I am typing this in the coach while we head from Alnwick (pronounced ann-ick) toward York with a stop at Hadrian’s Wall.

So, yesterday we got an extra half-hour of sleep again. And then we had Alan, a local expert, guide us around Edinburgh. First in the coach, and then around the castle. It was a chilly day, but lots of sun throughout the day. Once he was done with the tour we had the rest of the day to ourselves.

Heh heh, since I last wrote, I’ve had lunch in Heddon on the Wall, stood on Hadrian’s Wall, and gotten wet while taking photos of the Angel of the North. Anyhoo, back to yesterday.

So, mom, Amy, and I started out by going to the Scotch Whisky Experience. Amy bought us tickets and we managed to get on the next tour. We took a “barrel ride” to see how scotch is made. Then our guide told us how to tell scotches apart by region. Then we each got a dram to try. Mom picked a Lowlands scotch, Amy a peaty Islay, and I got a Speyside scotch. I liked mine best and Amy’s was so smokey it tended to overwhelm all other tastes. We ended the tour by viewing the largest scotch collection in the world. It was damned impressive.

Next we wandered down the Royal Mile, popping into shops and looking for lunch. I spotted a kebab, fish, and chips shop (the Clam Shell) and convinced the girls to get donner kebabs. We also got 2 orders of chips with salt & vinegar. The chips orders were HUGE! And the kebabs were as well. And very tasty, too. I was pleased since I’d been talking them up since before our trip. (To me, pork pies and kebabs are Britain.)

After a few more shops, we left the Royal Mile and wound up at the park. Although the wind was brisk, the sun was out and we spent some time just sitting & enjoying the first day of summer.

Next we popped into Jenner’s department store since it is the Harrod’s of Edinburgh. It’s bigger than expected from the outside. But we returned to Old Town to continue our “Edinburgh Death March” that Amy was in charge of. In fact, she had forgotten she was supposed to be guiding our Death March and to make up for it, she added some stair climbing to the mix.

As it neared the time for meeting up with the coach, we popped into the woolen mill by the castle and got to see the giant looms they use. We got there after the workers were gone, but the shops were still open. Amy found a nice tweed bag that she got for 10% off due to a small stain on it.

We ended our time in Old Town at the Hub. I had a hot chocolate while the girls had coffee. The coach arrived and we were returned to the hotel.

After a short rest, the three of us put on our bathing suits and went to the spa in the hotel. First we sat in the hot tub & chatted with a local who is a member of the club in the hotel. She reminded me a little of Patricia Hayes in appearance. Next was time spent in the sauna, followed by a rest surrounded by small eucalyptus trees. Very relaxing!

For supper that night, we went to the hotel bar. I ordered a scotch-based drink which the waitress rightly topped off with lots of ice. We split baked Camembert & toast as starter. I then had a sandwich of mature cheddar with apple chutney. And I refrained from ordering dessert. I figured tonight’s fairwell dinner will finish with a dessert.

Our evening finished with me working on homework after the girls got to bed. There’s more to do, but it’s not due till Wednesday.

I’m once again writing this while the coach is on the road. We’ve just left St Andrews where Alf, our substitute driver (Carl has 2 days off) drove us onto the golf course to get a closer look.

So this morning we had an extra half hour to sleep in – yay! After breakfast we got on the coach and stopped about 5 minutes later to see a stone circle in a housing development. James took a group shot of us in the circle.

Next we headed for Blair Castle near Pitlochry. This was another optional excursion that we had picked. Alf dropped most of us off there before taking the others into town.

The castle was medieval but updated in the Georgian times and again for Victoria’s visit. We toured the inside, then got an early lunch in the café. I picked up a ploughman’s sandwich (cheese, branston pickle, white bread, lettuce & tomato), hot chocolate, and a custard cream pastry. Definitely a lovely lunch. I’d like another custard cream please!

We made it back to the bus in time and were headed back to Pitlochry to pick up the others when we saw two “Harry coos” in a field. James asked Alf to pull over and several of us got out to take photos of the hairy cows. We had time – in the choice between more time in Pitlochry and hairy cows, we picked the cows. Heh.

Once we gathered the others, it was off to St Andrews. We had 2 hours to kill there, so we started at the abbey for photos and walkies. At one point mom went a different way than Amy, so I stuck with mom once I found where Amy was heading. We eventually found each other and went in search of a place for continued lunch (mom & Amy had eaten only half their sandwiches). Eventually we entered the Greyfriars pub. I ordered a half pint of Strongbow cider, while Amy had a Twisted & Bitter and mom G&T. Mom wanted soup to go with her sammich and Amy wanted to try their haggis fritters. The fritters were very good and mom liked her Cullen skink soup (sort of a fish chowder).

We bugged out with 10 minutes to get back to the bus & at one point almost turned down the wrong road. Then when we were nearly there, we had a gauntlet of OAPs with canes & zimmers to dodge around. But we made it with time to spare. Go us!

Now we’re heading for our hotel (another resort outside of town) and this evening we doing our last optional excursion. Edinburgh, here we come!

I’m writing this later in the hotel. Dang, it’s a nice place! And the spa is open till 10. Though we didn’t get to it tonight, but maybe tomorrow night.

James is a big fan of Isambard Kingdom Brunel and when we crossed over the Firth of Forth, he had Alf drive us through narrow streets in Queens Ferry to get to an ideal vantage point in order to take photos of the “first Forth bridge over the Firth of Forth towards Fife” (which he can say very quickly AND with a nifty London accent). This is a cantilever bridge that Brunel built in the 19th century and it still used for the rail line over the Firth of Forth. It was interesting on one of the narrow streets when one person in a car encountered us going the other way and she wound up having to get onto the sidewalk to get around (helped by a lady from a shop moving her sandwich sign off of the sidewalk). These coaches are HUGE and the streets are NARROW. 🙂

Our dinner tonight was in a private club that underlooked Edinburgh Castle (after all, no building can OVERLOOK the castle, it’s the tallest thing in the city). I had lentil soup for starters, lamb, potatoes, and vegetables for main course, and a chocolate torte for dessert.

We’re back in the hotel thinking that maybe we shouldn’t ever eat again. But we know that tomorrow we shall be hungry and there are many things to try in Edinburgh. 🙂

So that I can have more time to do course work this evening, I’ve decided to start typing up today’s activities. We’re still on the coach returning from Skye, but now we’re closer to the resort than before.

This morning I decided to have porridge for breakfast. I added cream & honey to it and it was delightful. I supplemented it with bacon, fruit, tea, and toast with marmalade.

We left at 8am as usual, though it was lovely not needing our bags out for once. The theme for today was scenery (whereas yesterday was probably history). We stopped for pictures along the way, but our priority was the Isle of Skye.

One stop was at Loch Ness. I bought a gift and a mini Nessie thing while mom got me a hot chocolate & coffees for her & Amy. We took photos and were back on the coach in time.

We took the bridge across to the Isle of Skye and continued on to the Clan Donald center for more scenery and lunch. The lunch line was big at the start so we took a walk in the gardens. For all three of us, this was the highlight of the day. Beautiful, peaceful, moss, birdsong, wild onion scent – bliss. Our only regret is not having more time to enjoy it. When we returned for lunch, I ordered a mature cheddar toasty which I had with crisps, elderflower soda, and a brownie. Yummy!

Our group stayed 10 minutes more than the other two tour groups there (whom we’d been racing since the Nessie stop) and still got to the ferry on time. Well played, James! Well played.

Since then we’ve been on the road with a quick stop to view the Bonnie Prince Charlie memorial and the viaduct from the Harry Potter movies. Amy and I took the path up to the viewing area for photos.

The nicest thing about today is that the rain only really happens when we’re in the coach. Amy tempted fate today at breakfast by mentioning our great weather for this trip, but figured we were more than half way through, so it didn’t matter if the weather changes for the worst.

Tonight we’re having supper at the resort again. I’ve ordered the goat cheese starter, the chicken entrée, and the mango mousse for dessert. Should be tasty!

[Time passes and I’m now in bed for the night.] Once we got to the hotel, mom and I did another Tescos run. She needed a shower poof (hers went asplody the other morning) and I wanted more sugar. So I bought 2 packages of jelly babies, another box of Tunnick’s tea cakes, and a package of dark chocolate digestive biscuits. I will likely go into sugar overload if customs lets me take this all out! 🙂

As I suspected, dinner was great. Before we went into the dining area, mom bought us drinks with money that dad had given her. I once again had a gin & tonic. The meal was superb, as usual. And the conversation was fun – we’ve managed to eat with different people each day which makes for interesting conversations. After dinner, we reitred to our room whereupon we packed for the next day and Amy posted more Facebook pictures. And now I’m going to try and get a lesson done before I sleep.

Last night I wasn’t able to write up an entry for our day. I am currently typing this while our bus is retuning from the Isle of Skye. I’m doing this with the virtual keyboard since my Bluetooth keyboard is in my luggage.

So, yesterday we left Glasgow to head north to the highlands. Poor Glasgow didn’t leave as favorable an impression upon us as Liverpool or Cardiff. Perhaps it was the restaurant messing up supper. Perhaps it was the hotel spa closing as we arrived. Perhaps we just aren’t Glasgow gals. Regardless, we were ready to meet the Highlands.

Our first stop in the Highlands was Loch Lomond. Though we skipped Windemere’s boat ride, we opted for this one. It was a hazy, chilly, drizzly day, which just seemed perfect for a loch ride. When we were departing the boat, one of the crew admitted that this was the coldest start to summer that she could recall. She felt sorry for the kids starting their holidays this weekend.

For lunch, James took us off the beaten path to the Drover’s Inn. He said the place reminded him of the Addams Family. Inside, even more so. Lunch was Scotch broth and assorted sandwiches – very tasty. Not even sure what all the sandwiches were other than having butter & mayonnaise. (One was egg, that I’m sure of.)

We then spent the early afternoon driving thru the valley of Glencoe. Despite the historical drama, the valley was peaceful and beautiful. Indeed, the trip was almost scenery overload.

When we arrived at our resort, those of us doing the optional excursion had 20 minutes to get ready. And then it was time to see the puppies!

When we were planning out extra excursions, Amy and I weren’t sold on the sheepdog one. But it’s James’s favorite and he kept selling it. And we finally relented. I’m glad we did. It was fun watching the shepherd herd the sheep with his dogs using only voice commands and unique whistles. And afterwards we got to hold puppies. 🙂

James wanted to apologize for rushing us out of supper the previous night and so bought us drinks before dinner. I had a gin & tonic with Bombay Sapphire. Supper was at the resort and I had leek & potato soup (needed salt), pork belly/back/rump/something & mash & veggies, and chocolate delice (aka chocolate mousse cake).

Mom, Amy and I took a walk around Aviemore and wound up buying junk food at Tescos. I hadn’t brought money with me. But I had enough change in my pocket to get 2 packages of Penguins and a box of tea cakes. We eventually got ourselves situated for bed. I had intended to complete another lesson for my course but it wasn’t to be. (Too busy posting photos of pupies on Facebook, I think). Maybe tonight?

Scotland, I am in you! Woo! (We are now on the second week of our trip!)

This morning, we left Liverpool and headed onward to the Lake District. Most of the group had opted for the steam train & boat ride on Lake Windemere, but we and one other pair had not. So when we got to the train station at Haverthwaite, we headed for the shops while the others got their scones & teas or used the loo or both. In the shop, I bought a few souveniers – tea towels (that match my kitchen), mini-mugs for Doctor Who (TARDIS & Dalek design), and a slate coaster with a sheep painted on it.

Once the main group was off, we bought tea (or, in mother’s case, coffee) and scones in the station restaurant. It was very quaint, in a good way. I think mom is a convert to the joys of scones & cream & jam. 🙂 (She was assured by the wait staff that it had no calories.) The other group who didn’t go is a pair of ladies who are friends from British Columbia. Very nice ladies. Our bus driver, Carl, was the only other one left from our tour group.

At 11, we returned to the bus and Carl drove us around Lake Windemere. He even pulled over once to let us get a really nice shot of the lake from a bridge. (He said that, since it was raining, we’d get better photos outside than through the spattered windows.) We arrived at Bogness (I think) to await the rest of the group’s arrival. And while waiting, we took plenty of photos, including some up-close-and-personal photos of some very friendly swans.

Our next stop, once everyone was aboard the coach, was Grasmere. There, James took us on a short walk to the cemetary and regaled us with the story of William Wordsworth and his wife… and sister. We were then free for an hour to get lunch, shop, view, etc. We all got Cornish pasties at a local place (The Cumbria, I think?) and then shopped. I bought some gingerbread from Sally Nelson’s Gingerbread shop. While we were at the restaurant, a local gentleman with a cute doggie had told us about the place when he heard we were going to Glasmere. But then James had to be the most excellent tour guide that he is and told the whole group about it, too. 😉 I haven’t had any yet – we were still too full from lunch.

Gretna Green in Scotland is, apparently, famous for being the place that English couples would head for to get married because once the marriage laws (age of consent) in Scotland and England were different. And the smithy would perform the ceremony for ’em. It’s mostly a tourist trap now, but the shops were nice. I got an Anderson scarf and a few other touristy things (mostly concerning the Anderson tartan and motto – mum’s an Anderson originally).

James is a wonderful tour guide and often buys us local candy etc to sample on the bus. Earlier today he’d given all of us Penguins. So I had to tell mom and Amy the joke that my friends told me when they first introduced me to the chocolate biscuits: Why don’t polar bears eat penguins? Cuz they can’t get the wrappers off! James heard me tell the joke and gave me a second one. 🙂 Amy and mom now agree that Penguins are pretty tasty. Now if we could just find some imported Tim Tams so they can make a comparision, that would be lovely.

After the Gretna Green stop, James had some shortbread to share with us all – very tasty. And THEN he gave us all samples of a Scotch whiskey that he’d bought to share. It was also pretty tasty (who knew there was a whiskey I could like?) As I said, he’s a great tour guide!

Despite the coach door opening soon after we got onto the highway (Carl pulled over and got it shut again – he is calm during chaos, that man), we made it to Glasgow with time to spare. So James took us around to the Glasgow cathedral for a photo op. There’s also a police box near the cathedral which we got to see. 🙂

Dinner tonight was part of the tour and was at The Corinthian Club, which is a casino in an old bank in Glasgow. I ordered the Scotch Broth for starters, lamb stew and mashed potatos (though it had a fancier name on the menu), and the cranachan in a chocolate cup (a raspberry mousse-like stuff). The starters came out just fine, but when it was time for the entree, something had happened – for some reason the kitchen hadn’t made enough stuff for everyone. And sadly, our table was one of the last to be served. The food was delicious, but we had to scarf up the dessert in order to get Carl back so that he and the bus have 11 hours before they are able to run again. James was outwardly calm, but I’m pretty sure he was livid – he’d emphasized to the restaurant how important the timing was before dinner. Still, we got to the hotel in time – yay!

Actually, I say hotel, but it’s actually a golf resort. And, sadly, the spa closed at 9pm, just as we were arriving. Bummer! But we took a short walk around the resort for a bit more exercise, and then retired to our room. We’re 1-nighting in this hotel, but the next two are 2-nighters. Phew!
Tomorrow, we head further north into the Highlands. Yay!

Helo o Cymrw! (which might say “Hello from Wales” or it might not, depending on the accuracy of Google Translate.)

On this whirlwind trip through Great Britain, we have really only 1 day in Wales, and today was it. Tomorrow morning, we leave this country and head East and North (next hotel is in Liverpool). But Wales, and Cardiff in particular, has left an impact on us – my sister has declared Cardiff her new favorite city, and I can certainly understand why!

We started out in Exeter. Sadly, we had awakened so early that my stomach was still asleep, so no full English fry-up for me! (Considering the theme of today was FOOD, that might have been for the best.) Corn flakes and pain au chocolate plus tea was what my snoring stomach demanded. But we left the lovely town of Exeter (which would have been great to visit, rather than just have as a base for day-trips) and headed on to Glastonbury.

There’s a ruined abbey in Glastonbury that we visited. A young lady pretending to be a pilgrim from the time of the original abbey (14th century, approx) guided us through the ruins. She was quite good and had a suitable amount of snark, especially about Arthur & Guinevere being buried there. And the young lady playing the part is decended from previous caretakers of the grounds and had a story to tell about two of the thorn trees planted on the grounds.

But that was all the time we had for Glastonbury, because we had a “Be our Guest” dinner at a farm called Blackmoor Farm. It’s a new idea for a reality show (coming soon to TLC): 44 tourists, their tour guide and coach driver show up on your doorstep unannounced and you have to preare dinner for the whole group! (Well, that’s what Amy thinks it should be. Heh. They knew we were coming.) The fellow who owns the farm showed us around the Great Hall and then a friend of his, who’s an historian, continued the tour. Really neat history to the building. And I’ve forgotten most of the details, so I’ll blaim tonight’s wine. Heh. After the tour, we had lunch as prepared by the farm staff. Shepherd’s pie (without actual shepherd on top), chicken/ham/leek pie, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower with & without a cheesy cream sauce – all very lovely. And scrumpy, rose cider, and white wine all available. I had the scrumpy. Most veggies I’ve had in one meal on this trip. heh.

We were then on our way to cardiff. We crossed the Severn bridge into Wales and then headed for Cardiff. Carl dropped everyone off at the castle. We had not opted for the castle and instead took a cab to Cardiff Bay to the Doctor Who Experience. Sadly, we arrived just 10 minutes after the last tour of the day – Boo! But we could still get tickets into the museum part of the place – Yay! And the tickets were cheaper – Big Yay! So we did just that and had a blast taking photos of costumes and props. there’s a photo of mom with daleks that’s hilarious and I’ll have to post when I can get it off my phone. I was pleased that mom & Amy indulged me in my passion. 🙂 I also bought a few gift items – a cyberman pin, a pencil, several postcards (including Missy for the Death in Heaven “poster”), and a squishy toy thing that wound up being a weeping angel. Fun stuff!

We headed back toward our hotel using my GPS and some directions on google maps that I’d gotten earlier. The bay and Roald Dahl Plass is lovely. And it was nice seeing the venue we were going to for supper. We arrived at the hotel just minutes before the rest of the group. And then we had some time to rest before it was time to leave for our optional excursion of the Spirit of Wales.

Our group arrived early to the Millennium Center (after witnessing two people helping a guy so drunk he wound up passed out on the sidewalk and when the police started to investigate, the couple walked away as if they didn’t know the fellow – ah, city life!) and were led into the bar by one of the singers who’d be entertaining us. They had small samples of Welsh mead (yummy) and Welsh rarebit (too small of a sample to judge) for us to try while we waited for the other tour groups. When everyone was there, we were brought into ffresh, the restaurant at the Millennium Center, and entertained & fed till we nearly burst. They had 4 singers (3 women, 1 man), their MC (who also was a singer), and a lady who played the harp and piano. They did a number of traditional Welsh songs (and not so traditional) in between courses. I had the goat cheese terrine with beetroot (amazingly good), lamb rump (rymp in Welsh) with veggies (also yummy), and the chocolate something or other that was also lovely. Amy and I wound up finishing off a bottle of Sirrah with a little help from the lady beside me, while mom and the man beside her polished off 1+ bottles of white wine.

As we left the Millennium Center, it was getting dark out (yes, it WAS late) and the whole plaza was lit up beautifully. Amy and I got some really nice photos, which I’ll post at some point. Heh. (If you’re on Twitter, I’ve posted a couple there already.)

So now it’s late and I need to sleep so that I can have real food for breakfast. Cardiff, thank you for your hospitality! Maybe sometime I might get to stay longer than 1 day!