Scotland's charm

We left London in an overnight bus to our next destination: Edinburgh. We were seating right behind the chauffeur, which was in an incredible bad mood. We immediately thought, he cannot be from Edinburgh... we think of this city as Flor remembers it from 12 years ago, a fairy tale location.

All positives: incredible castle, unbelievable views, amazing people, fun destination! And we were not wrong... but we felt short of what it really is. It’s so much better. We arrived to see the streets were packed with people because of the Fringe Festival. Hence, no hostels available or hotels with very expensive rates, but we had no choice. After a nice breakfast and taking turns to wait at the coffer shop with our heavy backpacks while the other was going around the city to find a hotel, we finally found a place to rest. We immediately left our bags and went out into the streets to see all sorts of spectacles going on: dancers, magicians, singers, mute pirates, bands, a-capella choirs, comedy shows, jugglers... you name it! What is fringe? “The world's largest arts festival with over 32,000 performances and more than 2,000 shows packed into 250 venues across the city. The fringe is open to all: anyone can perform and everyone does- from students to superstars” -

The next day we finally go to the awaited Castle... and we learn even more how patriotic this city and their people are when a security man inside the castle tells us the story about Scotland’s flower: the thistle.... “the legend relates how a sleeping party of Scots warriors were almost set upon by an invading band of Vikings and were only saved when one of the attackers trod on a wild thistle with his bare feet. His cries raised the alarm and the roused Scots duly defeated the Danes. In gratitude, the plant became known as the Guardian Thistle and was adopted as the symbol of Scotland”.... Brilliant!

After another full day in Edinburgh, seeing the castle and enjoying the festival, we decide to take a train to Perth, where the McCoss family lives. These people could not be more amazing. We felt like home. This is the family Flor used to babysat for in Buenos Aires back in 1999-2000, which she hadn’t seen since then but still somehow stayed connected. It was amazing reconnecting with them and remembering old times, seeing the different views, and knowing these kids wonderful grown adults. The next day we wake up to this wonderful family having breakfast, we sit with them and chat for a bit, look at the map and head out to the countryside to marvel at landscapes, animals, food, gardens, stones, stories... Our first stop is an attempt to look at the school were the kids go... we can’t get very close because the wind had knocked some trees into the streets but we can see enough to relate it t Harry Potter... which incidentally later in the trip we see where one of the scenes of the movies was filmed. See picture here.

Anyhow, our next stop is Garden. Funny story here, as we would learn a new concept which we loved and adopted immediately. As we enter the garden, we pass through the entrance gate and look at the pricing list: Children $ - Adult $ - Super Adult $ How brilliant to call elderly super adults! The garden was truly beautiful. Alice’s wonderland type, trees in every shape, lovely flowers, huge castle. Then, we’re off to lunch, where Jose orders the typical food: haggis. When she orders the waiter response was “Very brave of you” which immediately makes Jose proud, and Flor say “Jose, you’re crazy!”

The McCoss continued to show off their incredible views, tells us stories, point out the unique features in their flowers, animals, architect... everything was super. Note to self: watch rob roy, Scotland’s robin hood.

**Note of gratitude: Karen, Angus & Fiona.