Scotland Trip

We went to the Holyrood Castle after getting lost a couple of times trying to get the right bus. When we got there it was going to close at 1:00PM because of a wedding happening this weekend so we almost missed out. We got our tickets just before the ticket office closed its windows. then had an hour to get thru the castle and made it with about 5 min to spare.

Learned the castle is also a "working" castle. Queen Elizabeth comes here and takes care of state matters, has garden parties, Dinner parties and bestowes knighthood on deserving men such as Sean Connery.

Saw a lot of rooms like the ones we saw in London & France but more toned down, not so elaborate.

Mary, Queen of Scotts lived here and saw murder committed here.

Went out thru a ruined Abbey that was quite lovely even in it's ruination. There were vaults, tombs, and slabs on the floor of people who are interred there. I was very sad to see people walking on the slabs. I was taught to respect graves, you walk around them not ON them!!!

Tomorrow we head for home. I haven't seen nearly enough countryside and other history for my satisfaction. Maybe I will get to come back and visit the West Coast someday. I love the Highlands the most!! The people here are so friendly and so much fun! They are a grand people with a lot of pride and sense of humor!! Wonderful combination!

Yesterday the 18th we left Balintore and took the train from Inverness to Haymarket, Edinburgh where our Hotel is located (very convenient for us). Its called the Ritz Hotel but it's no kin to The Ritz. This is a very old building with nice quaint rooms and NO elavator!! Which is probably why it only cost 80 pounds per night. They had Wifi but it was down last night.

We spent our afternoon walking Princess street looking in shops and went 2 blocks off Princess to Rose street and found a nice little pub for dinner.

Today, July 19th, the Hotel got its WiFi up and running.

Our Hotel staff are very helpful and very pleasent and our room is not bad...the only thing wrong is we are on the 4th floor and there is no elevator, just a million steps! Well....at least 50 per floor because altho they don't go up circular they do go up 25 steps then you turn and go up 25 more!! We definatly wear off all our dinner each night!!

We used the bus system today and went to the Botanical gardens then caught the return bus up to the Edinburgh Castle. That basically used up our whole day. We got into a free tour group after waiting in line for our tickets about 30 min. (bad as going to Disney!!). This castle is very different then all the other ones we have seen, nothing ornate, no fancy rooms, this is a military castle and is still being used as such. Its funny when the guide says This building is very old, built around 1200 AD and this one is relativaly new, built around 1500 AD...Holy Cow, the USA wasn't even a BABY then!!

Dinner, tonight Joy had fish & mashed potatoes and I had Steak pie. We also tried Black pudding & Haggis with Neeps & Tatties (turnips and potatoes) not bad. This time the Haggis was breaded and in patty form and grilled (so was the black pudding) it came out looking like 2 patties. Their potatoes are light yellow like Yukon Golds and the turnips are Orange like carrots...strange country but boy do they FEAST!! :D

Not sure what tomorrow will bring....

To day was a day of rest. Joy went to church, I snoozed.

We went to the Kincraig castle hotel for a 3 course lunch for 12.95 pounds.

I ate beef with Yorkshire pudding , which was basic a cream puff with transparent beef gravy...very good, always wondered what Yorkshire pudding was. And I had a glass of Sherry just to see what it was like...not bad!! Tasted like light cooked raisin or prune juice and smooth like brandy. Came home and found our its a wine (which I hate) but is infused with brandy (which I like) and the 2 together tastes quite nice! Light flavor, smooth texture and right on the boarder between sour & sweet.

Joy had Halibut with a whiskey cream sauce and Haggis with a cheese sauce, Also very good. Haggis is GOOD, people, it really really is!!

I had their version of bread pudding that was like 1/2 a cinnimon roll with a thin vanilla pudding on it. I can eat THAT kind of bread pudding...no soggy bread!!

Joy had cream puffs (called something else)

Came home, walked the beach, did laundrey and played yahtzee.

Headed for Edinbourgh tomorrow morning....new adventure!! Hopefully a good one this time!.

We DO have wifi at our hotel so we will post tomorrow night.

Got to walk thru the distillery. Saw the bins that housed the Barley that was cooked in the spring water from the hills here. The Distillery owns 600 achers around the stream so that it can not be polluted by anyone. The water is special to the taste of the whiskey because its hard water where all the other water around is very soft!! We can tell that when we take our showers!

Saw the copper vats that create the whiskey. They have extra tall stacks. The original owner did not have the money to buy the original kind that were shorter so bought another kind and they have kept to that height ever since.

They get their barrels from white oak in Missourie USA. They are burnt and sold to Burboun companies like Jack Danials and then sold to the Glenmorangie Distillery after 3 times of use.

The whiskey is 10 years old when bottled. They make 3 other flavores from that 10 year brew, they put them for 2 years in some other types of casks.

very interesting! After the tour we were allowed a taste. Kinda lost on me, they all taste the same....and not my favorite booze.

We headed for the town of Wick this morning. About 80 miles North of Balintore. We'd planned on seeing some light houses, old castle ruins, and maybe some rock formations that so far are unexplainable as to the reason for them.

we didn't make it to Wick. We stopped for several picture sessions, Got behind a large bus pulling a horse trailer, got behind a big tracktor went thru several small towns and by the time we got to a town called Helmsdale, we decided to stop and eat.....that was then end of the trip. :D

The town was small but very lovely. We found a resturaunt that served us a plate of food that was impossible to eat all of it!! And for only 10 pounds! That is the cheapest we have found for that much food the whole time we have been here! We had grilled Haddock that had a cornmeal type coating and it was a whole fish! there was salad, green peas, chips,tomato & pickled beets. The peas are always fresh, lightly boiled (Yum!!) and the pickled beats are just salt and vinager..no spice, no sugar....wow, talk about pucker power!! :P

The waitress/owner was a Scotland country singer and the restaraunt was actually playing USA country music very very softly in the background.

Then we went down a watched a young man play bagpipes outside a hotel while some older young men hung around all dressed in Kilts, socks, etc. We found out later that there was a wedding inside the hotel and these yound men were there for the wedding. Every time I've seen men (old & young) in thier traditional attire there is a pride that goes with it. Not one of them slouches, ambles along, lookes scruffy or anything like that. It's like our men in the service...there is a special "look" about them that is so regal.

We popped in and out of shops, looked at sceanery and just enjoyed the day. the weather was sunny and warm.

The coast here is so rocky there is hardly EVER any beach. The hills are tall and covered in Gorse, Heather and fern and sometimes trees.

Got home about 6pm.