Closer to the prize at the end of the rope.

I'm going to write now since I'll be getting slaughtered later.... Today has been wicked so far. I got up early and headed to Edinburgh Castle to do the tour. The castle was like something out of a fairy tale, I've never seen anything like it. Mary Queen of Scots lived and died here. She gave birth to her son, the eventual air to the throne, in one of the rooms I walked through. Part of the castle is still used as barracks for the military, and I had the pleasure of seeing some uniformed blokes strolling the area. I toured through the Great Hall where Kings and Queens once held elaborate banquets and ceremonies. I saw St. Margarets Chapel, the oldest building in Edinburgh, built by King David I to honour his dead mother. Apparantly people can still get married and christened there, and there's also a guild that every Scottish woman named Margaret belongs to, who get to place fresh flowers on the altar bi-weekly. I explored the jails where they kept prisoners of war in the 18th and 19th centuries. Those guys didn't have it too rough I'll tell you... They got food and money and could craft items from wood and metal to sell to the public. They also forged bank notes by carving stamps out of bone, and they left cool graffiti on the wooden doors of the jail. I saw the Scottish War Memorial. I wasn't prepared to read through all the history, but seeing the artifacts and weapons and uniforms and stuff was informative enough. There were old snuff boxes and journals, etc. I loved the Highland Regiment with their insanely-elaborate uniforms and ostrich-feather caps. Oh- I can hear bagpipes outside the window!! (In the hostel.)
Ok, moving on... They have a doggie graveyard at the castle which is very sweet, for mascots and officer's dogs. I stayed and saw the one-o-clock gun fire, which was loud, fun, and made all the little groups of school kids scream. Oh, I saw the Crown Jewels as well, which I suppose is a standard thing to visit... Afterwards, I wandered down the Royal Mile to see some shops and enjoy the sunshine. I ate a grapefruit in a little courtyard and carried on towards the endless tourist shops. Called home when I got back to the hostel, and here I am!