Linlithgow!

Some days you wake up here and its just what you expect from Scotland, like this morning. Brown-gray clouds, the crag hidden by fog, stone buildings coated in dew, etc. Other mornings, like yesterday, you wake up at 5:30 am to a bright yellow sun and pale blue sky unadulterated by clouds. It's these sunny mornings that inspire action!

On a whim I decided to head out with a friend to Linlithgow, a neighboring town. We hopped the train, and 20 minutes later we were there. The castle was fantastic. It was built in the 13th and 14th centuries, and expanded until the 17th century. In the 18th century it had a fire which removed all the wooden parts of the castle. The whole castle was beautiful, and the sunshine made it so much fun. It had about four different levels, and was a maze of rooms. We felt like little kids running around, trying to get to every room on every level.
Also, its located right on a loch, where kids were learning to kayak. An unexpected diversion from studies that was amazing.
We were back in Edinburgh by 12:30, perfect timing to head to the farmer's market for a nice buffalo burger and walk through the meadows. Dinner was at Brown's (I had the aubergine ratatouille special with a chenin blanc, and camembert to start), and then we hit up the Pear Tree for a final drink.

Overall, I'd say it was a pretty good saturday. Now if today's weather perks up a bit we may be able to go to Rosslyn Chapel and Sheep's Heid. If not, I may have to convince myself to do some dissertation work... 6,000 words down, about 7,000 left!