N and N's New Adventure: July 2012

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Day 59. July 22 Sunday

Sunday July 22, 2012

It is Sunday, we are moving a little slowly, and Jess has a bad cold. We had little in the house for breakfast, partially a result of our decision to not cook and order pizza last night. Pete says, “I have the car, I’ll go get some Breakfast.” He returned with breakfast from McDonald's: egg mcmuffins and potatoes, plus the essentials from the grocery store. Finally we got cleaned up, Joey has had her nap and we are ready to head for Edinburgh.
The first stop in Edinburgh was the Royal Botanical Garden. Nancy and I had been to the garden the last time we were here and decided it was a good use for a sunny but windy day. Nancy and I went first to the café for some lunch which consisted of a sandwich and salad ( theScots and the English have a real love affair with rocket Lettuce....arugula ) a scone, and a brownie, and some water set us up for the Afternoon.
Then we headed out into the gardens. We walked past some truly gigantic trees. They look a lot like sycamores, but they were some kind of common beech trees. We saw two young men of good size try to reach around the tree. They couldn't do it....big trees.

We decided to go see the Queen Mother's Garden. We followed the arrows to the garden which was located near the edge of the Botanic Garden. To reach the garden you have to go through the beech hedge. This is a hedge created out of beech trees planted very close together. The hedge is unbelievably tall...perhaps as tall as 30 feet high and 200 yards long. Somehow the hedge over-shadowed the Queen Mother's Garden. The garden was quite pretty with a variety of plants and trees from various parts of the world. The demonstration garden was also behind the hedge. These were plots of all different kinds of vegetables in beautifully cared for and planned plots. They were planted so the vegetables and herbs would ripen at different times of the growing season. The produce is used in the restaurant in the Botanics.

From there we walked to the Chinese hillside. These are thousands of plants brought to Edinburgh from China for study. The story goes that not long ago the Chinese government came to the Botanics and asked for plants back. They were plants that had been extinct in the natural habitats and the government wanted to try reintroduce them to the countryside.

From there we wandered along the various paths looking at all of the different trees from all over the world and was truly amazed how they could all grow in Scotland. The Monkey Puzzle tree is a really strange pine tree. Its shape is not only unusual, but the shape of the branches are strange as well. After that we had to hurry back to the shop/entrance of the Botanics to meet Pete, Jess and Joey for the next part of our adventure. Considering the wind I wasn't sure about it.

We drove to South Queen's Ferry which is at the base of the Firth of Forth Bridge. This is a bridge that they started building in 1881 and opened for rail traffic in March 1890. It is a cantilevered bridge with three sections. It is 1.6 miles long and is 151 feet above water level at high tide. There are two tracks on the bridge which has weight and speed restrictions. Until the last repainting which they finished late in 2011, the train bridge want under a constant repainting plan. The would work from one section to the next. It took about 10 years to get across the bridge at which time they restarted the process. This last time they sandblasted all of the old paint off for the first time in the history of the bridge. They put a new paint on it that should last 25 to 40 years. The process was started in 2001 and finished in 2011.

We found the office for the ferry tour that we were take. The ferry would take us under the Forth Bridge and out to an island in the Firth. The trip lasted about 90 minutes. WE got there in time to see the previous group get off.....a full boat full of visiting French school children. We boarded....the five of us and another family of four. That was it. It was rather fun. We had the back end of the boat to ourselves. The other family took the front. The water wasn't too rough all all. However, the closer to the island which has the remnants of an old abbey on it, the waves started getting bigger. About 30 people boarded the ferry at the island to go back to the mainland. All of a sudden we had moderate swells. They were big enough that the swells were breaking over the front of the boat rather consistently. The people who were on the top deck came straggling down rather wet to take advantage of the the cover. Most important: we were able to cross under the Forth Rail Bridge twice.

JOey was sleeping in the carrier when we got back to South Qeensferry, so we decided to walk through the little town for a bit while Joey slept. We used the time to look for some place to eat. The main road that goes through old town was rather unique. The road was only one lane with pull over spots to make it usable for two way traffic.

We found a restaurant that had a fairly reasonable menu. It was an Italian restaurant that overlooked the Firth of Forth. The atmosphere was delightful. The place was run by to Italian brothers. The food was good as well.

Pete took a different path home. It started raining on our way back to Glasgow. We stopped to get fuel. It continued to rain. We reached the flat. Joey went to bed. Chase went out for a walk. The rest of us watched a bit of tv and went to bed after two full days of playing.

steps: 11,974 neil steps This means Jess and I took more steps, and Pete took fewer.``

The Chinese Hill

The HEDGE

Monkey Puzzle Branch

Southqueensferry one late two way street

The Hedge

The Bridge-- Firth of Forth

The waves -- picture doesn't do them justice.

A BIG tree

The Chinese Hill

Southqueensferry

The bridge

The hedge

Seal island

The flower of Scotland

An oil tanker fill station

The Abbey on the island

Monkey Puzzle tree

Island under bridge

The bridge

Big tree

Everyone can get married here, but...

Day 58 July 21 Saturday

Saturday, July 21, 2012
Today we are going on a car trip to the Isle of Arran. We rushed the morning a little as we had a ferry to catch some distance outside of Glasgow at Ardrossen. We left the house and drove west and south toward Paisley and then out into the country, County of Ayrshire. We arrived at the ferry with time to spare so Peter and I walked to ASDA for sweet treats and liquids. Soon it was time to drive on board the ship. We drove in through the bow and would exit from the stern to minimize any driving. This ferry is much smaller than the ones across the English Channel.

From the vehicle deck we headed up to the passenger levels. There weren’t seats for all of us in any one spot so some of us were out on deck, but the wind was pretty strong and cool====but there was NO rain!! The crossing took about thirty minutes. We docked in Brodick.

Once on dry land our plan was to drive north and follow the road around the island. We did not get very far before we came to Brodick Castle and nature walks. We entered but on further examination and considering the costs we elected to pass. We climbed back into the car and took the exit road out of the castle. It took us through the castle lands. We spotted a small herd of Highland coos (cows) and just had to stop and take pictures. The cows were so cute. We reached the exit after a lovely drive through the grounds. The only bad thing was that Pete split his trousers by the back pocket.

Once back on the main road we came to a group of shops that included a sawmill, a pottery shop, a jewelry shop, an outdoor gear shop, a restaurant, and a brewery. The parking lot had potholes large enough that it cause the Hyundai to bottom out twice. We checked out the pottery shop. The young man running it was a graduate of art schools in London and Glasgow. We checked out another boutique where Pete and Jess bought Nancy a birthday present and I got to see the trouser \ pants usage in action. Jess asked the lady of the shop if she had a safety pen because her husband had split his pants. The shop lady was quiet for just a few seconds before Jess realized what she had said and quickly corrected herself. The shop lady said that is okay, I figured you were American. In the UK pants are your underwear. Finally we went to the brewery shop and bought a selection of ales for consumption at a later time. After we had secured our purchases and ourselves in the car we set off for the north.

A sign said the island was great for cycling with not huge hills or steep grades—I beg to differ there are magnificent hills on the northern end of the island. We saw a marathon of some sort. The runners were spaced out over several miles and rather large upgrades. Some of the runners were no longer running but were just barely walking.

We drove south on the western shore until we arrived in Blackwaterfoot where we agreed we needed some lunch. At a wonderful restaurant attached to a “Best Western” motel. We had a great meal while overlooking the Firth of Clyde and the edge of the Irish Sea. We had some Great soups, great steak baguette and more importantly a great sticky toffee pudding with ice cream.

After lunch we walked a short way along the beach, then decided to visit one of Scotland’s stone circles. After some driving and asking of directions we found where to park the car and begin 20 to 30 minute walk to the stones. Checking the ferry time, the wetness of the land although it was not raining today, and the difficulty presented by Joey and our lack of appropriate shoes--we decided to complete our drive without the hike.

The trip along the Southern end of the island was quite different from the north—more farming and more people, but fewer great hills. Since we didn't have time to do the standing stones, we decided to complete the circle driving around the whole island (about 50 miles total driving no faster than 45 miles). A Great view of the islands that were offshore, splendid vistas made the drive quite enjoyable.

Eventually we arrived back at Brodick for the ferry. We were, however, quite early a miscalculation on our part, so we waited. The ferry came and we loaded. The ship was not full, only two rows of cars-but there were a large number of walk on passengers so when we got underway the lounges were pretty crowded. None of us wanted to go out on deck because of the wind and cold.

The ferry ride was a success. The ride back into Glasgow was without incident.

When we arrived home Pete and Jess took care of Joey, and Nancy and I took Chase out for a walk. When that was done we ordered pizza as we were all tired. A great day in Scotland, the weather even cooperated.

11, 460 Neil Steps

Scenes from the Isle of Aaran

A Craig that signifies to the returning Scotsmen that they are almost home.

Day 57 Friday July 20

Friday July 20, 2012

Today will be different. Pete and Jess are going to the movies today rather than next Monday because Jess has a meeting scheduled for sometime Monday with the person she will be working with in the coming year.
We had a splendid breakfast of scrambled eggs and pancakes ala Peter.

Then the round of slowly getting everyone cleaned up began. Pete and Jess got first dibs on the bathroom first as they are going out. Nancy and I worked on the blog or read as we watched Joey and waited our turns.

Joey went down for her morning nap, and Pete and Jess headed down the hill to see the new Batman movie. Nancy and I got ready for the day. When Joey woke up we got her going and had some lunch from what we had in the house—bread, peanut butter and fruit.

After Lunch we took Jo-Bug out for a walk on a very nice afternoon. First stop was at the baby store to buy a Dolly for the granddaughter. Then to the bank to get some cash—the cash point was not working properly which caused some momentary panic---it was quickly resolved at a terminal inside the bank. A third stop was two watermelons which were on sale at Waitross. Then finally toward home, but before heading up the hill, we stopped for a mocha at a café on the way.

Back at the flat we played with Joey and then Nancy got Joey into her nap mode for her afternoon siesta.
The Parents returned,and Joey was delighted.

We turned our thoughts to cooking—getting dinner. Cooking would mean a trip to the grocery store and nobody really wanted to cook. We ordered Mexican food from a tiny—four seat—mostly take-out Place. Way too much food but the seasoning was right very much like Qudoba’s. We really had a great meal.

A great day as we got to deal with Joey all day long, and she is a joy so calm, so cute, so charming. Probably the grandest granddaughter of them all.

7,325 Neil Steps

Joey and her doll

Day 56. July 19 Thursday

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Normal morning, cheerful Joey and breakfast. Peter made oatmeal-very good, and so on. Then we made our way down to Aqua to wash clothes. We were back up the hill by 11:15 and decided to go to to Stirling Castle for the afternoon. We stowed our clean clothes, and started back down the hill to the Subway taking the outer loop to go into the city.

At Glasgow Central we bought two round trips to Stirling for 10 pounds 60. On the train and off we went as there was almost no wait, but there was no coffee. The ride to Stirling was a little more posh than the shuttle to Edinburgh, and we arrived in 30 minutes at the station in Stirling. It was time for lunch so we grabbed sandwiches and two mochas at the station cafe named Pumpkin. The local sandwiches were as good as any and the mochas were very good. We also got information on the best way to the castle which was uphill all the way from the station.

After lunch we walked a block to the bus station and caught the shuttle to the castle, 2 pounds for one way, three pounds for a roundtrip—we bravely decided on a one way. The ride up the hill to the castle was interesting as our driver gave a kind of red bus commentary. We alighted in the car park into the bright sunlight at the top of the hill.

We made our way across the moat bridge to the reception area. We paid for our tickets. The young lady who helped us was very nice with questions about America, and apologies for what had been rainy weather in Scotland The apologies were not unusual....we have a number of Scots apologize for their weather.

The first stop was the Queen Anne garden with a great view to the west, but the weather had been too much for the roses and despite huge thick root stock had only spindly tops and a few small blossoms by English and Scottish standards.

The castle was important for two reasons: one its strategic location as the lowest crossing of the River Forth, and thus the gate way to the Highlands. This is the reason why the Wallace monument is located here and why the battle of Bannockburn was fought within site of the Castle. The second reason for its importance was King James the IV who allied Scotland with France and claimed to be the equal of England to the South. Stirling was to be his seat of government. The palace is being rebuilt and refurnished to show it as it was at the time of James IV. We toured the Queen’s chambers and the King’s Chambers and the gallery of decorations.
We walked through the Great Hall and the Chapel Royal both beautifully restored from the army barracks that they had been until the 1970’s. We went through the regimental museum for the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders Regiment, one that through various transformation has been around since the late 1700’sand is still in fighting today in Afghanistan. We walked through a small passage to the Douglas Garden and then to the North rampart. The view to the north was magnificent. We then followed the wall around to the east where the drop off to the plains is more pronounced. From the grand battery one has a beautiful view of the Wallace Monument, a mile and a bit away. Our wall walk ended at the palace gift shop where we bought some post cards, and sampled some scotch whiskey/honey liquor mixed with cream.

The next decision was whether to walk or ride down the hill. After some indecision, we chose to walk. We knew that down hill was all we had to remember. So we set off, the area near the castle is historic buildings, which gave way to apartments and offices, then restaurants, and finally commercial. We stopped in a couple of places and then headed for the station.

We bought a coke and went to platform nine which was the next train for Glasgow, but we and all the other passengers were told that the train had already been and gone and that we should get to platform three. The train to Edinburgh came and left, then our train arrived. We boarded and then sat in the station due to some signaling work just outside the station. Finally on our way and a quick trip to Glasgow. As we arrived the train manager apologized that we would be arriving nine minutes late. For those of used to riding AMTRAK this seemed a very minor inconvenience.

The weather had been great all afternoon and when we got home Pete was busy with the grill and we had hamburgers and potatoes. Joey to bed, work on the blog, read, bed for us. another great day.

10,631 Neil steps
13587 Nancy steps

Stirling castle