Friday, May 13 (the last day)

We had a delightful breakfast with our fellow overnighters at the B&B and quite an interesting discussion as they were researching bats and studying plant life as part of an environmental study for burying cables. Seems red tape may be everywhere!!! The B&B, Merlindale at Crieff, was the best of our stay in Scotland.

After a walk around Crieff and a visit to various shops and observing glass blowing at the local factory, we headed off toward Falkland Palace … sort of. Seems Camilla (the name we assigned to our GPS) had other ideas, though, and sent us through the countryside toward Falkirk. We figured it out after half an hour of wasted miles, but adjusted course and arrived at lunch time. After some soup, sandwich and salad at a vegetarian, organic café (you can guess who chose the location), we entered the palace and toured what one of the hostesses referred to as “the early day Balmoral.” The hunting lodge of the Stuarts, this was used until the mid-1500s, when Oliver Cromwell set down the Scotlanders, and then his men accidentally set fire to a large part of the castle shortly thereafter. A small portion of the palace was brought back to life in the late 1800s, and while much of it remains in ruin, there is still much to see. The gardens are spectacular, and Falklands still has the oldest royal tennis court in use, dating back to Mary Queen of Scots. Seems royal tennis is different from lawn tennis, but I will leave that to your research.

We then headed up the street to a pub tucked away in the village, and found it overbooked. But the proprietor squeezed us in to a reserved table, and enjoyed one of our better meals of the trip at a most economical price. A refreshing glass of Pimm’s and a dark ale along with scrumptions desserts made the meal complete. Lomond Tavern will stay on our list for future visits for sure.

We end our day at the Hilton Airport, repacking and reshuffling and relaxing as we await our noon flight tomorrow. See you in the States soon. Cheerio!!

Thursday, May 12

Departed for Balmoral Castle this morning after a mediocre breakfast at the Hilton (but Farley had duck eggs which he said were quite good). Although we had a lovely room in a charming Hilton (it is the smallest in the world), the restaurant service was very sketchy so a bit of a downer there. We spent 3 hours at the castle, more that we had planned. And the funny thing is that you only see one room – the ballroom—in the castle itself. The rest of the tour is a video and exhibits and extensive garden walk around, but the audio tour is so well done, it doesn’t feel insufficient. Today was the rainiest morning we’ve had so probably not the optimal day to tour gardens but we had fun anyway. We were shocked to see the time when we finished at the castle so made the painful decision to forego lunch and drive as quickly as we could 2 hours south so we could make the last tour at The Famous Grouse distillery.

A fair amount of our drive was along the river Dee and the scenery was so incredibly lovely – the babbling river and intensely green fields and stone cottages and at times you could see snow fields up in the mountains. And when we hit the Cairngorms, the landscape completely changed and there were no trees anywhere but plenty of patchwork hillsides (I think some of the dark color was heather and I am so very sorry that we missed the blooming season because I can only imagine how beautiful it would be to see all the purple masses). I believe this would constitute the “moors” and I can see why many people are so taken with this area. I would love to explore it more fully.


Farley masterfully handled the driving chore, up and down and round about, pedal to the medal to make the distillery tour. I was a bit green by the end but we made our destination in time for the last tour of the day and enjoyed The Famous Grouse presentation and tasting. Ask Farley about flying with the Grouse!

We checked into our last Guest House which is by far the best in the quaint town of Crieff. We hope to do a bit of shopping tomorrow morning before heading off to Falkland Palace, a favorite country home of the Stuarts for the primary purpose of hunting in the surrounding countryside.

Dinner tonight was perhaps the best yet; although not actually Scottish fare, a bit more French actually, but soooo scrumptious. Farley had steak and I had pork and we both enjoyed a sort-of scalloped potato dish and very interesting side salad.

The weather has turned much cooler, definitely how I thought the Scottish weather would be. With only one more sightseeing day, our thoughts are turning towards home and we look forward to seeing all of you and settling back into the rhythm of everyday life.

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

The day dawned bright and beautiful (in Scotland, that’s around 4 a.m.) as we got rolling around 8 with breakfast, where Farley tried an Arbroath Smokie, or a Scottish dish of haddock mostly filleted and smoked. The fish covered the plate, so it’s maybe a better choice as a lunch item.

We then headed for Aberdeen and the Scottish Maritime Museum. Aberdeen is headquarters for lots of North Sea drilling after building a long resume’ with seafaring forays starting in the 1700s. The museum shared lots of pictures and postcards and even a model size derrick and platform, but did not inspire us.

We then headed west toward the Cairghorn mountains (like the Appalachians, if that tall) and the Speyside distilleries. We enjoyed having our car today most of all, as our journey took us along the back roads and along the rivers Don and Dee and a few other streams for which we have no names. We saw deer, pheasant, grouse, rabbit, highland cattle, sheep and more sheep, and lambs, too.

Non-living sights along the way included more ruins, beautiful stone bridges, ski lifts, churches and castles. The streams and rivers reminded us of the cascades in the western part of Virginia, and several fly fishers were trying their luck. The mountains at times looked like jigsaw puzzles as various plant life from brown to green to yellow to white battled for space on the hillsides. There are many fields of rapeseed flowers, blooming with eye-popping yellow flowers. Apparently the rapeseed is harvesting into some sort of high end cooking oil. All in all, very beautiful.

After lunching in Huntly around the corner from one of many castles in the area, we headed to Cardhu distillery passing Glenfiddich, Balvenie and Glenlivet. Not a household name before we had researched a bit, we found that Cardhu is the heart and soul of Johnnie Walker scotches since being bought by JW’s family over a century ago. Cardhu’s single malt is also one of the top ten selling worldwide. Having tasted a wee dram or two, we can understand why.

We finished our day in Ballater, as we walked the streets of this ski town before checking in for the night and preparing to head off to Balmoral on Thursday morning. Once that journey begins, we have only 48 hours left in Bonnie Scotland. Aye, lads and lassies, ‘tis a bit sad.

Monday, May 9, 2011

Our last day in Edinburgh. Farley scooted off to attend a few last sessions of the conference and I headed off to view a restored Georgian mansion in the New Town section. A sudden downpour made my return to the hotel a bit damp, but we were all packed up and picking up our rental car by 2:30. We were a bit challenged to start in the rental car – what with the steering wheel on the right and therefore gearshift to the left of the driver – not to mention driving on the left side of the road… Farley proved himself adept behind the wheel once again and we headed up the coast road (Fife Coastal Tourist Trail) as merry as you please. I confess I was a bit of a nervous Nelly but only said “drive on the left” in a panicked tone of voice once or twice.

A brief stop in Crail where we had hoped for a late tea with snacks only to find the tea room closed. It appeared the whole town had closed up about 4 p.m. We took a couple of snaps of the harbor; it was quite picturesque. I got a kick out of this sign and luckily we adhered to the warning and managed not to drive off the wharf.

The Scottish weather caught us again just before we arrived in St. Andrews, with a combination of lightning, thunder, hail and heavy rain. But only for about 20 minutes, and it cleared off in time for a yummy dinner after checking into our Guest House. It’s not the Hilton, but it’s a fine place to stay.

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

We awoke to a sunny morning and a big breakfast before heading out on a walk around St. Andrews. We cut across the university grounds and then walked down to ruins of, first, St. Andrews castle, then around the cliffs to St. Andrews Cathedral. The cathedral must have been dazzling when it last stood some 400+ years ago, and it’s amazing that the remaining walls and surrounding cemetery have weathered so well. We continued our walk past the harbor and the beach (55 degrees so no sunbathers) and then through town. After a quick lunch, we jumped in the car and headed towards the golfing part of St. Andrews.

We decided to pass on the Himalayas (a putting course set up on the ladies putting green at the clubhouse) and instead drove down the beach road past the golf museum, R&A clubhouse, and hotel alongside several holes of the “newer” courses. We then doubled-back and turned down the road next to 18 on the Old Course, glancing over at players while navigating the narrow street past shops and hotels. We did find a parallel parking spot (never have done that from the wrong side of the car before) and walked out between groups to admire the bridge on 18 and the Road Hole green and bunker (it’s only as wide as it is deep, so I now understand why you are toast once you’ve hit it in there).

We then headed up the coast again after crossing the Tay Bridge through a larger town called Dundee, passing fishing villages, and fields of gold and bright green. It rained for the fifth time today as we arrived at our destination, but again only for a few minutes before the sun peeked back out from behind the clouds. We were seaside at Dunnottar Castle, or its remains, a ruin dating back to the 14th century that was essentially abandoned in the early 1700’s. Perched high above the crashing North Sea with birds flying all about, you could still feel how special it must have been to live high above the shores, at least when others weren’t attacking the castle!!

We finished our day with a drive to a “less than expected” B&B and a better than expected meal at the Old Mill Inn on the River Dee. Only three more sightseeing days, seems like we’ve had not enough time.

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Things I love about our hotel – it’s old; it has a great location; the floors creak enchantingly, the windows open; we can see the castle; we ascend two beautiful staircases when going to our first floor room….wait, what?....those crazy UK people-- they have the Ground Floor, then the Mezzanine Floor, then the First Floor.

Today was great fun, despite the forecast for heavy rains all day, because Farley didn’t have any conference functions to attend so he got to play tourist with me. We started the morning at Holyroodhouse when we took the audio tour and saw amazingly beautiful rooms. The highlight was, of course, seeing Mary Queen of Scots’ bedchamber rooms. So much history took place here. (Hey Nancy – in response to your comment, apparently most royals preferred Holyroodhouse and would only move to the Castle if there were some sort of threat as the Castle was more defendable. One of them referred to the Castle as “that drafty old place”. Holyrood is where Mary’s Italian secretary Rizzo was grabbed by her second hubby Darnley and stabbed to death right in front of her when she was late term pregnant with James. It was in her private chambers (he was dining with Mary & her ladies in waiting). Really small space, it was incredible to finally truly visualize all these things I’ve read about over the years. And YES, you and I need to do a Tudor/Stuart tour of England and Scotland. Gosh, that would be fun!!!!)

The abbey ruins attached to the place were very special. It must have been a magnificent holy

house because even the ruins inspire awe. We weighed whether to climb Arthur’s seat (the top of a high hill next to the palace) or head on our way, and chose the latter. We were rewarded when a downpour erupted not ten minutes later as we were in the gift shop.

As the downpour slowed to a steady rain, we headed out of the Palace to see the bottom half of the Royal Mile. Before long the rain ended and the sun came out! It’s crazy back and forth weather here. We snapped a pretty shot of the top of the Scott monument we glimpsed thru a “close”, which is almost like an alley way. We stopped for a scrumptious meal in an atmospheric pub then headed over to the Princes Street Gardens specifically to see the Floral Clock – which, surprise-- turned out to be DUG UP. Even the hands were gone, there was just a spindle sticking out of the ground. Oh well Ross, thanks for the suggestion anyway.

A quiet afternoon planning our stays for the rest of the trip (St. Andrews, Aberdeen, Balmoral for the next three nights) before Farley went to register for another CFA conference. We grabbed a glass of wine at the conference cocktail party before heading to the highly-recommended Tower Restaurant on top of the Museum of Scotland. DISAPPOINTING!! The spectacular views promised turned out to be mostly rooftops with sun in your eyes. And the wonderful seafood and game menu we had read about was lacking (maybe it was Sunday), so we appetized and ran. Only to be challenged to find anything appealing (more pub food, a nice Scottish restaurant closed, another that looked nice from the outside … not so much), so we grabbed pasta and ox cheek at the hotel (quite good, and guess which of us had which dish…). A little more planning, then off to bed.

St. Andrews on Monday, and no wi-fi, so likely Tuesday night before we post next. By then there will be coastlines and castles and golf and whisky to share. ‘Til then …

Saturday, May 7, 2011

The day did not start off quite as planned. I slept in and slept hard while energetic Farley got up, showered, left for breakfast and came back. Snooozzzzzze. Guess I needed that. Not sure where his energy reserves are coming from but as his friends well know, he is the Energizer Bunny.

He ambled off about 8:30 for a full day of conferencing. I skipped the morning workout but managed to make the buffet breakfast. A quick stroll thru a nearby Farmer’s Market and then it was off to the castle. The castle is built on a rugged black volcanic rock. It’s quite an impressive location. Not exactly impenetrable – I heard of one instance of invaders scaling the rocks to gain access and another siege where the wells ran dry & food was cut off so surrender was forced. It was a grand audio tour; I spent over two hours there.

A lovely lunch break at a terrace restaurant overlooking Victoria St. (did I mention it was sunny and about 70 degrees – apparently pretty unusual for this time of year), where I enjoyed Courgette and Orange soup (cream of zucchini with a touch of orange) and a nice basket of crusty bread. I toured the Gladstone Landing home and St. Giles Cathedral and popped in and out of numerous shops along the upper half of the Royal Mile.

Back to the hotel for a quick 2k erg workout and then Farley and I prepped for the country home reception.

Hopetoun House is a lovely property on the Firth of Forth with a stable wing, a ballroom wing, and a multi-story stone mansion in the middle. As we got off the bus we were greeted by a falconer and his assistant, who in addition to falcons had a barn owl (borrowed from Harry Potter?) and a very large great eagle owl with bright gold eyes. Quite impressive birds.

The current Lord lives in one wing with his wife and 4 children while the rest of the house is open for tours and private party rentals and run by Hopetoun Trust. But don’t feel too badly for the Lord, I would guess his wing is approximately 10,000 square feet and the nanny has her own separate accommodations.
Music filled the estate, with fiddlers in one banquet room, while a Scottish band and dancers performed in the ballroom. A pianist graced the Countess’s bed chamber, while the flautist and harpist serenaded in the dining room. The grand finale was a coed Scottish marching drum and bagpipe band that performed splendidly in front of Hopetoun under clear blue skies (quite lucky for us).

Sunday’s an open day, so we plan to tour Holyroodhouse and more of the Royal Mile, in spite of the heavy rain predicted. More when we dry out …

Friday, May 6, 2011

I’m sitting in the hotel room with the window (it must be 8’ tall) open and the church bells are chiming, chiming, chiming in the background. It’s been going on for 20 minutes now – so wonderful. Not sure if this is an everyday occurrence, but what a nice way to announce the end of the day!

As our FB friends may have read, we had some trouble getting here – delay in RIC, delay on RIC and Newark tarmacs, missed the Edinburgh flight by 2 minutes – but amazingly enough, there was another Continental Edinburgh flight 2 hours later. We ducked into an airport wine bar and sampled a red & white flight while we waited. Nice enough way to pass the time.

Flight was as good as a 6+ hour flight can be, but thankfully it was only the two of us in a 3-seat emergency row block. The extra leg room helps tall Farley so much and being able to spread out sure made sleeping easier. We both managed a couple of cat naps.

Arrival at Edinburgh airport was quick and easy. We lucked into a chatty, friendly cabbie and in no time at all we were delivered to the Royal Caledonian Hilton. What a fantastic place! It reminds me of The Jefferson or The Homestead – it is that posh and elegant but feels even more

historic than those two do. Farley has oodles of points on his Hilton Club card so we ended up with the Sir Walter Scott suite. Here is a pic of our living room and bedroom and then a pic of the view out the living room window. That is Edinburgh Castle on the hill – I guess the most famous site in the city. It’s magical to see that so close.

Due to our late arrival, poor Farley did not have much down time before he hustled off to the conference. I was able to start right in on sightseeing, caught a bus out to tour the Royal Britannia yacht. It was in service for the Windsor family from 1953-1997. It was fascinating. Of course, it looked old, but it had a lot of charm and if those decks could talk about the places they’ve been and the dignitaries they’ve hosted, it would be enthralling. This is a pic of the sitting room on board; it was all designed to look like a country house (on the ocean). I’ve also attached a pic of the Queen’s stateroom, pretty simple accommodations for her royal highness. Had a nice cup of tea at the tea room on board when my tour was over. Did I mention that I almost fell asleep on the bus during the drive out and then again during the drive back? I admit, I’m pretty tired.

Tomorrow will be a full day, starting with breakfast with Farley before he heads back to the conference. I hope to work out briefly (2 ergs in the cardio room!! Scotland is a big rowing country.), then castle tour and walk the Royal Mile and surrounding streets per detailed instructions from my new friend Ross M. Thanks for the info Ross! Tomorrow night, courtesy of Farley’s conference, we will be bused to a dinner at a beautiful (the pic is anyway) country home called Hopetoun House.

I’ll close this first blog posting with the bells STILL pealing outside and a shot of the bell on board Brittania today. Loving this seranade as we wrap up the day!