We left London today.  Although it’s a little bit sad to leave the grand city, I’m looking forward to the scenic Scotland.  We had a long train ride to Edinburgh, but it went by really fast.  I got really excited when I saw the sea out my window.  Scotland was living up to everything I thought it would be.  When we arrived we met Michael, who would be a tour guide during our time in Scotland.  He was wearing a kilt and everything.  Nothing says “welcome to Scotland” like a kilt.  We got a tour around Edinburgh and I really like this city.  It is a modern historical city, which is a unique mix.  The buildings are all very beautiful, both in the new and old parts.  After our tour I stopped in the Elephant Tea Room (where Harry Potter was written by J.K. Rowling!!) and got some late lunch. 

            After that we went to Mary King’s Close, which was fascinating.  The history of the place is amazing.  What you think is below ground was actually ground level.  With so many stories and the roof being covered, I started to get confused which level was ground level.  And it was so dark in there!  I can’t imagine living in some of the rooms that people lived in with so little natural or artificial light.  Then there’s the way that they disposed of waste.  At specific times, they would toss their waste onto the street where it flow into a river.  This was the same river that women who were condemned to death would be drowned in.  When the plague hit, it quickly spread around Mary King’s Close because so many people lived there.  Treatment of the boils was severely painful and the chances of survival were not good.  Because of the plague, Mary King’s Close got a reputation for being haunted.  Stories have circulated about ghosts who had once lived there. 

            After the fascinating Mary King’s Close we went back to the hostel to quickly change before going out to the USA- England football game!  (Known to Americans as soccer.)  The world cup is a really big deal here and I was excited to go out to the pub to watch it.  I wore red, white, and blue like a proud American and headed out to the Globe to watch it.  In England I don’t think I would have been brave enough to dress up, but Scots are rivals of England, so they were rooting for the USA as well.  We were late leaving the hostel, and saw England score a goal right away, within the first five minutes.  I thought we would be doomed, but we managed to pull through.  At the Globe, I met other Americans who were here and we all cheered for the USA.  When the USA scored, the whole pub erupted in cheers.  It was quite exciting.  Unfortunately, it ended in a tie, 1-1, but I still think that the USA did well.  The one goal we did make was kind of a fluke though.  The English goalie had caught it, but then he fumbled it and let it into the goal.  Sad for them, but good for us!  This game was fun to watch, and I can’t wait to see the rest of the world cup.