Scotland, for some

Anna, now the world traveler in the family, was in Edinburgh, Scotland, for the week. This is the view of Edinburgh Castle from her hotel. The castle sits atop an ancient volcanic plug, which was left exposed by receding glaciers - a geological formation known as a 'craig' in Scotland.

Anna, with her colleagues, at the Old College of the University of Edinburgh. They had just finished a meeting at the Playfair Library Hall, named for the architect who designed the Old College. Charles Darwin, Alexander Graham Bell, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Robert Louis Stevenson and Sir Walter Scott all went to school there.

The Parish Church of Saint Cuthbert, at the foot of the castle, surrounded by its churchyard. Legend has it that the church is built on the site of a hut that Cuthbert, a medieval monk and bishop, once lived in.

The Ross Fountain, donated to the city by a wealthy gun-maker, Daniel Ross, in the 1860s. It sits in Princes Street Gardens below the castle.

Looking down High Street at St. Giles Cathedral, part of the so-called Royal Mile. The verdigris statue on the lower left is of the philosopher, David Hume, who studied at University of Edinburgh and later lived in the city.

Anna brought me back a bottle of single malt scotch - said to be Prince Charles' favorite - and two Stewart tartan cashmere scarves.