The Wing North Berwick

We are visiting the UK and Norway at the end of May and first part of June in 2010. I have never been to Europe and am very excited about it.

Our daughter has been attending Kingston University this past year so we are going to see her, travel and pack her up to come home. We have family in Stavanger so we don't need hotels and ...

... but one side has nothing - it's just bare and exposing a monstrous building left from the time when the area mined coal from under the sea. I ask a guy sat next to me what the building is used for now and he tells me that it's going to be dismantled but requires a lot of money and asbestos specialists to take it down. The coastline will look ...

... is screaming for mercy. Found some very nice cookies though, yum!

Time for some wandering! We didn't hit the Royal Mile unfortunately, but we did get a good wander up and down Princes Street. Waiting around in Pizza Hut for some food, just having a general laugh.. who needs to be touristy when you get the full-on local effect?

And the best part was.. SNOW! Very random and very light, but it was there :)

Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom kilgiraffe

Fun trip to Murrayfield for Scotland v Fiji.....lots of happy Scottish faces after the win, boys in fancydress, stag parties galore, chuc-chucs ferrying folks home in the rain, great cocktails in an Italian Jazz bar and running to catch last train back home on a busy busy Saturday night train heading South.

... Although it was a touch depressing being out alone, it gave me an opportunity to shoot some good pics of the course. I did wish I had someone to share the round with, as it was an experience that needed to be shared and I think I might have played better if playing with someone. (There, getting all my excuses out early . . . I was tired, never played links golf before, it was windy, etc., etc.) The front nine was into the wind ...

... mate Baastian, who I'd travelled with in the Northern Territory at the start of my journey so long ago. We caught comedians at some of the more grungy venues around the Udderbelly, some beers at more conventional evening venues that have extra-late licences at this time of year, and also Fringe Sunday - a free day event with hundreds of ...

... The tide creates bumpy and wavy designs in the sand. We built a sand dam. We had a picnic lunch of sandwiches and canned peaches along a stone wall by the Seabird Centre overlooking the water. There are thousands of birds living on the rocks off the seashore (at least 21,000 pairs of one species, I think they were Fultons). We walked for an hour through a glen, past butterflies and ladybugs and old mill ruins, along farm roads to ...

... going then finding it only to hand over the equivalent of AUD$100 for the pleasure of a room with two single beds and no bathroom, not even a basin, we headed to the nearest pub and immediately felt better! Even if accommodation was bloody expensive the beer was cheaper than London and the vibe was good. The next day we headed up to Edinburgh Castle to have a gander (again bleeding more money, the ...

... so I'm sure we will have an early night tonight. Unfortunately I am not able to add pictures on this computer, so you will all have to wait until I get home to see how amazing Scotland is. I am also trying to learn many new curse phrases, but I'll share them with you in person, because you really need the accent to make it sound cool. See ye later (imagine a Sean Connery accent).

... I LOVE this city. It may well be the number 1 city I've seen in the past 8 and a half months excluding maybe Venice. It's not everyone I meets favourite cup of tea, but I love it. Cue the Nokia phone ring (doodoo...doo..doo...doodoo...doo..doo. ..doodoodoo..doodoo whatever). Are you kidding me? My phone doesn't ring for a week and now 251m at the very top of the city, someone wants to talk to me. Of course. "Oh hi, just wondering if you're still looking for work ...