Callanish Standing Stones, Isle of Lewis, Scotland

I went to the Isle of Lewis off the NW coast of Scotland to see the standing stones at Callanish. There are many standing stone sites around the UK, and the ones at Callanish are the best example in Scotland. Getting to the island is an all day journey from Edinburgh: train ride for Inverness (3+ hours), bus ride to Ullapool (1.5 hours), ferry ride to Stornoway on Lewis (3+ hours), local bus 30 minutes to the stones.

The standing stones are massive slabs of Lewisian Gneiss and stand above ground over 1 meter tall. They are buried in the ground and stand totally upright. Thought to have been erected about 5,000 years ago, the archeologists haven't quite figured out for what purpose they were created for. They do know that the function likely changed over the years for different generations or groups of people.

The reason I wanted to see them was spiritual, I felt there was a strong spiritual connection with them, and wanted to experience their energy.

The main stone circle at Callanish is more than a circle, it has two "arms" going off the sides, and two rows off another side, and off the "top" another arm. Some have thought it resembles a Celtic cross, though that would be much later than the original circle if that is the case.

We got to the stones early in the morning before other visitors and had the stones to ourselves for awhile. The energy was very old and powerful and felt very connected to the Earth. They are on the top of a mound, providing a great view of the lochs (lakes), farmland, and hills around.

On a practical level, its amazing to think how people 5,000 years ago could have managed to move these huge slabs of rock into place and secure them....

We also went to Callanish II and III, smaller circles nearby. Also very cool, though the energy didn't feel as powerful, but definitely connected to the other sites nearby. So glad to have made the journey....

Food in Edinburgh

I love food, and love to see how people living in different places eat and what they eat. From what I have heard fish and chips is a popular food dish across the UK, and Edinburgh is no exception. There are loads of fish and chips shops. What I find interesting is that a lot of these shops also sell baked potatoes with fillings (that isn't surprising), and also pizza and kebabs. Three different cultural foods in one simple, usually take-away shop. Since I'm vegan and gluten-free and feel horrible if I stray much from that diet, I haven't tried the kebabs and pizzas. I have eaten a lot of baked potatoes with baked beans and chips as well.

In the States these potatoe things are called French Fries (or if you are really stupid and ignorant "Freedom Fries") and these fries are usually long, thin and crispy. Here they are called chips and are a bit fatter than fries and softer in the middle.

While in South Africa last year I fell in love with wedges, which are thicker and sometimes has the potato skin still on it. In my favorite place to get wedges, Nandos, they had peri peri wedges... mmmmm. wedges with a spicy topping. Goodness I loved those. The first time I saw there was a Nandos here in Edinburgh I got so excited that I might be able to get periperi wedges again! So I went in there with Jared and his brother but no wedges! :( Determined to still get that taste I loved, I got periperi chips. But also not the same. It was British style chips (soft in the middle), and the periperi seasoning, although very similar, the whole thing just wasn't the same. I know that over the least year I have probably built up periperi wedges... oh well. I'm glad I tired them here anyway.

Eating out is horribly expensive in Edinburgh, at least thinking of the prices in US Dollars. So we have been seeking out the cheap deals and carry aways and just cooking at home. Sad since there are so many Indian restaurants here and I've heard the Indian food here is pretty good. But I'm not complaining, (am I?) ok, so I'll stop complaining and be very grateful that I am travelling at all!

In Edinburgh, Scotland

I've been in Edinburgh, Scotland for a few days now. I don't usually get jet lag, but this time I have and for the first few days I just slept a lot, had a really hard time getting out of bed, even though I'm in a new country!

When I left the northwest of the USA, we had been having beautiful, sunny warm weather. I knew Scotland was going to be colder and rainy, so I cleaned and waterproofed my winter and rainwear. Burr, have I needed it! It hasn't rained while I've been out and about, but it sure has gotten very chilly.

I've been so amazed at how old building and streets are here. Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, there weren't very many older buildings, and since most of the buildings are made of wood, old ones have burned down or rotted over the years. Here, old buildings were made out of solid rock, often over a foot thick, and so there are a lot of really really old buildings here. Many from the 1800s (these are newer), and a few churches from the 1600s and even a few buildings that are even older. Its so amazing to walk along the streets and imagine how people have been walking the same way, going about their life in the exact same spot for centuries!

There is so much to see here, but so far some of my favorite places have been the old cemeteries, because they have trees! Another great place in Princes Street Garden, which also has trees. I haven't made it over to the Botanical Garden yet, which will have more trees too. Planting trees along buildings and roads was something that didn't happen in medieval Edinburgh, it doesn't happen now, at least not in the city center.

We were in an old hall today for a fair and afterwards, I was looking at a ballroom in the building that had these amazing chandeliers. A workman came in and I asked him when the building was build, 1887 he said, and the decorations along the trim and the chandeliers were all original, made from crystal. So amazing. He turned them on for us and pointed to a smaller one in the window that reflected colors, saying it was from a different kind of crystal.

Edinburgh is a very easy city to be in, the city center is compact, great for walking around, the bus system is great, and it's pretty safe. The people are pretty friendly, although some of my smiles are met with blank looks. Jared, who is Scottish tells me if I smile AND say hi, people will then smile back.

This is my first time to the UK or Europe and its very interesting all the similarities to South Africa (former British colony). The supermarkets are set up similar and the road signs are very similar. Kind of weird.

I'm working on my Scottish accent, there are many different kinds, perhaps by the time I get back to the States, I'll sound Scottish!