The Boyfriend Comes to Scotland: Castle and Cupcakes. Life is Good.

Last night, I began to feel a bit weak and achy and by this morning, I was definitely ill - hopefully with something short-lived because being ill while Erik is here was not on my very detailed and thrilling agenda for his visit.  At any rate, since we spent today lazing about (mostly Erik waiting on me hand and foot while I coughed piteously and complained in a dramatic fashion about my pain), I felt I should be productive and put up Thursday's photos at last.

It was a beautiful, stunningly clear day - perfect for a bit of castling after we finished up our Christmas shopping (yes, I am doing my Christmas shopping now.  It's great.  Not as much rush!).

 Guess where we are on this fine day?

 Yep, Edinburgh Castle.  Conveniently located next door to my flat, so for some reason it always ends up being one of the last places that we think of visiting.

 Contemplating the pointy-ness of the portcullis.

 Beautiful landscape on a clear, clear day.

 Tartan curtains around a cute little alcove.  So medieval.  So Scottish.  So adorable!

 Yep.  In a castle. 

 This cannon apparently requires people to stick as much of themselves as they can get in without getting into trouble.  Honestly, it's big enough for someone to climb inside.


St Margaret's Chapel had a lady tuning her harp.  We talked to a priest as we looked around.  They were getting ready for a wedding!

 Down we went into the prisons...

 Does not look edible... *poke poke*  Definitely not edible.

 Yep, the Americans did it!




This box was made by a prisoner.  It's done by something called quilling, which I actually used to do for fun.  You wind up long, thin strips of paper into dense little circles or leaf shapes and arrange them in a pattern.  Very pretty.

 Paused and silently congratulated Washington for his awesomeness...




Also, Erik chilling with bagpiper statue.

 And some dude in a furry hat.  Erik likes his hat more (I made it for him, so he'd better like it more...)

 Nervous staring contest with crazy fur-hatted man.



And a life-sized horse with a cavalry soldier.  We were in the Royal Scottish Dragoon museum.  They are awesome.

 Stuff won from captured bad guys during the second World War.

 Yay diorama!

 Lots of impressive tanks.  Immediately, I thought of the movie Kelly's Heroes, which is my favorite World War II movie.

 Go Dragoons!

 Someone was overwhelmed with happiness to walk into a room decorated with weapons.  So much pointy!

 Miniature helmet of awesome!

 Hmm... locked door.  Must give it a try, as usual!

 No idea here...

 I do love lamp posts.

 On the rare perfectly clear day, the sun sets beyond the castle and it is a treat to actually see a sunset again.  We stood out on the Esplanade to watch.

 Erik controls the power of the sun.  Or, you know, gestures theatrically at it.

 Sun is taking forever to set...

 This is what happens when he gets bored.

 Aww, pretty!



And the moon was lurking on the other side.

 The gift shop had helmets that you could try on!  Guess which one of us got really excited.

 Deranged Roman legionnaire.

 'We seek the Grail!'

 I just seek my lost dignity...

'The red and grey striped knight always wins!'

 Gondor's royal guards: the best of the best.

Yesterday, we went on an underground tour to see the creepy, dark vaults beneath South Bridge.  It was a great tour, but I took no pictures because it was dark and my current camera cannot take proper low light photos (dear, sweet broken camera, I miss you so!)

Afterwards, we returned to make some chocolate cupcakes!


Clearly, this one was being incredibly lazy...

 So I put him to work on frosting the cupcakes.  It was his very first time using a pastry bag!  I was so proud.

 Perfectionist.

Quite proud of himself.

 Perfect little chocolate cupcakes to end our day!

Of course, that was when I started to feel a little off and I couldn't even eat a cupcake.  It was downhill from there...

 Let's just say that this one made up for my inability to eat cupcakes.


So, for the moment, I am fighting off plague and hoping that I did not manage to pass it on to Erik (I twitch with guilt every time he so much as sniffles).  Hopefully, tomorrow will bring feelings of health and wholeness and renewed energy for our final days together before Erik goes home again (though if my cunning plan involving a crocheted rope and a closet goes well, he might happen to miss his flight...)