When you're here, you're family.

Due to the lack of goings-on, I have decided to combine the past two days into one post. Believe you me, it's not from lack of wanting to talking about Scotland ALL DAY. Both days were pretty travel-heavy, so I thought I would spare you hearing about the interior of the coach buses.

I left London early on Friday morning and decided to take the scenic (and cheap) bus route through the heart of the country to Scotland. I wish I could have taken pictures on our way through the countryside, but it rained heavily for much of the trip and you couldn't see much on the camera. Everything is so green here. As we were going through a village just south of Manchester, I saw an astroturf retailer and was amazed. It was almost comical that the fields of grass behind the store were more vibrantly green than the artificial stuff. It's not only the grass either; most everything has a verdant tinge to it. The entire drive was accompanied by field after field of grazing sheep contained ever so neatly in their stacked stone fences and hedgerows. I think everyone with OCD would get such inner peace gazing at those orderly plots. I know I found great comfort in them.

We passed through the Midlands and the North, but my favorite part of the trip was the Lake District in Cumbria. The landscape is filled with rolling, hilly mountains and rocky, jutting facades. This land is truly like something from a fairytale. On the way up I met two German high school graduates that were taking a Gap year experience in the UK. We had some lovely chats about everything from poetry to politics to university standards to public programs. It was great to get insight from someone from the European side of things. What was even better was having an adult conversation about controversial topics with differing views and nobody got angry or left the conversation hurt and bitter. I wish them both a very happy adventure and good luck on any future endeavors. They were brilliant.

My final stop of the day was in Dumfries, just past Gretna Green in Scotland. It seemed like such a cool place (plus they have the house and burial site of Robert Burns, so I must go back and explore!) but since it was late and pouring down buckets I headed straight for the B&B that I booked for the night. If any of you find yourself in Dumfries at any point you MUST stay at Hamilton House with Derek and Rena. They own and operate the house, which also is their private residence. They are so welcoming and accommodating and Derek even helped me with my bus routes for the morning and printed a copy of the time tables. The room was clean and spacious with a private bathroom and the most comfortable bed I have ever slept on in my life. It didn't take long after check-in to place my breakfast order and go right to bed. Speaking of breakfast, the next morning contained one of the best early day meals I have ever eaten. You can ordering anything that is on a usual full Scottish Breakfast menu and it is all locally sourced and made to order. I had poached eggs (with deep orange yolks), pork sausages(locally raised and made), bacon, porridge, mushrooms, tomatoes and toast. There were more things on the list, but I still can't seem to eat baked beans at breakfast. I met one of the other guests who is studying midwifery and we had a lovely conversation about the regional accents of both of our countries. She was very impressed with my Liverpudlian and that I could tell the difference and that we both love a Welsh accent best. The check out process was so easy and Derek even offered to take me to the train station so I wouldn't have to walk the two blocks in the rain with my bags.

The buses were running a tad behind, but I finally made it to Wigtown. I was greated by Barbara and George and their lovely black Lab Molly. They showed me around the flat and the shop and handed over my keys to the kingdom. I spent most of the day unpacking and situating my things in the flat and familiarizing myself with the contents of the Open Book. I am so looking forward to making the place my own and weaving my existence into the fabric of this village. I have quite a few ideas and I can't wait to share them with you! On my way from the door of the flat to the door of the shop I was stopped by a woman asking if I was Sara. I said that I was and she replied, "Oh, they told me a Sara would be coming. I'll pop by and see you sometime this week." I have learned in my short time here that the Scottish are the friendliest people on the face of planet earth. Everyone here knows about the shop and can't wait to meet the new arrivals.

I ate dinner at the Bayview Bistro and had a great meal and wonderful conversation with the ladies that work there. I had a peppery tomato soup with bread and a delightful dish called Chicken Balmoral--a chicken breast stuffed with haggis, wrapped in bacon, and covered with a whisky pepper cream sauce. It was delicious. I would encourage anyone to have haggis. If you don't know what it is, don't look it up. You don't want to know. The only thing that you must know is that it is so full of flavor and spices that it will fill you right up and stick to your bones, which is good for a blustery February evening. The servers and I talked about traveling and they both want to visit America someday. It was fun to share with them the tales of my own domestic travels and gave them tips for any future plans they may have.

Scotland is the land of Albion--of King Arthur, unicorns, faeries, and sheep. Everything looks windswept and ripe for adventure. I have been here less than 24 hours and I am already in love. These people, this place. I wish there were a way to leave my soul here so that it could be eternally happy while my body goes back to its obligations.

Stay tuned, Readers. I have a feeling that there is much more to come in this little bookish town.

Until next time.