The sun was shining when I landed in Edinburgh on July 20. I did a little happy dance as I walked from the plane to the border control line. Once again, I wished that I had an updated passport. I had to go through the “name amendment” rigamarole again. I also had to explain why I was entering Britain for a second time within three weeks. The border control agent asked me if I didn’t think I was a little old to be doing the European tour. Since I could understand everything he was saying to me, I didn’t hold it against him.

I felt drunk with reading as I walked through the airport. I could understand every headline and sign. It was great after a week of struggling to comprehend the words written all around me. I got my bag, got on the bus to the city center and promptly got off at the wrong stop. Thankfully, Edinburgh is a fairly compact city. It was also rush hour, so I could see the bus way off in the distance and sort of trailed it until I got my bearings.

My hostel is just off the Royal Mile, about midway between Edinburgh Castle and Hollyrood Palace. It’s very nice, very clean, and the bathroom and shower are separate. The whole room smells like Axe body spray because I am the only woman in an 8-person dorm. That might change today, because some people left and I’m sure others are coming in for the weekend. The guy in the bunk below mine got lucky last night. How I wish I didn’t know that.

I’ve done a lot of walking in Edinburgh. I went to the top of Arthur’s Seat yesterday. That’s a dormant volcano in what used to be the Queen’s private hunting grounds. Today I went to the top of Calton Hill, which is where the National Monument is. They were trying to build a replica of the Parthenon up there, but ran out of money and ended up with about 1/4 of a Parthenon. The view was beautiful. I watched the rain blow in from the east, which was fantastic.

As you can imagine, there’s lots of plaid, I mean different Tartans, and there are a lot of bagpipers. I think I’ve heard enough bagpipes to last me until next St. Patrick’s Day. The people here are friendly. Last night I went to a pub quiz and ended up on a team with a woman from New York. We had a great time, though we didn’t even place in the results. The “name that tune” round was our undoing. Did you know there’s an Elton John/Tupac song out there? We certainly did not. Surprisingly, we did well in the sports category.

Tomorrow I head to Glasgow for a couple of days. I’m really excited because I was able to book a single! For two nights, I don’t have to overhear other people’s sex lives, see their underwear, or negotiate a time to recharge my camera battery! It’s going to be fantastic.

Meanwhile, I’m going to get a shower while my roommates are gone. I was eating a sandwich next to the Scott Memorial today, and a huge seagull whacked me in the head with it’s wing and then took my sandwich out of my hand. For a minute I thought I was Tippy Hedron. Then I realized I was merely the lunch entertainment for the locals and tourists lunching in the park. It’s always good to remember your place in the world.