Well, I don't have much to post about mathematicians today, but this is "mathsabPLUS," which is for friends and family, and I need to let y'all know I got in safe and how it's starting out, so here goes!
Travel was amazingly smooth! I know many prayers were said for me, and I appreciate it greatly! I was blessed with people who sat near me on the plane - interesting conversations on the first leg of the journey - and, even better, on the second leg of the journey I sat by a mother and daughter who are from Edinburgh, and they were WONDERFUL!
I'm not a traveler (well, I wasn't . . . until today . . .), and they gave me so many good tips and hints about what stores to look for and where certain things are - and just made me feel really welcome. The best, however, is that they let me know about the tram, which I hadn't known existed; I had been going to take a bus - but guess what? I flew in right at rush hour. With the tram - no problem! GENIUS!
I arrived at the hotel at 9am. I had requested early check-in in advance, but they are swamped right now and couldn't let me in until afternoon. I'd traveled for 15 hours, and I hadn't slept at all the night before, but somehow I still felt pretty good at that point. Six and a half hours later having trekked through the city while waiting for my room has left me weary beyond words, but I'm trying to keep myself up until normal bed time here so that I can get on track and over jet-lag faster.
I'm still getting my bearings - surprised at what the hotel doesn't have that I'm used to in the US: shampoo and conditioner, a safe, a refrigerator, a closet, drawers - not even an alarm clock or clock of any kind (maybe it's not a US/UK thing - maybe it's my "thrifty" choosing - we'll see). I don't have a functional phone yet - did get a SIM card today, but the folks at the store weren't able to help me put it in and set it up, so I'll get to work on that (maybe tomorrow).
The city is BEAUTIFUL! Everywhere I look beauty is staring me in the face! My first glimpse of that was from the air - seeing Arthur's Seat (which I've been determined to climb ever since I decided to come to Edinburgh) and seeing the bridges over the Firth of Forth (which are absolutely astonishing!).
One disappointment is that a major (for me) site is closed - Old Calton Burial Ground. I really wanted to get in and get pictures there . . . alas . . .
I'm going to post a few pictures from my first day. I whiled away my 6.5 hours on Calton Hill, in Princes Street Gardens, at Edinburgh Castle, on one campus of University of Edinburgh, and at St. Giles Cathedral.
CALTON HILL (Edinburgh is known at "The Athens of the North.")
NEW COLLEGE CAMPUS, UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH (home of the divinity school)
EDINBURGH CASTLE
("Oh, you mean THIS gate key?")
("Light the beacons!")
(Well after 1pm, above - at 1pm, below - one shot fired daily at 1pm for time-keeping purposes.)
ST. GILES' CATHEDRAL - THE HIGH KIRK OF EDINBURGH (Knox preached here.)
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