Fun in Dundee

Just popping in with a quick note to assure you we're not dead.  Well, not completely, anyway - Andrea's developed a nasty cold, so she's been laid up for the last few days.

I managed to complete one of my goals yesterday - I competed in my first Magic: the Gathering tournament in the northern hemisphere.  And, just like my sense of direction has been turned around by the move north, I've managed to turn my luck around, too: I managed a Top 8 finish, which felt kinda good.
The tourney was a little different to the ones I was used to.  Ordinarily, in Melbourne, you'd be in a group of 32 guys, and there'd be between six and eight groups over the course of the day, playing four rounds of 50 minutes each.  So, with allowances for deck building and general shenanigans, the whole thing would take about 5 hours - this means that the first group would be in by 10:30, out by 3ish.
There were around 40 players in total at Highlander Games, so we all ended up in one big group.  According to the rules laid out by Wizards of the Coast, this means 6 rounds.  And with the tournament starting at 12:30, this means that the thing ran for just under 8 hours.  Now, I normally get match fatigue around the third round (due in most part to the fact that I've normally lost the last two rounds), but I somehow managed to keep myself awake and concentrating long enough to win four of my six rounds, netting me a 7th place.
Mad props to the guys at Highlander Games in Dundee, who run a very tight ship, and to Gary, who placated Andrea when she rang them at 8pm last night to try and find out where I was (once again, honey, I'm incredibly sorry).

Well, that's about all from us.  Hopefully by the time the next post rolls around, we'll be (somewhat) gainfully employed here at the hostel.  Wish us luck!!!

Things I have learned in my first week in Scotland

1. Bacon sarnies kick serious ass.

2. This place is really old. Really, really old.

3. Most public transport in Scotland has free Wi-fi and power-points to plug your laptop into. Learn, Connex, learn.

4. A lot of bars in Scotland also have free Wi-fi. So, for the cost of a Coke, you can go house-hunting for hours.

5. Haggis has a bad reputation. It's actually quite nice.

6. Although public transport is kinda on the cheap side (once again: learn, Connex, learn), it's much more rewarding if you use the old two feet and a heartbeat. Unless you're dragging your suitcase from the hostel to the bus station, in which case it hurts like hell.

7. Hills. Lots and lots of hills.

8. Castles. Lots and lots of castles.

9. The birthplace of Alexander Graham Bell is now home to a software development company.

If you ever need to lose weight...

...move to Edinburgh. The hills will either kill you and make your thighs disappear.

The trip over was uneventful, apart from a 20 minute turbulence episode that caused much humiliation (there may have been some sobbing). We arrived and headed straight off to our hostel.

















Yep, it's an ex-church. As you can imagine, most of the tour was spent with dropped-jaws. Once we settled in, it was time to tour Edinburgh.

We were doing rather well up until the moment Felix said that it felt a lot like Melbourne. I pointed to our right and said "Except for that castle up there." He agreed on that point.















There are so many old buildings with signs stating "Burns ate here" or "Scott drank here" or "Johnson met Boswell here". I kept looking for a "..... hooked up with a harlot here" sign, but I never found one.

We walked up the hillside to Edinburgh Castle, almost falling over once or twice (obviously me, not Felix) and I left the desire to climb up the side and storm the castle to him.
















The Old Town is a rabbit-warren maze, lots of steep hills and dark alleyways. I freaked out quite often, but only because I know far too much about Edinburgh serial killers. The steps are crooked, steep and a challange to beat any Stairmaster.
















Other than that, I love it. It's old, dark, warm and lovely. I even like haggis. Not as much as Irn-Bru, but that's a new addiction, and must be respected accordingly.

Today we moved to Dundee. More updates soon.

Almost there...

Lolli thinks she can thwart our escape.



















Nice try, kitty. That suitcase is leaving in two weeks as unaccompanied baggage.

Now, to try and relax - pretty hard to do when you're leaving the country in less than 24 hours.