Because we were in a special place, we decided it was time to teach Fi how to drive. We made sure she buckled Itty Bitty Baby into the car seat, then let her have the wheel.
She checked all her gages and mirrors, turned on the radio:
What a pro!
Only three and already driving stick!
Later, we had to explain to her that she couldn’t drive because she was only three years old and did not have a driver’s license. Oh, and because she can’t reach the pedals or see over the steering wheel:
But someday...
Anyway, we packed up our things and made a last visit to the highland cattle:
We could not get enough of this little calf:
Fi was impressed with all the pooping the cows were doing. As a result of this trip, Fi now knows that grass has a lot of fiber and that fiber helps you poop.
After cows we visited Connage Highland Dairy, five minutes from the cottage. We saw dairy cows and tasted many delicious cheeses, eventually buying several that were eaten before we left Scotland. I’m telling you, the people in the UK know how to make cheese. Even the Tesco store brand cheese that we bought at a rest stop was better than the cheddar in the US. I found some aged cheddar here in Ventura in the specialty cheese section of the larger supermarket. It’s funny because here it is the expensive gourmet cheese and there is was the cheese you can buy at the gas station. Such is life.
After Connage Highland Dairy, we hit the road in search of Edinburgh. We made one stop, in Pitlochry, where we had...you guessed it...scones and tea! This time with Scottish cream which is really just stiff whipped cream. Still delicious. We also did some souvenir shopping, and John bought a pair of shorts because he split his right up the back. You can tell from the photo that, other than not having a “pedestrian only” zone, Pitlochry is not all that different from Fort William. Different scenery I guess, but still very much set up for tourists, which we being tourists, did not mind.
Then, it was on to Edinburgh. I am not sure if Fi slept or not. The drive was really uneventful. Occasionally we would see some big castle ruins or an actual castle, but other than that, the geography kept getting flatter and warmer as we got further south. Originally we thought we would stop somewhere for a hike along the way, but we couldn’t find something that was right off the road, so we gave up on the idea.
We made it to Edinburgh but for some reason missed signs for a city center bi-pass. So we drove right through the center of the city, with all the tourists and road construction, using the Edinburgh pull-out map from the Lonely Planet Scotland. This map proved very handy and was the book’s only redeeming feature. We later learned that Krista and Dan’s Scotland book was really different than ours and we wondered at how the books are marketed in different countries. We made it to our new hotel home, Glenalmond House. Fi felt right at home upon seeing the Glenalmond House had stairs and the proprietress’ name was also Fiona. She and her husband Jimmy took very good care of us, rearranging our room twice so that we fit with our Pack-n-Play and massive amounts of luggage. We walked to dinner and got Chinese take-out and eventually Krista, Dan, and Sophie arrived.
Here we are at breakfast the next day:
I highly recommend Glenalmond House to anyone. The location was great and the inn itself was wonderful. We all enjoyed out leisurely breakfasts that had more food than we could eat. It was here I realized that Fi no longer needed baby utensils or sippy cups, because she ate using whatever we gave her.
The following day we decided to visit Edinburgh Castle via the Royal Mile. We hopped on a double-decker bus and walked to the castle. It was so busy and crowded. We were sort of in shock, because everywhere else that John, Fiona, and I went, there were not many tourists, and those that we saw were mostly from the UK. Edinburgh was like a whole other world! The line for Edinburgh Castle was over an hour long. Luckily for us, we had our Explorer Passes that also allowed us to fast track in. Krista and Dan came with us and bought their own passes (remember the pass was cheaper than entrance fees to Edinburgh and Stirling, so a great deal even if you don’t use it for a third castle). We were inside in no time and had fun roaming around the crowded halls and courtyards.
Fi and me outside the castle, you can see people starting to line up:
Krista has the mate to this photo:
Some random gate:
Street scenes:
Who are these jokers:
The unicorn:
A sphynx for some reason:
Hume:
That’s not a church, it’s an event center and a cafe:
I just like the name “The Witchery” and I later read that it is a very expensive and chichi restaurant:
Sophie:
Fi found some stairs:
Views from the castle:
Views in the castle:
War memorial building:
CANNOT get everyone to look at the camera all at once:
It was like herding squirrels.
These guards look suspiciously familiar:
It was so warm. The first of many ice cream cones on our trip with our friends:
After the castle and the ice cream, we decided to follow some random street and found a nice park. The girls had fun running around on the grass and also running on the path. When we moved on, we found that the other side of this park was full of people. There was a steep little bank and Fi and Sophie had a blast running up it and then rolling down. I did not get photos of that, unfortunately.
This is Fi way off in the distance:
She chose Edinburgh to get over her fear of people and ran away from us several times. We had to run and catch her, and at one point carry her, so that she would not get too far away. The park was a great place to let her run freely.
The Scot Monument:
John’s people are actual Scots. They were a tribe of people who lived in the western part of Scotland, not to be confused with the Picts, the Britons, and Angles. From what I read, they are the oldest clans. I read a couple different origin stories for the word “scot” one being that it means “raider” after the tribes that used to come over from Ireland to raid the Britons, eventually settling in the Islands of the northwest and forming the kingdom of Dalriada. Scottish and British history is truly fascinating to me. I can’t believe how many wars have been fought over such a small and rainy piece of land. But I digress.
Holding hands with “the little girl” as Fi called Sophie on the first day:
Eventually Fi became tired so we hopped on a bus and went back to hotel home so she could have a nap, while Krista, Dan, and Sophie had lunch and continued exploring the city. Later, we all went to a park and then had fish and chips for dinner at a chippie (a fish and chips shop).
Fi on the zipline at the park:
I think we all slept well that night.
On our second day with our friends, we visited Stirling Castle. We expected it to be as crowded as Edinburgh, but it was just the opposite. There were not many people there. It was really cool. Lots of rooms and doorways, an actual throne room where you can sit on the throne, a real tapestry weaver, and an entire hall full of rooms with things kids can play with. It was perfect. Bonus: photos of us without tons of other people in them.
But first we visited the cemetery next door:
More running Fi:
A pyramid for some reason:
Robert the Bruce with the Wallace (aka Braveheart) Monument behind:
In and around the castle:
Walking the walls:
A far-off castle of some sort:
peek-a-boo:
Photos of the gateway arch with NO PEOPLE!
Playing dress-up in the dress-up room:
Sudley Castle had a dress-up room too, but Fi was not interested in it there.
We are the queens:
Bow down to us and bring us gifts of chocolate, crackers, raisins, carrots, and juice. And scones and tea for m’lady! Post haste!
Fi wiping down benches and tables, and pushing in chairs, in other words, cleaning up, after our snack (guess what it was) at the castle cafe:
I’m not joking, she really did neaten up the place. The staff was mildly amused.
Fi and Sophie had fun running around in the grassy garden outside the castle. There were other families with children there. It was a very pleasant experience.
I wish I took more photos at the castle, but I was too busy taking in the sights and exploring it’s halls, and also running after Fi. There were docents dressed up as historical people who explained the history and importance of the castle and the various people who inhabited it at different times. They also explained the significance of the unicorn in Scottish culture.
After an enjoyable and relaxing visit to Stirling Castle (how can it be so empty?!? It’s so cool and so much better than Edinburgh Castle), we decided to make a stop in Falkirk, to see the wheel. Angus recommended it and so did the guidebook, so we decided to take a look.
The Falkirk Wheel is a very interesting, but according to the two scientists in our group, useless invention. The river used to have many locks on it, and this wheel made it possible to get rid of several of them.It takes a boat (full of tourists, but not us, we didn’t want to pay or to wait) from the bottom portion on the river to the top (or vice versa). The bridge in the picture is not a bridge, it is a waterway:
Here it is, doing it’s thing:
The boats were so small that were passing through the locks in this area, that the wheel was deemed a neat but ultimately unnecessary thing. Still pretty cool looking though, and free to observe.
There was a park there, so Fi and Sophie had a fun time playing, and later a falconry show. It was very hot. I found some souvenirs in the gift shop though (“Clan MacWee and Hamish the Hairy Haggis books for Fi).
Krista and Sophie:
We returned to our hotel home easily, though I think this was the day that Fi did not nap. She was not used to the type of car seat she was in and so could not get comfortable enough to take a nap. I don’t remember what we did for dinner on this night, perhaps it was the evening of the Indian restaurant across the street from Glenalmond House. Very slow service, but very good food, an experience similar to another I will recount later.
On our third day in Edinburgh, we explored Hollyrood Park a little. I wanted to walk up to Arthur’s Seat to see the views, but that trails was very crowded. Also, it was the one day that began cloudy instead of sunny, so the view was obscured for part of the morning. We picked another random trail instead.
Our van, a Fiat:
It fit all of us and all of our luggage really comfortably. I wouldn’t mind traveling around in one as long as I also had a driver, because there is no way I would drive that around town. Too big for my tastes. Probably does fit in better in Ventura, given the size of the average vehicle here.
My loves:
A little bit of a view of Edinburgh and Hollyrood House (where the royal family stay when on official business in Edinburgh):
Arthur’s Seat:
My little hiking Fi:
She did have me carry her a lot on this hike. I don’t think she felt comfortable for some reason.
After that, we went to lunch at the Sheep Heid Inn, which purports to be Scotland’s oldest pub or something like that on one of their walls. Krista read about it in the Lonely Planet and it seemed like a must-visit, so we went. It was cute, we had comfy seats, but boy did it take a long time for our food to arrive. I want to say we were there from about 12:30ish until almost 3. No joke. It took about two hours to get and eat our meals. I think even the appetizer took an hour to arrive. And it wasn’t like the place was busy or anything. The wait was worth it though, because I think it was one of the best, if not THE BEST, meal we had during our whole trip. No lie. The food was that good. It was just amazing. We were all oohing and aahing over it as we were eating. So like the Indian restaurant across the street from Glenalmond House, it seems that the best food can be had only with tremendous quantities of patience. Maybe this is what they mean by “good things come to those who wait.” The meal at The Sheep Heid Inn was also one of the most expensive, if not the THE MOST expensive meal, we had all trip. At any rate, it was our anniversary day, so we didn’t really care. It was nice to eat good food because we already realized that we weren’t going to be going out on a date (too tired most of the time).
Sophie’s commentary on having to wait so long for our food:
Later, upon return to Glenalmond House, we realized that there was another restaurant not far away that had the identical menu to the Sheep Heid. I guess it is not that unique after all. If you have time, I say go for it. We were lucky in that Fi was still able to take a nap at the hotel while Krista and Dan took Sophie to a local public swimming pool. After they returned, we picked up our laundry that we dropped off earlier that day, and attempted to find a bookstore that boasted the largest and best selection of children’s books. When we finally found it, it was closed due to renovation and was opening again the day after we were set to leave Edinburgh. Arg! So instead, we headed to Prince’s Street area to find Waterstone’s, a chain bookstore much like Borders or Barnes and Noble, and sometimes found in airports. We spent quite a bit of time there browsing and purchased a bunch of books and then tried to find dinner.
We ended up eating at a pub called Dirty Dicks. It was dark and had several thrift stores full of stuff all over the walls and ceiling, but the service was good and they allowed us to eat there even though we had small children (we were denied entrance in a few other places). I ate my last haggis there. Then we walked around in the warm late evening sun and felt sad because the Scotland portion of the trip was at its end, but happy because we were in good company and because our Scotland adventure was so full and so much fun.
A stained glass window of people running:
A series of panels with some sort of story:
Fiona running off her dinner:
Our little family with the castle in the background:
We were on Castle Street. I wonder where they got the name? ;)
Starbucks is EVERYWHERE!!!
And thus ended our evening. We got back in the van and drove to Glenalmond House. Both girls went right to sleep. We had a sip of champagne from a screw top bottle and wished each other a happy anniversary. Last year we were in Canada and this year in Scotland. I think next year we should be home for our anniversary so we can actually celebrate it instead of being caught up in whatever place we are visiting. Plus, it might better help us remember the day because I think we both kind of tend to forget when it’s approaching.
In my next post I will detail our drive to York and our visit there, and maybe our night in Old Windsor and trip home. Because really, how many posts does one blog need about a trip to the UK? And speaking of blogs, The Fi Log turned three in July (July 13) and I totally forgot. I also forgot Fi’s homecoming day (July 21). Her due date is in two days and I will never forget that, but I thought I would remember the day she came home from the hospital. It’s a far cry from this:
To this:
Maybe all those sleepless nights long ago and the more recent spate of sleepless nights are serving to block my memory. Who knows?
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