Mon. 2nd--Just a guy and his Pom. We love Rolo so much. He's such a great dog for our family.
We randomly selected a piece of armor and constructed it out of aluminum foil. When we were done, we shared the reason we thought Paul might have named each piece of armor the way he did and pledged to protect ourselves and our spirits through righteous, intentional habits.
*Some sweet pictures of Thomas and Daddy.
*Clouds moving in on another tennis match. I'm more interested in the storm brewing than tennis. Haha. But Calvin would be, too!
*Haha--I loved President Nelson's talk "Think Celestial." So so good.
*My sweet grandbaby.
*Jake and Trina at the St. George Temple open house. I'm so glad they could go.
A newborn baby and both parents in wheelchairs. I feel like this should have made the cover of the Church News or something. :) I love the picture at dusk with the temple lit up. Beautiful.
Sun. 8th--More of Thomas.
Looking at his crocheted slothy.
I was at church long enough for Sacrament Meeting and to be sustained as the new RS instructor (I swear I thought I'd be the Primary Presdient for 4 more years) then Jared drove me to Lubbock so I could fly to Phoenix to join my sister and my parents. We fly out of Phoenix for Scotland Monday evening.
Silly Shell.
JJ saying goodnight. ;)
Mon. 9th--Waiting all day Monday before leaving for the airport at 2:30pm was agonizing. We were literally all packed up with no place to go.
Wed. 11th--We got 8+ hours of sleep (no jet lag here!) and ate a yummy and very filling breakfast buffet at the hotel. Looks more like lunch, but it was delicious.
Then we layered up and walked 30 minutes to the Edinburgh Dungeon. My dad...he did not show it...either refused to or is just a man of steel, but I know his knee was killing him. He's 81 years old. He didn't walk as fast as the rest of us and was mildly frustrated if we walked with him because he didn't want to slow us down. But he never gave up. It was a long way to that dungeon under normal circumstances and at the end it was uphill. I was so impressed.
The Scottish Parliament.
Holyrood Palace...or the Palace of Holyroodhouse is the official residence of the British monarch when they are in Scotland. It's at the bottom of the Royal Mile, opposite the castle. We're hoping to see it at the end of our week.
Queen Mary's bath house.
A road bridge 50 feet above ground.
More of the castle.
The temperature dropped a bit and with the windchill it was in the high forties, but no r-a-i-n. We jumped off the bus and took the "scenic" route home on foot. We weren't *lost*, the way home just wasn't as direct as we had hoped and I really had to use the restroom! But we made it back to our hotel by 5:30pm and enjoyed getting an amazing Turkish dinner at Turkish Kebob House. The food was not only outstanding in flavor, but the customer service was awesome. Not only generous in price, but also in the quantity of food. We'd eat there again in a heart beat. So so good!
More exciting tennis news!
We checked out of the Leonardo Royal Haymarket Hotel this morning and took a taxi to Waverley Station. We were catching a train ride to Inverness in the Scottish highlands. Inverness is "innerness" in Gaelic meaning: Mouth of the River Ness.
We even caught some of the Scotland football game against Spain. Apparently swear words used in Scotland are the same as the ones used in America.
After dinner, Shell and Shawn took to a the nearby stores to scope out some other places to eat and shop while Mom, Dad, and I played card games in the lobby. It was a lovely, slower paced day. Which is good because we're going to be pretty busy these next few days while visiting Inverness.
Fri. 13th--After at tasty breakfast of crepes and waffles at the Wild Pancake, we walked to the pick up location for our van tour, guided by the very knowlegeable and entertaining, Gregor. Our destinations included Cairgorms National Park and the Tomatin (teh-mah-tin) Distillery.
As we drove through the national park, which wasn't like anything I've experienced in the states (no gates, no boundaries, no fees, no rangers, etc.) we approached the village of Carrbridge.
A house across the street from the bridge.
On we went...
We made our way up the Cairngorm mountains as high as we were allowed to go. It was about 41 degrees without the windchill, but it was an impressive view.
Overlooking the valley below and Lock Morlich. Gregor told us that the Scotland mountains are related to the Appalachian mountains, just smaller. Back in the days of Pangea, a part of that area broke off and floated over and connected with Eurasia.
Smelling it.
So a tip for whiskey drinkers (and others, too) is after taking that first tiny sip, add 3 drops of water to soften it a bit. This is the best part...to get your 3 drops, pour some water in a glass, then pour that water back into the original container, then pour what water remains from the "empty" glass into the whiskey...it's about 3 drops!
I decided to have my own tasting of agua of Loch Ness.
Smelling it (gotta close one of those nostrils).
I can't be serious.
Mom and I were dying.
Verdict: Tasty and refreshing! Obviously I don't drink alcohol (or tea or coffee) but I learned a LOT on this tour and how whiskey is made. It was truly fascinating.
A poster picture of a highland coo in wellies.
When the 8 hour tour ended, we ducked into a couple of gift shops and had too much fun looking at all the different merchandise before splitting up for dinner. My parents and I stopped at McDonalds on the way back to the hotel while Shell and Shawn went back to the hotel to freshen up before venturing out for their food. They asked a police officer which place he'd recommend for dinner. Spoken like a true native, he replied, "Max's is great when you're drunk. Can't say how it tastes when you're sober, though." Haha! They confirmed later, however, that it is indeed a great spot for fish and chips and we're looking forward to it for dinner tomorrow.
Our wonderful guide, Claire, went to the store before arriving and bought some carrots so we could feed the highland coos! These must be the Chamber of Commerce coos because when they saw us, they came running, much to our delight!
Adorbs!
Open wide!
Sticking its tongue out at me!
Next stop: a view of the Loch Ness. It's not the longest or widest loch in Scotland, but it's the biggest by volume--754 feet deep! Just an immense amount of water. I actually did a persuasive report on the Loch Ness monster when I was in middle school. That is enough water to conceal an aquatic beast. :) According to Claire, the best time to see the Loch Ness Monster is around 11pm after the pubs close.
On our way to Urquhart Castle.
It was built over several hundreds of years between 1200-1500. In 1690, there was an uprising, and the government blew it up. By the 1700s, a big storm blew part of it down. Later, Victoria visited and loved it and wanted to maintain the ruins.
Termination dust! Our guide was so excited to see the snow.
The MacRae clan were the caretakers of the Eilean Donan Castle originally built in the 1300s. It was blown up in the 1700s. In the 1900s, a MacRae descendant married an heiress and rebuilt it by the footprint, but the design was his vision of what a highland castle would look like.
On to the Isle of Skye! This isle is the 2nd largest of Scotland's islands. Only about 20 miles wide and 65 miles long with around 11,000 people.
The Skye Bridge!
Sligeachan--this part reminds me a lot of Iceland.
There's a legend that says if you dip your face in the river water for at least 7 seconds, and you don't dry your face with a towel or your sleeve--just air dry--then you will have endless beauty. This is Shawn dipping his face in the river.
All good!
Let me just take a moment to pay tribute to my brother-in-law. I love that Shawn calls my parents Ma and Dad. He is the first to help assist my parents with their bags or coats, as well as my sister. He is a fantastic dad to their kids and he treats Shell like a Queen. I love and appreciate that SO much! Shawn is a super classy guy and I'm so privileged to be his sister-in-law.
Lunch in Portree--the largest town on the Isle--2500 people.
There was fish and chips...
But I had to get a "meat pie on the Isle of Skye." :) Delish.
If you were to see pictures of Portree, this row of colorful houses is likely what you'd see.
The Old Man of Storr "is a remnant of the volcanic activity that forged the Isle of Skye around 2,800 million years ago. The 55 m. tall rock column (lower right) is actually a volcanic plug that was formed when magma within a volcanic vent cools and sets."
I love this picture of my sister, Shell. This is her trip. She's been researching and studying all things Scotland extensively for these experiences. I just invited myself along. You would have thought she'd been to Scotland a few times already. She knew what landmarks we were going to see and their history and she even taught herself how to speak and read some Gaelic. She even knew the sale price of a house near Loch Ness that our guide didn't even know. She's pretty amazing. I'm so grateful to be her sister. And that she was kind enough to let me tag along.
This is Kilt Rock--"a sea cliff in northeast Trotternish Peninsula. It gets its name from the pleats said to resemble a kilt, with vertical basalt columns that form the pleats."
Mealt Falls
We then embarked on an incredible drive on a one-way track road up to The Quiraing. The Quiraing "is on the northernmost summit of the Trotternish on the Isle of Skye. The whole of the Trotternish Ridge escarpment was formed by a great series of landslips (or landslides). Quiraing is Norse for "round fold" and a place where you can enjoy the views of the shorelines, mountains, and hidden lochs all from the same vantage point."
The Quiraing--shorelines and hidden lochs
Cuith-Raing is Scottish Gaelic for Quiraing. It was SO COLD up there, but so worth it. The views were mind-blowingly gorgeous.
The brown patches are where the heather would be purple in the spring and summer.
And now for the Fairy Glen in Uig.
The Fairy Glen is a hidden gem and geological wonder on the Isle of Skye. It's the most unique collection of natural landforms. It felt like we were in Middle Earth. I climbed up by myself and I didn't get to see all of it, but what I did see was breathtaking. I just wish there were less shadows.
On our way back to Inverness--a two hour drive--we spotted a very old cottage with a thatched roof!
Our route today outlined in blue. We even drove down part of a fault line.
Mom driving and Shell up front so she doesn't get car sick. I sat in the back with "clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right, stuck in the middle with you." :) Shell said it was very strange to be on the left side of the car with no steering wheel. Not to mention being on the left side of the road. That would throw me off!
Beautiful countryside.
While not a real castle, the mansion was built in the 1860s on 60 wooded acres overlooking Loch Oich on the same site as the ancient fortress Invergarry Castle built in 1602. As seems to be the pattern, after numerous takeovers and battles, this castle was burned about 150 years later.
The mansion
Shawn found something taller than him as we walked to the castle ruins.
The road leading to the castle hotel.
Just magnificent. I couldn't get enough of the manicured grounds. The whole property made me feel like I was in a Jane Austen novel. It is a spectacular escape and filled up my senses.
So many paths to explore.
The national flower of Scotland.
A view from the lobby.
The lounge
We girls were over the moon excited for Afternoon Tea at 2pm complete with little tea sandwiches, scones with jam and clotted cream, and a variety of desserts and herbal teas.
Dad deciding he needed to do a selfie to prove he was there.
Another part of the lounge.
Everything was absolutely delicious and hit the spot. I don't even like scones, but these were light with great texture. They weren't dry and crumbly.
I loved the black currant blueberry herbal tea.
Shawn--such a classy guy.
A view out of a window in the lounge.
The room I shared with Mom and Dad.
A view from our hotel room.
Another view from our room--#21.
The bathroom
Tea service under the TV.
When we were done playing games, we walked around the grounds some more while there was still daylight.
Just two sisters sitting on stone steps outside Glengarry.
Dad and Shawn galavanting in the woods.
It's like the Secret Garden.
The library
Time for dinner!
For dinner, I ordered the "North Sea Coley, Shetland Islands Scallop Ravioli, Potato Gnocchi, Leek, Samphire, Pancetta, Shimeji Mushroom." I don't know what it all means and had to Google most of it. But it was amazing!!
And in the evening, they brought us tea service again. I could get used to this!
Mon. 16th--We began our day with a hot breakfast at the castle hotel. We all had the Castle Full Breakfast with a couple of different preferences.
I asked for everything except the pork sausage, only because I didn't think I'd have room for it. Mom chose not to get the black pudding (blood sausage). She's not a fan.
But the rest of us liked it.
It was over an hour back to Inverness, so we left at 9am to make sure we had time to get the rental car back by 10:30am. Except Mom and Shell really wanted to see the coos again. The animals were close to town and even though we were on alert for the turn, we missed it. Mom managed to pull over nearby and do a U-turn. Except she turned into the right lane! Took about 2 seconds with a whole line of cars coming right at us before Shell and I started yelling, "Other lane!!" Haha! Definitely got our adrenaline pumping for sure. That could have happened to any of us. Mom did a great job driving to Glengarry and back. After living in Scotland for 18 months, she became a pro at driving!
Returning the car was an adventure: trying to get to the airport via GPS, missing the chance to top off the gas because of GPS, trying to find the right entrance, pulling up to the wrong entrance and having to put the car in reverse, for a good 500-800 feet, and no Avis attendant available to receive the car.
This is the son of Mary, Queen of Scots.
Birthing room--kind of weird how they won't let us see it.
The ceiling in one of the rooms.
A cemetery for the dogs of soldiers.
Cannonballs for Mons Meg. Mons is where the cannon was made.
500 year old Mons Meg--the most famous medieval gun.
This ball is a genuine medieval missile. Perhaps used in a siege of independence in 1296.
The Royal High School. Alexander Graham Bell may have attended.
A lighthouse!
Her Majesty's Yacht Britannia was in service from 1954 to 1997 and logged over a million nautical miles.
The tour was at our leisure and came with guided commentary on handsets.
The flag storage.
A highlight was taking some time to indulge in refreshments in the Brittania's Tea Room. We definitely spent more time on the yacht than at the castle, but there was so much more to see and learn.
Dad's hot chocolate.
Mine--with marshmallows.
Queen Elizabeth's room.
The Duke of Edinburgh's quarters.
A double bed in the honeymoon suite requested by Prince Charles.
The dining hall.
It takes 3 hours to set the tables in the hall using rulers!
The Queen's work quarters.
The drawing room. The Queen rejected the original plans for this room because they were too frilly. She wanted something low key and airy.
This grand piano cost 350 pounds!!!!
How the crew and passengers received mail.
This room could get up to 120 degrees with 600 shirts a day coming through. Sometimes officers/crew members had to change clothes 12 times a day!
The engine room. Yikes!
The bus ride back to the Royal Mile from the yacht took an hour. So when we finally arrived, we kids took advantage of our last chance for shopping, while Mom waited in line for a table to get some snacks and Dad walked back to the hotel.
These are towels that look like kilts. Haha! I almost got one for Jared, but I resisted.
This was my landmark--it was where Mom was getting food and where I needed to meet up with everyone.
My sister-in-law Christina asked for me to look for a family clan kilt for her that's longer/more modest. I checked about 10 stores and tried on 3-4 kilts. They were either the right length but too big. Or the right size and too short. That search was a bust. But I somehow ended up here and it was a beautiful sight to behold.
A statue of the national flower all lit up.
A close...one that is more lit up.
Thurs. 19th--We were delighted to wake up to rain this morning! Except for a little bit of rain on our second tour while we were in the van, we had been spared any moisture from our trip and what a blessing!
*After an early dinner, I drove JJ, the magician, and Calvin, the under appreciated sophomore who plays tennis, around to a couple of friends' houses and the cousins' before taking Calvin to meet up with friends. Karcyn, the ladybug, was also heading out with friends.
Tues. 3rd--JJ dressing up as a famous person...Coyote Peterson--an American YouTuber, wildlife educator and host of Animal Planet's series: Brave the Wild.
Fri. 6th--We are excited for our Christmas surprise for the kids--tickets to see Ryan Hamilton live in Austin at the Paramount Theater!
Sat. 8th--After bowling league, we went to Sam's. They had a Halloween "party" going. The boys even got some cupcakes and other goodies. I'm not a fan of cheesecake, but I loved this lady's costume.
We had to take two cars to the airport so Shawn's parents and Christian were kind enough to drive us and all our bags.
Mom and I are ready, Freddy!!
Going through security. Always fun.
Made it to our gate.
The amazing Mom and Dad.
The sisters.
This is better, but there's nothing really for comparison.
Nice, Shawn!
Group picture before we leave.
The seats were 3 on one side, 4 in the middle, and 3 on the other side. Dad, Shell, Shawn and I took the 4 in the middle. Mom should have sat with Dad, but she wanted me and Shell to have some time together. There was an empty seat next to mom...that was Christian's seat. He ended up having nursing school and couldn't come after they already paid. So we got some extra space to store stuff back there. Which will be helpful because it's a 10 hour flight. Ooof.
Didn't forget about Dad!
Tues. 10th--We got dinner, but it wasn't til about 8pm. I'm not complaining though. It was delicious. Tons of movies to watch, too. I started one but it got really weird. I ended up watching Beetlejuice for the first time. And a rom-com. I wanted to sleep. So I tried. But it's so hard to do on a plane, in coach.
The jumbo jet was huge. I was trying to get a picture of it, but I had limited window access.
We actually spent an hour sitting on the tarmac in Phoenix because someone decided to change the direction of take-off at the last minute. Did you know that a hundred different calculations and computations have to be determined and passed off just by turning the plane around and using a different runway? Now you do.
PSA #1: You may want to avoid resting your head on the touch screen in front of you when trying to find a comfortable sleeping position. You might just summon the flight attendants at 1am on accident.
The trans-Atlantic flight path: 5400 miles total.
We were a little anxious coming into London. In the end, we were actually only 30 minutes delayed, but we had a quick connection to Edinburgh and were concerned we weren't going to make it. We had a lot of distance to cover and there were a ton of people trying to disembark our plane.
Pro tip: If you are traveling to Europe, especially, just take a carry-on bag only. You'll be hoofing it and you do not want to lug a huge suitcase behind you, assuming you have time to get it from baggage claim.
It's a darn good thing we didn't check any bags, because after speed walking for at least half a mile through Terminal 3, we then had to get in line to catch a bus to take us to Terminal 5. After catching our breath and shedding our jackets, we STILL needed to get our boarding passes, we had to clear immigration (no more stamps in passports--it's all automated now :(, then we had to go through security...again.
PSA #2--the UK still cares about liquids in small containers, packed in one, clear quart-sized bag. In fact, they have stations set up before the security area with baggies for you to use. I already had my toiletries in clear bags, but I had 4 bags, not 1. I also had some medicated lotion in a bottle over 4 oz. I prepared myself that there might be complications trying to get my stuff through the security checkpoint.
Hoping for the best, I combined two bags into one and my dad took a bag through for me. I was shocked when I saw the plastic bin with my things come through on the approved side of the security belt. They accepted two bags of liquids, one of which was over the 3 oz. limit.
My dad's carry-on, however, went through the screening process twice before being set aside to be hand checked by an officer. Dad's deck of cards was the culprit,
Miraculously, we made it to our connecting flight. And then it ended up being delayed anyway by about 20-30 minutes. If only they could have told us that sooner! Our final destination was only a short 90 minutes away.
Here we are not looking too shabby after spending the night and morning on an airplane.
What a treat to fly during daylight hours and to get a window seat.
London, Heathrow airport...getting ready for take-off for Edinburgh, Scotland.
Leaving England.
Hello, Scotland! I think that body of water is called the Firth of Forth and the Royal Yacht Britannia is docked down below...mid picture.
That looks like Arthur's seat in the center, shaded.
So green and lush!
We made it! Mom went to go secure the taxi for us.
And we took pictures.
Shell and Shawn!
Me and Dad!
On our way to our hotel...
We made it to the hotel. It was about a 20 minute ride.
The foyer.
Shawn and Shell headed to their room.
Lobby of the second floor where I shared a room with Mom and Dad.
Elevator selfie!
Edinburgh Castle up on the hill.
I hung back because I was taking pictures of everything. I volunteered to be the trip historian. :)
Part of the castle.
More of the castle.
Instead, we walked a short shuffle down the street and ate at Frankenstein. We thought it was rather fitting given the time of year and holiday season.
The tables/booths didn't seat more than three, so Shell and Shawn sat together and I ate with my parents--in the "lab" as it was called. :)
We ordered a 12 inch pizza called the Great Scot with mozzerella, haggis, red onion, and chili jam and another called The Spice One with jalapenos and red peppers.
After checking in and freshening up, we enjoyed a 25 minute, rejuvenating walk to Greyfriar's Bobby Pub. I've only been in Scotland for a handful of hours, but I'm already in love.
Since we had only eaten a yogurt and some granola 8 hours earlier, we didn't want to wait for a table at the Pub, but we got some pictures and decided we could try it again another time.
The Spicy One.
The Great Scot. Haggis is more or less sheep's heart, lungs, liver, etc. mixed with oats and spices, cooked in a sheep's stomach.
The haggis had a texture like soft sausage, but didn't have a distinctive flavor as a pizza topping, so I'll have to try it again before we go. Shell and Shawn had the haggis fries and said they were to die for. As it turns out, the pub was hosting a Trivia Night while we were there, so Shell and Shawn participated. They not only got the first question right, but they were the fastest team to answer. This was hilariously ironic because it had something to do with how many counties you would drive through if you were in London.
After dinner, we walked around the back of Edinburgh Castle in the old town district. It was just mesmerizing, especially at night. I can't get enough of the old stone homes and buildings, the cobblestone roads, the castle, the storefronts, the hedges, the wrought iron gates, the statues. And it was only a few hours of exploring today!
The National Library of Scotland.
Haha!
Victoria Street named after Queen Victoria who came to the throne in 1837. It also gained popularity after JK Rowling used it for some of her works.
An alley....or a close as they call them in Edinburgh. The old town was originally made of up of the Royal Mile which ran from the castle to Holyrood Palace and branching of from there were many winding and narrow passageways between tenement buildings. The entrances would be closed at night with a gate since they gave access to private residences, hence the name "a close."
*I was 6 hours ahead of my family in Snyder. So around midnight my time, they were having dinner. And when I was having dinner, they were eating lunch. In the tennis world, Calvin's first year on the varsity team, they had a bi-district meet in Levelland and won!
For the Harry Potter enthusiasts.
Things we saw along the way.
St. John's church
St. John's church
Is this quintessential Scotland or what?
Those are some narrow stairs right there. Seems pretty sketchy even in daylight.
We made it!
Once we escaped the dungeon (they legit had to come and unlock the huge chamber doors to let us out), we got passes for the hop on, hop off city tour on a double decker bus, complete with guided commentary and earbuds. I highly recommend it!
The Walter Scott monument.
The National Archives where my parents worked to digitize records when they served their mission here. They said it is a beautiful building inside.
The Balmoral Hotel previously the North British Railway Hotel.
The Sir Walter Scott Memorial again. Walter Scott was a Scottish writer and lawyer, best known for his series of novels called The Waverley Series. This monument is Victorian Gothic and one of the largest memorials in the world to pay tribute to an author. One can still climb the many steps to the top.
Let us all take a moment and applaud this great Scot--James Young Simpson. He was the pioneer of anesthesia.
This is a theater for the performing arts.
We got off the bus at Greyfriar's Kirkyard so we could walk through the beautiful cemetery. Kirk means church.
Is this gravestone for me?!
Asking the caretaker where to find a couple of gravestones. We were looking for the headstones of the people who inspired some of the Harry Potter characters. We were fortunate to locate four or five.
McGonagall
Tom Riddell
The iron grate was put over the grave to prevent grave-robbers from digging up the body for sale to the anatomy classes in the medical school.
The story of Greyfriars Bobby is so sweet and touching. According to Wikipedia:
We walked down, down, down to the underground and joined a small group for a 70 minute, interactive dramatization of the dark underground history of Edinburgh that spanned several hundred of years. They said, "We hope you have a horrible time!"
We moved from one chamber to another learning about different things they did underground like corrupt courtrooms, cannibalism, torturing techniques, body snatching, and avoiding the plague. It was verrrrryyyyyy intersting and entertaining. As the picture shows, a few of us were found guilty of crimes.
Edinburgh Castle during the day.
The best-known version of the story is that Bobby belonged to John Gray, who worked for the Edinburgh City Police as a nightwatchman. When John Gray died he was buried in Greyfriars Kirkyard, the kirkyard surrounding Greyfriars Kirk in the Old Town of Edinburgh. Bobby then became known locally, spending the rest of his life sitting on his master's grave for 14 years.
We spent some time at the memorial and then we got our lunch at the pub out front.
2) Cullen Skink which is basically clam chowder using haddock instead of clams. Both were tasty and filling.
I didn't realize they had to really try and sell the people on mayonnaise here.
We checked out a couple of stores and shops after lunch and then the rest of the day was spent on the bus, touring the city. Got lots of great pictures and learned so many things--most of which I don't remember.
More for the Harry Potter fans!
The Castle.
The natural history museum.
Arthur's seat is the landform in the background. Wikipedia: Arthur's Seat is an ancient extinct volcano that is the main peak of the group of hills in Edinburgh, Scotland, which form most of Holyrood Park, described by Robert Louis Stevenson as "a hill for magnitude, a mountain in virtue of its bold design."
For lunch, I chose two Scottish starters so I could try more. 1) Haggis, Neeps, and Tatties. Neeps are mashed turnips, tatties are mashed potatoes. The haggis was loose today, but usually the consistency is more like meatloaf. It was all good though.
Not diagonally, but Diagon Alley. :)
It was such an awesome first day! I did have a couple of tender mercies. First, I went to use the public toilet. I had my credit card ready to tap and pay. Except it wouldn't take it. I tried a few times, but it was a no-go for me. Literally and figuratively. However, bless the kind woman behind me who said she'd pay for me to enter. It's only 37 cents, but it was worth so much more! I was truly touched.
Second, my bus pass fell out of my pocket when I pulled my hand out to point at something. Unfortunately, this small receipt got caught by the wind. I had to chase after it a bit across a street and over by the Harry Potter store. Incredibly, I was able to retrieve it. But I lost it a second time! Out of the other pocket (doh!). Except I didn't see it fall, I just noticed it was missing when I put my hand in my pocket. I was about to retrace my steps when I spotted it a few feet away. I don't know how long it was there, but it was nothing short of a miracle that the wind hadn't blown it away.
Thurs. 12th--Breakfast the second day. :) Carb day.
Saw this statue on the way to the station. The thistle is Scotland's national flower. No one really knows the origin, but the thistle first appeared as a royal symbol on silver coins issued by James III in 1470.
We are so grateful to be lugging around only a carry-on bag.
Passing the time, waiting for our train to Inverness to arrive, while Shell and Shawn ran some errands. I also learned, for the second time, that the Waverley Market toilets do not like my credit card. Boo!
Sharing an ice cream cone.
Checking the arrivals and departures screen for which terminal to go to.
Dad trying to focus his camera. :)
It was a 4 1/2 hour trip and there were about 12-15 stops along the way, but I decided I would much rather spend 10 hours on a train than on a plane, any day! It was such a pleasant, smooth ride. And it went by so quickly.
The countryside was as lovely as we expected it would be. It was cold, but the sun shone again for us today.
It's hard to take pictures when the train is zooming by, but the metal loops in the center of the picture is the Falkirk Wheel. It's a rotating boat lift, connecting two canals and is the only one of its kind in the world!
Harvesting potatoes or tatties. :)
This was our path...we started in Edinburgh then went to Falkirk, Stirling, Perth, Pitlochry, Kingussie, Carrbridge, and Aviemore just to name a few before reaching Inverness (which is still north of the blue dot).
Some happy people right here.
And a few more!
The golden sunset.
Love, love, love. We learned the country suffered deforestation at one point, so a good chunk of trees you may see are in manmade clusters or rows.
We made it!
This phrase "mind the gap" was repeated over and over while we were on the train today and reminded me of Barbara Thompson's 2009 conference talk by the same title. I'm going to go back and read it!
Our hotel was a hop, skip, and a jump from the train station. Literally. Nextdoor neighbors. The hotel first opened its doors in 1856.
Fun Fact: The hotel's grand staircase was the inspiration for the Titanic's staircase.
The room I shared with my parents.
The bathroom.
A Thursday throwback. A literal KEY. I haven't seen one of these since we moved to Alaska in 1992.
Lovely old door.
St. Andrews cathedral
Part of the Inverness Castle
This sign is crazy because my dad's name is ALLAN ROSS (Lee).
We ate dinner at the Belhaven Pub recommended by a local. I was thinking maybe I should eat more vegetables and had what ended up being a deconstructed salad that was meh. It wasn't what I was expecting. But everyone else loved their dinner and said they ate more than they should have.
Trying a selfie. Not bad.
After dropping off our stuff, we ventured out to locate where the meeting spot for our bus tour would be the next morning. I love these cities at dusk. There's something magical about that time of day.
The River Ness.
*Back in Snyder, the varsity tennis team beat Ft. Stockton 11-2 and are the AREA CHAMPIONS!
A lovely front porch on our walk to the pick up location.
We got to take a 20 minute break to get coffee, use the (free!) toilets, and to check out the town's biggest attraction--the oldest packhorse stone bridge in the highlands, built in 1717. It was beautiful. And in great shape.
The brown patches on the mountainsides are the remnants of the purple heather that cover them like blankets. This flowering shrub likes wet, boggy conditions where the soil isn't very fertile.
We also learned there are about 3x as many sheep as people in the country! And even though Scotland's location is the same latitude as parts of Canada and Russia, the winters are fairly mild. They don't get large amounts of snow or ice due to the warm jet stream that comes from America.
Next stop: a stroll through the woods to the sandy shores of Loch Morlich.
Loch Morlich and a sandy beach!
The last little bit of heather.
Dad and Mom on the beach of Loch Morlich.
Then we drove to nearby Aviemore for lunch. We chose to eat at Cobb's. Four of us ordered the daily special: tuna, cheese, and tomato panini with roasted red pepper soup, salad and a tray cake for 10.5 pounds or $13.65. I'm not a fan of canned tuna, but this was delicious. And I couldn't even eat it all. I've been pleasantly surprised at the reasonable prices here as well as the generous portions!
I love how they put parking spaces along the curve.
There's been a lot of rain lately.
Gregor had a little extra time and wanted to take us to a hidden gem that most tourists don't get to see. Castle Roy and a nearby chapel. He made sure we knew that the term "castle" is used very loosely. Basically a small fort where four walls remain. But more importantly, I met my first highland coo (cow) named Murdo. So cute!
Shawn, Shell, sheep, and coo.
We quickly explored the castle ruins while taking in the lovely vistas. This is the church below the ruins.
Our tour company for the day--highly recommend!
I can think of worse resting places. So beautiful and peaceful.
Our path today...the red line. We went south into some of the train stops on the way up.
Wet, wet, wet.
On to the distillery.
The first part of the process for making whiskey is you harvest the barley. Then you give the barley a bath. Next you slow bake it to get rid of the excess water, and then you mash it up. The three things you get are: the shell pieces, the flour, and the white stuff is the wort. The latter is what you want because it contains the sugar.
This is the big masher. All the shells, flour, and wort fill a masher like this and water is added. The flour and shells form a mixture and the wort becomes a liquid.
The substances are separated and the wort is pushed through the small openings in the floor grates.
A better view of the masher thingy.
Shawn!!! ;)
The wort fills this massive vat and this is when the yeast is added. The liquid stays here for at least five days, maybe more.
When I taught my 8th graders in August about the properties of metals in our chemistry unit, two of them are that they are good conductors of heat and that they are malleable. Turns out these properties of copper are very important when making whiskey. I learned that the shape of this huge copper still determines the flavor and alcoholic content of the whiskey. Every still is a different shape. Even the angle of the gooseneck can impact the whiskey.
Shawn giving a whiff to identify the whiskey in the cask.
Evaporation causes whiskey levels aging in casks to drop over the years. This was known as the "angels share." You never roll whiskey around in a cask because it is absorbed over time in the wood and this becomes the "devils cut." In this particular cask from 1967, the whiskey level is marked with a short, white line. It was thought to be lost, and then it was found. One bottle of whiskey in this cask would go for about 17,000 pounds or $22,100!! There's millions of dollars of whiskey left in less than half that cask!
Two of the things in this picture have been aging for 46 years. One better than the other!
Our 1980 collection--all three of them!
I learned that my Grandpa Lee (Dad's dad) and his friend, Jeddy, tried their hand at distilling alcohol themselves once when they were teenagers. And then Jeddy became my dad's chemistry teacher. Haha! AND...that my Grandpa Lee started a fire in his chem class when he was younger. My dad never could get any details from his dad about this. But Grandma Lee confirmed it. Can't wait to meet my Grandpa Lee and among other things, hear his side of these stories!
The church was closed, but the grounds inside the gate were well-groomed and worth the stroll.
The tour was only 15 pounds and at the end, participants were given three different whiskeys to try and taught the proper way to taste and test. I had great pleasure watching Shell and Shawn do this.
Wish I knew what flavor he was contemplating.
Sat. 14th--We had another tour on the docket for today. But first, breakfast at McDonalds. LOVE their porridge! Then we went back to the same meeting place for our 12 hour tour! The experience today felt more like a national park than yesterday.
Highland coos have two layers of coats. The outer layer is shaggy and waterproof and to this day no one has found a good way to use it for anything. The second layer is a warm downy coat next to their skin.
This is the most photographed castle in Scotland (James Bond, Highlander). We weren't allowed to take pictures inside the castle (it was SO cool!) and we learned the family still uses the apartment upstairs.
We did and saw a plethora of incredible things today. This was definitely my favorite tour. Claire was amazing!
Sun. 15th--We got to take it a bit slower today. We checked out of the Royal Highland Hotel at 10:30am. Shell, Shawn, and I sat in the lobby and played cards while Mom and Dad went to pick up the rental car. There was a bit of a debacle with the rental reservation, but my parents were finally able to secure a vehicle to rent and picked us up. Then it was off to Invergarry about an hour south of Inverness so we could spend the day and the night at the Glengarry Castle hotel.
I was blown away by the property grounds.
Loch Oich
Glengarry Castle Hotel
On our way to the mansion, Dad wanted us to stop at a convenience store, so he could get a snack. He was worried he would be hungry without lunch before our 7:30pm dinner reservation at the hotel. Dad was pleasantly surprised to find that he was full and very satisfied after eating little sandwiches and scones. :)
After tea time, we stayed in the lounge with a beautiful view and spent several hours playing card games and laughing so hard we were crying.
A crackling fire in the lounge. And foyer.
We all opted for just a 2-course meal and chose appetizers and a main. I decided on the butternut squash soup. It was good.
I also had some traditional porridge--which I love. Plus, it just sounds so much classier than saying "oatmeal." :) It tastes like a combination of steel cut oats and regular oats.
We had 3.3 minutes, but we went to see the coos one more time and they came running again. We had apples, but no knives, so we bit small chunks off to feed them. One coo didn't like the apple though because he kept spitting it out.
Mom driving in reverse because we ended up at the wrong gated entry. Fun fact: I just assumed that because Scotland uses the Metric system, everything would be that way. Not so. The speed limit is posted in miles per hour. Weird.)
After I used the restroom at the airport, we jumped on a shuttle that took us to a store just behind our hotel.
Look at the crazy price for these amazing croissants. They were so soft. A delicious snack.
River Ness
A canal
The weird faucet on the boat that took us out on Loch Ness.
This is the Dochfour estate--been in the same family since the mid-1400s.
The boat tables had the points of interest outlined on each table and in order so you could follow along.
Bona Lighthouse--guiding boats on the Caledonian Canal and Loch Ness for over 190 years.
The Aldourie Castle--the only inhabitable castle on Loch Ness and is used for private events.
Land ho!
Urquhart Castle from Loch Ness.
We disembarked the boat and entered the castle grounds.
Dad's best side! His words, not mine! :)
Right side up. :)
Shawn demonstrating how to use the latrine.
The prison
Where grains were dried.
Pumpkin chunkin' anyone?
On our way back to Inverness by bus.
Our Nessie sighting! She is good friends with Land Shark.
Gasoline price--per liter.
While we were wandering through Inverness shopping, Mom and I had seen an advertisement for super cheap fish and chips. So we went back to Revolution to give it a try. At that price, it would be a waste not to.
Back at the hotel we did a little shopping, grabbed lunch, checked back into our rooms, then caught the bus that took us out on Loch Ness and the Urquhart Castle that we saw from the road on Saturday.
A walking bridge that was constructed 150 years ago.
The bridge that leads to nowhere.
The latrine
Lord and Lady Grant who owned Urquhart.
We loved exploring this vast castle and the land it's on.
A table for us in the back corner. It was perfect! How did they know that's where need to be. :)
We loved the ambiance of the place.
There was this flower frame just begging to have people take their picture in front of it, so I took photos of the couples.
I am now a fan of malt vinegar on french fries.
Evening games in our hotel room. Would you expect anything less?
Tues. 17th--Taking the stairs down to breakfast.
The Royal Highland dining room.
Maybe Karcyn should move to Scotland. They are way ahead in the Gluten-free department. GF foods, a dedicated toaster, etc.
Loved the porridge! The salami is even tastier here, in my opinion.
This is what Frosted Flakes used to be called.
We very reluctantly left Inverness on the train and traveled back to Edinburgh. Oh, how we loved the Scottish highlands! And the train is definitely the way to go. I love that you can play games, read, or sleep fairly comfortably while cruising through the countryside.
The Victorian train station in Aviemore (where we went for lunch on our first bus tour).
Traveling through the countryside enjoying a good book. What could be better?
I did some finances, tracking my receipts, etc. and then Shell, Shawn, and I played several rounds of the card game, Karma, for most of the 3 1/2 hours that were left in the trip. They just introduced me to the game in Scotland and it's my new favorite. Things can change very quickly! It's super fun. If you don't have it--get it!
This is the Wallace Memorial in Stirling--220 feet high--honoring Sir William Wallace, a 13th/14th century Scottish war hero.
The Stirling Castle up on the hilltop.
And then suddenly we were plunged into thick fog just outside of Stirling.
Flame-grilled Whopper Doritos! We're not sure how they did it, but the chips smelled like lettuce. Haha! Notice the fine print at the bottom of the bag. (eyes rolling)
It's a much nicer hotel.
All the guests got complimentary champagne.
For those who drink it.
We dropped off our bags in our rooms, I called and talked to Jared for a few minutes because we were both up and awake, and then we were off to Calton Hill.
The legendary Balmoral hotel and clock tower.
National Archives
Walking up to Calton Hill.
Although not far from our hotel, it was a steep hike up to Calton Hill. But SO worth it at the top! Calton Hill is the result of violent volcanic activity millions of years ago and was then gouged by glaciers during the Ice Age. It is a gathering place for several important historical monuments and offered us a spectacular view of the city and the Forth.
Hmm. Sure didn't expect to see good 'ol Abe Lincoln here in Scotland!
Beautiful views during my favorite time of day.
This is the national monument. It was patterned after the Parthenon in Greece, but they ran out of money before it could be completed. It commemorates the Scottish soldiers who died in the Napoleonic Wars 1803-1815.
Arthur's Seat--didn't get a chance to climb it this trip.
This is a monument to naval hero Admiral Horatio Nelson who died while leading his fleet to victory in the Battle of Trafalgar on Oct. 21, 1805.
A picture for my daughter-in-law, Trina, who has sloths as her nursery theme for Thomas.
The home of award winning Cornish pasties. Yes, yes, and yes!!
They are so dang flavorful. It's like comfort food in a perfectly tender and flaky package.
Hazelnut and pistachio cannolis. Also delish.
This is St. Giles Cathedral. I swear there are as many cathedrals as there are castles in Scotland.
This is a bit unsettling, but not surprising after our underground tour of Scotland's dungeon.
The castle was at the top of the Royal Mile.
Nice, Shell.
There are two statues at the entrance of the castle. One is a tribute to Bruce, the other is a tribute to Wallace.
I'm not sure what I was expecting, but definitely not the small village we discovered inside those castle walls. It was truly fascinating as we explored the incredible fortress that sits atop a volcanic rock with sheer sides, high above the Old Town of Edinburgh.
The Governor's home.
The prison.
The Great Hall
The wooden beams on the ceiling of the Great Hall are over 500 years old.
This is where the crown jewels are housed. Sadly, no cameras allowed. THAT was quite the viewing.
We chose wisely on the first group to come in at 10:30. The crowds really started pouring in at 11am. Definitely go early!
When you go downstairs to use the restroom, it can get confusing. Good thing they labeled their doors!
These fish and chips were AMAZING! I even ate my mushy/pureed peas.
Check out this CRAZY dinner price! That's $3.89 in USD. You can't even get a large fry for that price in the states. Shawn has had fish 'n chips at least 4 time since we arrived and he said this was the best version of it. Such a dinner gold mine!
Back in the city! From the train, we walked, with our luggage five minutes down the sidewalk from Waverley station to a new location of the Leonardo Royal Hotel.
This is as close as I can get to the Balmoral. I can't even afford to peek in through the front door.
The Balmoral Hotel--where JK Rowling spent six months secretly living in "suite" 552 so she could finish Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
Picture orchestrated by my dad.
The Palace of Holyroodhouse--official residence of the King (the monarch) when he's in Scotland.
Wed. 18th--Well, it finally happened. Today was our last day in Scotland. It was pretty awesome though!
First we had the first "tour" of Edinburgh Castle at 10:30, so we walked our way there and saw some cool things along the way.
I'm pointing to the site of the last public execution in the city.
Street lamps and signs and everything.
St. Margaret's Chapel. The oldest building in the castle--been around since 1130.
The following flag signs offer a little bit of a timeline of important Scotland events.
After spending about 90 minutes looking around the castle, we jumped on a tour bus to take us out to the Royal Yacht Britannia--the former yacht of the British monarchy. It was a bit of a ride out there. Here are a few things we saw on our way.
The First Bank of Scotland.
The Duke's
Medical "theater."
Laundry!
Shell recreating a picture of Queen Elizabeth. I think she did a smashing job!
Mom found another sailor!
The kids are adorable!
What a remarkable vessel!! It makes me respect Queen Elizabeth II even more. She was one classy lady.
One of the changing rooms was a supply or storage closet.
We also made sure to grab another Cornish pasty on our way back to the hotel for dinner. :)
Then came the important and delicate task of repacking our carry-on suitcases to see if all our souvenirs fit! We head back to the states tomorrow. It's been a dream trip for me. I've wanted to come to Scotland ever since my parents served a mission here 12 years ago. And while it was everything I hoped for and MORE, it would have been perfect if Jared could have been here, too.
We headed to the airport via taxi and went through security. Only this time, my medicated lotion bottle, that was over 3 oz. (and my travel sized shampoo) was confiscated. Seriously? I told them that I got into the country with them, why can't I get out with them? Different airports. Same "united kingdom" though. Ugh. That kind of soured my mood. It's not the end of the world, but still.
Shell and Shawn really wanted to try a Scotch egg, which is a hardboiled egg encased in sausage then breaded and deep fried. It was harder to locate a Scotch egg than you would have thought. But they finally found a couple at one of the stores right before we left and gave them a try. It looks really good.
Proof of rain.
To add to my sour mood, as we boarded the plane, we quickly learned there were people sitting in our seats. When we asked about it, the male steward told us to take the seats behind them. But those were our seats. The people sitting in them were not moving either or saying anything like, "Oh, we're so sorry for the mistake, we will move right now." Nothing. They just sat there all smug like they owned the place.
But what really got me upset was when I went to adjust the fan above my head to get some much needed air. But there wasn't any dials above our heads designated for our row to adjust. I could not believe my eyes. We got kicked out of our seats and had no air, or lights, or buttons to push if we needed to summon a flight attendant. Is that even allowed? I've been flying on planes since I was 6 months old and I have never at in a seat that didn't have a light or air nozzle above my seat. Except this wasn't my seat. Which further fueled my indignation.
This is a picture of the empty space above my head and the dials above the seats where we should have been.
And after another LONG flight back to Phoenix, we stood in line at customs where they had a dog to sniff our luggage for any contraband.
*Meanwhile, back in Snyder, Calvin was treated to a meal at Sushi House with his tennis friends. He's sitting next to Chloe. Across from him is John, then Griffin, and Nethan on the end.
Fri. 20th--I had an INCREDIBLE trip with my parents and sister. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I'm so grateful I took it! But alas, it was time to fly back to west Texas and see my family for longer than a week since the end of August.
Sat. 21st--A picture of Calvin I received. He was super proud of himself after winning a match.
*Calvin was finally recognized with two 1st Place medals for his performance in both Team and Doubles bowling events during Lubbock's USBC youth championship a few months ago.
We were mocking Jared a bit--commentating his every move while he kneaded the dough.
"Just you wait." And he was right! The bread was perfectly delicious!
It was Cooper's GOLDEN birthday--21 on the 21st! What a treat to have him close by so we could celebrate him in person and not across the miles. It won't always be that way, so we are enjoying it!
I called "Michel" (Michael) the flight attendant over to ask him why those people were in our seats. He completely deflected and asked if I wanted to insist they, with an old lady in their company, move. I simply wanted him to admit he made a mistake and to at least apologize. He took a tone with me and I told him not to strike an attitude with me. We paid for those seats, good money. Which my mom thought was a good point. What if the seats we were forced to take were cheaper? It's safe to say I sat and stewed the entire flight from Edinburgh to London, shooting daggers at the three people sitting in front of me, Not caring that maybe there was a reason they needed to sit there. Not giving any grace to the attendant who made a mistake, wondering how hard it would be to complain about the lack of professionalism from that flight attendant. All I cared about was me. I knew I was being ridiculous. I was a little embarrassed my mom had to witness me pouting. It was definitely not one of my finer moments. But in the end, I decided not to take an action, verbal or otherwise against the attendant. I honestly didn't want to feel that icky inside anymore.
Once in London, we had to get a bus to take us to the right terminal.
I made it back to Snyder without any problems, but Jared wasn't feeling well. Just sort of hit him.
Because Jared wasn't feeling well. at.all. It fell to me to drive the boys to bowling leagues in Lubbock (a six hour commitment with 3 hours of driving) instead of staying home to do laundry, go to the store, pay bills, recover from jet lag, and catch up on everything like we had originally planned. Unfortunately, that also meant I wasn't going to have time to make the requested homemade bread for part of Cooper's birthday dinner. Sweet Jared, wanting to make sure we did everything we could to make Cooper's birthday as special as possible, offered to get the bread started. It was his first time ever to make bread from scratch, so I didn't hold out much hope on the end result.
Yay for airtags!
The "wolf" of the Dallas Cowboys and Jared's high school jersey number.
A much needed backpack for bowling accessories.
Bundtinis for the Coop-ini.
Ro-ro.
Sun. 22nd--Church together on his due date.
*Missionary fireside at the cousins with Elder Clark, JJ, Korbin, Olivia, Calvin and Elder Robison.
Tues. 24th--For JJ's birthday, we got him Taekwondo lessons. But with all my traveling, we couldn't actually get him started until I got back. They offer two free lessons so before you commit.
Wed. 25th--The 6th graders at Ira School were teamed up with the little kindergarteners. The school counselor sent me this cute picture of JJ with his science partner.
Thurs. 26th--And the next day, the secretary, Erin Evans (whose husband Tanner is our family physician), sent me this picture of JJ and her son.
Sat. 28th--I am always happy to donate blood, but those opportunities are few and far between in our small town. But there was one in Post, which is 35 miles south of Lubbock and 45 minutes north of Snyder...on our way bowling path. So I signed up for that afternoon, when we would be driving back from Lubbock anyway.
*Later that night...was the Ira Fall Festival where each class (there's only 1 class per grade) hosts a game or raffle to raise funds for their classroom for the coming year.
JJ was a magician and Korbin is someone from Star Wars.
Trying his hand at ax throwing.
After the festival, JJ's friend, Jackson, was having a party, so I took him to that for a little bit after we left the school. They were working on a holiday escape room.
Tues. 31st--Congrats to Calvin!!!
*Staff Costume Dress-up Day! I went as a fox. We're the odd ones out that weren't a part of a group costume.
Poor JJ got put into jail. Someone had to pay $2 to put him there.
Mon. 30th--I started teaching 4th grade math and science for the dual language students at Snyder Intermediate while my friend, Kaylee Neff, is out on maternity leave through Christmas Break.
[Funny side note: a friend of ours from our Kalamazoo Days back in 2002-2004, posted this picture on Messenger so she knew what I was referring to and said: "Wow. Jared!" At first I didn't understand and then I realized she thought I was standing next to Jared. Hahaha! I messaged her back and said emphatically, "Not Jared!!" with a laughing/crying emoji. She responded: "Oh whew!!"]
Our staff group photo. I'm in the very back, on the right...with fox ears on. ;) Tomorrow we get to wear PJs.
Trina sent these pictures to me. Jake got to wear his Spiderman costume to work. Haha! These shots are perfect.
This is Alexis Batchelor. She's Calvin's assistant tennis coach and was one of the 4th grade reading teachers when I first taught 4th grade math in Jan. 2023. She posted online that she was giving away large candy bars, so of course, we had to check it out. ;)
The magician and the ladybug. Now you see him....
Now you don't!
Since I was gone driving kids around and didn't have candy out in a bowl, Jared put up a sign that read, "Sorry, no candy." Yeah, we're lame. Not knowing where I put the stash, and not realizing Jared had posted a sign to the contrary, Cooper decided to go to the store and bought several bags of candy then eagerly awaited for Trick 'or Treaters--who never came. :o Even Calvin's friends came by our house and texted us that we were lame.
When I finally got home, I saw the bowl of candy that Cooper bought and mentioned it to Jared, who sheepishly informed us about the No Candy sign. The sign was immediately taken down, then lo and behold...Trick 'or Treaters came!
Calvin wanted to weigh his loot.
He got 4.2 lbs of candy and the apple was actually his favorite!
*Baby Thomas who hasn't quite grown into his outfit yet.
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