My Other MisAdventures

I have no idea what these little beasties are! Rams? Sheep? I don't know, but with their ears hanging down and their horns sticking out, they look a bit odd...
The Front yard of Hopetoun House
The path along the side of Hopetoun
The Backyard of Hopetoun - I would hate to cut that lawn every Saturday afternoon :-)
Newhailes House

Clan Gathering Pictures

The Clan Village sitting underneath the Salisbury Crags
There were kilt clad men everywhere!
I LOVE the bright yellow wellies paired with the kilt - what a cute brother and sister!

The 2009 Clan Gathering and aother Misadventures

July 2009 was the BIGGEST Clan gathering since 1822, with more clan chiefs in attendance since the Battle of Culloden in 1745! Over 30,000 from around the world descended upon Edinburgh to rediscover their roots and explore their ancestors lands. It was a 2 day affair with a clan village (over 85 clan families were represented, with the Hay's and Duncan of course :-), highland dancing, caber tossing, stone throwing, hill racing and much more. I have never seen so many kilt clad men in my life :-) Everyone was proudly displaying their family's tartan. Even Prince Charles showed up for the occasion. While I hate crowds, it was a neat experience to be around all these people who were so excited about their history

While, I enjoyed the clan gathering, I was even happier to escape the crowds and head over to Musselburgh to explore Newhailes house. The day got off to a rocky start though, as always I missed the train to Musselburgh by about 2 minutes and the next one was in 1 hour. So I had a decision, wait an hour to take a 4 minute train ride, or hop a bus and arrive 40 minutes later in Musselburgh (yup, you read that right, 4 minutes compared to 40! Insane!) Anyway, I opted to have lunch in town and then get the next train. This would have been fine, had the way to Newhailes been marked properly on the maps at the train station. But, having learned from experience, the best way is to ask people, so I stopped in a bakery and asked for directions. The kind women sent me down the street about a mile. There was NO Newhailes in a mile... I stopped at a gas station and was told - "Oh, you need to go BACK into town about a mile, then continue on about 2 1/2 miles in the OTHER direction to get to Newhailes." At this point, what could I really do? So an hour after arriving in Musselburgh, I arrived at Newhailes house in the rain. (yup, it got better when it started to rain :-) The house is an old country estate house that was built in the early 18th century. The Scottish National Trust just took it over and their motto is "Conservation not restoration" so everything is a bit threadbare and dingy, but you can get the idea of what it was supposed to look like. My favorite room was the library, where there were floor to ceiling bookcases. Unfortunately there is a no picture taking policy, so you only get to see the outside of the house (unless you take a look at this web-site: http://www.nts.org.uk/Property/47/) Thankfully I asked the caretaker for directions back to the train station, and he sent me on a little shortcut and it only took me 10 minutes to get there :-)

My next little adventure took me to Hopetoun House. This is the huge family estate of the Hope family that has been in their possession since 1709! It is a huge house with 150 acres of land out back. This time I knew I was in for a 2 mile walk to the house from the bus stop, but it was a pleasant walk along the coast, so I was happy. The house is absolutely amazing with vastness of the rooms and the beautiful land outback. I got to have afternoon tea in the tea shop (which used to be the stables) and it was great! My new favorite treat is a ginger oatcake slice - very yummy! They have a 10K the end of September that I think I might enter. That would be a fun way to end my stay in Scotland :-) If you have time checkout their web-site, there is absolutely no way I could do the house justice in trying to explain it to you - it is absolutely palatial! http://www.hopetounhouse.com/

Since beginning my stay in Scotland I have had to learn a lot about Scottish appliances. The stove, for instance needs to be started with a match (definitely not used to that). There is no dryer, so all my clothes have to be hung up all over my room to dry after being washed. The shower, needs to be switched by a little pulley next to the sink, and then you have to be careful not to soak the bathroom, because there are no walls around you! Since being here I have realized even more how thankful I am to have ALL the modern conveniences that we have in the states. Shower curtains are a wonderful thing :-)

See you all later!

Linlithgow Palace and Melrose Abbey Pics

Melrose Abbey
Me, hiding from the rain at Melrose Abbey
The really neat fountain at Linlithgow Palace
A view or Linlithgow from across the loch
My favorite room: The Great Hall

Linlithgow, Rosslyn Chapel and Melrose Abbey

Hello All!

After my long adventure up into the highlands I decided to stick a little closer to home and visit some local attractions near Edinburgh. Linlithgow Palace is only a 20 minute train ride west and great place to visit. http://www.historic-scotland.gov.uk/propertyoverview?PropID=pl_199&PropName=Linlithgow%20Palace. This is where Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots was born in the 1500's. This palace is another fantastic ruin that you can run around in and explore. My favorite room was the Great Hall. There was no ceiling, but I could just imagine the torches glowing from the side walls, and the tables that would have lined the room filled with venison, pork and chickens. I could hear the shouting between men and the sound of music coming from the musicians playing the harp and lyre from the corner of the room. Even today, this would be a really neat place to throw a party, you could hang twinkle lights everywhere and really decorate the place up nice! (of course you would have to keep your fingers crossed that it wouldn't rain since there is no roof :-) The Palace is set on a loch, which is a nice 2 1/2 miles round and a great place for a walk. That day was particularly windy and all the little sailboats on the loch kept falling over and dumping their occupants into the water. I felt bad they were all getting wet, but it really was quite funny :-)

After Linlithgow, I headed over to Rosslyn Chapel. The chapel is about a 1/2 hour bus ride from Edinburgh - not too bad. Most of you will remember that it is featured in part of the book/movie "The Di Vinici Code". All I can say is it is so much more impressive in person! I was completely awed when I walked in. The chapel is under some serious renovations (after the movie the number of tourists visiting jumped from 11,000 a year to over a million a year (I think.. don't hold me to that :-) There had been some bad structural decisions made over the past century so they are now trying to be corrected. I wish I could post pictures, but no picture taking is allowed in the chapel anymore. This is all thanks to some stupid lady who was walking around taking pictures and not looking where she was going and she tripped. Well, of course she sued and ended up winning, so now no one can take pictures in the chapel. Thanks Lady for wreaking it for everyone else! So here is a link to the web-site so you can check it out yourself http://www.rosslynchapel.org.uk/. I do think this is one of my favorite places that I've been to so far. The inside of the chapel is small, and everything is a limestone white (this was done to protect the soft sandstone, but ended harming the building more than helping) but it gives the chapel a peaceful feeling. The stonework is unbelievably intracit and it amazes me that masons were able to do this kind of work over 500 years ago! If you ever get to Scotland - you have to visit, it's worth the trip!

My next stop was Melrose Abbey. http://www.aboutscotland.co.uk/mel.html Yeah.....well, that wasn't as great as I would have hoped it to be. I was under the misguided impression that the bus trip would take about an hour, it took 2 1/4 hours! Once I got there, it started pouring - what could I do but walk around anyway? The abbey itself is another ruin with no ceiling but the work was so beautiful. About 300 monks and laymen lived there once upon a time and they really did have a lot of modern conveniences for their time. After exploring for a couple house, I contemplated continuing my journey south to Jedburgh Abbey (where I would also be in the rain) or giving up and going home to get dry and warm - I gave up :-) I'll leave Jedburgh Abbey and Dryburgh Abbey for another day (If I get up the courage to get on the bus for another couple hours ;-)

I hope you like the pictures I've posted for these past few adventures. Keep an eye out, I continued running more of the Fife Coastal Trail and it was another amazing 9 miles! Pictures coming soon :-)

My first Scottish thistle sighting
Quirraing
Keep going - all the way
Made it!
The disappointing Kilt Rock Waterfall

Old Man Storr starring solemnly down at me
I had to partially hike through some woods to get to the Old Man and I thought the light filtering down through the trees was so pretty!
Garden behind Dunvegan Castle
A REALLY cool Ram!
My supper of Prawns starring at me - I should have named them :-)

Skye Bridge with a cutte little lighthouse underneath
Elian Donan Castle
The Glenfinnan Monument
The beginning of the Lost Valley hike - straight up to the tippy top of the highest peak you see!
The Lost Valley rediscovered!

The Isle of Skye

I finally got to visit the Isle of Skye off the North Western Coast of Scotland. It was a great weekend with a few funny stories to throw in along the way :-)

It is about a 5 hour trip from Edinburgh to Skye, with a few breaks in between it was a bearable trip. The fun began at 6 am Friday morning and continued in the car until 8:30am when a stop to hike to the Lost Valley of Glencoe started. I was under the impression that it would be an easy hike. NOPE! It was straight up a mountain! (my 35 mile bike ride to Falkirk earlier that week hadn't help the state of my knees, but that wasn't discovered until 1/4 the way up the mountain) It was an amazing hike though. Waterfalls, neat rock formations and the view at the top was unbelievable. I have always wanted to hike in Glencoe and I was happy to have the chance (side note: Glencoe is in the middle of the country and this was where the McDonald clan massacred the Campbell clan because they didn't sign a peace treaty with England on time. Glencoe is a hauntingly beautiful valley, that spurs the imagination to thinking that you can almost see the fighting going on between the men and the women and children running for their lives in the cold of February) This hike was neat because there were absolutely no other people around! Coming down the mountain I could see the tour buses all in the parking lot, but no one ventured even close to the base of the trail - silly tourists you missed the best part!

I also made a stop at the Glenfinnan Monument. It's a tower with a statue of Bonnie Prince Charlie (he tried to reclaim the Scottish throne during the 1700's but was defeated. It was at this place that it all began). It is a beautiful area, with the monument at the foot of a loch in between 2 mountains - the only sad thing was it was a TOTAL tourist trap! You were supposed to pay to park (2 pounds), pay to use the restroom (20 pence), pay to go into the garden where the tower was (5 pounds) and you weren't allowed to put your trash in the garbage can unless you bought it from their coffee shop! Really?!?! Come on! Well, I did park and I did use the restroom and I did put trash in the bin - and guess what? I didn't pay a pence and I don't feel bad about it! So there! :-)

Elian Donan Castle was another stop along the way that was pretty neat. It is one of the most photographed castles in all of Scotland. You might have seen it in the movie "Maid of Honor". It's a beautiful castle set on a little island in the middle of a loch. The last time I was in Scotland my mom and I got to go to a concert held in the castle - it was one of the neatest experiences!

Finally - Skye, 10 hours after leaving Edinburgh! Once upon a time there was a 7 pound toll to cross the Skye bridge but thankfully the Scottish National Party took control of the government and said no more to that - so it is now free and easy to get to the Isle of Skye (Skye is Norse for clouds - which seem to blanket the island ALL the time!)

It was too late to do any more hiking that night (I was pooped from hiking in Glencoe anyway) so a nice dinner off the island in the little coastal village of Plockton was the choice for the evening. I, as always, wanted to try cultural foods, and the local staple is Prawns. Right.... Well, no one told me that they come STARRING at you! They are like little baby lobsters that you have to break open and eat (except they are so small and not nearly as good as lobsters!) For my main course I had Game Stew (I think it had venison, pheasant, any other roaming animal from the area :-) It was OK, the sauce was incredibly heavy, so you really couldn't taste anything anyway.

Saturday dawned bright and early and the day begin with a trip to Dunvegan Castle, the stronghold of the McLeod Clan. It was a neat castle, as far as castles go. Nothing terribly exciting though. Next on the list, a hike up to the Old Man of Storr! It was great! (rained the whole way, but great!) This was about a 2 hour hike uphill (of course, like all of the other hikes in Scotland) and the views were simply amazing. The legend goes that an old Shepherd and his wife were transformed into stones when they stopped to look back at the giants behind them. The wife fell over a few years back, but the old Man is standing strong :-)

Kilt rock was next on the stopping points, but that was a HUGE disappointment. From the postcards it looks amazing and it looks like a great hike along the coastline, but it's not. There is a car park next to the waterfall and the water barely trickles over. Not too exciting - Sorry.

My favorite hike of the weekend was the Quirraing. The views were fantastic, I felt like I was standing on the edge of the world. Sheep dotted the landscape (you couldn't really forget about them because you had to keep dodging their presents they left everywhere) I really don't know how I am going to decide which pictures to post because they are all my favorites! You could really go anywhere on this hike and explore. I felt like I was discovering a new place for all mankind (it did help that it was raining buckets and there were no other people around)

Sunday came around all too quickly for my weary body and another trip to the coast was set out upon. This time it was a practically unmarked trail that lead me to a little beach with neat rock formations that reminded me of Giants Causeway in Ireland. Little seals followed my progress along the rocks from the safety of the cold cold water It was so peaceful and relaxing to be where no one else was and to have the beach and coast to myself (except for the sheep who were apparently trying to get tans as well - yup sheep on the beach! Who would have thought!)

The only "funny" thing about the whole weekend was that I have been hearing about the great highland hospitality for a while now. I have met MANY great and friendly people in the south of Scotland, so I didn't see how that could be beat. And it wasn't. If anything, people were downright rude. Service was terrible in the restaurants, you had to ask for things time after time, and even then you didn't get them. I stopped at a rest area along the way, only to be snarled at by the custodian that it wasn't open yet and that I needed to leave! (I think he could have been a bit nicer in his response) There were a few other surprising incidents over the weekend that really astounding me. Where was the Scottish Highlands Hospitality? Has it disappeared during tourist season? I would think now would be the most important time to have a welcoming smile and a kind word...

Once again, my post is a long one. Hopefully I haven 't prattled on too much and have lost everyone :-) In a few days I will post some fun trips to Linlithgow Palace, Rosslyn Chapel and Melrose Abbey. Stay tuned!

Falkirk Wheel

My trusty mud covered bike
The Falkirk Wheel
My 32 mile long path
A canal boat going over one of the 100 foot high Aqueducts
Another Aquaduct

A Busy 3 Days

I am about 5 days behind in cataloging my activities and I'm afraid it's only going to get worse :-) Lets see if I can get in all of last weekend and Monday's adventures...

Saturday was a low-key day for me (one that was overdue). I went to the Edinburgh Farmer's Market which is on Castle Terrace (hence the name, the castle is directly over you on the hill). It was so NEAT, although not quite what I was expecting. I have become spoiled with Central Florida's farmers market and their plethora of fruits, veggies, cheese and flowers. The Edinburgh market consisted of about 2 veggie booths, NO fruit and at least 12 MEAT booths! Yup, every kind of meat you could ever want to buy was here. Can you tell this really is a county that likes its red meat? There were a few jam sellers and cheese mongers, but then there were at least 10 hot food booths. Why you would go to a farmers market to buy fried buffalo burgers I will never know - but it was fun none the less. The afternoon consisted of a lazy walk up the Braids ( just a residential neighbor on the side of a hill that afforded beautiful views of the city and the Forth). I did find a place where I might finally get to try my hand at golf! For only 5 pounds I get to play 9 holes (I think) We'll see how much of a fool I can make of myself :-)

Sunday was church and another great message from Pastor Peter. Unfortunately for me, this was his last Sunday. He is going to be teaching expository preaching in a college starting in the fall. So after 17 years of faithful service to Charlotte Chapel, he decides to leave the summer I arrive. Figures :-) After church I went on a picnic with the 20's & 30's group in the church. It was a nice time (with a few sprinkles thrown in) of playing frisbee in the park and chatting while we ate our lunches. They seem like a great group of people and I look forward to getting to know them better. Sunday night was another hike up the Salisbury Crags. This time I looped around the lower trail and then hiked up to the top again. It is such a great hike with unbelievable views, this might just become a regular hike every Sunday night. I do believe it is one of my favorites.

Now onto the exciting adventure that happened on Monday - I decided to bike down the Union Canal from Edinburgh to Falkirk - 32 MILES AWAY and back again! Yup, you read that right, 64 miles in 1 day. Perhaps I was a bit over zealous? :-) The trip was a lot of fun. It was really neat to be riding my bike through the countryside along the canal. Riding a bike doesn't afford the easabilty (sorry, made up word) to take pictures though, so there really aren't a lot of them. I got to ride over 100 foot high aqueducts overlooking rivers and roads and I also got to meet a few interesting people. One little old man almost jumped in front of my bike to get me to stop so he could tell me about the little ducks that were getting carried off by the seagulls. The hardest part was 7 miles before I got to Falkirk when I ran into a thunderstorm. It was nasty. I managed to wait the worst of it out under a bridge with a runner, but then after the brunt of it passed it continued to sprinkle and the trail was just all mud. By the time I got to Falkirk, I was covered in mud - what a sight was I!

Falkirk is a popular point to ride your bike to because of the Falkirk Wheel. This wheel is a massive structure that takes the canal boats from the Clyde Canal and swings them up 3 stories high to get them onto the Union Canal (since canal boats cannot go uphill, its necessary to do it this way to link the 2 waterways) It really is a neat thing to watch. So, once I arrived in Falkirk and warmed myself up with some hot coco, I was on the trail again. But, of course the rain followed me, so I gave up a few miles down the trail and hopped on a train back to Edinburgh. I was never so happy to sit down on a real cushioned seat and just relax. A well deserved supper at the Earl of Marchmont finished out my evening and completed my day.

No deep thoughts for this post I'm afraid - too many stories to tell. Perhaps in later post I will start my ponderings again :-) I have quite a few bouncing around in my head, but I think my adventures are a bit more interesting than my rantings. See you all later!

Fife Coastal Path

What a view!
The old church along the way
Wouldn't you like to live in that lighthouse? I know I would - I wonder if they have any job openings :-)
The fun little tunnel I had to run through
The beginning of the trail which takes you right under the Forth Rail Bridge. So I got to run under the bridge and then also got to ride over the bridge on my way home :-)

The Absolutely Amazing Fife Coastal Trail

About 2 years ago, before I even had an inkling that I would get to live in Scotland for 3 months, I saw a program on T.V. about the Fife Coastal Trail (http://www.fifecoastalpath.co.uk/) It is an 80 mile path that runs from North Queensferry (just over the bridge from Edinburgh) and then 80 miles up the Eastern Coast of Scotland up to Aberdeen. There are B&B's along the way if you want to walk/run it all in 1 shot, but I decided to take it a little bit at a time. (no sense in paying for a room for the night when I already am in Edinburgh - look at that, I am turning Scottish already :-) So all I have to do is hop a train in Edinburgh and then jump on the train in whatever town I decide to give up in - very convenient!

Anyway, I decided to conquer the first 16 miles of the trail last Saturday and every step was unbelievable! The whole walk I marveled at the beauty of God's creation and wondered how did I get so lucky to be able to take on this adventure! There were a few sketchy moments :-) 2 large dogs came tearing out the woods at full speed towards me, thankfully I guess I didn't look like that great of a meal so they kept on going. I unfortunately went about 2 to 3 miles out of my way when I lost the trail in one of the little towns you pass through. Whether it was though poor markings on their part or my lack of attention to details - I guess we'll never know :-) I think my favorite part was stumbling upon castle ruins, or an abandoned church with an old graveyard out back overlooking the harbor. It was like discovering a little secret all to myself (although, anyone along the path discovered it as well :-)

I did meet some really nice people along the way. Those wonderful people who pointed me in the right direction so I wouldn't get lost again :-) I spoke to a really nice lady while wandering through a field, and the nice store manager who wanted to know what exciting things I had planned for the summer.

The pictures I have posted do not even begin to show the beauty of the walk. I can't wait to start on the next section of the trail - All aboard for Kinghorn and the next section of the Fife Coastal Trail!

The waterfall on the Water of Leith Walk
The tall ships docked in Leith Harbor
The Grecian Woman holding a Coffee Cup!
A view of the Breathtaking Tram works messing up the city
A defunct church now known as Bedlam Theater

Church = Theater, B&B or Restuarant

All over Scotland and the UK there are beautiful old churches. They have ornate stain glass, high arches and beautiful architecture. Unfortunately many of these churches are no longer used as churches. Just in Edinburgh alone, there are churches converted into restaurants (very pretty to eat in, but sad that it is no longer a house of worship), Theaters, Apartments and even Bed & Breakfasts. There are still many old churches that still function as churches (like my church Charlotte Baptist church http://www.charlottechapel.org/home.php) but it makes me wonder, is this the path that the USA is on? There is a theory that the USA is about 5 to 10 years behind in the political and social trends of the UK, so is this the fate that our churches have to look forward to?

Enough of my musings, onto the fun stuff :-) I can't believe another week has gone by already! I feel like I am always busy with something to do, but really without work - how busy can I be? I got to visit the Sir Walter Scott Memorial this week. Only 287 steps up a narrow spiral stone staircase! Only 1 way up and down, so anyone you pass on the staircase..... We'll you get the idea :-) It is a beautiful view from the top of the memorial. You can see Leith, the Firth and also the beautiful tram works all the way up and down Princess St (ick!) A highly recommended trip to the top if its a beautiful day (otherwise you will have spent 3 pounds and had your leg muscles burning to only see a foggy grey cloud all around you)

I also had the opportunity to walk the Water of Leith trail. It's a nice 12 mile walk from Balerno all the way to the Leith Docks on the harbor. The only frustrating part was the lack of sign posts when you hit the towns. I think I might have gone a mile out of my way just because I had no idea where to go. My favorite spot on this walk was St. Bernard's Well. I'll describe the scene so you can picture it: You're walking down a tree lined path along a river, when you come around a corner and see a great big Grecian temple with a Greek Woman holding a COFFEE cup in her hand! OK, I'm sure it's not a coffee cup, but that's what I imagined it to be. There is supposed to me mineral water in that well with healing powers. I guess the poorer people who couldn't afford to travel down to Bath, England for their healing got to stay in Edinburgh to taste the icky water here instead. No thanks, I'll stick to tap water - thank you :-)

I can't wait to do my next post and put up pictures! I started running the Fife Coastal Trail and it is an unbelievable run the whole way, all along the coast of Scotland! See you later!

The very ugly Scottish Parliment
Inside Holyrood Palace
The Abbeys out back

The Salisbury Crags viewed from Holyrood Palace
A view of Edinburgh from the Salisbury Crags

Arthur's Seat - yet to be conquered :-)