i'll take the high road and you take the low road

i apolagize for not writing of late, other than to fill in the end of the paris-adventures saga, but i have been focusing on keeping warm. it has been absolutly freezing here considering that it is 'summer' and most definatly the month of june. but seeing as i have today finally seen the sun agian (and it feels almost out of character here, uncomfortable and unexpected-everyone so pale they practically glow) i have sufficiantly thawed to be able to invest some energy in typing up an account of scotland so far.
and it has been very different from where i have been traveling previously. for instance they speak english as a first language here. sort of. some people are so hard to understand it's startling. but i am staying with family and that is a lovely change, and we've been on several long drives in the countryside to outlying towns with small pubs and miles of old stone walls with no cement inbetween. and everything is so green it hurts your eyes and there are skittering wolly white lamb which frolic up and down the landscape just asking to be a sweater. and every corner seems to be staked by one bagpiper or another. and we took the train up to edinborough, my cousin and i, and went to visit the castle and it was so castley it almost felt fake in it's thorough authenticity. all those parapets and stone and dungeons and winding stairs. and there was a drawbridge over a (sadly empty) moat) and a gate with menecing spikes one walked under at the entrance and it was only after we had been walking about for a bit examining canons and stone guardhouses that i realized 'dude i'm in a castle' and it was a sort of glorious realization.
however i must say that the most amazing thing that i have experienced while here in scotland was a dinner on the third night i was in the country. the whole family gathered together and met at a resteraunt called mr singhs which apparently is 'the best' according to one knowlegable source, which was an indian resteraunt. and upon arriving we were met by one of the owners sons (who are all named after heros of a scottish football league if i recall correctly) who knew everyone and showed them to a table and i saw that all of the servers were decked out in full scottish regalia, with the high socks and a kilt and the vest with the strange tie at the neck and everything, and turbans. of all things, an indian resturaunt where you are waited on by kilted, be-turbaned waiters named after footballers and served haggis pakora and brought special dishes when it is discovered you like things spicy. for the record it was all fabulously delicious. i stuffed myself silly and then added dessert to it as well (not the wisest move but they had an ice cream 'bomb' covered in chocolate and coconut) but the whole time i couldn't help being amused by the kilt/turban combo even though it might have been the best indian food ever. and in scotland of all places.