What's over there?
SCOTLAND – When we arrived in Edinburgh in June we were impressed by how many stone buildings there were all over the city. Not just the castles, but public buildings, private homes, storefronts, monuments and more.
You also see stone walls everywhere in Scotland… along every street and roadway, enclosing individual yards and gardens, and around every field and pasture. Stones, stones and more stones.
Continue reading “Stone buildings are everywhere in Scotland”
NEAR ORKNEY ISLAND, SCOTLAND – Right now I’m traveling with a white-knuckled husband who is gritting his teeth. No, I’m not talking about my driving. We are, in fact, riding in a very comfortable express bus from the Orkney Islands along the mainland coast of Scotland to Inverness, still a 3-hour trip once we are off the ferry.
It is a fantastically beautiful sunny morning. The rugged coastline is exquisitely lit up, with shadows in just the right places. There are sheep and cows posing in the fields, traditional thatched roof barns right next to the road, and all other sorts of daily life things that hold your eyes in wonder.
Continue reading “Scotland’s exquisitely beautiful coastline”
KIRKCALDY, SCOTLAND – Washing dishes with FAIRY liquid.
Yep, that is what we have here in Scotland. FAIRY brand washing up liquid (dish soap to us Americans), “By appointment to Her Majesty the Queen” (It says so right on the label).
And it works great – like magic (I am assuming). I bet it used to have a picture of a fairy right on the label.
It took me a few days to think this through. It was so odd to me to find a commercial product named “FAIRY.” Where is the strength in that?
Continue reading “Fairies and Unicorns in Scotland? Of course!”
EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND – The food here is really wonderful.
OK, I see Pizza Hut, KFC, McDonald’s, but we don’t eat there even in the states. Otherwise, it is cooked to order and takes a few minutes more. Time is no problem over a good beer anyway.
In the morning we can walk across the street to the little hole-in-the-wall grocery and buy fresh-baked croissants, meat, and curry or chicken pies for the rest of the day. It’s great this inner city living. Continue reading “Edinburgh has a bit of a sweet tooth”
KIRKCALDY, SCOTLAND — Melanie and I walked to Aldi the other afternoon to shop for groceries. Our meandering path led us past lots of lovely old stone homes, some with leaded glass windows, some with ornamental wooden gingerbread embellishments at the gable peaks, many surrounded by stone walls and lovely flower gardens.
Arriving at the grocery store, we were confronted with a challenge… how to unlink one of the shopping carts parked in the cart corral outside so we could take it inside to do our shopping.
