Don't Do Anything Crazy!

That's what my husband says to me every morning before he leaves for the day.

Now, I ask you, what's up with that comment?

I'm not the one who slipped and fell on a rock while attempting to get a closer shot of a seal in the Firth.

And, I certainly wasn't the one who decided to try the 3 whiskey dram special and then let a local convince me to try 2 more.

So, I'll admit that I get a bit annoyed when Marty gives me this advice in the morning. But guess what?
This morning he merely said, "Have fun today!" No safety warning attached.

The sun was shining...the sky was blue..and I took advantage of both and headed into Waverly Station with the intention of touring the Royal Britannia.  The ship is docked in Leith, which is about 2 miles from Waverly Station, and I could not make up my mind regarding taking a bus, or walking the distance.  Believe it or not, my husband had suggested the night before that I walk.

Now, I don't know if I've mentioned this before or not, but I have an issue with riding busses.  Just the thought of getting on one by myself causes anxiety.   I know that I rode on busses with Amy in Slovakia, and I've hopped on a few with Marty, but I get palpitations every time I even think about getting on one by myself.

But, I honestly thought that I'd take the bus this time......until Marty put the idea into my head that I should walk.  After all......it was a gorgeous day.

So, I went to the information center and asked the young man to show me exactly where my destination was on a map, explaining that I was going to walk.

"You can't walk that!", he exclaimed.  "Do you know how far that is?"

"Two miles" I replied. "I can walk it."

"It will take you 45 minutes to walk it!"  Then he went on to give me bus numbers, circled  a stop and told me that I would need exact change....which was a problem...because I didn't have exact change.

But, really, that made no difference, because I decided that I would walk and take the bus back to the station.

So, I set off, with map in hand, and was quite pleased with myself.  After all, if I had been sitting in a bus, I'd have missed this

and the Theatre Royal Bar

St. Pilgris Church

Queen Victoria

and an anchor placed randomly in a plaza

not to mention the excitement of 3 firetrucks barreling down the road, sirens blasting,  towards some black smoke in the distance that I hoped wasn't my intended destination.

It took me 50 minutes to get to the dock, where I had expected to see the Royal Britannia Yacht.
Much to my surprise, there was no sign of it, as there are hotels and buildings blocking the view of the water.  I kept walking along Ocean drive, hoping for a glimpse, when this caught my attention:

This was an entrance to a very large mall.  Did this make sense?  Could the brochure have mentioned an entrance through a mall?  Could the information attendant, so keen on having me take a bus, have enlightened me regarding the entrance?  Perhaps I was asking too much.

I walked inside and immediately saw a billboard that stated that the entrance to the Royal Yacht Britannia was on the second floor.  I could take an elevator, or the stairs. 

Well...the stairs were easy enough, so I bounded up them to the next level where they ended.  I looked around, and realized that I was on Floor 1.  In the distance, at the opposite end of the mall, I spotted the escalators to the second floor.  So, I trotted to the other end and took the escalator to Floor 2, but I still couldn't see the entrance to the Yacht.  After asking an attendant at one of the stores, I was directed to the opposite side of the Mall, near where I had entered.  Apparently the lift takes one to the entrance, but the stairs do not.  Who knew?

Well....I was finally on my way to the yacht, weaving my way along a hall filled with tourists, most of them American from what I could tell. I was handed an audio guide and began the tour through the boat.

Once on board, it's difficult to imagine how one could not spot it from the road, but believe me, it was well hidden.

The queen had her own bed quarters in addition to a private office.  Prince Philip's sleeping room was adjacent to the Queen's, but his room was much plainer with no ruffles, by his request.

The honeymoon suite held a double bed that Prince Charles had brought on board for he and Diana when they were married.  

There was the drawing room

And the state dining room which was in addition to a family dining room and a private dining room on the first floor.

And, of course, the Royal family needed to travel with a Rolls Royce so that they could have transportation wherever they went.

The tour was very extensive, and I could look at things at my leisure, which was really a plus. The yacht was brimming with personal items, including photographs of the Royal family having great celebrations.  It was truly a refuge where the family would be free from intruders invading their privacy.  There was even a baby grand piano anchored into the floor of the drawing room that the family would use for personal entertainment.

To add to the highlight, there was a lovely tea room on the boat, and I opted to rest awhile and have a bowl of soup with a cup of tea.  After all....my tootsies could use a break!

Lovely!

And the view from my table was truly magnificent

When the tour was complete, I climbed the 4 sets of stairs back up to the exit in the mall, and made my way out of the building, fully intending to board a bus.

But, once outside, I just couldn't bring myself to do it.  I didn't know which bus to take, or where to even get the bus.  There was no one to ask.

It's not that I'm cheap and wouldn't spend the money.  Lord knows, I spent 50 pence to use the bathroom!  I was desperate (and it was well worth it).

Let me offer some tips that I learned today:

1.  Never drink an entire pot of tea if you plan on hiking 2 miles, you could end up getting very lost and those 2 miles could extend far past that number.

2.  The numerous signs that say "TO LET" posted outside houses trick your mind into thinking that they say TOILET out of desperation.  Excitement ensues, then, reality sets in.....resulting in extreme frustration.

3.  Well dressed women pushing baby carriages will help direct you if you are lost, if you approach them and say, "Oh what a cute baby!  Will this road lead me to Leith Walk?"  This trick worked for me twice:  the first time I was way off track; the second time I was actually headed in the right direction.

4.  American tourists can be quite annoying.  I now understand why people from other countries can have an aversion to Americans.

5.  Always have loose change in case you need to use a bathroom.

6.  Get over your fear of getting on a bus.  (I suppose that I'll have to work on that one.)

7.  Take your husband's advice and don't do anything crazy.


Tomorrow, we're off to the Cairngorms in the Highlands.  Perhaps we'll see one of those Highland "coos"!

I'll keep you posted!

Grey Skies Are Gonna Clear UP!

Put on a happy face! And that's just how I'm feeling this morning as I gaze out the window at the beauty of the abbey against a bright blue sky.

What a great way to start the day, don't you think?

Quite the opposite of yesterday morning, where the skies were grey and rain kept falling sporadically.  I wasn't quite sure what the day would bring.  When I went to check my e-mail, I spotted a message from my good friend, Ernest.  It's great having a friend who is a meteorologist, because I have my own personal weatherman to give me a heads up on the day.   If pouring rain is predicted, I'm surely not going to be taking a walk in the park!

Well, when I opened up Ernest's e-mail yesterday, I couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Wednesday:   rain will stop in the late afternoon only , evening dry

Thursday    :   rain again and sometimes pouring rain in the afternoon

Friday        :   rain

Saturday    :   rain

Sunday      :   rain

The weather in Scotland has been beautiful for nearly two weeks, and then we show up!  The guys at the plant were giving Marty a hard time about bringing bad weather with him.

But, I have always said that I'd rather be in Scotland in the rain than miss the opportunity to be here.  Because, let's face it, we can't change the weather.

And don't worry, Ernest, I'm not going to "shoot the messenger" as they say.  Thanks for the umbrella update.

So,  I headed out yesterday morning, walking into town, with umbrella in hand and my raincoat hood up, since it was raining.  It seemed the perfect time to head to St. Margaret's Cave, which is open only a few months a year, so I was never able to actually see it previously.

I was told that the entrance to the cave stood next to a large visitor parking lot.  So, I headed into town in that direction, but did not expect to see this:

Obviously, this building is not a cave, but it was actually constructed to preserve the cave that was used by St.Margaret in the early 1000's.  In 1899, the first Catholic Pilgrimage was made here, and it became an annual event around June 10, the feast day of St. Margaret until 1974, although people continue to make their own personal pilgrimages.

In 1963, the town wanted to build a car park in the glen where this cave stands, and the plans were to merely bury it.  Luckily, public outcry prevented its destruction, and the car park was built while the cave was preserved.

In order to access the cave, I entered the building where I was greeted by a delightful man.  We struck up a conversation about the history of St. Margaret, of which I had been reading, and before I knew it, this man was speaking of his avid love of genealogy and I was totally enjoying his sharing his family tree findings back to 1650.  There's nothing quite like sharing a great genealogy story!

Now it was time to actually enter the cave, which is located several stories down below the car park level.  The history behind the cave states that St. Margaret used to come here to pray when she wanted solitude.  At one point King Malcolm III, her husband, secretly followed her, thinking that she having some sort of liaison in the cave.  He was relieved and surprised to find his wife in solitude, on her knees, praying here.  (Personally, I hope he felt like a real chump when he found her! Shame on him!)

I had been a bit worried that entering this cave would be creepy......sort of like the lava buttes that we climbed through in Oregon years ago, but this was a relatively simple experience involving descending stairs while listening to the echo of piped- in Gregorian Chant music.

Since one looks like they are descending down a giant dryer vent, the music didn't really add much to the experience.  There are very informative placards along the walk, describing the history of St. Margaret and the significance of the cave.

At the bottom of the steps, to the left, sits the original cave with a statue of a woman praying inside.  There is absolutely no doubt that you are in the original cave, and, I'll admit, it wouldn't have been my first choice for finding solitude.

But, then again, I wasn't living in a tower with 8 children either.  Perhaps this was the only solitude that this woman could find!

After leaving the cave, I headed to the spot where Malcom Canmore's Tower, the one where Margaret and her children lived, would have once stood.

Here you can see remnants of the tower in front with the steeple of the abbey peeking out in the background.  I had wondered why Margaret would seek solitude in a deep cave when there was a magnificent Abbey nearby, but learned that the abbey was built by her son, David, after Margaret died.

Note that by now, Ernest's prediction has come to fruition and there are bright blue skies in the distance.

Malcolm Canmore's Tower is just one facet of Pittencrief Park,  a lovely piece of ground donated to the town of Dunfermline by Andrew Carnegie.  I've spoken of it in past blogs, but the beauty continues to take me by surprise every time I visit.  And this time, I was able to see flowers in bloom.

So beautiful!

I cannot express how enjoyable it is to walk through this place.  Not only are there numerous photo opportunities

but the place is full of activity, with people walking their dogs, as well as babies out for carriage strolls with mommies and grandmas (and often time daddies and grandpas).

And even  a grey cloud sneaking in cannot spoil the beauty of this place.

In one of the gardens right outside the palace where John Forbes was born, stands this placard that tells of his 300 mile travel through Pennsylvania.

And the view from that spot was spectacular.

Imagine living in a house and gazing on this scene out of  the window.

Walking along one of the many trails, I spotted this intriguing tree which looks like a yellow wisteria.

The fragrance was light and lovely.  Do any of my blogger friends know if this is some type of wisteria?  

While standing there admiring its beauty, I suddenly found myself surrounded.

These little guys move pretty fast. When I went to snap this photo, there were no fewer than 6 of the little critters running circles around me.  They apparently thought that I had some sort of treat to offer.  When none was procured, they went hopping off to find another victim.

But this guy must have thought that it was worth hanging around....just in case.

When Marty got back from work, we headed back into town to dinner.  We just couldn't resist enjoying the good weather!

The sun was shining in such a way that the Railroad bridge and the Forth Auto Bridge were reflecting the light, making them easy to spot in the distance.

And that same sun continued to shine for many hours.

  Here you see Marty enjoying a piggy treat in our room, with the sun shining through the window.  Would you believe that this photo was taken at 9:30 p.m.?

No reprimands for indulging late, by the way.  Would you be able to resist that yummy looking piggie?

Well, it's time to get out and enjoy the day.

The sun is brilliant and the skies are blue.  But, I'm not ignoring Ernest's prediction of pouring rain in the afternoon, although I do hope he is wrong.  (no offense to you, Ernest)

If it does pour down rain....I hope that it will be where I am NOT!

I'll keep you posted.

Too Good to be True

When we landed at the Edinburgh airport this morning, we were surprised to see the sun.  We generally find ourselves trotting through raindrops on our way to retrieve the rental car.

But not today!  It was gorgeous!  And the temperature was perfect by my standards.  So, when Marty dropped me off at the B&B this morning, on his way into the plant, we both figured that I'd have a delightful outdoor day.  Even the B&B owners commented that the weather had been fabulous for the past week.

But we can bid farewell to sun at the moment.  Actually, it looks like the sunshine has moved out for a few days.  I KNEW the forecast that I had been anticipating was just too good to be true!

At least let me share what I did manage to enjoy today.

Since we arrived way before check-in time,  I was not able to actually get into the room for several hours, but we had arranged to drop off the luggage while I kept myself busy until the room was ready.

I spotted this cute bench in the garden

Notice the sunshine?  I thought that this would be the perfect place to hang out and read a book, but since I had been traveling for way too many hours, I decided that it would be best to walk around a bit.

Ok, I'll admit that I was a bit surprised to spot this on the far side of the garden.

And, it appears that we're lucky enough to admire that statue from our room as well.

We are back in Dunfermline, but this time we are south of the town, offering an entirely different perspective of the abbey in the distance.

And, as it turns out, if we look up instead of down, we can admire the abbey from our room as well!

It just doesn't get too much better than that, does it?

Well...come to think of it....perhaps it does.

Because Marty claims that this beer is really the BEST, just as the glass states.

Who's arguing with that?

Did We Have Enough Fun Yet?

Today was our last day at the beach, and since yesterday was a wipe out, thanks to Tropical Storm Andrea, we were determined to make the most of it.

It started out with some "Famous Landmark" Bingo.

That was fun.

Then we headed to the beach for some fun in the sun.

Created  a Long-Nose Garr in the sand.

Progressed to building an Elephant on the Beach with Amy's assistance (which was very difficult to photograph without getting a shadow of the photographer in the photo.)

Witnessed some flirting with Pap-Pap G

And some laughing at Aunt Stacey

Had to evacuate the beach thanks to this unexpected storm moving in.

But it didn't last long, and we even managed to go back to enjoy the rest of the afternoon.

And, to finish off the day, I took a walk with Stacey & Amy for one last memory of this year's vacation.

So lovely, don't you think?   And, yes, I'd say we did manage to have enough fun!

A lot of Rain...A lot of Wind...A lot of Pretzels?

Andrea popped out of the blue and demanded the day!!!

And, I actually managed to capture a picture of the rain since it was coming down in buckets.

So, just what does one do when Andrea has invaded?

Well.....there's extended breakfast time with Pap-pap G

And there's pretzel making time with Aunt Stacey & Aunt Amy

And the fun thing about pretzels is that you can make cool shapes......like a triangle.

And, while waiting for them to bake, we spotted a rainbow over the ocean!

And then......the pretzels were done!

Yummy.  In fact....right about now.....Andrea didn't seem so bad.

And, just when we thought that Andrea was moving out.........

the winds really picked up.

Ok, I'll admit it....the wind didn't actually almost push Jim over, although we certainly kept little kids inside....just in case they might blow away.

And, just for fun, I let the little guy use my camera so you could see just how much fun was happening.

It looks like those faces chased Andrea away!  Time for our last day at the beach!!

The Sun Halo Prediction

We were sitting on the beach, enjoying the day, when we looked up and saw this:

I have to admit, it was the first Sun Halo that I'd ever witnessed.  I had hoped to tell you that it was some sort of mysterious, unexplained phenomenon, something that was rare and unusual,  but it turns out that a Sun Halo is merely a prediction that one can expect rain sometime in the next 24 hours.

But, we already knew that Tropical Storm Andrea was lurking in the distance, so our plan was to get in as much beach time as possible before the rain hit.  And, it's a good thing that we did, because the rain is here once again.

So, here's a quick synopsis of our day:

Finished the annual beach puzzle, which is no easy feat when it sits on a table at toddler hand height.

Managed to get in some matching shirt photos with Pap Pap G,

although it was a bit difficult actually capturing the duck image with two moving kids.

Grabbed a photo with this little guy sporting his floaties, who insisted that he did NOT look like a frog.

Enjoyed the cuteness of this one having loads of fun in the makeshift "baby" pool on the beach.

Had some entertainment from this little guy who kept popping up and down out of the sand near my feet.

And, finally, took this shot .

Sure looks like a couple of frogs to me!  What do you think?