Souvenirs

I have most of my souvenir shopping done. I've tried my best to buy consumable things, because most people won't know what to do with a kilt-decoration for Scotch bottles or a Holyrood Palace snow globe.

I think, the best souvenir I bought for myself is the twenty Edinburgh Fringe shows I saw. Second behind that is two amber necklaces, dark chocolate KitKat bars (Mmmm), and I've yet to buy a houndstooth paperboy hat...

The Impossible

They found my keys! On the last possible day I could possibly return my work keys...someone turned them in to my building's receptionist.

That was the start to what is turning out to be a wonderful last day of working at Heriot-Watt.

Missing Edinburgh

I woke up this morning and went out the door. As usual, what I least want to be affronted with at nine in the morning is the smell of hops and barley, but that's Edinburgh for ya. In the morning, in the evening, in the middle of the night, you will get the occasional overpowering scent of one of the two breweries in the city.

It's not so bad, really. I'm going to miss it.

I'm also going to miss walking into one of the several used bookstores around the corner from me. All Edinburgh bookstores are made up of half newer books which means I can buy Catch-22 for £2.50. The other half of the shop is made up of leather-bound Victorian books with gold-lettering and etched illustrations on the inside. Children's books, poetry compilations, novels, they are gorgeous.

I'm going to miss live music in the pubs. There's nothing like sitting in a very Scottish pub, listening to renditions of "Tequila" or bagpipe music pumped with a bellows.

I'm going to miss ambling back to my flat at two in the morning, passing the castle, St. Giles' Cathedral, Greyfriar's Bobby, and assorted wonderfully historic sites. I am so jaded.

And being stared at in pubs, for knitting! This past evening, our normal location was closed so we went to the Oz Bar, where people photographed us, but at least the bartender was really nice.

I'm going to miss Americans standing on Grassmarket, with their gaze set on the fireworks above the castle emitting very loud "Oooohs" and "Ahhhhs".

I'll miss kilt shops. I've never been in one, but their existence is slightly amusing.

Then there's the double-decker buses, with their greenhouse-like upper level, peering down at people boarding the bus. The way the bus inflates and deflates itself with air.

I'll miss calling things "lochs" instead of lakes, "wee" instead of little, "aye" instead of yes, "crisps" instead of chips, ordering my beers in pints and half-pints, thinking in Celsius, Roast Chicken flavored crisps, A4-sized paper, dual monitors at work, wearing three coats in the middle of August...

And this is what we talk about at goodbye dinners.

Cheers!