postcard

good beer.

try the Crop Circle Wheat.

in a beautiful location. decent selection with friendly staff.

it’s upstairs from The Soho Coho, the shop and art gallery of Ray Troll, a popular Alaskan artist.

They also have a really good used book trading program, weekly book discussion meetings, and a nice bagel shop / cafe upstairs. Selection is decent, and if they don’t have it, they will get it for you quickly. The staff know their books and are always happy to recommend something if you ask.

it’s small but has great selection and wonderful local charm. the staff are very knowledgable and helpful.

be sure to also check out The Backdoor Cafe attached to the rear of the store.

first thing you see on the ferry ride into castlebay is the Kiessmul Castle sitting in the middle of the bay, seemingly built straight out of the water. it’s quite a site to see. :)

the locals that i met were possibly some the nicest people on the outer hebrides and it was marvelous to hear the local scottish gaelic dialect in common use.

barra doesn’t have the soaring craggy slopes and hillsides that you might see on other Scottish Isles, such as Harris, Lewis, or Skye, but it does have gentle rolling hills and lovely seascapes. if you happen to arrive on a foggy day, you might want to wait around a few days, otherwise you’ll miss out!

i lived in edinburgh for eleven months and the one month i had to miss was August. :( so of course i heard all sorts of wonderful things about the edinburgh festival (particularly the film festival) and have been dying to get back there ever since.

can’t go this year either, but i might aim for ‘07 or ‘08.

roslyn was cicely’s love, but not the gal herself. ;)

unless you’re dying to visit the museums and federal buildings/monuments. (which are actually quite worth visiting, just not worth the traffic.)

visit someplace smaller like Fredericksburg (though even this is getting overwhelmed by traffic and people) or someplace outdoorsy like Shenandoah Valley or the Blue Ridge.

also, make sure you go either in the spring, when everything is green and blooming and before it gets too muggy, or in the fall, when the leaves are changing color. both times of year are spectacular. avoid August.

acadia national park is worth it alone.

great faculty, campus, and community.