If you’ve been following me on Facebook, then you know that Scotland has been pretty warm lately. I mean, I was wearing a T-shirt and Capri pants Sunday! Oh, and did I mention I was actually sweating from just standing around? Mind you, it was only 60-70 degrees out. This weather has really put me into the spring/summer mood and I can’t wait for all the activities we have planned to be in the outdoors. I’ve never craved being outdoors so much as I do now. I think it’s because we’re surrounded by such beautiful scenery and even though there’s not much going on, it’s just really nice to look at.
I think the last time I blogged, I mentioned my childhood friend Carla was in town. Well, since then, we’ve seen a few more familiar faces. Hubert, a friend from Houston, visited us for a couple days 2 weeks ago. Hubert is working in London and had a weekend free so we told him to come on down. While Hubert was here, we went to friend’s 30th Birthday party and had a great time partying with some fellow Americans. We started off at a Mexican restaurant, La Bamba, singing and dancing on the chairs and ended up at an 80’s nightclub, Tropicana, for more dancing. Margaritas, Patron, and late night bakery made for a great night! Gerald and I don’t normally go out in Aberdeen so this was a fun change. The next morning we took Hubert to Balmoral Castle and the Royal Lochnagar distillery. You’ve probably noticed that most of our touristy adventures involve Castles and Distilleries...haha. Our goal is to visit as many Castles and Distilleries Scotland has to offer while we're here. So if you ever come and visit, you know what to expect. Just kidding, there are lots ofother things to do as well, but this is all we had time for with Hubert.
This past weekend, Gerald ran the Edinburgh Half Marathon while I cheered him on. I opted not to do the race since I was nowhere near prepared. I figured I’ll save myself some embarrassment. The race wasn’t as big as the ones you would find in the States, with people lined up on the streets, bands playing, and loads of people everywhere but it was a good time. There were 3100 runners total. The runners ran along the coast on a very warm day in Scotland; I felt like I was further South somewhere. Gerald’s manager, Jeremy also ran with him; it was Jeremy's first half marathon. Here’s a pic of the 2 finishers! Great job guys. Oh, and just today we found out that the course wasn’t marked accurately and the runners actually ran an extra 300 meters! Whoops!
While in Edinburgh, we also got to catch up with Mickie. Mickie is looking to move to Scotland or England in the near future so has been making some visits across the pond. I think she said she’s seen us more than some of her family in Houston, and she lives in San Antonio...haha! We feel honoured. Anyhow, Mickie and I went on an Edinburgh Hidden and Haunted tour of the city and underground vaults one night. I’m usually super afraid of these kinds of things but I figured I give it a shot. It wasn’t as bad as I thought, but I did have an eerie feeling walking back to my hotel room that evening. It also didn't help that the hotel we stayed out was the same place a friend's friend committed suicide. Let's just say I prayed a lot that night! Overall, the tour was good and we had a fun time hanging out. There’s so much history in Edinburgh so I’m glad we got to learn a bit about it on the tour.
Well, it has been a fun couple of weekends for the Pena’s. We are off to Prague on Thursday, which means a short work week for me! Cambodian/Thai New Year is also this weekend so ‘Sok Sabay, Ch’nam Tmey’! Wish I was in Houston celebrating with the Family but I’m sure they will be doing plenty of celebrating for me! Love Ya!
