesting first ride... lots of cussing, hiding and pointing in random directions.

We did eventually arrive at our home for the next 3 nights.  We are currently inhabiting a 2 bedroom apartment called Holyrood Aparthotel.  This particular hotel is just off the Golden Mile which is a stretch of famous roadway just down from the castle in Edinburgh and is home to many shops and restaurants, and obviously, bars.

After unloading our bags, Mama-sita and I had a cat nap while the boys ventured out to investigate our immediate surroundings.  Two short hours later we were rested, groomed and ready to take on the Golden Mile.

My main goal for this trip was acquiring a new straightener and blow dryer.  For anyone who knows me, I MUST have quality hair products and tools.  So I set out for GHD products.   This is harder than you would think and what should have been a 15 minute walk ended up consuming most of our afternoon.  However, our mission did allow us the opportunity to take some photos of the stunning architecture.  I will confess to loving architecture but I know nothing about it, have no idea what things mean, and cannot appreciate the values in these buildings except for what they offer at face value.  Needless to say, I have more photos of buildings than I care to admit (this is why there is no pictures of my family yet on my camera- because the buildings are prettier...).

We did stop into several bars looking for somewhere to settle in to have our first official Scottish meal and we settled for the Amber Room which housed 300+ bottles of whiskey and had some local cuisine including lamb (my first experience eating lamb was in fact this afternoon, and it wasn't bad... although I don't like the though of eating Little Bo Peep's sheep).

Satisfied and full, we started our trek back to the hotel, detouring to various salons on the way to track down the elusive GHD hair styling tools and arrived at the John Lewis department store which is much like a Bay or Nordstroms in North America.  Products in tow, we continued onwards home and arrived at a close mini-grocery store to get some snacks and then made our way to our 6th floor apartment with swollen feet and heavy eye lids.

And that's where we are now.  We have all struggled to stay awake for the last hour so we could get a decent nights sleep and wake at a normal time.  And so I bid you good evening (or good day depending on where you are reading from) and I'll be in touch soon, perhaps with photos... only if I am ambitious!

PS- to my many North American friends, family and colleagues, I miss you already.  It has been a shock of a day and it is going to take some time to get used to the lifestyle here but I am excited for the journey but even more excited to come home and share my new found knowledge with you all.

PPS- this girl loves company sooooo if you are itching for a European adventure, I hear Scotland is pretty nice and I think I may just be able to make time to be your personal tour guide!