Scotland—Perth, St Andrews, Stirling

Train from Glasgow to Perth. Note 1: Love the train system in Scotland, and really wish ours was half as good.
Arrive Perth, walk/bus/walk to guest house. Twin room with dedicated bathroom (very nice).

Sunny day, walk to Scone Palace. Beautiful place. Made it through tartan maze, checked out cemetery, small church (Stone of Scone out front), and grounds. Tea & scone (delicious) break in cafe. Friendly, helpful staff guided us through Palace tour. Supper at Paco's Restaurant (Deans @ Let's Eat full; special wine/dinner event).

Train to St Andrews. Bus (from train stop) filled with members of stag weekend (up from London), all of whom were dressed in full tiger costumes! They wound up on the same bus as us, returning to the train stop.

Another sunny day to wander around St Andrews (including farmers' market), through remains of St Andrew's Cathedral (massive place), then over to the golf course. Tournament on, but able to watch and then walk across fairway (1 & 18 holes). Supper again at Paco's Restaurant (Deans @ Let's Eat fully booked).

Bus to Stirling. Yet another sunny day to walk through Stirling to the castle, via the Back Walk. Beautiful castle, informative signs through the place. Cafe break (tea and fruit bread, yum). Guided tour of Old Town Jail (fun!).

Note 2: Following their punctuation style, no period after St (e.g., St Andrews).

Scotland—Glasgow

Arrived early morning, a little earlier than scheduled, after an uneventful flight.While sitting in airport, getting a much-needed caffeine dose and figuring out transport, sun began to appear. What a nice welcome!
Bus into city centre, walk uphill to guest house (Adelaides) to drop off bags. First of many, many uphill walks to accommodation.
Follow Lonely Planet guide's walking tour, which is quite good. Includes George Square, City Chambers, Gallery of Modern Art, Merchant Square, Glasgow Cathedral and necropolis, St Mungo's.
Next day, a few more highlights of the city and more walking. Willow Tea Room (okay), Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum (good… but a bit odd in its collection). Still sunny and lovely. End with (big!) delicious dinner at The Butterfly & the Pig.

Touring Scotland 2012

More to come. Until then, a glimpse…