Our day from Dublin to Edinburgh (June 28) was mostly spent traveling either by bus or by ferry. It was a long day and tiring just because of all the sitting involved. I've never understood how sitting can wear one out but we were all beat by the end of the day. While we were waiting for the ferry to Larne, we were in a little shop buying Cokes and candy (my new favorite Lion bars). There was a display of crisps (what we call chips) in an assortment of flavors. Some flavors aren't so bad--vinegar and salt, black pepper. Others such as roast ox and prawn caused us to shudder. We both opted not to try those. In Larne, there was also a book donation place where you could pick up a book and leave a donation. Since I had already made it through the two books I'd brought on the trip, I took advantage and picked up a British chick lit (The Secret Lives of Husbands). I've read books by various British authors but they are the Americanized version so this book was particularly entertaining to read. I attempted one crossword puzzle while in the UK and decided that as I wasn't up on my colloquial English speech, I was best left to doing the crosswords I'd brought with me. And for the record, I need at least three long books on a 12-day trip (I read 3 long books and 1 short book on this trip--it's a long plane ride and we were on a bus a lot).
Anywho, we left Larne on the high-speed ferry, arriving in Cairnryan, Scotland.
On the way to Edinburgh, we stopped in Alloway, Scotland at the home of the poet Robert Burns, perhaps best known for writing "Auld Lang Syne." Sure, he wrote some other stuff but I'm not sure the general populace knows anything else by Burns. Then again, I'm not sure the man on the street could identify Burns as the author of that song we sing every New Year's. I'd probably heard that tidbit but I'm fairly certain that before this trip, I could be counted among the masses of unknowing revellers.
We saw lots of small, odd cars but this one in Alloway caught our eye so much that we crossed the street to check it out. It's a SMART car but more like a SMART SUV (I couldn't find anything about it on the website for SMART cars). I'd drive it if it wasn't standard shift that required using my left hand to shift. I can barely shift with my dominant hand--it would probably be ugly if I had to try it the other way.
We opted not to go into the Burns cottage but wandered over to Brig O' Doon instead
The River Doon
Here I am standing in the middle of the Brig O' Doon. No witches chasing me a la Burns' "Tam O' Shanter"(which I did know from some class I took as an English Lit major although I didn't make the connection with Auld Lang Syne and Burns) and given how rough the cobblestones are, it's a good thing since I'd probably hurt something. I think everyone I spoke with ended up with a wrenched knee from putting their foot down wrong at some historically uneven place.
The rest of the day was spent on the road as we drove to Edinburgh. We passed through Glasgow and I learned that people from Glasgow are known as "Glaswegians." That's pretty much the extent of my Glasgow knowledge and this is pretty much all we saw of Glasgow.
We made it to Edinburgh in time for dinner before heading to the hotel for the evening. Our hotel was next to the Edinburgh Zoo but unfortunately, time didn't permit a visit. (Well, time permitted but we're too cheap to spend $25 each when we'd have only been able to stay two hours.) The next morning (June 29), we enjoyed some haggis with the Sunday brunch at the hotel. Perhaps "enjoyed" isn't the correct term. It's not exactly BAD but just knowing what it is made it unpleasant. One of the shops we stopped in on the way to the Lake District had haggis available for purchase, either in cans or jars or in the sheep stomach. We passed.
After breakfast, we went to Edinburgh Castle. It's on a hill overlooking the city of Edinburgh and it's location means it is cold and windy. Then again, this was the "height of summer" and it was only in the low-60's so I think it's safe to say it's always cold and windy in Edinburgh. The castle is an impressive structure, though.
The Scottish War Memorial built after WWI.
The Scott Monument (for Sir Walter Scott) from Edinburgh Castle. This was a big dark Gothic structure--it was actually a little scary looking.
Looking out at Edinburgh from the Forewall Battery.
At Edinburgh Castle, there is a cemetery for military dogs.
After our tour of Edinburgh Castle, we did a short driving tour of the city. Unfortunately we weren't able to visit Holyrood Palace because the queen was in residence. She only spends two weeks in the summer at Holyrood and it just HAD to coincide with our trip. But along the way, we did see this statue in honor of Highland soldiers.
And Robert Louis Stevenson's birthplace which is now a private residence. As we drove by, you could see a mother and two little ones sitting down to eat breakfast.
We also stopped by the statue for Greyfriars Bobby. The story behind this pup is that he was so loyal to his master that after his master died, Bobby stayed at the grave until his own death. Paul, ever the pessimist, said it was probably because a widow visiting the cemetery brought him treats. There is also tales that the dog would spend winters in a nearby house and was fed at a nearby pub. But it is still a sweet story especially since my cat would probably dance a jig on my grave.
After lunch, our driver Danny took us, my parents, and Sheri and Jesse on a private bus tour to the Firth of Forth to see the Forth Bridge. The Forth Rail Bridge (right) is over a century old.
In front of the Forth Rail Bridge.
Danny's wife Ann came up to Edinburgh from their home in Newcastle. She spent the last two days with us on the tour which probably helped Danny keep his sanity in regards to the tour guide Linda. We were at a cafe (tearoom) next to the Forth Bridge and this was nice because it wasn't inundated with other tourists. I know that most every place we went was a "tourist trap" so I wasn't surprised or upset. But this was a nice break and we were surrounded by locals enjoying the "warm" summer day. It was a nice way to pass the afternoon, sitting in this cozy space, drinking tea and eating a HUGE meringue cookie, visiting with new friends, trying to figure out what new friends were saying (we'd gotten our food but my parents and Sheri & Jesse hadn't yet. Danny told me to "go check on ye Mam's dish" and it took a second for my brain to translate "ye Mam's").
After we'd finished our snacks, Danny thought it would be fun to drive us across the road bridge, much to Ann's chagrin. She's not very fond of heights or the fact that when you look out the window, you can see straight down to the water through grates on the side of the road. I'll agree that that is a little unnerving. To get to the bridge from the car park, we had to go through a little town on this tiny, barely one lane road in the huge coach. I was impressed more than once with Danny's ability to get the coach down these itty bitty roads with cars parked on both sides. He can probably turn the great big bus better than I can my Subaru. There were several times that everyone on the bus would be holding their breath while he steered us through a tight spot and then everyone would start applauding for him when we got down the road. A little shower came up as we drove across bridge, which I think only added to the excitement/fear level.
We passed the rest of the afternoon with naps and then taking the bus to Princes Street, walking around that area and the Royal Mile before dinner. While we didn't exactly mind the food on this trip, by this point both of us were longing for something "American." During our wanderings, we found a restaurant called The Filling Station which seemed to be like Chili's or Applebee's here--it had the kitschy stuff on the walls, similar menu items. The menu touted it's "famous Filling Station fajitas" with it's "south of the border" flavor. Now, knowing that south of Scotland is England and it's not exactly known for its fajitas (plus it came with "spicy barbecue sauce" on the side), neither of us ordered that dish. Instead, we went for the very American hamburger and fries (which were actually called fries and not chips). After we finished eating, we headed back up the Royal Mile in search of a little pub where we could have a pint and watch the EuroCup finals because by this point, we'd watched two matches and I'm sure we had a vested interest in who won (Viva Espana!). On the way up the street, we snapped another picture of Edinburgh Castle from Princes Street. The pub was also a nice place to pass time until we went on the Witchery Murder & Mystery Tour.
This is probably my favorite picture I took on this trip. It is dusk (about 9:30) and this is the church on the Royal Mile. It's all arty and pretty--like I know what I'm doing with a camera.
Almost our entire tour group participated in The Witchery Tour which is an off-beat, humorous look at Edinburgh history. It's a walking tour through various back alleys and streets and the guide who is a "ghost" named Adam Lyal (deceased) tells the various tales of what was done to people accused of being witches, the body-snatching that occurred, all about the general muck and mess of old Edinburgh when chamber pots were merely thrown out into the streets (blech!). While on their roamings before the Witchery Tour, Mom and Sheri bought matching scarves with sheep on them. One of the teenagers from MD on our tour wanted to know exactly when wool scarves are needed in Houston. Well, there is that one day of winter each year. . .
Along with Adam Lyal (deceased), there is a "jumper-ooter" which is pretty much what it sounds like. This helper, dressed in his Black Plague garb, disappeared shortly after we got started and everyone just had a sinking suspicion that we'd see him again. And we did.
The tour begins with an explanation of the handling of witches in Edinburgh. Guess who got chosen to play the "witch"? Let's just say it's hard to blend in with a bright green coat on. I inadvertently stepped on one of the guide's jokes when he asked me where I was from. After I replied Albuquerque, he said "I'm sorry" and I replied "Me, too." Here I am modeling thumb screws for the group. I laughed that my dad the banker (with three daughters) was able to immediately identify thumb screws. So I had to deny being a witch, in which case the thumb screws were tightened and our guide would tell more of the story. He did this a couple of times and the third time I denied it, playing into his humor, he commented that it's only an hour tour and would I just admit it? Throughout the tour, there were also little innuendos and double entendres or as one of the teenagers said, "The sex jokes were really funny!"
And Paul and I appreciate that even in Edinburgh, shops are given good pun names.
Throughout the tour, the "jumper-ooter" comes out of various hiding places dressed in various garb appropriate to the tale at that point. For example, when the guide is talking about the dumping of chamber pots in the street, he comes ruining out as a crazy lady slinging a bucket of (thankfully only) water. The next time he appears is when the guide is talking about body-snatching. We'd walked over to an alleyway and Paul and I had taken a few steps up a staircase to better see/hear the guide. He commented not to go too far up since we didn't know what could jump out. We should have known then that something was coming. In fact, we discussed that the "jumper-ooter" was probably behind a piece of wood leaning against the wall. Then I started listening to the story and forgot to watch that piece of wood. And when the "skeleton" jumped out from there, I pretty much jumped out of my own skin. I know I pushed by Paul, cleared three steps in one bound and was heading to my dad who was nearby to hide behind. The next time we saw him, he was a much less startling "Mad Monk of The Cowgate."
At the end of the tour, you can pose with Adam Lyal (deceased) and the Mad Monk. The guide offered "choke poses." Someone said I should put the thumb screws back on. So I did:
Our group caught a bus back to the hotel. Paul stood in the middle of Princes Street to get this picture as we waited.
Our last day (June 30), we left Edinburgh to head to the Lake District in England since we were leaving from Manchester on July 1. Outside of Edinburgh is Rosslyn Chapel, of DaVinci Code fame. I'm sure the neighbors are less than thrilled about the masses of tourists that it now brings:
The chapel is surrounded by scaffolding and the roof is covered in an attempt to dry it out. Because it's always damp and an ill-advised earlier preservation attempt, the ceiling had been covered with moss. That was cleaned and the roof cover put in place to give the inside a chance to dry out. People can walk around the edge of the scaffolding and get a look at the chapel and scenery from all angles.
From Roslin, Scotland, we headed to the Lake District which is serene, idyllic location.
We made a side-stop at a private garden that is available for tours. This is only one tiny part of the garden. It's huge and beautifully maintained. There is a donation box by the front gate for visitors and all donations are given to charities. I wish I'd taken a picture of the handwritten sign in the window telling how much was donated to various organizations in 2007.
From here, we headed to Moffat for lunch and then to Grasmere, a lovely little village. The car park is near a school. I love the signs in the UK:
In the village centre, Mom bought some Kendal Mint Cake which the area is famous for--it's similar to the inside of a peppermint pattie. Since none of us were particularly interested in more shopping, Mom, Dad, Paul and I wandered across a bridge to a little path by a stream. We were skipping rocks (or trying to) in the stream when a group of ducks heard us talking and came over to see what the fuss was about (and hopefully score some food, I'm sure).
We walked up to William Wordsworth cottage just to say we've seen it. We sat outside a little tearoom and just passed time eating ice cream and drinking tea. It was a nice way to end our vacation. From Grasmere, we headed to our hotel which was really in the middle of nowhere. The whole town was about three houses wide. Across the road was a little stream to wander along which is what we did after dinner.
There were more ducks as well as some swans with her signets. Paul remembered he'd picked up a box of Coco Crisps as "emergency food" and we fed this to the ducks who seemed to enjoy it.
It really is a pretty part of the world.
We decided to take one last picture of us on vacation--this was going to be our final picture in England. . .
and then we saw the big black slugs and had to take a picture of one. So this is technically the last picture we took in England.
The next morning, we left for Manchester to catch our flight home. Danny had said several times that we needed to leave by about 6:45 to get to the airport on time. Linda thought 7:30 would be early enough. Let's just say Danny did some artful driving (including on the shoulder) to get us there on time since apparently no one (i.e. Linda) thought of rush hour traffic. We made it to the airport and through the check-in process with about 30 minutes to spare before boarding our plane. That's a little close for most of our liking and we can definitely thank Danny for getting us there with even that much time to spare. As we were saying goodbye to Danny and Ann, they both gave me a hug and said "Goodbye, Pet" which just seemed so English and sweet and English.
The flight home was definitely more lively than the flight to London since it was daytime. I read a bit, worked my crosswords, watched two movies (Horton Hears a Who and 27 Dresses so I can take those off my Netflix queue), napped some, and took pictures of Greenland as we flew over it. Paul and I were sitting in the middle section of the plane but Mom and Dad had a window seat. Too bad Dad was asleep at this point. He was kind of cranky when Mom woke him up trying to find her camera and wasn't that thrilled with us crawling over him to snap pictures.
But look how pretty Greenland is from the air. And since this is probably it for seeing Greenland, I wanted to capture it in photos even if it meant getting snarled at by my husband and dad.
So that's a summary of our 10 days in the UK and Ireland. I'm sure there are other things I'll think of to write about in the upcoming days and I'll just post pictures randomly since I have another 1100 to share. I hope that this isn't a once-in-a-lifetime trip because it definitely whetted my appetite to travel more extensively. By and far, I think Scotland was my favorite place to visit on this trip. I'd like to eventually go back to London and spend more time exploring there. The Lake District of England was just beautiful. Dublin, I could take or leave although I wouldn't refuse another trip to Ireland. Edinburgh, I loved. I've told Paul that I will be going back to Scotland to spend longer in Edinburgh and to go to the Highlands. I want to go to New Zealand (and probably get run over by a taxi while looking the wrong direction there) and I want to see the Northern Lights. I just hope I don't have to wait another 33 years for a big trip.
With Mom in the Lake District of England near Grasmere
This might have been a sweet moment between the two of us. Or he was trying to shut me up. While it's probably the latter, we'll say it's the former.
If these two guys wouldn't have put my luggage over the 50 lbs. weight limit, I would have had myself a couple of donkeys. I want a donkey. They're cute. And easy to anthropomorphize since Paul and I entertained ourselves doing just that during much of Ireland. Our donkeys are happy, eager to please, and not that bright.
Someone got the boot in Dublin. Just because you drive a BMW doesn't mean you don't have to pay those parking tickets.
