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.  
 

Another Friend

Black Forest

We are in Freiburg, Germany visiting with a friend (photo taken in the Black Forest). Mike spent many years volunteering in his professional organization, the Project Management Institute. That organization has 800,000 members in 225 countries. He (and we) made a number of friends there from all over the world. This particular friendship was formed when Mike Chaired the organization's Ethics committee, a role he really enjoyed. When that role eventually ended he almost immediately joined the Kiwanis Club of Roanoke; one door closed and another one opened.

Somber

Cemetery

We made a somber visit to the local Hajdú cemetery. The husband of one of our flat neighbors when we lived here died; we went with his widow to bring flowers and pay our respects. Later in the same day, we did the same thing with another previous flat neighbor for the same reason.

We were struck by differences between this cemetery and those in the US. Virtually every gravesite was an above ground granite structure that accommodated a family; very few individual gravesites. And, flowers were everywhere; usually multiple flower arrangements on every gravesite. Conveniently, several flower shops were located at the cemetery entrance. We were also struck by the gravesite of an entire nine-person family that all died on the same date in 1944, adults and children included. They were slaughtered by the Germans. Somber.

 

More Food

Salmbuc

Dinner is again at the center of the day. This time it is Salmbuc. Our friends, with whom we have been staying in Hajdú made the effort to cook a traditional Hungarian food. Salmbuc is a hearty shepherd food made with thin sheets of pasta, potato, and bacon cooked for hours in a cauldron over an open fire. It stands out in Hungarian cuisine in that it does not use paprika powder as one of its key ingredients; the dish dates back to a time before paprika became available in the country. There is far more flavor than the simple ingredients suggest.

Three Dinners

Soviet Era Building

Big dose of nostalgia, and of food. We stopped by the apartment building where we lived while volunteering in 2008 (see photo). It is a classic low budget basic Soviet block building built in the 1950's for the working poor; substandard in every way. It was just repainted for the first time and looks significantly better now. We befriended a few neighbors at that time in spite of the fact that they spoke absolutely no English, nor did we speak any Hungarian. Seriously, not a word in common. Pantomime and hand signals were how we communicated. None-the-less, we developed strong friendships.

Arrangements were made for us to visit these former neighbors. The first neighbor had prepared a full dinner, complete with home made salads, meats, breads, deserts, and a shot of Unicum (national drink of Hungary, bitter herbal digestive liqueur). Think of the way grandma cooked back in the day. Then we visited the second neighbor, same thing. Again for the third neighbor. Three dinners in a row. And these "grandmas" associated eating with the show of affection, meaning you had to eat...and eat...and eat. Hard to describe this wonderful slice of genuine affection and culture.

 

More Memories

Hajdú

We are back in Hajdúböszörmény (pronounced Hi-do-bis-r-main); Hajdú for short. When we volunteered for Habitat for Humanity in 2008, after we spent 1½ months in Budapest working in the national office, we moved to the farming town of Hajdú for 4½ months; it is quite near the Romanian boarder. At that time we were helped by and befriended a local government official and his wife who we have remained friends with and who we are now staying with for a few days.

Our job here was to help construct 8 houses for people in need. Some of that work was physical (hammering nails and such), some was managerial (managing volunteer teams who would come for a week or two), and some was promotional (helping residents of the town understand the concept of volunteering). We were some of the first Americans to ever stay here. Hungary, as a former Soviet state, by definition had no unemployment, by definition provided everything citizens needed, and by definition needed no volunteers. Slowly, we helped locals understand that volunteering involved doing work for others for free. By the end of our time here, some locals were coming out to the work site to volunteer.
 

Budapest Sightseeing

Fisherman's Bastion

We sure enjoyed sightseeing in Budapest. Especially so, since we were escorted by our Hungarian friends who provided the narration, much as we did for them when they visited us in Edinburgh a couple of months ago. Unlike when we lived/volunteered in Budapest 17 years ago during the winter months when we saw few tourists, the place is now packed with them.

Fisherman's Bastion provided limitless views looking across the Danube into the Pest side of the city (see photo); it is located on Castle Hill where virtually every tourist ventures. We went to markets, to museums, through the old Jewish Quarter, to high-class and casual restaurants, and to cafes and coffee shops. We also visited the neighborhood where we previously had a flat; that neighborhood has been gentrified. Gone is the graffiti and iron bars from the facade of the building we stayed in; the neighborhood now has shops and restaurants.

Lake Balaton

Looks Like Mediterranean

Stunning views. Name your favorite Caribbean island or your favorite Mediterranean beach. The views at Lake Balaton rival those (see photo). It is a 1-2 hour drive from Budapest. As the largest lake in Eastern Europe (five time the size of Smith Mountain Lake in Virginia) it draws tourists from all over Europe.

We joined our friends for the day here, went swimming, toured a monetary, walked along a beach promenade, had lunch on a terrace at a restaurant overlooking the lake, and had dinner on a terrace at a different restaurant overlooking their vineyard and overlooking the lake. Great time.
 

Chain Bridge

Crossing Danube River

In the photo, we are standing on Chain Bridge, which spans the Danube River connecting the Buda side of the city with the Pest side. In 2008, we had an apartment nearby and crossed the bridge by tram each day to go to the Habitat for Humanity office to volunteer. Beth planned for the arrival of volunteer teams that would build houses, William (who was 15 years old at that time) worked on their website, and Mike helped them with project management. Trivia:  the bridge construction was supervised by a Scottish engineer.
 

Back In Budapest

Dinner Together

The memories are flooding back. We are back in Budapest, our favorite city (until we discovered Edinburgh). We first traveled here only one year after Hungary left the Soviet Union; then we volunteered here in 2008 with Habitat for Humanity. That volunteer trip lasted six months, some in Budapest and some in a small farming community. We helped build houses for the underserved. That trip was a highlight of our lives.

Ever since, we have remained good friends with the then Director of HFH Hungary and his partner. He remains employed by HFH, now at the regional level. She works in the publishing business. She also is a terrific cook (photo taken after dinner in their flat). They have visited us in the US and in Edinburgh. After 17 years we finally returned to visit them in Budapest. 

Dramatic Cliffs

St Abbs

This is a case where the picture does not do justice to the reality. A recent hill walk was along a section of coast near the fishing village of St Abbs. The views were so dramatic and so stunning that the walk pace slowed to the slowest of any thus far; could not help making repeated stops just to take in the views (see photo). Mile after mile of dramatic views along the costal cliffs. And most of the cliffs were streaked white from the droppings of the tens-of-thousands of nesting birds (which we saw). The sheer cliffs and stacks provide ideal nesting locations for guillemots, kittiwakes, and razorbills.
 

Ravioli

Small Kitchen

Mike likes to cook; it is one of his hobbies. Think slow food, not fast food. On this occasion he made a ravioli dinner from scratch. And since the kitchen in our flat is quite small (see photo), and equipped with just the basics, it took him the better part of a half-day. He made pasta dough, rolled it into thin squares (using a cylindrical water bottle since we don't have a rolling pin), finely diced and mixed a half-dozen vegetables for the filling (by hand since we don't have a food processor),  stuffed the ravioli, then boiled and pan fried the ravioli.

He also made the sauce from scratch by finely dicing and sautéing a dozen different vegetables, simmering them with fresh tomatoes and puree, adding a half-dozen spices, and reducing the sauce to thicken. Yummy stuff.
 

Falkirk

The Kelpies

We spent the day visiting the nearby town of Falkirk. Two famous items drew our attention. The Kelpies (see photo), rising 100 feet, are the largest horse statues in the world. The statues represent the lineage of the heavy horse of Scottish industry and economy, pulling the wagons, ploughs, barges that shaped the geographical layout of the area. "Kelpie" is the name of a mythical water horse.

The second item was the Falkirk Wheel, which is the only fully rotating boat lift in the world; think of it a tall Ferris wheel for boats. Instead of traditional canal locks, which can only lift about 10 feet at a time, the wheel connects two canals that are separated by 100 feet of elevation. Full sized canal boats float into either the top or the bottom of the wheel, watertight doors close behind the boats, the wheel turns carrying the boats (water and all), and 5 minutes later the watertight doors open that the boats go on their way. Way cool.

Friend's Garden

Flowers

The recent rain has done wonders for the gardens, especially given the fact that it had been unusually dry. We were pleased to accept the invitation to have a look at a friend's garden (see photo). It is spectacular. She lives in a typical tenement building where each set of eight flats share a common stairwell and a common garden space located behind the flats. Think of a large square where the perimeter of the square is ringed by four story tenement flats and the interior of the square is divided into sections, one garden section for each stairwell.

Our friend has lived there for close to 50 years and has turned what otherwise would be grass into a large flower garden. Since none of the other residents of the flats in her stairwell have taken any interest in the garden, our friend is single-handedly responsible for the hundreds of beautiful plants.

Stoat

Game Hunting

Fewer than 500 people own more than half of the privately-owned rural land in Scotland. This accounts for a number of the large estates; one person actually owns 350 square miles of land. And many of these large estates are managed for hunting, principally for game.

Since we hike through these large estates on many of our hill walks, thanks to the 2003 national right-to-roam act that allows us to walk anywhere (public land, private land), we have learned some about game management. That management includes ridding the estate of predators that feed on the game that hunters pay big bucks to shoot for sport (about $1,000 per day). See photo for a Stoat trap (small carnivores similar to weasels but with a longer tail).

Chocolate Factory

 

50 Chocolates

This was fun. We took a tour of a chocolate micro-factory; it lasted 1½ hours. We drank chocolate, smelled chocolate, tasted chocolate, and made chocolate. They had about 50 different chocolates to sample. Even, had some whiskey flavored chocolate. We also learned about chocolate. Learned allot. Different countries. Different manufacturing. Different labor practices. Different processes. No more Hershey's for us.

Four Hill Walks

More Sheep Than People

Mike is especially happy about completing four hill walks in a week. Two were with the Club we are in, one was with a friend, and one was with a second club he has joined. The photo shows a section of one of the walks where they were traveling through a sheep pasture. That's four times out hill walking in different sections of the stunning Scottish countryside; it is also four different pub stops. Told you he was happy.
 

Skooters

Well, this is curious. Mike, who sometimes lives in his own world, sometimes thinks of himself as some kind of great athletic hiker, backpacker, hill walker. And, to be fair, that is true. However, it is not true all of the time.

Recently, he joined a second hill walking club. Now, besides the hill walks we do together, he is out and about in the stunning countryside hill walking with a new set of friends. On a recent hill walk, which was on one of the many long distance paths in Scotland, the Fife Pilgrim Way, and after a stretch of challenging rain, he and the group he was hill walking with overtook a group in motorized scooters (see photo).

That's right, Mike's big accomplishment on that particular hill walk was to walk faster than a bunch of really old and infirmed people on motorized scooters on flat terrain. What a guy...
 

More Medical Care

Minor Injuries Unit

Another learning experience. Earlier, Mike learned about getting some basic medical care here in Edinburgh; it was a positive experience. Now, it was Beth's turn. After an unfortunate fall on an uneven cobble street, she injured her leg. Hmm, injured is not an adequate term. It hurt like hell.

Worried about a possible fracture, she sought medical care at NHS (National Health System). A call to their hotline resulted in an immediate appointment at a "Minor Injuries Unit." That is similar to an Emergency Department at a US hospital, but limited to minor injuries (the real big emergencies do go to an emergency department). Her experience was definitely positive. In the span of only three hours she received the benefit of an exam, an x-ray, a diagnosis, and a discharge set of instructions. All at no cost. Repeat, no cost.

Luckily, no fracture. Ligament damage only. Some physical therapy should do the trick. By the way, the Minor Injuries Unit was in the same hospital where she volunteers two days a week. Karma.
 

Floral Clock

35,000 Flowers

The annual planting of the Floral Clock has been completed. Each year 35,000 flowers and plants are densely packed into the intricate shape of a working clock; even the rotating clock hands consist of flowers. The clock is located in the city center in Princes Street Gardens.

The floral clock was first created in 1903; it's the oldest of its kind in the world. It used to be operated mechanically and had to be wound daily. Each year it designed in honor of various organizations and individuals. 

1,000 Bagepipes

Pipe Band

We spent the day at the UK Pipe Band Championships. "Pipe" is the word for "bagpipes." The championships were held at the Royal Highland Center in Edinburgh; just a short bus ride from the city center.

Bands from all over the UK competed. In total, there were 1,000 bagpipes, 350 snare drums, 250 tenor drums, and 60 bass drums. Tartan was everywhere. Wonderful sights and sounds.

Although the musical instruments were quite different, this event reminded us of the many High School marching band championships we attended when William was Drum major.
 

Family Time

Together In Our Flat

We sure enjoyed the two months that William visited. During the summer months, when he does not teach classes at Texas Lutheran University, he does research. And since he can do that anywhere there is an Internet connection, he spent time most days with us in Edinburgh doing just that.

He also spent time most days on the phone, either coaching students doing independent study or working with contacts in India regarding an upcoming research trip. He joined us on hill walks, on local sightseeing outings, going to shows, visiting museums, grocery shopping... Fun time together.

City Skyline

Edinburgh

It was a nice day to walk up Salisbury Crags and look out over the city. The Edinburgh Castle can be seen in the center of the photo; if you look closely you can see the temporary seating that has been erected on the promenade for the Tattoo. That is the over-the-top show, with hundreds of bagpipes and a thousand performers, that is put on daily during the month long Fringe Festival every August. We had a terrific time at the Tattoo a couple of years ago.

19 Arches

Viaduct

Mike and William spent the day hill walking in the Borders area of Scotland, not far from the boarder with England. One of the highlights was passing under the Leaderfoot Viaduct (see photo). That structure, which consists of 19 arches spanning the river Tweed, was built out of sandstone in 1865 to carry rail traffic. Interestingly, it is built at the site of a former Roman fort and river crossing; the Romans did not make it much farther north into Scotland before being turned around.

Fancifully, they also passed by The Rhymer’s Stone. It tells the story of Thomas the Rhymer, a famous poet from the late 1200s. Legend tells of Thomas having fallen asleep near this spot, beneath a tree. According to the story when he awoke, Thomas was confronted by the Queen of the Fairies on a shining grey horse. He then went on an adventure to Fairyland where he stayed for what seemed to be three days, but was in fact seven years. Upon leaving this enchanted land, Thomas gained the gift of speaking the truth and told of many prophecies related to Scottish history.

Not Smiling

Wet Beth

Well, to be fair, not everyone on the rainy hill walk was smiling all the time (see photo). Some of the long-time club members remarked that they could not remember the last time they hill walked the entire day in the rain. After we had ascended and descended 1,400 feet, as we slogged through miles of puddles, as mud caked on our boots, and as people were chilled by the decreasing temperature, an occasional expression of something other than joy could be heard.

However, not a discouraging word was heard during the pub stop that immediately followed. That "proud we did it - happy it is over" attitude prevailed.
 

It Rained...and Rained

Elevenses Stop

It rained continuously from the start to the end of a hill walk that Mike led; often the rain was coming down hard. The photo was taken of the 13 of us when we stopped for "elevenses." That is the word used to describe a late morning coffee stop, usually about 11am. Virtually everyone, including Beth, carries a thermos of hot coffee on the hill walks.

Note that all were smiling in the photo in spite of the rain. That positive attitude is quite typical, and yet another reason we enjoy spending time with people here. This was the second hill walk that Mike has led for the club; it rained on the first one as well. Given that track record, he is now learning some new Scottish vocabulary.

- Dreich:  Well-known word for rain, often describing a dull, dreary, and miserable type of weather.

- Drookit:  Means extremely wet, drenched, or soaked.

- Teeming doon:  This phrase describes heavy rain, when it's pouring down.
 

900 Years

Capella Edina Orchestra

Wow, what a great concert. We returned to Usher Hall, this time for a concert by Edinburgh's Capella Edina Orchestra. The city was founded in 1124 and this concert was part of the ongoing 900th birthday celebrations. The program was packed with works from Johann Strauss and others. As good as those works were, the biggest crowd pleasers (and our favorites) were a couple of traditional Scottish pieces where the orchestra was accompanied by a pipe band. Nothing says Scotland more than bagpipes and snare drums.

Interestingly, we were seated immediately behind the VIP section where the Right Honorable Lord Provost of Edinburgh (similar to a city mayor in the US) was seated with a delegation of dignitaries.
 

Underwhelming

Stone of Destiny

Underwhelming:  fail to impress or make a positive impact, disappointment, lame. That is just how Beth reacted when she saw the Stone of Destiny. It is an oblong block of red sandstone that was used in the coronation of Scottish monarchs until the 13th century, and thereafter in the coronation of English and later British monarchs. It was last used in 2023 for the coronation of King Charles.

The stone isn't very big, measuring about 2x1x1 foot on a side; and weighing 335 pounds. The stone is located in a brand new museum in the city of Perth, about an hour-and-a-half train ride from here. She likened her disappointment to that when she first saw Plymouth Rock in Massachusetts; it isn't very big either.

Fortunately, she was accompanied by a Scottish friend of hers (who also was underwhelmed). They made a fun all day trip of it.

 

Medical Care

Prescription

We just had a good first experience with medical care here. After a symptom cropped up and did not go away on its own, Mike went to a local doctor, was examined, and received a prescription.

That is the same basic process as back in the US. However, for us, there is more to it than meets the eye. The UK has had one of the world's best universal healthcare systems; it aims to provide healthcare to all legal residents of the UK regardless of their ability to pay.

As US citizens, we do not qualify to use the system except in the case of an emergency. So, for all non-emergency needs, we must use a private doctor. Lucky for us, our US medical insurance policy covers us while overseas. So, Mike booked an appointment with a doctor, called our insurance company for pre-authorization, went to his appointment the very next day, was examined, and received a prescription. That's right, he only waited one day; don't think that has ever happened back in the US. Better yet, since the doctor he went to is on our insurance provider's list, he did not have to pay; they will bill our insurance directly. How nice.

 

How Exciting?

Clothes Horse

How exciting. Not Really. But doing laundry is a part of the lifestyle we are living here in Edinburgh. Fortunately, our flat does have a washer/dryer built in to the counter in the kitchen (a separate laundry room is a luxury not commonly enjoyed here). Read on to hear about the mundane topic of laundry.

Laundry loads are quite small, an armful at a time at most. And, it takes a long time to do that armload, an hour and a half for the wash. Caution, drying anything beyond damp results in wrinkle city. Really, we have never seen laundry that wrinkled, worse than the face of a Shar Pei.

Fortunately, we have a clothes horse (see photo). AKA drying racks, airers, clothes maidens, or winterdykes. Now, there is a name for you, winterdykes. In Scotland, the word "dyke" means a wall or a fence made without mortar that was occasionally used for hanging laundry in the summer months. Hence the winter dyke refers to drying in the colder weather months.

Interesting how we, accustomed to US standard of living, can be having such a great time living in a European (lower) standard of living. Clue:  it isn't about the physical features of where we live. It is all about how we spend our time. Lifestyle.

 

Pubs

Standing Order

Pubs are an important part of the culture here in Scotland and throughout the UK. Many of the pubs are independently owned and operated, some are owned by large beer brewing companies, and some are part of a chain. The largest pub chain in the UK, by far, is Weatherspoon. There are 800 of these pubs, each and every one housed in a converted historical building of some sort.

We recently stopped for lunch at one of the Weatherspoon pubs in Edinburgh, the Standing Order (see photo). It is housed in a former Union Bank of Scotland building. The building was built in the late 1870s in a neo-classical style; it retains features from its banking past, including an original Chubb vault. 

It Rained Again

Digestive Biscuits

Well, it rained a second time. No matter, all in our hill walking club, including us, are happy to be out in any weather. We have waterproof jackets (sometimes referred to as a "mackintosh"), waterproof pants (called "trousers" here), and waterproof covers for our daypacks (called "rucksacks" here).

On this particular hill walk, Mike brought along several packages of Digestive Biscuits, which he surprised everyone by handing out during lunch. By the way, the word "biscuits" refers to cookies. And these particular cookies were developed here in Scotland in 1839 by two doctors to aid digestion.

Arthur's Seat

Highest Point

We enjoyed walking up to the highest point in Edinburgh, Arthur's Seat (see photo). It is popular as can be. As with so many names here in Scotland, which go back centuries, the origin of "Arthur's Seat" is clouded. Most historians discount the obvious reference to legendary King Arthur. Instead, they support it being a corruption of the Gaelic phrase "Ard-na-Said," which translates to "Height of Arrows."

On the day we were there, massive preparations were underway for he Royal Family's annual Scottish tour. From the top of Authur's Seat we could clearly see the Palace of Holyrood house in Edinburgh where they will stay and where multiple days of pomp will occur. We are still waiting for an invitation...

 

Passed The Test

National Park

Thankfully, Mike passed the test. He led his first hill walk with our club. Twenty-three people joined his walk, and the same number finished his walk; including both Beth and William. That is a bit of a joke, in a Scottish sort of way. The unserious rule in hill walking is that the leader can declare success if he/she finishes the walk having lost fewer than 10% of the walkers.

Seriously, Mike enjoyed leading the group over a 10-mile point-to-point route that included 1,600 feet of elevation gain and loss. He had done a recce of the walk a couple of weeks ago. The hill walk was in Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park, one of two national parks in Scotland. The views were stunning (see photo). He looked after both the faster and slower walkers, took coffee and "comfort" breaks, and picked a scenic spot for lunch (where he surprised everyone by providing a big bag of chocolate cookies). He even shared a couple of interesting historical facts along the way (thank you, Wikipedia). 

Symphony

Season Finale

Great performance. We enjoyed the season finale of the Royal National Scottish orchestra at Usher Hall in Edinburgh. It was an all Shostakovich performance; the Festive Overture piece particularly struck us. As impressive as the music and venue was, the season statistics impressed us even more. Including the 2,000 who attended this performance, we learned that a total of one hundred and fifty thousand people attended the 130 performances during the season. Busy.

BBQ

Hill Walking Club Members

What a great time. Sharp contrast to the negative experience of being bummed out at the Barton Bunker. We joined 20 members of our hill walking club for their annual BBQ. Never mind the misuse of the term "BBQ;" it was really a picnic. We gathered in one of the numerous private parks in Edinburgh; a club member lives in a neighborhood that has access. In Edinburgh, there are many many public parks (more than any city in the UK); there are also many private parks.

 We brought our food; the club provided the tables, chairs, and grill. Oh yea, they also provided a seemingly endless number of bottles of wine and champagne. Nice touch for a BBQ. By now, we know and are friends with most everyone. How nice. Interestingly, a small group at the event sat together and laughed boisterously throughout the evening; Beth was either an instigator or participant. Good for her. By the way, the attached photo was taken at ten-clock at night; still plenty of daylight at this northern latitude at that hour.

Bummed Out

We were bummed out with our visit to the Barton Bunker. Even though it is but a few miles from our flat, the small amount of effort to get there was not adequately rewarded. Fortunately, the event that we signed up for at the bunker was free. Can't imaging how we would have felt if we had gone when the regular $35 admission was in effect.

We ventured inside this decommissioned WWII bunker to see a mayfly art exhibit. Fair enough. It turned out to be nothing more than a bunch of paper cutouts in the shape of mayflies that were glued to the wall and ceiling in a small claustrophobic room inside the bunker. Five minutes was more than enough for that. The bunker itself was in a complete state of ruin. Turns out that it is being used, as are the surrounding grounds, by a commune. Looked more like a trash dump to us.

On the up side, the three of us have a bit of a story to tell.
 

Soggy

Lunch Break

After about three months here in Scotland, we finally had a soaking rain. The lack of rain has been record setting. Coincidently, the day of soaking rain just happened to occur on a day when we went hill walking with our club. No matter. As they say, "there is no bad weather in Scotland, only bad clothes." And, since we have good clothes, in spite of the expression on Beth's face shown in the photo eating lunch, we enjoyed our ten miles with 1,500 feet of elevation gain. Note that many of those miles were muddy. Doesn't get any better than this.

Boat Ride

The Forth Bridge

After the Isle of May puffin boat trip cancelation, we quickly switched to Plan B for that day. We went on a different boat trip from a different port to a different island. Great time. Our sightseeing boat left from the village of Queensferry, which is located on the Firth of Forth; that is a huge estuary flowing into the North Sea. We passed under the Forth Bridge (see photo); opened in 1890, it is was the world's first major steel structure, and it held the record as the world's longest span. Fun fact, 6.5 million rivets were used to construct the bridge.

We cruised for an hour-and-a-half during which time we stopped for another hour-and-a-half on a very small island run by the Historic Environment Scotland organization; we are members. There, we spent time in Inchcolm Abbey, Scotland’s best-preserved group of monastic buildings. We also spent time avoiding being dive-bombed or pooped on by the thousands of nesting, noisy, and very aggressive sea gulls (really).

No Puffins

Unbelievable

They did it again:  canceled our trip to the Isle of May to see the puffins. The only way to get there is via a one-and-a-half hour chartered boat ride. Access to the island is strictly limited. We were supposed to ride in a small boat operated by the Scottish Seabird Centre (organization with official responsibility for island management). When they canceled last month, the boat operator cited the weather; we thought that was a bummer. Now that they have canceled again, citing the weather, we find the explanation hard to believe.

The weather is, and has been forecast to be, warm and sunny, little to no wind, and calm seas. This is peak season on the island, thousands of puffins and thousands of other seabirds are currently there. Given the limited access and the popularity, spots on the boat book early; we booked in January. At this point, the puffin season is ending, and no spots on the boat are available anytime soon.

Recce

Hiking Friends

The standard practice in our club is for the hill walk leader to do a recce (short for reconnaissance) in preparation for every time they lead an actual hike. Mike just did a recce for the first hill walk he is leading:  a 10 mile point-to-point route with 2,000 feet of elevation gain that starts in one village and ends in another village. However, the recce for this walk had some complications.

The club will be traveling to this particular hill walk on a bus that we charter each month to transport us to somewhere remote that is not served by public transport; the bus will drop us off at the walk start location and pick us up at the walk end location. This lack of public transport is what complicated the recce. Thankfully, a generous club member, who Mike is becoming friends with, offered himself and his car for the recce. The car was parked at the walk end location. They walked toward the start location along a road and luckily caught a ride for some of that distance. Then they walked the planned route on trails through the mountains back to the car. Lots of miles. Long day. Mike said he had a great time.

Lauriston Castle

Modern Toilet

We walked about five miles from our flat to the coast where Lauriston Castle sits on a bluff with beautiful views. Although the castle dates back to 1593, what most visitors enjoy during their visit are the "modern" authentic furnishings. When the last occupants moved into the castle in 1902, they installed central heating, hot water, toilets (see photo) and even double glass windows. Quite advanced. When they donated the castle to Scotland in 1926, all the furniture was left inside the house; you can really catch a glimpse of what living in the Edwardian time must have been like. There was even an original copy of the Daily Mirror reporting about the Titanic disaster in 1912.

 

Rhododendron

Invasive

Yet another stunningly beautiful scene while out hill walking. This time it was rhododendron, masses of brightly flowered rhododendron (see photo). Turns out that they are an unwelcome non-native invasive species.

They form dense thickets, shading out native plants and preventing them from accessing sunlight, water, and nutrients. Its extensive root system and leaf litter is toxic to many other plants. Worse still, it harbors Phytophthora, a fungus-like pathogen that affects many other trees and plants. Organizations like the National Trust for Scotland are actively involved in control efforts, including removing invasive plants and restoring habitats. Now you know.

Highland Cows

Hairy Coo

Lucky us. This particular hill walk took us north of Edinburgh to the edge of the Highlands, about a two-hour bus ride. In addition to the stunning mountainous scenery, we happened upon a herd of Highland cows (Hairy Coos in local lingo). What a treat. This animal is highly symbolic of the Scottish Highlands. There are only about 3,000 of them in the country.

They have an unusual double coat of hair (see photo). On the outside is the oily outer hair, the longest of any cattle breed, covering a downy undercoat. This makes them well suited to conditions in the Highlands, which have a high annual rainfall and very strong winds. And, they are cute.
 

24 Hour Delivery

Yea Amazon

It's a small thing; not particularly important. But impressive nonetheless, at least to Mike. His order on Amazon for a pack of replacement razor blades arrived in fewer than 24 hours (less expensive than in the super market). He is a regular Amazon customer and does not belong to Prime or any other special groups. Yet, the package arrived lickety-split.  It turns out that one of their mega-distribution centers is fewer than 20 miles from here. How convenient.
 

Heat

Hottest Day

We know that the summer weather back in Roanoke has gotten hot. Seems like the hottest temperatures of the year will be with that region for quite a few days, mid-90s and high humidity. Well, relatively speaking, it has gotten hot here too.

Mike was out hill walking for the day with a friend on the hottest day of the year here; just take a look at his red face in the photo. The treeless route they took on a cloud free and windless day involved many miles and 2,500 feet of elevation gain. He said that the two of them really struggled. The good news is that they did manage a pub stop at the end; funny how that worked out. Oh, by the way, it was 80 degrees.
 

Four Hours

Midnight

Four hours. That is the current length of the night-time here. Not much. And, that four hours doesn't really involve but so much darkness; let's call it twilight. Not dark enough to see stars. And, not dark enough to preclude a game of golf; courses have an "honesty box" to be used after hours when the clubhouse is closed. The posted photo was taken about midnight; still plenty of light at that late hour. 

We are pretty far north. Edinburgh's latitude is 800 miles north of Montreal, Canada, which is 800 miles north of Roanoke,Virginia. Thankfully, our flat has black-out shades. Otherwise, we might never be able to get to sleep.

Super Sweet

Strawberry Farms

Who knew? Well, probably most everyone who lives in Scotland. But we didn't know. And now we do. During our grocery shopping trips we have been purchasing bananas, blueberries and red raspberries. And, we have been paying attention to the country-of-origin labels. Often we see a country in Africa listed; often it is Morocco.

Lately, strawberries have been available. And, unlike the red and often tasteless strawberries back in the US, these have been delicious. Every one has been ripe and super sweet. Today, on a hill walk, we learned why the strawberries are so superior here. They are grown locally. That's right, strawberry farming is big here. We looked out from the top of a hill on our walk and saw endless miles and miles of strawberry farms (see photo). They are being grown under covers. They grow more strawberries here in Scotland than any other fruit crop, by far. Turns out that Scotland's temperate climate, with long days and sunlight, allows for slow ripening, resulting in sweeter berries. Now you know.