The group attended a lecture of the Scottish Parliament at Stevenson College - then on to visit Edinburgh Castle. What can I say - it was extremely spectacular. So much history. We watched the maste gunner fire the cannon at 1:00 p.m. At the castle, we also visited St. Margaret's Chapel, the oldest building in Edinburgh, The Crown Jewels of Scotland, The Great Hall which hosted so many grand balls, Prisons of War (the dungeons where the prisoners of war were kept), The Royal Palace, Argyle Tower, the National War Museum, the Royal Scots Regimnetal Museum. After the castle visit, there was a Parliament visit. The new Parliament Building is very modern but also blends some of the old. The Parliament assembly was designed in a semi-circle format so the different political parties would not be facing each other in a controversial manner. It is also equipped with the most modern techology.

After this off four of us visited The Whisky Experience - a brief tour of how whisky is made and a chance to taste it (it must be whirled around in the glass, smelled, tasted and then diluted with water to receive the proper effect). We then had a chance to purchase some to bring home. I'm the one person who doesn't drink but has probably bought the most whisky to carry home. When I get the pictures on the blog, you will see the expression I made after drinking some. It is not a pleasant site.

This morning we attended a lecture on developing resumes, job searching and interviewing skills. There is not much difference in the procedures that we have in the US. Resumes are called CV's - Curriculum Vitae. References are called Referees. No z's are used in spelling - Organising, etc. I also found it interesting that 25% of vacancies are listed in newspapers but they have different days for different jobs and they are only listed in specific days (Monday and Friday).

I'm still having trouble using the phone card and when I do get through it seems to be 1:00 a.m. and I usually just wind up leaving a message.

We have just been too busy - so much to see and not enough time. Most attractions/shops, etc. close around 6:00 p.m. Only a few small markets open and of course, the Pubs are open. This past weekend was extremely busy at the pubs because of the rugby players. A lot of groups out for a good time - everyone seems to dress up, some in costume, evening attire, etc.

We're off to the Royal Mail this afternoon.