Last Day in Scotland

October 24, 2012

Though it was very foggy last night we ventured out to a great Italian place down the street.  Bc is amazing at parallel parking, on the wrong side!  We enjoyed our meal so much, we bought a bottle of wine to have tonight and found that the place will deliver a Parma covered mushroom and cheese pizza.  Yum!

For breakfast I had a croissant with goat cheese and tomatoes.  All heated and melty.  Nice.  Bc had a croissant with cheddar cheese, tomatoes and bacon. 

We found the post office and mailed off the TEP, which is the internet thingie we rented.  This time we were smart and remembered it was Wednesday and the PO closes at noon!

Off we went to see the Royal Yacht Britannia.  The now decommissioned Royal Yacht of Queen Elizabeth and her family.  Annie Macallan got us there quite well.  Driving in traffic with various 5 spoke round abouts can be very nerve wracking! 

The yacht is very nice.  We were surprised at how simple it all is.  The Queen’s room is sparse as is the Prince’s.  They are connected by a door.  We saw the State Dining room, a lot of the officers’ quarters and lesser staff’s quarters.  Bc was reminiscing about his time on the USS Enterprise!  It was a nice tour, very historic with lots of pictures and memorabilia. 

After that we had Annie take us to the Royal Botanical Gardens.  It turned out to be a nice, clear, cold day.  The gardens are lovely.  Though I suspect they are much prettier in the spring.  We ate a small bite at the cafeteria and rested our tired feet. 

For one last time with Annie, we had her take us to the airport to return her and the car.  She did a great job!  BTW, we drove over 1100 miles in Scotland.  We caught a taxi back to our B&B Violet Bank House.  Reta and John’s grandson Finley showed us all over the backyard.  He is "4 and ¾" and let us see all the secret spots in the back yard.  It’s gorgeous! 

We spent time reworking packing, ugh, and now we are enjoying some sherry and whiskey before dinner.  We will go to bed early as we have to get up at 5:30am!  Ick!

Please, say a prayer, keep your fingers crossed that our travels won’t be too difficult.  We fly early tomorrow to Dublin, wait all day and fly Aer Lingus to New York.  Spend the night at an airport hotel and Friday fly to Sacramento, via Southwest.  Kate will pick us up and voila!! We will be home. 

We’ve had a marvelous journey.  We’ve learned so much, enjoyed so many new things and are pleased that we had this chance to explore Ireland and Scotland together. 

Random Thoughts:

I have never seen so many red haired, adorable children!

Our knees, ankles and generally our bodies are weary from spending too much time walking and standing on stone floors, uphill treks and just general castle plundering 

The whole royalty thing is confusing and not that much different than our football/baseball/basketball stars, movie stars and other assorted “famous” people who we watch for some strange reason.

The drivers in Scotland and Ireland are so nice.  Always waving at each other (and not the 1 finger wave!), waiting to allow people to pass.  I think they might be run over on California’s freeways and streets. 

We are so pleased we missed an entire month of the US Presidential drama!

And lastly, “there’s no place like home….”

, bc and gc  

Edinburgh Castle and Mary King's Close

October 23, 2012

We woke up to a rainy, foggy day in Edinburgh.  For breakfast our hostess Reta said “Would you like some fish?  The fish monger came by the kitchen window this morning at half eight.  We have some lovely smoked haddock.”  This was after cereal and fruit.  The smoked haddock was perfect.  Tomatoes and cheese baked on top.  Different, but very good. 

Reta called us a cab and off we went to drop off a load of laundry.  Then onto Edinburgh Castle.  This is more of a defensive castle than a castle where people used to live.  We spent about 2 ½ hours walking all over, seeing the sites.  It was cold and foggy.  I suspect the views would be wonderful.  This is the castle where Mary Queen of Scots gave birth to her only child James VI who was also James I of England.  We learned more about the Scottish military.  It seems the Scots have been fighting someone, somewhere forever.  We wandered through so many exhibits of military uniforms, remembrances, battles and such. 

We left Edinburgh Castle and walked down the Royal Mile.  This is a cobblestone street bustling with traffic and people, even though it was cold and foggy.  We made a booking at Mary King’s Close for 3:15 and then found a place to have lunch. 

The buildings are built so close together and down a hill from the Royal Mile that the little alleyways are called Closes.  Some are open today with shops and gardens.  The section of where Mary King’s Close is was covered over in 1563 to build the Parliament building.  Now think about this.  We think we will chop off the top of your house and your neighbor’s house and build on top of you.  And, by the way, it will be illegal for anyone to live underneath the Parliament building!  Reminds me of the Earl of Scone who didn’t like the townspeople so close to his front door!  This is a picture of Gray's Close which is still open to the sky.

This is an underground tour.  Very similar to the Seattle underground tour, except much older.  Many poor people lived in Mary King’s Close.  Many died of Typhus, Diphtheria and the Black plague.  It was an amazing tour! 

Here is a scene along the Royal Mile.  

And a very cool shop!

We didn't see anything that might suggest the BBOY is in Edinburgh, but we did see the most tattooed and pierced lady ever!  Really, she sat along the sidewalk and let people take her picture   Her face and hair were amazing.  

We caught a cab back to pick up our laundry and home again.  We plan to venture out in the fog to find a place for dinner. 

One more day before we start our journey home.  We are tired, but have loved this trip!

 See you soon!  Bc and gc

Edinburgh via St Andrews

October 22, 2012

Today was another travel day.  We left Pitlochery after breakfast to head to Edinburgh, via St. Andrews.

We made it to Dunkeld to see the Cathedral.  We drove through the entire town of Dunkeld twice, which took 5 minutes total, and never saw the Cathedral.  We saw signs, but no Cathedral.  We think it may be hidden with Mt. Rushmore.  (See our previous blog post when we were in South Dakota in 2009).

On down the road to Perth to see the “Scone Palace.”  I asked bc, “what is the difference between a Palace and a Castle?”  He said “A Castle is built to be defended.”  The Scone Palace doesn’t have much to do with scones.  The area is known as the scone area.  Darn! 

Scone Palace was built in the 1770’s, as you are now well aware was after the 2^nd Jacobite uprising.  So the Earl of Mansfield didn’t need to build a home that would ward off marauding Brits, Jacobites, Picts or random Scottish Clans.  Once again, the 1^st Earl was “given” all the land by whichever King was in charge.  He built a beautiful Palace, later Earls were friends with Queen Victoria and her family and the whole royal bunch. 

While walking up to pay our 19 pounds we saw huge hairy cows.  We learned that they are Highland cows.  We visited with “George”.  He was born last April and likes attention. 

We also saw the replica of the “Stone of Scone”.  (Say this 3 times fast.)  This is a very uncomfortable stone bench upon which the Scottish Kings are crowned.  Lord knows why they don’t have fancy chairs like other Royalty!

  

Oh!  In the 1800s the 3^rd Earl found that the town of Scone was becoming too close to his front door.  So he decided to have every building torn down and moved down the road a ways.  Can you imagine?! 

  

While driving to Dundee we saw giant spools.  I suspect they were going to wherever the BBOY is. 

After going through Dundee we headed to St. Andrews’ Golf Course.  Not far from St. Andrews, we came upon St. Michael’s Golf Course.  It’s right next to the cemetery.  As you know, we have 2 sons, Michael and Andrew.  We stopped at St. Michaels Golf Course, and, well, sorry Mike.  You need to ask your brother for some advice on how to spruce up the place.  

Off we went to St. Andrews.  We had a nice lunch overlooking the old course.  There are 5 courses there!  We both enjoyed being there.  It is so impressive.  (Again, sorry Mike!) Here's my sweetie.  Life is good.  Very good. 

We then made the trek to Edinburgh.  Bc did a marvelous job of driving us through the big city with Annie Macallan’s help.  We are staying at Violet Bank House for 3 nights, and then we will go home. 

We are a little weary.  But we’ve had such a great time!  We are looking forward to visiting Edinburgh. 

Take care, bc and gc

p.s.  Regarding my beloved son’s golf courses.  Now while I know both my sons are very busy and don’t have all the time they might like to put into the game, I do think some attention to their respective courses might be necessary.  Now without mentioning any other names, let me say this.  St. Michael’s appears to be a modular building, though it is on a permanent foundation.  St Andrew’s is, well, you’ve seen it, quite stately.  St. Michael’s “club room” or otherwise recognizable as a coffee-type shop was half filled with 7 “gentlemen” who might, after a morning “warm up” (if you know what I mean), might stumble out for a quick 18 in the field.  St. Andrew’s restaurant, overlooking the coast, the St. Andrews Old Course Hotel, the courses and yes the member’s club, was shall we say somewhat more elegant. 

Here's St Andrews

Here's St. Michaels

So while both sons have wonderful intent, I shall be working with them to try and create a bit of parity in their golf styles.  Gents, I love you both and just couldn’t resist this little fun, It was just the luck of the draw on the course names so enjoy.  L, D   

Blair Castle and Bruar Falls

October 21, 2012

What a glorious day it was!  It started out misty (foggy), but the mist burned off to reveal a perfect autumn day.  The colors are at their peak.  It seems that around every corner we say “Look at that!”

We had a nice breakfast here at Craigatin House.  We were one of the last to get to breakfast! 

Then off we went.  We tried to see the Queen’s View, but the mist prevented that.  We decided to head to Blair Castle to beat the crowds.  On the way to the castle we passed through Killiecrankie.  Now, come on.  Wouldn’t you love to live in Killiecrankie?  “Where do you live?”  “Killiecrankie!"(said with a scowl), where’d ye think I’d be living!?”  Bc and I did a whole routine while driving through Killiecrankie.  It was quite funny and gave us a new way to be grouchy!

So, we drove the 5 miles to Blair Castle.  This is a huge tourist event.  This is “the ancient seat of the Dukes and Earls of Atholl.”  This castle was originally built in the 1200s, but subsequent Earls/Dukes added on.  Some of the family lives in one part of it today. It has been amazingly restored.  Again, we couldn’t take any pictures inside except for the ballroom.  The current 12^th Duke lives in South Africa and comes back every April for the Highland Games. 

We happened to arrive at Blair Castle when the bagpiper started.  It was quite touching.  Especially for bc.

  

We then headed up the road 5 more miles to the House of Bruar and the Falls of Bruar.  (Pronounced Brewer.)  Now, this is the “touristiest” place we have found on our entire trip.  We wanted to walk to the falls, but it was nearly impossible to find the starting point.  We finally asked the market place guy and he told us “It’s around to the right between the buildings then left.”  There were many, many people/families shopping and dining.  We found the secret trail and started to walk.  Once again, the trees are at their peak and we were not disappointed.  It was quite a hike.  Most of the way we were the only ones on the track.  At times it was slippery, muddy and steep.  But we made it!  Our knees were aching on the way down, but the scenery was so amazing. 

We rewarded ourselves with a bowl of soup and a shared scone, oh and a glass of claret.  We watched the people go by and marveled at the many shops.  We did cruise through one shop, buying 3 cards.  If you didn’t find what you were looking for in these shops, it isn’t to be found. 

Then we headed back towards Pitlochery.  We stopped at the Pass of Killiecrankie to see the soldier’s leap.  Legend has it Mr. McBane leapt 18 feet over the river to get away from the Jacobites and was successful.  This was a short walk, but our weary knees and feet were yelling!  However, it was beautiful.

Then we drove to the Queen’s view which was now uncovered from the mist.  It was really worth going back to.  It’s Sunday.  This is my church…..

Tomorrow we head off to Edinburgh for 3 nights before we head back to the states.  Tonight we will walk (!!) to town for a wee bit o’ dinner. 

Ok, we really miss you all!  Take care, bc and gc    

Pitlochery

October 20, 2012

Another grueling morning… The beds are so comfortable at the Osborne House that we sleep until after 8am.  Oh, how wonderful!  Heather and Neil are so nice.  We enjoyed their hospitality. 

Oh!  We really enjoyed our dinner at Rock Salt and Snails last night. We sat next to some very nice Brits and had a lovely conversation.

On the road by 10:30am (!!) we went directly to Balmoral Castle to meet with the Queen and Prince Phillip.  Imagine our horror when we arrived to find that they had left 2 weeks ago!  I feel awful for having mixed up our date for tea.  Imagine me standing there at the door to Balmoral, with my spectator hat, hearing that we were not welcome!  Well, we drowned our sorrows by stopping by the Royal Lochnager Distillery.  Though we didn’t go on the tour or taste any whiskey, we did see the nice video explaining how this became “the” Royal Distillery.  It seems that the guy who started the distillery, John Beggs, noticed he had new neighbors, wrote to the Queen’s personal secretary inviting Prince Albert to come on by and have a taste.  Lo and behold the next afternoon Queen Victoria, Prince Albert and their 3 oldest children stopped by to see the distillery and have a taste.  Soon after that it became the “Royal Lochnager Distillery.” 

So, I removed my spectator hat and carefully placed it in the back seat of the car and off we went.  We drove along; saw a sign for Braemar Castle.  We stopped and took the tour.  It was getting colder and those stone castles get and stay cold.  However, it was very interesting.  This castle was built in 1622 by the Laird of the Mays.  They only got to live in it until 1688 when the neighbors burnt it down due to allegiance with the wrong head of state.  And of course along came the Jacobites and you know how that worked out. In any case, the neighbors, Farquharson’s (or something like that) took it over as a summer castle.  They lived about 5 miles away!  We were allowed to take pictures.  We were impressed how wide and smooth the staircase was in comparison to the other castles we’ve been in. 

On the road again through the Glen Shee area.  This is a ski resort area, though not in October.  Thank goodness!  The scenery changed again and is so beautiful. And we came across unfenced sheep.  

We cruised through Enocdhu, Kinnaird and Mouli and stopped in Kirkmichael to find something to eat.  We didn’t find any place to stop to eat, but we did find this broken down church. Sad. 

We got to the outskirts of Pitlochery and found Edradour Distillery.  This is the smallest and one of the oldest distilleries in Scotland.  We stopped, but the next tour was 30 minutes away and we’ve been on a lot of distillery tours.  So bc bought 2 of their little bottles, Edradour 10 year and Caledonia 12 year to taste.  He’s enjoying them now. 

We came to our B&B Craigatin House and parked the car.  We walked into Pitlochery and had a nice snack and walk about.  We will walk back to the main part of town to have some dinner.  This is a very nice B&B.  Very old building, but renovated nicely.  We’ll be here 2 nights. 

While out walking we came across this beautiful maiden.

Hope all is well, love you!  Bc and gc 

Crathes Castle

October 19, 2012

What a fabulous dinner we had last night at Glen Lui!  I had salmon and bc had venison with red wine vanilla sauce.  For dessert we had sticky toffee pudding.  This was the best sticky toffee pudding we have had yet.  Heather who owns the B&B we are at gave us her recipe for this dessert.  Yum.  A perfect Christmas treat. 

We had a nice breakfast in the dining room this morning.  Then off to visit Crathes Castle.  It was about a 45 minutes’ drive through pretty fall scenery.  We drove through Tullich, Dinnet, Aboyne, Ballogie, Inchmarlo, Banchoy and Milton of Crathers. 

It was raining when we got to the Castle so we got out the lightening rod, I mean umbrella, and made our way to the ticket office.  This castle was built in the 1650s to 1680’s by Mr. Burnett.  The Burnetts of Leys had been “gifted” the lands from a King.  The Burnett families lived in the castle until 1952 when they “gifted” it back to Scotland.  It is well furnished and is amazing to see how they lived.  There are the steep and winding stairs, with the 11^th step a “trip step” and amazing ceilings painted in the 1600s with sayings and pictures.  I thought of my friend Diana when I saw the 2 exquisite framed cross stitch pictures.  They were done by 12 and 8 year old girls in 1814 and 1827!  Again, we couldn’t take any pictures of the inside. 

It had stopped raining so we walked around the wonderful garden.  We took lots of pictures.  I can only imagine how beautiful the garden is in spring or summer. 

Can you imagine fuchsia's like this in fall!

In real life the fall colors are even more beautiful

These hedges are bizarre!  We saw a garden note.  It said the hedge trimming was done for the season.  They trimmed 3 miles worth!

On the way home we stopped at “Rock Salt and Snails” for a snack.  It’s a tiny bistro with good food.  We enjoyed it so much; we booked a table for this evening.  We plan to have a lighter meal after last nights!  While having lunch there I saw my boss Joan having tea and visiting with a friend.  She pretended not to notice me, but I saw her just the same!

We walked around Ballater and bc got to visit the butcher shop.  We came back to the B&B to re-sort through all our stuff.  The suitcases were a mess but now we know where stuff is!  It’s been cold and foggy, but we don’t let it stop us. 

Tomorrow we are off to another B&B.  Take care, bc and gc