Robert the Bruce and the Spider

Interesting blog title, don't you think?   I'll get to that a bit later.

But first, let me give you a quick synopsis of the day.  Marty and I leave in the morning, so I set up a room with a B&B called the Priory Lodge in South Queensferry.  It's much closer to the airport, cutting down on the stress of departing at 5:30 a.m. to assure arrival against adverse weather conditions.  You just don't ever know when they might close the Forth bridge due to high winds, so this appeared to be the safest option.

The plan for the day was set:   the luggage was packed into the car that Marty would drive to work, and I needed to make the trip from Cupar to Dalmeny by train.

Sounds simple enough, right?

After scrutinizing the train schedules, I realized that there was no direct line from Cupar to Queensferry.  But no worries.......I could just transfer in Inverkeithing.  According to the schedule, I had 6 minutes between trains.  But it had to be timed just right because neither station has frequent stops during off peak hours.

So, I bundled up, headed to the train station over the bridge and down the steps to the office to buy a ticket.  When I arrived inside there was a huge "Closed" sign hanging where the clerk should have been.

I'll admit that I was a bit dismayed, but what could I do?  So,

 I headed up the stairs...............over the bridge,............... and  down the stairs

 to Platform 1 where a ticket machine stood.  I attempted to buy a ticket to Dalmeny, but the machine decided that I should not.

What to do?  I looked up and saw that the clerk was back in the office!

So, I walked up the stairs........... over the bridge............... and down the stairs

to the office.

The clerk was attempting to arrange a travel ticket for a woman who just kept talking and talking and talking.  I looked at my watch and saw that I had about 10 minutes to spare.

So, I waited.........................and waited.......................and waited.

At one point, I heard the clerk ask the woman to verify the date in question as Aug.2, and the woman agreed, and kept talking and talking and talking.  By this time there was another person behind me in line, and I couldn't believe that this woman was holding up the line with a travel agenda for Aug!

I kept checking my watch....which probably only frustrated me even more.

FINALLY!  The woman was finished having the information that she needed, but she never did buy a ticket.

 The clerk was more than happy to help me purchase a ticket to Dalmeny.  I asked about the transfer, and she told me that I just get off one train, and the next train will arrive at the same platform 6 minutes later.  No worries.

So, I left the office,

went up the stairs.................over the bridge..................and down the steps

to the platform to get on the 10:50 train...........................Which didn't arrive until 11:00.  I wondered about that 6 minute transfer time, and asked the train attendant about the transfer when he checked my ticket.  He told me the same thing that the clerk had said.....no worries.

The train ride is always pleasant, and I enjoyed looking out the window over the fields on the journey.

I hopped off of the train in Inverkeithing and noticed that we had arrived 11:50....about 16 minutes late.

The scheduled departure for Dalmeny was 11:40.  But, I presumed that the trains were all delayed.

Then, the station announced the 11:51 to Perth.  Wrong train, but the next  one on the schedule.  Of course, the train office had to be on the other side.  So......

I walked up the steps............. over the bridge.............., and down to the office.  

A clerk was happy to assist me, and I asked her about what had happened to the 11:40 train.  Had I missed it?  Or should I expect it to arrive late?   

At that point a train pulled into the station on Platform 1.  The loudspeaker announced the arrival of the 11:51 to Perth.

But, it was actually the 11 minute late train that I was supposed to board.  So much for following the information on the loudspeaker.  By the time my question was posed to the clerk, the train had pulled out of the station.

By this time, I only had about 20 minutes to wait for the transfer train but I needed to once more 

 walk up the stairs.............over the bridge............. and down the steps

 to Platform 1  (Are you exhausted from reading this yet?)

The train was, of course, late, but I still managed to hop on when it arrived, and  I was in Dalmeny in about 10 minutes. 

Somehow, I had forgotten just how long it was from the station into Queensferry.  Or, perhaps it seemed so much longer with the wind blowing ice pellets into my face.  Finally, I arrived at the Priory Lodge around 1: 30 p.m.  (My adventure had begun with me bidding fond farewell to Mary at the B&B around 10:15 a.m.)

I checked into this lovely room, then bundled back up and ventured out to find something to eat.  Luckily, there was a lovely cafe just down the block.  I couldn't resist walking a few blocks, as this really is such a lovely quaint town.  I took a quick photo of the Forth bridge,

then decided to just go back to the room and take advantage of the comfortable space and wait for Marty to drive from Glenrothes after work. 

Isn't it just heavenly? 

So, now to the story about Robert the Bruce and the Spider.  I was reading through one of my books about Scotland when I noted a comment about how this man had attributed his drive and determination from a lesson learned by watching a spider.

I asked Marty if he had read anything about a spider in Robert the Bruce's life, and he had said that he hadn't yet.  (he, too, has been reading Scottish history.)

Suddenly, it hit me........a favorite childhood nursery rhyme came to mind....and it all was beginning to make sense.....at least with the version that I learned as a child.

"Eensie Weensie Spider went up the water spout.....down came the rain, 

and washed the spider out.

out came the sun...and dried up all the rain......and Eensie Weensie spider.....went up the spout again.

This MUST be the story!......after all, the rain and the sun are typical Scottish weather.

And this is a little spider,  a "wee" spider in Scottish terms thereby the term, EEnsie WEEnsie spider, for sure!

So, it appears that my version was the correct one all along!  So long Itsy Bitsy!

When Marty arrived after work, we walked down to High Street, despite the weather, and enjoyed a lovely meal at an Italian restaurant.

The owner was obviously Italian, and I couldn't help but think about my friend, Morena, and how entertained she would be by this delightful man.  His main objective was for us to be happy.  

What a great final dinner in Scotland!

And here is one last photo of the Forth Railway Bridge taken this evening. 

Time to hit the sack.  We have a super early day tomorrow.  Hope you enjoyed this last Scotland adventure.  I know that I did!