Haste Ye Back

Eilean Donan Castle

"Haste ye back" is a traditional Scottish farewell that means "come back soon" or "return quickly.” That farewell is shown on a sign in the photo taken of the Eilean Donan Castle when we visited at sunrise. This highly photogenic castle has appeared in many a movie.

After having had such a wonderful time here during the past six months, we are looking forward to coming back for another six months next year.

 

Downton Abbey

Vue Omni Cinema

Beth enjoyed being taken out for a surprise dinner and movie, the just released Dowton Abbey: The Grand Finale. She has been a Downton Abby fan from the beginning. In was ten years ago, during a long vacation in England, when Mike surprised her with a tour of Highclare Castle, the actual filming location. Trivia:  the cinema we went to incorporates the facade of a former church that previously occupied the site (church going in the UK has been declining for years).

Dinner was at a nearby casual Greek restaurant. Fun night out as we wind down our six months here in Edinburgh.

Final Hill Walk

Bracken

We spent the day hill walking with a couple we are friends with; it was our last hill walk prior to returning to the US. The weather was perfectly Scottish:  cool, mixed clouds and sun, windy, no humidity, threatening rain but it didn't.

And, since it is the end of summer, the bracken is abundant, thick, and tall. See photo of Beth navigating through a section so thick and tall that it was difficult to see where to place your feet and which direction to go in. Bracken is a stiff fern-like plant that thrives in the sun (ferns are supple shade-loving plants). We had dinner in a nice old village restaurant near the end of the walk Fun stuff.
 

Story Telling

John Knox House

Beth went with a friend to the Scottish Storytelling Center. It's located on the Royal Mike in Old Town in the John Knox house. The house dates back to 1470, which makes it the oldest original medieval building surviving on the Royal Mile. John Knox was the leading figure of the 16th-century Protestant Reformation in Scotland who is credited with establishing the Presbyterian Church.

They went to listen to the fictional story of "Beastie: Man, myth, monster hunter. It’s one thing to be chasing monsters; it’s another to realize you’ve become one.” Fun time.

Cheese Bread

Happy Hill Walkers

Everyone was happy, especially Mike. He just led his fourth hill walk for our club and nothing went sideways. No intensive all-day rain as on a previous walk he led, no getting feet/boots wet on difficult crossings of fast moving streams as on a previous walk, and no record setting heat where some hikers dropped out part way as on a previous walk.

This time all went well. Nice weather. Beautiful scenery. 14 miles with 1,700 feet of elevation with no problems. He surprised the hill walkers with fresh baked cheese bread at the lunch stop (see photo).

 

Croquet

Surprisingly Fun

Playing croquet was way more fun than expected. We joined friends for a game at a private club they belong to; it is in the heart of Edinburgh not far from where they live. This brought back memories of playing backyard versions of the game when we were kids. Today, we played by World Croquet Federation rules.

The UK claims credit for introducing the game 175 years ago, about the same time lawn tennis and lawn bowling were becoming popular. That timing is not a coincidence; it is when as the cylinder lawn mower was invented (those sports can only be played well on a lawn that is flat and finely-cut). Trivia:  croquet is recognized as the first Olympic sport to include female participants.

Kudos To Kiwanis

Zoom Meeting

Mike continues to sing the praises of the Kiwanis Club of Roanoke for accommodations they made which enabled him to remain fully involved while in Scotland for the past six months.

During his final year as a Club Officer and Board member he was able to Zoom in and participate in most leadership meetings, and he was able to engage in meaningful email exchanges with other Club leaders and Committee Chairs.

Except for the few schedule conflicts when hiking with our hill walking club, Mike was able to Zoom in for the majority of weekly Kiwanis meetings as well. He was also able to carry out his webmaster duties. Remaining highly involved is important to him.

Wee Bit of Rain

Smirr

Truth be told, it does rain sometimes here in Scotland. However, we get fewer inches of rain here than we do in Roanoke. Yes, you read that right. However, the rain we do get is often a drizzle, or what we call here a smirr, or a dawk, or a smùid. Either way, today's hill walk along the Fife Costal Path (one of the long distance trails in Scotland), was damp (see photo).

Miles of walking along the coast of the Firth of Forth (estuary of the North Sea), allowed us to see many shore birds, seals, castles, coal mining ruins, linoleum factory ruins, and struggling fishing industries. Today's walk with our Club was a "C" walk, meaning it had fewer miles and a slower pace; also meaning that we stopped often for information about history, nature, and industry.
 

Anything and Everything

Packed Isles

This is not another post about stunning scenery. Although, it is about sensory overload, just not the kind from scenery. This overload occurred when we visited the "Anything and Everything" store that is located nearby. It was our first visit; we were looking for a specific kind of fuse for our UK-to-US electrical adaptor.

This cramped shop with a dozen ultra-narrow isles was packed from floor to ceiling with racks of countless goods; all were arranged and organized (see photo taken in the one isle you could walk through without having to turn sideways). This was an "if you can't find it, you don't need it" kind of place. We did find the fuse we were after. Quite the experience.

Jaw-Dropping

Old Man of Storr

Even in a country such as Scotland where the scenery is stunning, a visit to the Highlands is even more impressive. And, a visit to the Isle of Skye  is jaw-dropping. No exaggeration. On a long day trip from Fort Augustus we drove along the most popular sightseeing route on the Isle of Skye, stopping whenever we could not resist gawking at the scenery. The weather was perfect. Dramatic clouds, mist, and sun.

We were not alone. During our two-hour climb of the Old Man of Storr (see photo) we saw at least one hundred others doing the same. And after navigating several miles of a narrow and windy single track road that clung to the side of a mountain, we arrived at two unbelievable sights. One, the intended sight, was another jaw dropping bit of scenery. The other, quite unexpected, was a parking lot filled with one hundred cars and a full sized tour bus. All had navigated the same single track road - even the bus. Can't figure that one out.

Highlands

Fort Augustus

We are in the Highlands. This is the region in northern Scotland with plenty of mountains (trivia:  Grayson county in southwestern Virginia is referred to as the Highlands because it is reminiscent of northern Scotland). We are spending a week in a new Airbnb cottage in the village of Fort Augustus; it is a great location for day trips in the car we rented.

The village is located on the 60-mile long Caledonian Canal that provides a water link across Scotland from the North Sea to the Atlantic Ocean (see photo).  The village is also located on the southernmost tip of Loch Ness (that's the one with the Lock Ness monster).

Mike is doing all of the driving; he has not been behind the wheel of a car since leaving Roanoke five months ago. Surprisingly, even to him, driving on the left side of the road has not been the least bit challenging. He thinks that is because we have gotten completely used to the riding busses and walking in a city where all vehicles drive on the left side. However, he still struggles with driving on the narrow roads, barely enough room for two cars on most roads. And, even worse, are the single-track roads that are only one car wide yet have two-way traffic.

Tour Guides

Irn-Bru

We have enjoyed serving as "tour guides" for our visiting friends. Since this is their first Scotland visit and they know little to nothing about the place, we have shared an endless stream of information and fun facts, much of true. Hey, they don't know if it is fully truthful or not.

We walked along the Royal Mile (sholder-to-sholder with the hordes of tourists here for the Fringe), saw Dolly-the-Sheep (first cloned animal), took a guided walking tour (conducted by a friend), toured St. Giles Cathedral (where John Knox, the founder of the Presbyterian religion, was minister), rode public buses (something our friends hadn't done on previous European trips), took a guided tour of Edinburgh Castle (built in the 11th century), and ate at the number one highest rated restaurant in the UK (according to Trip Advisor). They went to the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo (over-the-top show with 1,000 performers) and shopped for souvenirs (thankfully, did not buy a kilt).

Topped it all off with some Irn-Bru, Scotland's national drink (other than whiskey). It is a soft drink that is highly carbonated, highly sugared, and highly caffeinated; see photo. Scotland is the only country in the world where Coca Cola is not the number one drink.

US Guests

Good friends from the US, Anne and Bob, arrived to stay with us. We'll spend a week together in our flat showing them around Edinburgh, then we'll spend a week together in a cottage in the Highlands section of the country.

We all went for a walk around where we live. They saw the Glenogle Fitness Center where Beth has a membership and exercises (spoke with a couple of the people she knows there), strolled through a section of the Royal Botanic Garden, stopped for lunch, strolled through our Stockbridge neighborhood (went in a number of the charity shops), and walked along Circus Lane (near our flat - it is the most Instagrammable street in Edinburgh). Topped it all off with dinner at a local gastropub restaurant.
 

Fringe Festival

Royal Mile

See photo for a glimpse of what 500,000 Edinburgh visitors during the month of August looks like during the Fringe Festival. The photo was taken from the public bus we were riding as it crossed the Royal Mile. That is the most famous/visited street in Edinburgh. It runs approximately one mile from Holyrood Palace at one end to the Edinburgh Castle at the other end. It is a popular must see location at any time of year. But now...

We were on the bus returning from an outstanding magic show. Since our seats were up front we could carefully watch the magician and his hands. To no avail, we could not see how he did any of the tricks; it was magic. Afterward, it was off to a production of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.  Two totally different shows in the same day; both just a glimpse of the expansive variety of arts and music at the Fringe Festival.

Edinburgh International Book Festival

Paula Hawkins

For Beth, the month of August in Edinburgh is the best time of the year. Not only does the city host the world's largest performing arts festival (Fringe), it also hosts the world-leading festival of words, literature, and ideas.

The Book Festival is featuring 650 writers from 35 countries, across 6 continents. Since books are very important to Beth, she has been going to hear many authors speak about their work and she has collected a number of those works signed by those authors. See picture of Paula Hawkins being interviewed about her global best seller, Girl on a Train. The novel was adapted into a film starring Emily Blunt in 2016. It doesn't get any better than this.

 

Lost Six Hill Walkers

Five Made It

Mike just returned from leading his third hill walk for our Club. Recall that it rained on the first hill walk he led. The second hill walk he led was, according to long time Club members, the rainiest and wettest in memory (it poured). Well, the third hill walk he lead has now distinguished itself in another way. The word "ignominious" comes to mind.

He lost six hill walkers; he started the hill walk with eleven and finished with only five (see photo). The number one rule when leading hill walks is to return with the same number that you started with. Apparently, returning with six fewer hill walker set a new record for the Club.

The hill walk he led was one of the more difficult routes with considerable elevation gain and difficult trails; shade was no where to be found. And, it just so happened to occur on the hottest day of the year here. Consequently, people struggled. Fortunately, Mike had planned "bail out points" where hill walkers could leave the route and catch a bus back. So, at one point two people left; Mike insisted that no one leave alone; had to be in pairs. Then, a bit later, the second pair left. Then the third pair. After all, it was a difficult walk. All who left were required to let Mike know when they made it out safely. All who remained were rewarded with a nice pub stop (was their any doubt).

London Symphony Orchestra

Beethoven's Fifth

What a welcome back to Edinburgh. The Fringe Festival is in full swing for the entire month of August; it is the largest arts and music festival in the world. Seriously. There are many hundreds of events. It is also the largest book festival in the world; many authors giving talks and signing books. Half-a-million visitors come to Edinburgh in August for the festival.

We have reservations at several events, including for the London Symphony Orchestra. They are one of the top ten orchestras in the world. Lucky us, the evening we attended at Usher Hall (see photo) they played perhaps the most recognizable music in the world, Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony:  dit-dit-dit-daaah. Absolutely wonderful.
 

Low Budget

Nickel-And-Dime

Our trip to Hungary and Germany involved flying on three low budget airlines:  Ryanair, Easy Jet, and Wizz (see photo). Our experiences on all three were similar. They all offered direct flights, which were hard or impossible to find with the major carriers. They all got us to where we needed to go on time. And they all nickel-and-dimes us; Ryanair was especially skilled in this regard.

Seat assignment, boarding priority, printed boarding pass, airport check in, and checked bag each cost more. Even a cabin bag in the overhead bin cost more. Generously, the underseat personal item storage was included. Then, once onboard between the takeoff and landing periods, announcements were made every six minutes to sell something (we counted):  water, drinks, snacks, lunch, meal deal, fragrances, cosmetics, and travel essentials. Whew.

 

Beer Brewery

Beer Garden

As interesting as Freiburg might have been, and as interesting as our tour through a section of the Black Forest might have been, our visit to Germany would not have been complete without a stop at a brewery. Well, that's according to Mike. So we stopped at the Rothaus brewery, which is located an hour drive from the city in a beautiful mountain setting, and spent some time in their beer garden. This brewery goes back to 1791 when it was started, wait for it, by a Benedictine monastery. Got to give credit to those monks. Not but so many years later the local state government took over the brewery. And to this day, the brewery is owned and operated by the local government.

 

Freiburg

City Center

Freiburg is located in the southwest corner of Germany in the Black Forest. Interestingly, to get here from Budapest, we flew into Basel, Switzerland. Then we walked out the door of that airport that led directly into France and boarded a bus that took us into Germany. We were in three different countries within 30 minutes.

The weather here is more moderate and more sunny than most other places in Germany. It has a beautifully reconstructed medieval old town, crisscrossed by picturesque brooks, surrounded by hills. Surprising, to us at least, are all of the bicycles. They travel in dedicated bike lanes, they have priority in the streets, and they can park in dedicated zones. No wonder so many tourists make this city a destination hub for their vacations.