Exploring Dunfermline

Those of you following my blog might recall my gallivanting adventures in Dunfermline, back in  2012 and 2013.  My husband was working out of Glenrothes, and I had the days to myself to set out on adventures, and that I did! So, when setting up this trip, I showed Amy some literature on this town, and it spurred her interest, so I included a day of touring Dunfermline among our travels.

The weather certainly looked promising this morning when I peeked out the window.

If you recall yesterday's morning shot, there was quite a bit of mist in the air to start off the day.  But it looked like we just might be lucky and avoid any type of precipitation today.

A quick walk down to the harbor after breakfast proved that the weather must have cleared more than we actually realized, as we did not spy the Island of May at all yesterday. , But it was easy to see in this morning's light.

After just a final walk through Crail, we popped into the car and headed to Dunfermline, taking the scenic route which certainly did not disappoint!

We decided to stop in Dysart for a wee look around as I had been there in the past and really fell in love with the harbor and houses.  And, you can certainly see why.

Marty and Amy put their hands into the water and the report the I received was that the water was cold.

Not exactly a surprise if you ask me!

Of course, we needed our daily selfie!

We then headed into Dunfermline to the birthplace of Andrew Carnegie.

Many of you might not realize that my husband and I both have strong ties to Pittsburgh PA,  and the name Andrew Carnegie is certainly a familiar one.  His name is synonymous with library.  And he is certainly well known for his generosity and endowments that he set up during his lifetime.

Our first stop today was his birthplace. The original house where he was born still stands on the edge of the town.  Andrew was the son of a linen weaver:  Damask linen to be specific.

In one of the downstairs rooms of the cottage, there is a 200 year old loom, set up for weaving flax into the Damask pattern.

Those punchcards were set patterns that the flax was strung through so that a perfect Damask pattern could be woven on this machine.  Quite amazing, if you ask me.

None of Carnegie's original family items are preserved in this museum, as the family sold all of their possessions to purchase passage to the United States when the linen loom was replaced by manufacturing companies.   Andrew was 12 when the family emigrated to what is now known as the North Side of Pittsburgh.

Andrew was raised with a love of learning and reading, impressed upon him by his parents.  I enjoyed a particularly amusing anecdote involving Carnegie that stated that Andrew had been disappointed to learn from a fellow pupil at school that England was larger than Scotland.  His uncle consoled him by assuring Andrew that if all Scotland were rolled out flat as England, Scotland would most definitely be the larger.  Well, after our gallivanting adventures this past week, up and down numerous mountains, I'd have to say that Carnegie's uncle was right on track with that comment!

Andrew Carnegie was certainly an amazing man who possessed a talent for memorizing, and he soon became a valuable employee in the telegraph industry as he was able to translate morse code by ear.  That put a company at an advantage because one did not have to wait until the code was written down and translated. This talent was the key to Carnegie's beginning.  I'm not going to dwell much more on the merits of this accomplished and generous man, as I'm certain that most of you are quite familiar with his life. There is a very large, informative information center, attached to the weaver's cottage and commissioned by Carnegie's widow after his death, that details the many accomplishments of this man.  It is certainly well worth the visit if you are in the area.

Just adjacent to Carnegie's birthplace is an entrance to Pittencrieff Park, so we decided to head through the park, to the Abbott House for some refreshment.  We passed this lovely waterfall along the way.

As well as a larger than life statue of Carnegie in the park.

The gardens and grounds are beautifully maintained and add some real charm to a town that has a lot of dark and gloomy looking buildings along the main street. 

In short time, we were at the Abbott house, but soon learned that it had closed.  Apparently there was some mismanagement of funds and the Scottish Historical Society closed it. Now this was a sad state of affairs!  I had so enjoyed a lovely cup of tea and, perhaps a scone or a sandwich, while looking out the window of the cafe at the large cathedral that holds the bones of Robert the Bruce. 

But that option was certainly out of the question, so we decided to pop into a local bakery and order an authentic Scottish meat pie.  After all, that opportunity doesn't come up our way back home, that's for sure!

Walking through the church grounds, one can easily see the Abbott house with its bright orange color.

We stopped into the Old Cathedral, and popped into the oldest part.

The vast size is impressive, and the stained glass windows look awesome!

Adjacent to the Abbey stands the ruins of an old Monastery that Queen Margaret commissioned in 1070.   The Abbey was built in 1128 by her son, King David I.

Walking through this town offered a completely different experience than the one that we experienced in Crail.   The building were much darker and kind of depressing to view in comparison to the bright white cottages in Crail.   But as I told my daughter, today's adventure involved a lot of history, dating back to 1070.  The town might not have offered a lot of charm, but the stone buildings represented life nearly a thousand years ago. 

And, we learned of kings and queens and saints among them, as well as the influence of one man from this village on so many aspects of modern technology.  Certainly not something to scoff at.

So my blog today doesn't offer breath taking views. Rather, it features the history of a different era.

One of the other features of Dunfermline is Pittencrieff  Park.  A funny story pertaining to the park:  when Andrew Carnegie was a lad, he loved to play in this park.  But the owner of the land one day made it perfectly clear that he did not want youngsters of weavers playing in his park.  Carnegie was quite disgruntled by this, and when he became wealthy, he purchased this park and demanded that it be open to all walks of life. Guess he kind of got even with the landowner, except that the man was more than likely deceased by the time Carnegie purchased it. But this is just one more example of the generosity of this man who never forgot his origins.

Here are some views from our walk through the park: 

In the distance you can see the old bridge as well as the new suspension bridge.  I'm still hoping for a better shot, but this one will have to suffice for now.

Dinner was at a restaurant in town called Fabric.  The food was fabulous!

We are staying at a recently refurbished inn/hotel on the outskirts of Dunfermline.  The place has a restaurant as well as a bar, and since it is my birthday, we decided to go to the bar for a celebration drink.

I will admit that I felt a wee bit out of place as I crossed the room, ducking my head as to not hinder the visibility of the television screen that was featuring a local football match. It was obvious that the room was filled with hard working men who wanted their whiskey or a dram after a hard day's work.

But, my daughter and I wanted a drink.  And, I'll admit that we certainly looked out of place.  The bartender was nice enough to get us a drink menu from the restaurant, and Amy chose a Moscow Mule and I picked something called a Woo Woo. 

I probably could have chosen something else, but since my husband was doing the ordering, I just couldn't help myself.  So, he went up to the bar, where a tough looking bunch were sitting, and told the female bartender that he wanted a moscow mule, a Woo Woo and a dram of whiskey.  She said in response, "That's a mule, 2 WooWoo's and a dram, right?".  Nope, he replied, that was only one WooWoo.

I'm not sure if he'll be letting me order anything else for the remainder of the trip.  

By the way.....the WooWoo was really quite tasty!

Off on another adventure tomorrow!

I'll try and keep you posted.