Pitlochry 4-30-10

I got a cat fix this morning when Tessa, one of the owners of our B&B, brought down her kitty for me to snuggle for a few minutes. It was an unexpected bonus of an already enjoyable stay.
Breakfast at Rick's again - fruit and yogurt today, in contrast to yesterday's haggis. Probably a good idea.

Mom and Dad left to pick up the rental car, and when they came back, Dad was shaking, and Mom's hair was standing on end. Apparently, it's a small challenge to drive on the other side of the road, but an even greater one to shift with the other hand, look in other places to find the mirrors, and get used to a new type of car, all at the same time, while driving in a large, unfamiliar city. There was a light rain as we set out, so I was glad I brought a nice waterproof jacket. We headed for the fishing village of Anstruther, and watched as the soft, rolling hills gave way to coastline and scores of fishing boats. Had lunch at the Anstruther Fish Bar, a local favorite for fish and chips. We had the fish and chips. We were underwhelmed. Afterward, Dad and I went through the Scottish Fisheries Museum while Mom and Aunt Becky...did something else. The Fisheries museum got us thinking about the centuries of life on the water, the life of a fisherman (or woman) and his (or her) family, the ways it had changed through the centuries, and the ways it hadn't.

The weather was clear and lovely as we left the museum, so we wandered around on the waterfront for a few minutes looking at the boats, then jumped back in the car for the short drive to St. Andrews, a.k.a. the Birthplace of Golf.

Aunt Becky is the golfer in our group, so I know we didn't stay at St. Andrews long enough for her, but we did get a good look at the "Old Course," and watched some people tee off. They were setting up for the Open Championship, which will be held there in July. Even without knowing much at all about Golf, or St. Andrews, I could still feel a strong sense of history and reverence surrounding the place. I wished for a moment that I could teleport my golf-loving friends here for the afternoon so they could really appreciate it as my ignorant self cannot.
On the way out of St. Andrews, I managed to convince the group to let me jump out and get some photos of the beautiful ruin of the St. Andrews Cathedral. Mom got out with me and we raced through the place as quickly-yet-respectfully as we could, trying to soak up as much as possible in a short amount of time. I believe that some day I must try to either camp in such a place, or take part in some type of reenactment at an abbey or cathedral ruin. Add that to my Bucket List.
We got back into the car and watched as the scenery rolled by, changing once again, this time to the beginnings of craggy highlands.
We made one last evening stop at what was to be possibly my favorite place on the whole trip: Glamis Castle. Steeped in history (and I really mean that), Glamis (pron. Glahmz)originated as a medieval hunting lodge, and has been in the same family since the 1300's. England's Queen Mother is of this family, and spent a lot of time here as a child. Said to be the most haunted castle in Scotland, it is the reported home of a servant boy, the Grey Lady, Earl Beardie, and others, who are said to haunt the castle and grounds. Also, Shakespeare wrote it into MacBeth, so it's got that going for it. All this being said, I think I could be quite comfortable there. There are over 100 rooms in the castle, but only about 11 were open to tour. Even so, the tour took about an hour and a half. I'm sad I didn't get the guide's name, because he was a great one - he clearly loves the castle, knows his history, and created a perfect blend of humor and respect.

About an hour's drive through pretty, sheep-filled farmland in many shades of green (Becky, the painter, could identify every one!) took us to Pitlochry, known for its hiking trails and outdoor activities. We noticed that the hills are starting to get a little steeper now. There was a short period of light rain during the drive, and then we were rewarded with a beautiful rainbow. We stopped for the night at Craigroyston House, run by the very sweet and exceedingly accommodating Gretta. Mom and Dad's room seemed plenty comfortable, but mine and Aunt Becky's was luxurious - large, with two beds, and a seating area in a bay window overlooking the little valley with the main shopping road and the hillside beyond.
We took a pleasant walk to dine at a nearby restaurant (yummy and light salmon, salad, asparagus and tea for me), then back to the room for a good night's sleep. Tomorrow, we'll sleep in a bit, and then head to Inverness.

Edinburgh, 4-29-10

Stayed the night at 53 Frederick St, a very comfortable and friendly guest house located in the middle of the New Town section of Edinburgh. Awoke at 7:30 local time and went downstairs to Ricks for a light breakfast of sausages, bacon, haggis, mushrooms, potato scone, eggs, and tomatoes, with orange juice, toast & coffee. It was my first time trying haggis, and I must say I found it delicious. Similar to livermush, for those who are familiar with that southern delicacy.

After breakfast we headed to Edinburgh Castle, (try the 3-D tour!) built on a well-situated hill created by volcanic activity sometime around 340 billion years ago, give or take. The castle was impressive, and there was lots of information, from the wall signs, tour brochure, and audio guide. There were human guides around as well, and they all seemed very well informed, and keen to answer questions thoroughly, rather than give simple responses. This made me happy, as I was keen to hear their lovely brogues, and tended to make up questions just to get them to talk to me.
Highlights of the castle include:
-The Honors of Scotland (crown jewels) -including the crown, sceptre, and sword that were once hidden away from Cromwell's forces for safe keeping in a wooden box, to be recovered later by Walter Scott. The Stone of Scone is there, as well, having been taken from Scotland to England in 1296 and returned finally in 1996.
At one point, I wandered into the gift shop, as I do. I love a shop. There was another guide there, dispensing small sips of whisky to those of age who were interested in tasting what they had on offer. So of course I stepped to receive a wee dram. I don't drink much, and can't remember the last time I tasted whisky, so I proceeded with caution. "Do I just ... shoot it?" I asked. "You can,...if you like," the pourmeister replied, a little dubiously. At this point, another interested patron, who apparently couldn't bear the thought of such a waste of good alcohol stepped in and said, "if you just put a wee bit under your tongue, just up near the back o' your teeth, and inhale and let the air move over it, you'll taste the aroma first. And then you can swallow it." Well, that sounded pretty sensible to me, so I tried it that way. I definitely tasted the aroma. Not unpleasant, but not something I could picture enjoying on a regular basis, either. At that point, I noticed a small bottle of 16-year-old Lagavulin on the shelf. A dear friend had given me strict instructions to bring a bottle of it home, so I seized the opportunity to seize a bottle. I asked for and received a taste of the Lagavulin, and the difference in taste was like night and day. I love the smokier and more smooth taste, and was quite pleased with my choice. I'm looking forward to enjoying it on a nice fall evening back home. I think it will be a very pleasant consolation.
After the gift shop, we realized it was very nearly time for the one o'clock gun, a tradition at Edinburgh Castle. We stuck around to watch that, then headed to lunch at a converted cathedral, where I introduced my parents to the spicy joys of Ginger Beer. We then took a walk along the Royal Mile, doing a little window shopping. It was mostly kilt shops and Celtic jewelry, but definitely fun, and an enjoyable walk. We got some information about a ghost walk later in the evening, and then Mom, Aunt Becky and I split off from Dad (who was feeling a bit under the weather) and continued on down to Holyrood Palace & Abbey for a tour. We had just enough time to make it through before they closed, and we got to see the setup for a banquet to be held later that night, when Princess Ann was due to make an appearance. We saw the room where Mary Queen of Scots witnessed the brutal murder of her Secretary by her jealous husband. Strange to think that such a dramatic and bloody event took place there in that clean, tranquil room. The ruin of the Abbey was beautiful, but then I am always drawn to those things.
Dinner was a quick fish and chips, and then Mom and I rushed back to the Royal Mile for our ghost walk. We were led by two young men whose names I've unfortunately forgotten, but I think one of them was Alex. They were funny and spooky, and told us stories about the gruesome history of Edinburgh, and led us down into the underground areas beneath the city that are said to be haunted. Of course, I enjoyed the heck out of it, but such walks have never been Mom's cup of tea. I think she just goes along to be supportive, and because 90 minutes of ghost stories are still preferable to her than 90 minutes of worrying about her "baby" daughter out there all alone in a big foreign city. It's sweet.
We walked around a bit after the tour, enjoying the sights of Edinburgh after dark, and got back in at about 10:30pm.

On the bill for tomorrow: Rent a car and drive through the East Neuk fishing villages to Anstruther, and on to St. Andrews (aka. The Birthplace of Golf).

Edinburgh, 4-28-10

Well, we made it.


We had smooth flights, and on the long leg from Washington DC to London, the four of us were originally to be separated, but at the last minute I was fortunate enough to get in an empty seat next to my mother instead of being stuck in the back of the middle section for 8 hours next to an elderly New Zealander with a strong personal scent and a penchant for talking. It would have been a long flight indeed if not for that empty seat.
I want to keep this post reasonably short, so I won't go into the difficulties of sleeping on a plane. But they are numerous, in case you weren't aware.
I realized at one point while sitting in the airport, that I don't have much of a dialect in my native country, so I'm used to people being unsure where I'm from. Here in Scotland, I am immediately recognizable as an American as soon as I open my mouth (if not sooner).
The final leg I had to take on my own, with Mom, Dad, and Aunt Becky following on the next flight, four hours later. While I love them all dearly, I relished having a little time on my own to navigate and find my way to the hotel. I planned to drop off my things and head back out for some sightseeing and general reconnaissance, but ended up sleeping for about 3 hours until the rest of the group joined me. So much for some alone time.
All in all, the journey took about 19 hours. I'm sitting in the common room of the B&B where we're staying, and the light of the day is slowly dimming over Edinburgh. We're in the relatively new part of town, as it's only about 200 years old, appropriately called New Town. Tomorrow I hope to see a little of Old Town so that I can compare the two. Also, more photographs, I promise. Today, I only got the one posted above before my batteries died. Boo.
Well, I'm exhausted, and after a delicious dinner of Arbroath Smokie fish cakes, a salad, and some "real ale"- Caledonian 80 (for Lamoureaux) - plus a short walk around the town, I believe I'll head to bed.

Pre-flight Checklist

It seems that most of the trouble with the previously-mentioned volcano has settled down, and we might actually go on this trip. Preparations are proceeding apace. I'm mostly packed, but will need to go through everything again once more to make sure I haven't forgotten anything. Which of course means that I will forget something. Probably my passport.
I ordered a globally enabled "loaner" phone from Verizon to take with me. What that means is that I should be able to take photos with the phone while I'm there and picture-text them to a twitpic account that will automatically update twitter, which will forward to a facebook status update. Yes, it's disgusting. But I can't help myself. My name is Epiphany, and I have a problem. Ten years from now, I'll read back over this and laugh at myself, in much the same way I laugh at photos of that perm I had in the seventh grade. You're welcome to join me, but be aware that I'll be laughing at you too, for reading a blog.
I was planning to do some cleaning this weekend, but an angel of a friend came over earlier this week and cleaned and rearranged and basically made my cute little house into a showplace. It's amazing. She's a wizard. No amount of cleaning on my part would have ever made it look this good. So I'm ahead of schedule, with not much else to do but work and anticipate the trip. That, and maybe plan a party or two for when I get back, just to show off the place.
I have the cat-sitting and lawn & garden care network in place, and look forward to the chance to pay these friends back for these huge favors they're doing me. They'll be the first ones invited to the party. Don't worry. You'll be second.
I've checked the weather reports online for Scotland, and it appears we'll have rain every day except one, and on that day, we'll have drizzle. Good thing I got a raincoat. (Actually, I've bought three in the last month, trying to find the perfect one - warm enough but not too warm, equipped with a hood, waterproof (obviously), nice color for the inevitable vacation photos - but at this point, who's surprised I'm going a little overboard?)

Drama! Nail biting!

Well, we're set to depart for Scotland in nine days, but four days ago an Icelandic volcano with an unpronounceable name (unless you can pronounce Eyjafjallajokull - I clicked the wikipedia prouncer-thingy and I'm still at a loss to do it. ) erupted, sending a plume of ash right into the fly zones for global travel. The ash cloud has suspended travel indefinitely to the U.K., France, and Skandanavia. And Scotland. Yes, I know I said the U.K., but I wanted to be sure you got the full implications of my statement: I may not get to go to Scotland.

It's hard to be too vocal about my disappointment, because there are thousands of travelers stranded in places they weren't even traveling to or from. There are people who have spent all their money on holiday, and now can't even get home or afford to stay another night in a hotel. People can't get back to work, they can't start their honeymoons, can't attend weddings or funerals, ...the list goes on. I can't imagine the anger, disappointment and frustration they must be feeling right now.

That being said, I am rather nervous that I won't be able to go at all. I've wanted to see Scotland for decades, and we've been planning this particular trip for about 5 months now.

But really the only thing to do it wait and watch and hope and pray that the volcano stops erupting and the weather patterns take the cloud where it can't do as much damage. Any thoughts/prayers/wishes/good vibes you could send would be appreciated.