On to Edinburgh

Sunday - Glasgow to Edinburgh

The day started early - we left the dorm by 7a.m. in order to walk with our belongings to the bus station. We got there in time to grab a cuppa tea before boarding the bus to Edinburgh. We were excited to learn that the bus had wifi, but it was not super dependable, so we didn’t get as much done as we first thought. Oh well, the scenery was stunning and the trip was quick. Plus we were able to enjoy our yummy snacks from Mark’s & Spencer’s on the way. We has picked up some fruit, cashews and cheese “sticks” - not what you are thinking . . .these were stilton with dried cranberries!

We arrived and found we could store our bags at the station, which was a relief because we couldn’t check in till the afternoon and wanted to go downtown for church. I should mention that downtown is QUITE hilly. Dragging our bags all over the hills and dales would have been pretty challenging. Happily, we didn’t have do deal with that! So after ditching the bags we made our way down toward the Royal Mile. We had intended on getting here in time for the communion service at St. Giles Cathedral, birthplace of Presbyterianism, but we were about 15 minutes late. So we opted to grab more tea and a scone as we waited for the later service. This seemed a good option since it was raining. This time we got to church early and thoroughly enjoyed the service - especially the music. Afterwards we looked around the church. The attention to detail and the many “additions” are amazing. Of special interest was the intricate woodwork, extensive stonework and lovely stained glass. One of the chapels is the place where Scottish knights are knighted by the Queen - it is over the top! every inch has something carved out of wood or stone.

After the church we wandered up and down the Royal Mile a bit. August is the time of year that Edinburgh hosts the largest performing arts festival in the world- the Festival Fringe. As a part of it there are an insane amount of live music, comedy, theater, etc venues. Also there are LOTS of buskers and street performers up and down the mile. We have seen magicians, jugglers and a guy who swallowed swords and juggled knives atop a 3 meter high unicycle among others. The place is alive with energy!

We decided we should rescue our bags and get checked in to our hotel. The Merith House in Leith, just north of downtown was the destination. We made it up on the city bus and met the innkeeper. Our room was small but tidy and efficient and it comes with breakfast. After getting settled in we headed back downtown and hit a pub for some grub. We ended up at the Halfway House - so named because it is located halfway up one of the winding stairway alleys. We enjoyed some potato leek soup, ale and cider before wandering around some more. The crowds and performers in town for the festival mean there is never a dull moment. We ended the evening with a dram of whiskey at The Killingsworth Pub before heading the the Merith and calling it a night.

By the way - we are working on getting pics up but the internet is slow, so we'll see what we can do!

Getting Our Bearings

We slept in to a leisurely nine o’clock, and by the time we had showered and figured our the maps, etc. it was past the time for breakfast service at most places. And we realized we had left our map in our room after making our way downtown . . . handily we remembered our way to the visitor’s center and snagged another. By then we were hungry (and there was danger of crankiness) so we settled for an enjoyable pint and pie at the famous Horseshoe Bar. They have been serving meat pies with a pint of ale for years - the big controversy of late is that the price of this combo has gone up 50 pence from the longstanding price of 3 pounds. We thought it was quite the deal - and Jen was happy they would substitute cider for the ale. MMMmmmmm. . . .

Our hunger satisfied (and a little tipsy) we got on the subway and headed to the West End. We thought we would stroll through the University and a large city park on our way to the Kelvingrove Museum. As we approached the campus a friendly Scot (who was on his cell phone) asked if he could help direct us. Before we knew it he had hung up his call - assuring us it was “only my brother” - and walked us onto the campus, flagging down someone else and the two of them decided another place we needed to go before heading to the park and museum. However, we could only understand about 1/3 of what they said, so we thanked them profusely and headed on our way.

On our way through the campus we came upon the chapel and saw folks gathering for yet another wedding - kilts, fancy hats and all! It must be wedding season in Scotland! The campus was stunning - the old buildings and the views of the city are really something. And the adjoining park was lovely - we did notice that you aren’t allowed onto much of the green space or too close to the river. Most of the pathways are paved and quite wide (a car could easily drive on them). But the lush grounds and encountering folks out walking their pooches was a nice way to enjoy the lovely sunshine.

By the time we got to the museum our energy was flagging. So, we did what one does when needing a boost in the afternoon and grabbed a cuppa’. The availability of a really good, really hot cup of tea is everywhere - even the museum cafe made a good selection of fairly traded teas. While we were sipping a couple of moms with lots of kids in tow sat down at the two tables next to ours. One little boy with a freckled face was anxious to get his treat - because as he pointed out, while they had had lunch it “wasn’t a REAL lunch because there was no pudding!” Gotta love kid logic - if there is no dessert is it a real meal?

Boosted by the caffeine we enjoyed the museum - filled with art, history and information about Scottish heritage. It was an interesting hodgepodge of information - everything from paintings by Scotch artists to art deco furniture to dinosaur bones and information about sectarian violence.

After the museum we strolled around the west end a bit and Kirsten spotted a sign for a place that makes available to the public reclaimed wood. So we followed the sign down an alley and met a lovely woman named Natalie. She told us about the project and others like it that are reclaiming unused space in the city for beautification and practical use. They get all sorts of interesting donations from pallets to used stage sets and re-imagine them as parts of something new from benches to planters. We shared with her about the Bring Recycling center that serves a similar purpose in our community.

Then it was back to city center on the subway. We did a little shopping in a woolen shop (they are everywhere) and visited the food hall of the department store Mark’s and Spencer’s so that we could get some grub for the next morning. Found some interesting snacks including this soda - the flavor is dandelion and burdock.

Then back to the dorm to drop off our things and out on the town. We found a lovely Indian restaurant for dinner - apparently the most popular food in Scotland is surprisingly enough curry. There are shops everywhere. Then we wandered around and did some people watching before heading to a place we had heard about called The Butterfly and The Pig. It is a quirky little restaurant and pub down in the basement of a building - the kind of place were none of the chairs, silverware or dishes match, but the food is amazing. We had sticky toffee pudding with toffee sauce for dessert and tried some Scottish whiskeys along with it - boy o boy was it all yummy! It was a perfect end to a great day.

Friday in Glasgow

The rest of our flight went without a hitch and we landed in Glasgow about eight hours later (around 8a.m. local time). After clearing customs we changed our bags, got our bearings, changed some dollars into pounds sterling, brushed our teeth and got on the bus for downtown. Once we made it into the city proper we found our way to our first lodging site, the Mary Macdonald Hall at the Glasgow School of Art. They let the dorm rooms when school isn’t in session - which is a great deal for budget travelers. We couldn’t check in yet, but were able to leave our bags and head out to explore the city.

First stop - high tea! We had read about a tea room designed in the art deco style, The Willows, that isn’t far from the art school. As you can see we started the trip in style! Next we went to some secondhand stores, and the visitors center. Armed with maps, an all day bus pass and comfy walking shoes we headed out to see the City Chambers where the local government does its work - what a lovely building. Then on to the oldest house in Glasgow and the Cathedral. It was all simply beautiful. And to top it off there was about to be a wedding at the church. We saw lots of ladies in hats and with feathers in their hair, a piper in full Scottish regalia and the wedding party pulled up in white Rolls Royces! Quite the affair!! But since we weren’t invited we made our way back to officially check in to our lodgings. . . .more to come - we finally have wi-fi access, on the bus between glasgow & edinburgh!

We're in high spirits . . .

Thursday morning started early with Todd dropping us off at the MAX Train in Portland. That got us to PDX where we boarded plane #1 after enjoying a breakfast burrito in the airport. Then we sat on the tarmac . . . for a little over an hour. There was some concern that we might miss our connection in Philly, but no worries. We landed with about 40 minutes to spare and changed planes without a hitch. Then we again sat on the tarmac . . . for a little over an hour. Oh well, at least this time we weren’t worried about missing a connection! And there was a lovely family in front of us, grandparents traveling with their about-to-be-awkward pre-teen grandson. He was soooo excited to be going to Scotland with his granny, whose brogue told us she was a native. Before the plane took off, he leaned in to her and said, “Granny, I’m in high spirits!” Of course, the two of us melted. Next stop, Scotland!

On the road to Portland

How fast can you run 10 blocks? We decided to leave the car at home, which involved dropping Jennifer off at the bus station while Kirsten drove home to return to the bus station on foot. No problem - except when you are pushing the limits of time. We dropped off the bags and the car, and Kirsten had 15 minutes to make it back before the scheduled departure. Running the distance in Crocs and with her purse, Kirsten made it to Jennifer, our bags, and the bus station with 5 minutes to spare. Happily, the bus was running 20 minutes late and Kirsten had time to get her heart rate back down! This trick deserves a special shout out to Ed, the distance runner who had previously informed us that the walk signal blinks 11 times before the light turns red - thanks, Ed, for saving me from oncoming traffic at two intersections.

We made it safely to Portland, where Todd and Perry hosted us at their lovely home for the evening. Sweet dreams of airplanes...

Getting Ready . . .

The two of us are getting ready for our adventure overseas. The three week itinerary calls for stops in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Iona, and wherever else we go in Scotland as well as Belfast, Derry, Kilrea, the Giant's Causeway and beyond in Northern Ireland. Along the way we plan to learn a little something about whiskey distilleries, Presbyterian history, the art of afternoon tea and whatever else presents itself. We will also be seeing some friends who live in that part of the world and are very much looking forward to that!

We leave on Wednesday, August 19th for Portland and will fly out early the next morning. The last few days and weeks have been filled with preparations. This week we got an outlet adaptor for our electronics, various 3 ounce containers (why don't more companies make that size now???), and booked a rental car from a funny guy named Willie who we can't wait to meet in person. Today we went to the bank, to buy gifts for the folks we will be staying with and also the paint store (yeah . . .we need to finish painting the windows in the study so they can be hung before we leave - the house sitter might not appreciate the plastic we've had over the gaping hole in the wall!!!). And tonight . . .we PACK! Tomorrow we will probably have to decide what can be left behind, because we expect to overpack on the first go. We are limiting ourselves to what we can carry in our backpacks and our spiffy new carry-on suitcases (the patterns are a bit on the LOUD side, but they hold a lot and are super sturdy and light.

Our hope is to upload pictures and posts when we can so that you can follow along on this adventure with us. There may be times when we go a day or more without being able to update, depending on whether or not we can get online. But we will do what we can to share this experience with you. We are very excited to see new places and re-connect with old friends and can't wait to share our stories!