I made my reservations!

Pop 'round and see my auntie in Stirling. She had a bad fall and is feeling poorly. Be sure to tell her that Giles looks more and more like her every day.

Kathy Please email me..... I've spent 6 weeks in Scotland and it's one of my favorite countries on the planet. I can tell you LOTS to do!!

Patti in Seattle

I'll send my 6yo nephew round in his KILT, that'll cheer her up! (He lives in Stirling with his 3 1/2 yo sister)

Hi there, I'm from Edinburgh (although I'm exiled in England at the moment) so can give lots of recommendations. For booking accommodation I would advise looking on the Scottish Tourist Board website -

- and you can search for accommodation. Edinburgh has all sorts of different options depending on your budget - from the $500 a night 5* hotels on Princes Street to the $70 a night bed and breakfasts.

While there, the "must sees" are the Castle, and the Royal mile which leads down the hill from the Castle to Holyrood Palace. You can have guided tours at both the Palace and the Castle. You're advised to start at the Castle and walk down, unless you want to be walking uphill all day ;-)

I would strongly recommend that on your first day you take one of the open top bus tours which will take you round the city, let you get your bearings and work out what you fancy seeing more of. There are so many museums, galleries and attractions that you won't be able to do everything, so this will give you a chance to check stuff out.

Couple of eating recommendations - there's a fantastic pizzeria in the Grassmarket (below the castle) which does mammoth portions and has a lovely friendly atmosphere. The most famous restaurant is the Witchery which is right by the castle. It's on the pricey side, but great for a special occasion dinner. They do a set-menu lunch as well.

If you're feeling brave, one final recommendation. The Witchery restaurant does walking tours round the old part of the city at night, when it's dark, telling all the stories of ghosts and grim things that happened in history. It's VERY atmospheric, and you meet some of the ghostly characters along the way.... If you're wanting to do this, book in advance as it's very popular. Any more questions please email me!

You lucky dog!!! I want to visit there again so badly I can taste it!. I stayed in Glasgow the majority of the time I was there, but, if you get a chance to roam, I highly recommend Glencoe/Glenfinnan just for sheer beauty (of course, the whole place is gorgeous and looks like a postcard) Inverness and Skye. You should do the tourist thing in Edinburgh and walk the Royal Mile (starting at Edinburgh Castle and ending at Holyrood, at the bottom of the hill) with a guide. Ours was named Robert, he was in 18th century (I think) period clothing and was an excellent guide, in addition to being rather handsome. Love, love, LOVE Scotland!

My flight is from Amsterdam to Edinburgh (starting from Cedar Rapids and Detriot). DH is flying from St. Petersburg to Heathrow to Edinburgh. Grayfriars Bobby......I think that may have been one of my first Disney movies....so so sad. It sounds like I need to find some shoes I can wear for walking. My plantar faciatis keeps me in Birkenstocks, but sandals might not be very stylish in Novemeber. I may have to look for a pair of their boots...$$$$ but perhaps worth it if I can stay on my feet. DD was given a list of vocabulary words at her international teaching seminar. After reading it, she was concerned whether she would be able to understand the students. I glanced at it, but don't remember any of the phrases. Keep thinking of a shopping list. I'd hate to get home and think...I should have bought...........

Thanks Morag! I've saved this so I can refer back to it later. We thought we would let DD get established and see if we can be near her or just do our own thing. I doubt if late November is a high tourist season, so accommodations may not be too hard to find. I like the idea of taking a tour on the first day to get oriented. Staying awake might be a problem after flying all night! Of course, I'll be so revved up, it might not be an issue. Excellent tip about walking the hills. I'll definitely keep that in mind! DH is an in shape walker....I'm not. Thanks again. I may be in touch when the time gets closer!

The best way to clear your jet lag is to take a walk in the daylight at your destination asap. It's supposed to re-set your hypothalamus or something. Whatever, it also feels good after sitting so many hours. Roberta in D

"KJ" schrieb im Newsbeitrag news:TrcYe.394386$xm3.40868@attbi_s21...

Hiring a car would be a good option. Driving in the city of Edinburgh itself isn't fun, and parking is a nightmare, but if you had a car you could easily do trips to places like St Andrews or Stirling, or if you're adventurous, even Inverness. Trains do go to Stirling and Inverness too ;-) Scottish drivers are (on the whole) more courteous than drivers somewhere like London and not in so much of a hurry. Be aware though that a car you hire will be manual with a gear stick (think you call them stick-shifts or something) and not automatic. Morag

And don't forget John Buchan - all those wonderful Richard Hannay thrillers (all around Scotland and beyond). . In message , Roberta Zollner writes

I'm pretty sure you could get an automatic, if you asked for one and booked it in advance? . In message , Morag in Oxford writes

When I hired a car last summer, they offered me a really cute teeny little one, with just 2 seats - fine for DD and I, but it had "tip-tronic" shifting. No clutch, but you had to shift. I decided that driving on the opposite side from what I'm used to, plus having no clue where I'm going, I couldn't handle that, too. So, they gave me an automatic transmission car, but I had to wait an extra 1/2 day for it. I'd recommend booking in advance. All the big rental companies have locations there. I booked thru Enterprise, and was able to get a car in Stirling. Which was good, because I was staying nearby, in Alva.

I have absolutely *no* recommendations, never having been to Scotland myself; but I'm wildly jealous! Have a wonderful time, and feel free to "bore" us! :)

Aren't you nice??!! Thanks for the well wishes.