Sara's Blog

Last week Keith and I were in beautiful Edinburgh, Scotland—not for work, not for teaching but for vacation, hooray! I’ve been there a few times (once in February a few years ago when I thought I would absolutely die from the cold) and each time, I thought, “Keith absolutely must see this place”. So we went there to celebrate our 10-year wedding anniversary (I can’t believe it’s been ten years).

Edinburgh in August is in full Festival mode—during August there’s the Fringe Festival (theater, comedy, etc) and the International Book Festival, where we miraculously managed tickets to see Alexander McCall Smith, author of the No 1 Ladies Detective Agency and 44 Scotland Street series, and one of my favorite authors.

And because I wanted to do a literary tour (of course Scotland is renowned for its poets and writers) but Keith seemed more inclined toward the pubs, we compromised and did the Edinburgh Literary Pub Tour. It was terrific—and there’s really nothing better than hearing Robert Burns read in a real Scots dialect. (Oh, I could listen to a Scot read the phone book, anyway—Burns is just the added benefit.)

On our last day, we rented a car and Keith gamely drove us through the Scottish Highlands. Now, I am an Oregonian and used to the mountains, but the Highlands are absolutely amazing—huge, huge mountains and fields dotted with heather and twisty, winding roads. Photos really don’t do it justice. Huge compliments to Keith on driving a manual transmission on the left side of the road.

Oh—here’s a travel tip: If you’re planning a vacation for a week, Google holiday lets or holiday apartments. Rather than spending a ton of money on a hotel room for our week in Edinburgh, we rented a one-bedroom apartment for much less money. This one happened to be an historic building, and the apartment was absolutely gorgeous. It’s a tip I learned from a Rick Steves podcast—thanks, Rick!

PS. More photos in the Photo Gallery!