The Arbroath Smokie

Didn't I tell you that it was a beautiful morning? Here is the view from our room,

which sits on the top left of the roof of this house.

I'd venture to say that it is the best room in the place, as it is the only upper floor room that also features a dormer window in the front ensuite bathroom.  How lucky is that? 

And what fabulous weather for exploring Arbroath, the next village along the coast, on the road from Dundee to Aberdeen.   What made it attractive to this gallivanting gal was an ancient Abbey ruins as well as a Signal Museum.  And, although both of these seemed interesting to Marty, it was the thought of trying an Arbroath Smokie that appealed to him the most.  More on that later.

After a marvelous breakfast at our B&B, we hopped in our car for the short journey into Arbroath.  It was certainly not difficult to find the Arbroath Signal Museum, as it stands along the coast on the edge of the harbor.

Of course, Marty needed a selfie, with the building in the background.

Once through the doors, we were immediately absorbed in the function and history of this building and its connection to the Bell Rock Lighthouse.

Eleven miles offshore stands a rocky profusion that disappears when the tide is high, making it an extreme hazard for any ships in the North Sea heading towards Arbroath or into the Firth of Tay towards Dundee. 

According to legend, the Abbot of Arbroath placed a bell on this small island in the hopes that the wind gales would cause it to ring out a warning to any ships in the area.  Unfortunately, the bell only lasted a year until a Dutch Pirate stole it.  I'm curious as to how he managed that, considering the dangers of the random rocks that were often hidden.

In any event, it wasn't until 1807 that the idea of a lighthouse on the island came to fruition.  Robert Stevenson, who is responsible for designing a large number of lighthouses along the Scottish coast, developed a plan for constructing a virtually indestructible beacon on this dangerous island.

The museum held original sketches of the plans

a replica of the original structure

as well as an explanation as to how interlocking stones were used for a secure bond

and the details regarding how the workers were able to actually build the structure, which had to be put on hold twice each day, during high tide.

The displays in this place were excellent, and you could't beat free admission!

After learning the details, we headed outside to walk along the back to check out the harbor and the lighthouse.

On this trip, we brought along a set of small binoculars which certainly came in handy, but I took that photo with my zoom in camera.  Considering that this lighthouse is eleven miles offshore, I'd say that's a pretty  good shot!

Or course, we couldn't leave without another of Marty's "selfies!"

We decided that we would walk through the town to the abbey.  It didn't appear far, but I must say that it was actually trickier to find that I had anticipated. 

Along the way we passed the harbor

and saw for ourselves the smoking of the Haddock Smokies.

The Abbey was easy to spot once we were away from  the high buildings.

Once inside, we traveled through time from the Abbey's inception to present day events.  William I had the abbey built during his reign, and he brought in grey monks to live in the abbey.  Marty decided that he would get into the spirit of the monks by dressing up like one while we listened to the history.

The upstairs has an observation room where you can view most of the abbey from an elevated perspective. 

Once outside, the enormity is quite obvious.  In the spot where the original church stood, near the altar, I spotted William I's grave.  He died in 1214 and requested burial in the abbey that he had built in 1178.

What makes this Abbey truly significant in Scottish History is its connection with the Declaration of Arbroath,  which declared Scotland as an independent country during the time of Robert the Bruce.  The document was written by one of the monks in the abbey, in accordance with the wishes of many Scottish nobles, and sent to Pope John XXII for ratification.  It was approved in 1329, but as we all know, the declaration would not hold in Scotland's favor in the years to come.

Another item of interest was a duplicate of the Stone of Destiny. This stone is significant in Scottish history because it was once the stone on which future kings sat during their official crowning.   The stone was stolen by the English and taken into England and had been held in Westminster Abbey for centuries.

In 1951, a group of four Scottish students broke into Westminster Abbey on Christmas Day, and stole the beloved stone and managed to sneak it back into Scotland.  Once it was safely over the border, these young men had to figure out what to do with it.  So, they wrapped it in a Scottish flag and deposited it in the nave of Arbroath Abbey.  To them, it seemed appropriate to deliver it to the symbol of Scotland's original independence.

The night guard was shocked to find it, and it was a huge media story at the time.  The original stone is kept in safe keeping at Edinburgh Castle.  The one on display at the Abbey is, obviously, a replica. But the story does make for an interesting history, complete with photographs of the guard who found it as well as an interview of one of the men who actually stole the stone.  

After a pretty thorough tour of the abbey and the grounds, we headed east to Victoria Park where we decided to take the trail along the Seaton Cliffs which fall along the border to the North Sea.

We really couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day!

Traveling along the path, we spied the Needle E'e. (Yes....that is how it is spelled).  We could have trekked down for a closer look, but quite honestly, I was happy with just taking a photo.  The path was a pretty steep grade, and coming back up certainly looked challenging.

Along the way, I captured a photo of some Cormorants,

 and a rock formation called De'il's Head

Here you can see Marty venturing out to get a better shot of the above formation.

 Personally, I think my shot is just fine.

A short while later, we were greeted by this delightful couple.

Further along the trail, the water looked even bluer!

Notice anything different about Marty....except his lack of bright red coat?

Perhaps this shot will help.

It's a new hat.  You can't see it on this view, but there is a Scotland applique sewn onto it.   He can now add Scotland to his hat collection which already include a similar cap with a British Flag sewn on it,  as well as one with an Ireland emblem.  He seems to have Great Britain nearly covered!  (or at least his head does!)

Finally, we came to the arch formation which is at the base of one of the three sisters.  

Don't you wonder who comes up with these names?

The coastal part of the trail was closed at this point, so we decided to turn around and head back to the car park.

From there, we drove to the Brew House Hotel, where Marty eagerly ordered

A Caledonian Best 

and the much anticipated  Arbroath Smokie!

I had him take a photo of it.

Basically, it's smoked haddock.  Arbroath has the rights to the recipe, and no one outside a 6 mile radius is permitted to market an Arbroath Smokie. 

How was it?  Well....Marty loved it!  I'll refrain from offering my opinion.

As you can well imagine, by now, my feet were tired and I was perfectly content to head back to the B&B and enjoy the evening views from our room.

It certainly was yet another full day.  Tomorrow we head towards Aberdeen where more adventure awaits.

No worries.....I'll keep you posted!

Did someone say Jet Lag?

There's nothing like a good night sleep to set the stage for adventure!  Lord knows, sleep has been lacking BIG time lately, but no worries!   I am in Scotland with my husband, relaxing in a charming B&B in Carnoustie.  Our room is on the top floor with a lovely view of the Firth of Tay and the sun is just beginning to peek over the horizon.

We managed to make the escape on an overnight flight out of Newark that got us here in record time of just over 6 hours!  You really can't beat that for travel time across the ocean, but you can certainly rule out much more than about an hour's shut eye on my part.  

My husband managed to catch a few more zzz's than I, which was certainly an advantage, since he was the one who rented the standard transmission Hyundai, which, as you may or may not know, comes with the gear shift on the opposite side.  (6 gears, which he finds to be rather exciting!)  I felt better knowing that he had more sleep since driving here involves a LOT of opposites than what we are used to!

Landing early afforded us to make even more of a busy day than I had already planned.  We hopped in the Hyundai and headed North, driving through the Kingdom of Fife which holds a lot of gallivanting memories, across the Firth of Tay, and along the coast.  Our first stop was the Broughty Castle Museum.

This has been a stronghold on the river Tay for centuries, and was actually under the rule of the English during part of Henry VIII's reign.

The interior is set up as a museum, and we were able to climb the turret stairs all the way to the top for an observation deck view.

One could not actually walk outside at the top, which was probably for the best, as the wind gales of the Firth nearly toppled us at ground level.  We didn't need any more excitement at the top!

The proof of the wind is in Marty's hood.  Believe me, he regretted not packing the knit cap!

There were two men staffing the castle, and it was obvious that they loved their job as we heard hundreds of years of history compressed into an hour's tale of excitement. The one guide was so excited to have our interest that it was a bit difficult making the break away.  Luckily, another couple popped in through the doors, and we bid fond farewell.

Back in the car, my driver headed north to Edzell Castle, but not before stopping along the side of the road for a quick snooze.  The lack of sleep was definitely wearing on him.  The highway has frequent pull over stops, so he chose one, popped his seat back and quickly fell asleep for about 10 minutes before jolting awake to the sound of a Lorry.  That was a scary moment for him as he had been dreaming that he was driving while sleeping.   Once recovered, he hopped back onto the highway and headed towards our destination.

Soon, we were driving through this lovely entrance to the town.

and, after making a left and driving down a long narrow road,  Edzell Castle stood in the distance. 

Marty insisted on taking a "selfie".

Jet lag photo advice:  wear the sunglasses.  I don't look the least bit tired, do I?

What makes Edzell Castle so fascinating is the walled garden that was built in 1604 by the owner.

Along three sides of the wall are stone carvings, the Seven Cardinal Virtues, Seven Liberal Arts (Grammar, Rhetoric, Dialectic, Arithmetic, Music and Geometry) , and Seven Planetary Deities. 

Most of the plaques were in excellent shape, although Music obviously lost her head.

Amazing, considering that this wall was built in the early 1600's.

The cost ended up being too much for the owner, and the castle eventually fell to ruin.

We were able to explore the castle and climb up inside the tower for an awesome view of the garden.

Amazing, don't you think?

I took one last shot of the grounds on our way to the car park.

And we headed back into the town for a bite to eat.  We hadn't had anything since departing the plane, and since the meal choices involved green and red peppers, my sustenance was definitely lacking.

How could I pass on this delightful scone, complete with cream and jam,  with a nice pot of tea?

I'm fairly certain that this was the BEST scone that I have ever tasted while in Scotland.  

We were way ahead of the planned schedule and still had a lot of time prior to check in, so we began the drive to Carnoustie, stopping in Brechin along the way.

We pulled into a carpark and decided to take another power nap, for about 10 minutes, which revived us enough to explore this town's ancient cathedral and round tower.

There was very little room to maneuver in order to get a decent photo of the tower.  This is about the best I could do, as I didn't think it would be appropriate to climb onto gravestones for a better shot. 

Here you can see the tower peeking behind the Cathedral.

Apparently it is one of two round towers in all of Scotland although I don't know much about its significance.  I'll have to check into that when I have better internet access. 

From here, we headed to Barry Mill, which was is about 2 miles from Carnoustie.

This was a working Oatmeal Mill until the late 1980's.  It was then bought by the National Trust of Scotland.

The Mill is powered completely by a water wheel and the Trust is attempting to get it up and running, as it did for centuries, to make their own brand of oatmeal to package and sell.  They are working on the technicalities for that venture. 

Here you can see the water wheel with the buckets that fill, enabling it to turn and thereby turn the grinding mill on the interior of the building.  

There is a kiln attached to the building, which is used to dry the oats, so the process from beginning to end takes place under one roof. 

Our tour guide was awesome, and we spent well over an hour touring the place from top to bottom, as she showed us every detail of the process of milling oats into a fine powder to be used for making porridge.    

The water source comes from a stream that flows below this ancient bridge that once was the main road from Dundee to Arbroath.

On the bridge, right in the middle, is an engraved plaque.

Look closely, and you will see two horses pulling a cart with a man inside.  The sun is reflecting off the horses on the left.  Underneath is carved the date: 1775.

Gotta love that 20X power zoom camera!

By now it was time to check into the Sea View B&B.  We have a room on the top floor, which does involve walking up 2 sets of turret-like steps, but, believe me it is well worth the effort!  Check out this photo that I managed to capture just prior to sunset. 

Pretty awesome, don't you think?

By now we were pretty hungry, so we walked to the Station Hotel Restaurant, where we had a lovely dinner, although my order changed a few times due to difficulty finding a meal that didn't involve some sort of contact with peppers.  (I may need to consider sticking to Scones!)

As you can see, Marty enjoyed a Caledonia Best, apparently his favorite. 

I'd say he sure looks happy!

Then made our way back to our room where, by now, the moon was glowing over the Firth.

An absolutely delightful day.  Then, we plopped into bed to make up for our shortage of sleep. 

Just think....if we could do not all that on just an hour's sleep, just imagine what adventures await us on this glorious day!

I'll be sure to keep you posted!

Crazy Backyard Entertainment

I'll admit that life has been crazy in this household, and there hasn't been much time for outdoor entertainment.  But today I had a real treat when I happened to look out the window.

The first thing that caught my eye was a bluebird checking out the bird feeder.  Before I knew it, there were half a dozen of the bright beautiful blue creatures fluttering around the trees, taking turns popping in and out of the birdhouses.  Look closely and you can see one on the house as well as one on the bottom limb of the tree.

Another decided to act as lookout from the familiar perch on my deck.

I missed the opportunity to capture a shot of the downy woodpecker who dared to pop his head into the box.  Let's just say that he didn't stick around long once he was spotted by the blue birds.

And, it was a complete surprise to see a Blue Jay bopping around, as I've not seen one in my backyard for years.  

He sure was a beauty!

Obviously, this rabbit spotted something of interest as I watched him pose in that position for quite awhile.

And, it appears that Sneaky Snacky Squirrel has a real Spring in his feet. 

All of this activity occurred in the span of about 10 minutes.  It came as a surprise, and, believe me, it was a welcome treat!

Something tells me that there might be some real excitement this winter!  

In the meantime, I have every intention of enjoying the months leading up to the cold.  Adventure awaits as you shall soon see!

Special Moments

Last night I attended the Josh Groban concert at the Benedum Theater, in the company of two of my daughters.  They purchased the tickets back in May, informing me that the show was my combination Mother's Day/Birthday gift.  My birthday falls at the end of next week, so the timing was perfect!

Since the Benedum is in Pittsburgh,  this event obviously involved cross-state driving for myself and Stacey, but my youngest daughter, Amy, opened her doors to both of us, and I can't say when I've had a more enjoyable visit with just these two to spend Wednesday and Thursday night with!

I could liken it to a slumber party, except that all of us actually managed to go to bed at a decent hour and get some sleep!  Since both daughters had their jobs during the day, I arranged a luncheon meeting with one of my husband's cousins who lives nearby, and she welcomed me into her home and treated me to an absolutely delightful afternoon.  

I have had the opportunity to see Josh Groban perform live on several occasions, each in a different venue,  and last evening, although far different than previous performances, was just as entertaining. 

I honestly don't think that there is a bad seat in the house, except that I will admit that the seats in the "pit" were probably a dream come true for those guests.

But I was perfectly happy with our location, and so were the girls.

Amy, who is the pro at selfies, took this very lovely photo of the three of us.  (Is that bragging?  Well....too bad it if is!) 

If you've never been to the Benedum, then you are missing a real treat.

Glass chandeliers and sconces, with gold gilding throughout all,  enhance the beauty of this venue.  

This concert featured the new album, Stages, which is based on favorite musical melodies that Josh Groban picked himself.  Because it was based on many Broadway songs, the theater environment was quite appropriate.  The performance was sold out, particularly since there is far less seating in this theater than in Consul Stadium where we had seen his last concert. 

I was able to get just a couple of shots of Josh's performance as there seemed to be a question as to whether or not cameras were permitted, particularly when we watched an "older" lady usher hobble down the staircase to inform a patron to put her phone away.  

I was perfectly content to just sit back and enjoy the performance, but when the lights came on at the end, and everyone stood, demanding an encore,  I pulled my camera out, zoomed in, and got one last shot, just before we all settled down to hear him sing, "Somewhere Over the Rainbow".

In the past, Josh would sing several encore melodies, but, despite the audience wanting more, it was obvious that the performance was over when the curtain was dropped and the onstage lights were dimmed.  

We managed to exit along with the throng of spectators and were on the road and back in Amy's apartment in short time, enjoying a delectable treat from Oakmont Bakery, compliments of Stacey, prior to heading off to bed. 

The evening was delightful, and one,  I'm certain,  I will treasure for a lifetime.   

Thanks girls!