DAY 9 SCOTLAND TOUR STIRLING CASTLE

Day 9. Scotland tour
Our last day and we started with a view of Inverarry Castle where Downton Abbey filmed the Christmas party.  We were in the heart of the  Campbell country in the Highlands.
By 12:30 we were finally out of the mountains and visiting Stirling Castle, home to the Stuart Kings.  Now we were also in Robert Bruce country.  A huge and very old castle that was ready for tourists with costumed guides and many artifacts and helpful story boards.  I walked most of the outside wall and we both loved the tapestry display about the recreation of the unicorn tapestries that took 13 years to make and are now in NYC.
We spent nearly 3 hours there before stopping at Bannockburn to view the battle monuments.   Then on to Edinburgh and our original hotel for our last night and celebration dinner.  Tomorrow we fly home.  Thank you for joining me on my travels this summer.

DAY 8 SCOTLAND TOUR ISLEOF IONA

Day 8 Scotland Tour
Isle of Iona

Iona is the birthplace of christianity in Scotland.  In the year 563 St. Colbumba established an abbey here and kept this as his base as he traveled spreading the gospel throughout Scotland.

Today we traveled from the mainland for an hour on a large ferry boat to the island of Mull.  The wind was extremely strong driving the soft rain into daggers, so most of us stayed inside for much of the ride past castle ruins and lighthouses.
Arrived on Mull and boarded a bus for an hour long ride of the heavily traveled  single lane road to the opposite side.  Along the way we finally saw a large group of the famous Scotland Highland Cows known for their long shaggy coats and long horns.  And many vistas of ancient ruins and glorious bays.  The driver gave us a running narrative of the island history and customs while navigating the single lane road with constant oncoming traffic.
We safely arrived and boarded a smaller ferry for the short trip over to the Isle of Iona.
There we had a guide for the tour of the 800 year old abbey built on the site of St. Columbo's wooden abbey.  It has had many restorations and changed over the centuries but has survived through viking masacures, wars and also good years.  Very beautiful Celtic crosses, some very old and some not so old.   There are also ruins of a convent on the island that is only 3 miles long and 1.5 miles wide.  We had 2 hours to explore and then it was back on the small ferry to the bus and a return trip on the single track road.   On the large ferry for the last leg the weather turned very nasty and the long walk to the hotel was bitter cold in biting wind driven rain.
But returned in time for the 6 PM mass at the cathedral that was about 2 blocks from the hotel.  Then we walked into the first hotel and had soup and sandwiches for a filling dinner without walking back into the commercial area of town.
Tomorrow we travel back to Edinburgh for our final night.

DAY 6 SCOTLAND TOUR LOCH NESS

DAY 6 SCOTLAND TOUR
LOCH NESS
A very rainy day but so enjoyed all of our activities.
We drove to Loch Ness, the home of "Nessie", the monster who everyone looks for.  There we boarded a boat and headed across the loch to the ruins of the Urquhart  Castle.  After walking the site we visited a museum about the site that dates back several centuries.
From there we rode in our bus that had driven around the loch (lake) to meet us.  We drove to prehistoric burial chambers.  There were  three large round made of stones and each were surrounded by large stones standing upright in circles around the chambers.
We enjoyed a picnic lunch in the park even though it was softly raining off and on with a touch of sunshine now and then.
From there we drove to the beautifully maintained Cawdor castle and gardens.  Now part of the Campbell estate. So enjoyed walking through the rooms. 
Soon we were back in Inverness at our hotel.  Tonight we had dinner together in a restaurant on the river.  Good day ..
  and tomorrow we move again.

DAY 5 SCOTLAND TOUR sheepdogs

Day 5 Scotland tour
Sheepdogs and the Highlands
It was an hours drive north to Leaults sheep farm where  the Shepard Neil put on a wonderful demonstration of how a team of Border collies control a herd of sheep.
He then showed us how to shear a sheep and then six of us took turn with the shearing siccors including yours truely. 
It was amazing and then we got to feed the sheep using large baby bottles before he brought out two tiny puppies for us to cuddle.
We had soft rain most of the day but managed to avoid using umbrellas.
As we drove into the Highlands our guide Helen taught us about the historic battlefield that we would visit today as we watched the leaves on the trees  creating artistic designs as they continue to change from green to gold and red; but the heather and bracken on the hills are dark brown as they've reached the end of their season. 
Our lunch was a delicious hot shepard's soup followed by homemade scottish scones.  Before leaving the restaurant the cook gave us a demonstration on making scones and shared her recipe.
Our last stop was at the battlefields of  Culloden where the fate of England and Scotland was determined in 1746.  Very reminiscent of the civil war fields at Gettysburg in the USA.
Dinner was on our own after we arrived at our hotel for the next two nights in Inverness.  We did fish n chips at the Castle Tavern around the corner.  We've got our third, first floor room!   Maybe because we're the oldest members of the tour?   We don't question why but just say thank you.

DAY 4 SCOTLAND TOUR

Day 4  Scotland Tour
Kenmore area
Skys were dark with rain  clouds this morning with only  spots here and there of sun.  Off and on soft rain throughout the day.  But managed without umbrellas.
We started the morning with a walk of about a mile around the end of the lake to visit the Crannogs Center.  They are prehistoric homes build over water.  We spent over an hour there learning about the construction, how they lived and tools they used.  Informative and fun.
The bus picked us up and we were off to the Hermitage where we walked another 2 miles through the forest among giant Douglas fir trees along a roaring river full of Rapids.  We reached the falls and enjoy another spectacular vista created for the wealthy to enjoy many years ago. 
Off to the village of Dunkeld to visit a medieval Cathedral    and enjoy lunch on our own.
The rain came a bit harder after lunch but we managed to stay dry and enjoy our stop at the Dewar's Whiskey Brewery in Aberfeldy, the home town of the actor Allan Cumnings, where we tasted a 12 year old brew and toured the facility.
Home to Kenmore and the oldest Scotland Inn, Established in 1572.  
Many of us spent the next hour walking out to see the Taymouth Castle.  It has a private golf course and it spectacular.  I heard a rumor that  Victoria and Albert spent their honeymoon in this castle  but our guide had not heard this... so need to do some research.   But a grand day it was that closed with a delicious dinner.  Tomorrow we move to another city.

DAY 3 SCOTLAND TOUR

Day 3 Scotland tour
On the bus early this morning we'll be driving at least 5 hours today and spending 3 hours in the town of St. Andrews, the birthplace of golf.  And, more recently the University where William and Kate studied.   A beautiful town on the shores of the North Sea.  Castle ruins and Cathedral ruins to wander through after taking photos in front of the club house at the golf course where the famous play a round every year.
On the way we visited Culross where the popular Outlander series is filmed and had a fabulous tour of the 17th century Palace used in the filming.  The guide has seen the ghosts that live there and kept our attention with her tales of when they appear to a few of the  visitors. 
We crossed to large rivers and visited the town where Andrew Carnegie was born and saw the first library he built after making his fortune in America.
We are spending two nights in a tiny town, 1 hotel, 1 castle, 1 church and less than 10 houses.  That's it.  Wifi is very.weak but will stand in the lobby and try to send this.
We also saw the brand new Victoria and Albert Museum that opened this week in Dundee.  It looks like a ship setting out to sail from a distance. 
After a group dinner in the hotel we had a woman piper who played her bagpipes, taught us the history and even had a few of us playing them.  Lots of fun.

DAY 2 OF TOUR EDINBURGH

Day 2 of the Scotland Tour..

Early breakfast and out the door  by 8:30 am for our tour of Edinburgh with a local guide  by the name of Rita, excellent!  She was well versed on local lore and full of stories as we walked the streets up and down the hills  until noon.
We briskly walked up the long hill known as the Royal Mile, to old Edinburgh and the two castles.   Along the way we explored hidden courtyards, narrow passageways and quaint shops.  Today we explored the very old Edinburgh Castle from top to bottom. We saw the  crown jewels, and the famous Stone of Destiny that over the centuries has been placed under the throne when crowning a king or queen .
The views were spectacular.
We then wind our way back through medieval streets as we listened to more Scottish lore from Rita about Harry Potter being written here and many of the names she used were found on tombstones, the story of Bobby the loyal dog who visited his masters grave every day for 14 years. Both are buried in Greyfrairs cemetery.  We ended at the National Museum of Scotland.  Oh, must not forget the wee bit of whiskey tasting here and there along  the way!
We were on our own all afternoon and gathered at 5 in The Conan Doyle Pub across the street from our hotel where we shared stories and raised a pint to our tour guide Helen who is doing a marvelous job!
Made it to the 7:30 PM Mass before calling it a day!

DAY 1 OF RICK STEVE TOUR OF SCOTLAND

Day 1 of Tour of he Best of Scoland ...
Saturday ... Moving Day
Clear weather, cold but lots of bright sunshine.
Packed our things, had a good breakfast and made sandwiches for lunch to take with us.  By 9:15 am we were downstairs with our luggage and called the number we'd seen on a taxi yesterday.
Within 5 minutes we were on our way to the Queen Street Railroad Station in downtown Glasgow.  Since we'd had trouble with the ticket machines yesterday, we asked for and found the of site ticket sales with live clerks who you could talk with!  Purchased tickets for the 10:15 train and the train people put us on the platform early... Jim's cane wins again.
By 1 PM we were at the The Place Hotel in Downtown Edinburgh. Checked in and left the luggage. 
We had until 3 PM to explore the city.  We managed to visit both the nearby Scottish National Protrait Gallery and then the Scottish National Gallery where we enjoyed a special exhibit of the Best of Rembrandt. Museums are donation only entrance fees but we paid dearly for the special.  But, Jim said it was well worth the price as it was the largest display of Rembrandts work in one place that he'd ever seen. They had gathered his work from all over the world for this exhibit.
Walked back to the hotel and found we'd been assigned to a huge suite with two large beds and a view of the rooftops of Edinburgh all the way to the mountains with the Firth of Forth in the center...a large bay off  of the North Sea.
We later found that several of the tour members have large rooms like this. 
At 4 PM our tour group of 27 met to learn the rules, schedule and each others names. No name tags and we each chose another person  we didn't know as a buddy.
Instead of counting noses, a buddy check is called and we are each responsible to verify that our buddy is with the group.
We then went on a walking tour for about an hour through the local neighborhood to see the Georgian homes including the childhood home of the author  Robert Lewis Stevenson.
Soon we were at a beautiful restaurant called Harvey Nichols (since 1831) with a nighttime view of the city from the top floor location. 
Wonderful dinner as we continued to work on learning names.  A great first day.

DAY 4 SCOTLAND

Day 4 Scotland
Some wind, rain now and then but mostly sunshine and cold.
We used the bus again and first visited the train station  to plan for tomorrow, then to the Catheral and cemetary. Back on the bus to the shopping streets where we walked for a mile or so.  Back on the bus to the transportation museum.  Our final stop was a second trip to the Kelvingrove Museum to see the Dali painting of christ and another area we'd missed before.
Enjoyed the evening with a couple of movies on the television.tomorrow we move.

DAY 3 Scotland

Day 3 Scotland... we survived yesterday's storm "Ali" that made news headlines in Europe.  Winds were up to 100 mph and several people were killed.  We knew it was strong wind but never dreamed it was so strong.
Today we woke to sunny skies and milder winds, but COLD.

  Used our marvelous kitchen to whip up a hot breakfast and then we off to the Hop Off and On Bus to tour our  city of Glasgow.

We did two trips around, scoring the front seats up top for the second round.  Chose to get off at Glasgow University and visit the Hunterian Art Museum.  Bummer... the art was missing and we found stuffed animals and other museum pieces.
Disappointed and hungry we walked back towards the apartment and stopped for fish and chips.  Great day.  Tomorrow it's back on the bus with planned hop offs to visit.

DAY 2 Scotland Kelvingrove

Day 2 Scotland...
EXTREMELY windy day in Glasgow with light rain.. good because using the umbrella was impossible. 
But, we prevailed and walked about half a mile o the Kelvingrove Art Museum.  Fabulous building housing a wealth of eclectic collections of all periods of art, sculptures,  preserved animals and other collections.  The most important piece was one by Salvador Dali: Christ of St. John of The Cross.
We spent several hours touring the creatively displayed art and then enjoyed an half hour concert by Christopher Nickol.
We then finished with viewing a Spitfire airplane hanging from the ceiling above elephants, giraffes  and other animals.  Out into the wind, as we headed home we saw a hop on off bus and have decided to take one tomorrow. 
Stopped at the grocery store across the street and picked up fixings for our dinner in the apartment.   Pizza, ceasar salad and soup. 
We finished our day with two Netflix movies on the television as the rain and wind continued  outside.

DAY 1 SCOTLAND GLASGOW

Day one in Scotland ...
Long day of travel from Paris to Glasgow .  Delayed planes and long taxi rides complicated by traffic.
One of the more interesting things occurred as I went through customs in Paris.

We don't have to have a Visa to visit many countries in Europe because of the Schengen Agreement.  This allows Americans to spent up to 90 days in the countries that are a part of the agreement during a six months period.  Oops... he asked me if I realized I had exceeded the 90 days.  I said no, I'd arrived on July 11th and had only been here  for about 70 days.  I really had not thought about it.
He pointed to my passport where I'd gone to Amsterdam in May for 24 days.  He said I was 2 days over my limit!  Wow!  But I was leaving the agreement area  as the UK is not part of the agreement.  He hemmed and hawed...  but finally stamped my book and let me proceed.  So... lesson learned... watch your dates when doing months of travel.
Love our new Airbnb apartment in the west end of Glasgow.  Walking distance to the museums we plan to visit in the next three days.  Very modern and all the amenities.  Plus many different restaurants and a grocery store across the street.  Good to be here.  Expecting some rain but the plus is everything is Green!

DAY 8 LAST DAY IN PARIS

Day 8...last day in Paris
We enjoyed our morning after breakfast with a long walk.  But first I spent a couple of hours at the laundromat across the street.  Met some Australians who had just come from Scotland and are now heading for the south of France.  Rare that we don't meet interesting travelers in the laundromat!
Jim did some walking in the park and then we finished our six miles by walking to the Pantheon and down to the shopping street of Rue Mouffetard... think of Julia Childs.  Got lost several times and in doing so  visited the Roman arena of Lutece.  Amazing condition and is used today for local activities.  Yes, built by the Roman's in ancient times.
Arrived at the top of rue mouffetard ..
thanks to GPS .. and enjoyed the many delicious aromas emanating from the delightful shops as we strolled down the street.  Turned around at the church and walked back up to the area of the Pantheon and our hotel. 
Enjoyed another Chinese lunch with roasted duck this time.  The afternoon has been mostly resting for the journey north tomorrow.
See you in Scotland.

DAY 7 SUNDAY IN PARIS

Day 7...Sunday in Paris
Last Sunday I flew from Madrid and met Jim from California here at CDG airport. It's been a grand week with visiting friends and enjoying our favorite places in Paris.
Today we continued as we went to a village just outside of Paris, stopping along the way at La Defense for a photo of the most modern of the three Arches in Paris.
We enjoyed a beautiful lunch at the home of friends and then walked with them looking for bargains at their village flea market held once  a year on the weekend celebrating French Heritage .  One never knows when there might be an old painting from someone's attic that is worth millions!  It has actually happened in the past.
Back in the city we said goodbye to another American friend before collapsing at our hotel to enjoy the package of slivers of cheese sent home with us.
A fun day... tomorrow is laundry and packing along with another area to visit.

DAY SIX PARIS

Day 6 in Paris was dry and comfortable.  Today and tomorrow is the celebration  of the National Hertiage of France.  Nearly all museums are free and many public buildings are open to the public.  Thousands of people participate and the wait lines are long for the most popular events.
Jim and I chose two and did both of them.  We arrive early for the Ecole des Beaux Arts that opened at 11 am and were in the first group admitted.  The line was four times longer when we left.  This is an art school that has been attended by most of the most famous artists over the past 300 plus years.  Never open to the public; Jim was thrilled.
Our second building was my choice, the Senat is housed in the former Luxembourg Palace.  Built as the home of Marie de Medici and once a museum it is now full of guards as the government conducts much of its business here.  Rumor has it that the secret service is housed in the basement? 
So, we enter two hallowed halls today that we've never seen in the nearly twenty years we've been visiting Paris.  And...without our friends Nicole and Maeliss we probably would not have known about the special events.
Made it to the Chinese restaurant on the dot of 2:30 PM and were the last admitted for lunch.  Restaurants close from 2:30 to 7:30 PM.  Jim had his duck dish...a must do for him in Paris.  Visited the park to finally see the children sailing their boats in the fountain.  Must only be on weekends after school begins. 
Tonight is mass at st. Jacque down the street.  Tomorrow is a visit to Maisons-Laffitte, a village outside of Paris....
Only 2 more days left to enjoy Paris!