Whatever happened to me?: U.K. Trip Anniversary Posts! (Days 1 & 2)

Edinburgh, How I loved thee!

[Photo taken from Princes Street Gardens]

Well... it's taken almost a year and no one cares but me... but this blog has just been sitting because I wanted to put up some photos from the U.K. trip before posting any other entries. I've been feeling nostalgic this month, since it's nearly the time I left last year, so it seems a good time to get it done and move on. :-)

On the home front now, Ron has nearly finished redoing the roof. He has a few more nails to put along the peak, then disassembling the scaffolding he borrowed from Michael. The rains have come today but it might be pretty good tomorrow for the cleaning up phase. I've been trying to get some stuff done in the garden and have been muttering under and "over" my breath about the deer. We have way too many and at this time of year they browse just about anything that's been regularly watered (not quite... but just about). I'm so fed up with that, I'm about ready to pull out the things they won't leave alone and save myself the grief! The older flowerbeds have gotten like cluttered closets and some merciless removal of volunteers needs to happen. I probably won't get very far, but that will be my goal in some spots this fall. The little bed by the playhouse is looking kind of cute, despite some deer munching here and there and today I placed a lot of pots in the open area around the tree stump in front of it. Most of those plants have been purchased on sale or off clearance racks. This is a great time of year to find some bargains. I also hope most of them will be deer resistant. It's nice to have one area looking neat and new while you have to slog through the old and rework them.

Diane had a rather novel experience today (and this past week). She noticed a sign-up at the Mall while there looking for job situations. She got on board to do taste testing for a chewing gum company. Today, she and some others spent about 20 minutes per gum sample and filled out a response form. There were three versions of the "new" flavor to chew and critique. She said that during this exercise, another girl asked her at one point if she was tasting seafood? :-P Noses and taste buds on people are not all the same. I've sure learned that from working with soap fragrances. It's kind of fascinating how several people can smell or eat the same thing and come up with a different response as to what it is. They all get to go back for the second part tomorrow... then get paid for their trouble.

Now for posting photos to the blog. Even with trying to hit the high points, 10 days equals quite a few pictures, so I'll be breaking them up.

First off... a photo of our travel group when we had our first meeting in August of 2009. We got to take a tour of Marianne Binetti's garden and allowed the chance to ask questions, meet our roommates, etc. Some of these folks knew one another but I was not one of them. It makes me smile to look at this photo now... so many nice people that I was able to know better after the time we spent. I've gotten a little rusty on some of their names... but a glance at the list would be all it would take.

Photo below is what greeted us when we got off the plane in Edinburgh, Scotland. We'd already come into London, just barely missed our connection and had to be split up onto different flights coming into Scotland. Didn't make for the best beginning, but I didn't care. I was still pinching myself that I was in London.

That first night was a bit of a blur. We walked around in the city while getting something to eat and this is what it looked like when we left the restaurant/pub. It was love at first sight with cobblestone (although it can be tricky to walk on in the wrong kind of shoe).

A few shots from Holyrood Palace. The first is one of our group with the two guides. Amanda was with us the whole week and Dave Stalker (in the kilt) was our Scottish guide for two days.

The remains of what was once a beautiful abbey.

This doesn't look like much in the photo but was glorious inside. Unfortunately, you are not allowed to take pictures within. Maybe I can lift something from the internet to drop in here. The place is Rosslyn Chapel and they used it in the filming of the DaVinci Code movie. Things have not been the same here since... tourists come by the thousands. The scaffolding is supporting an umbrella they had to erect over the chapel. Moisture got into the sandstone columns inside and was trapped because of a misguided attempt to preserve them (with sealant). They have to slowly let it all dry out and keep rain from hitting the roof in the meantime. I think this is slated to come off soon, if it hasn't already. They were working on the roof while we were there. He told us we'd be some of the last tourists to be able to walk up and see the roof area.

Here are three images taken by other people, who apparently were allowed to take photos while inside. This first one was taken by Jean Macejko. It's obviously a tour group looking at the intricate carvings. I told Diane that seeing these inside images of the chapel brings back a strong olfactory memory of how it smelled inside. It was very strong and distinctive... all of that moisture and sandstone. Not a terrible odor, but I was kind of glad when we got into fresh air. Even the postcards in the gift shop had that smell.

The next two are from a guy named Paul Hurst. He has some glorious photography on the internet of his favorite Scottish churches (the site's name was "My Scotland."). I hope he doesn't track me down and yell at me for using two of his beautiful images. The second one looks more like it does in person... in natural light. What is missing from these is the cute, black kitty cat that took advantage of open doors. It was stretched out on a side pew and accepted love from anyone who wanted to offer. Our guide knew the cat would be there and brought him a "biscuit."

We're not in Washington anymore! This was taken from the window of our coach.

The next few were taken while we walked through the Royal Botanical Gardens in Edinburgh.

Kathy at the Edinburgh Castle!

The next shot (with the time stamp) was taken by a gal in our group (Chris Gregory). I wanted to get a shot from that spot too, but she was there for awhile and there were a ton of people in the same place... so my photos were a few feet away and not nearly as beautiful. One couldn't tarry too long in any one place and I did more tarrying on this trip than anyone... playing caboose most of the time so I could get a few shots.

I liked this neat wall and lookout thing (there's a name for that... turret?).

Quite the view, isn't it?

We walked back to town from the castle... the next few photos are from a walking "tour." I was on a quest to find a particular flight of stairs, in addition to us working our way back to the hotel.

My roommate Angie is waiting for me to snap photos and catch up ... she was so patient with me but it had to drive her nuts sometimes. She was a very independent (but helpful) person and would have surely been quite happy to poke around on her own. This looks like the St. Giles Cathedral.

One of my Edinburgh fantasies had to do with the following flight of steps on Guthrie Street. They captivated me when I saw them in the British mini-series, North & South. I loved how they'd been worn by years and years of use. It was such a thrill to stand near the spot I thought "Margaret" stood in that scene. ;-) Later my roommate and I would take a walk up Old Calton Hill and see the view of Edinburgh and the Waverley Bridge... much the way it looked in that production... as Mr. Thornton walked to and fro. We didn't get over to the cemetery part (where they have a memorial to Abraham Lincoln) and there wasn't time to look for the right entrance. If I ever go back, I'll have a better idea of where to find it. We walked the other direction while searching and missed it probably by a block or two. :-/

The stairs come into view! Anyone seen this mini-series? It's wonderful. :-) Thanks to IMDB... I was able to know the street location of that scene. Margaret gets caught on this stairway when a flood of millworkers break for the day.

One of the many "closes" in town... those narrow passageways between buildings.

Coming down the hill on our way back to our hotel, we see the John Knox house straight ahead. I don't know if I'm related or not (he only had daughters... so it wouldn't be a direct line)... but I wanted to have my picture taken here. This past week, while going through a box of photos and genealogical research left to me by a Knox cousin, I came across a postcard on the top... from a friend of hers who'd visited Scotland. I knew immediately where the photo was taken... right here. It's not changed much in 50 years either. ;-)

The next few are in Princes Street Gardens.

They have some amazing stairs in Edinburgh... and some are worn down by years of use. These are actually more recently built, but made to look like the old style. I believe these were the "Playfair Steps (stairs?)."

Another cool set of stairs.

Double decker buses abound.

The smiling girl on the left was taking a picture of her friends and saw me coming with the camera around my neck. She asked if I'd mind taking a photo with her in it... so here are these lovely 13-year old Scottish girls ... celebrating the birthday of their friend (second from right). After taking a couple on her camera, I asked if I could have one for mine.

The local guys congregating after work. The picture says it all. :-)

The narrow passage between these buildings was fascinating to me. I think I shot this from the coach as we paused at an intersection.

No one told me how jet lag can affect your digestion, although judging by everyone else's first meal, I'm in the minority. I'd hoped to try out the fish and chips but that little bowl of onion soup and roll are mine and about all I could stomach. For four days, food seemed to make my stomach unhappy and hurty. Maybe that's part of the reason I lost 3.5 pounds during the trip and some were complaining about expanded waistlines. If I'd only left their great chocolate behind, I might have kept the weight off.

I'm sentimental about these phones. It was from here that I was able to finally call Kristine and ask her about the birth of little Robert. I just sat down on the floor there for about 20 minutes. He was born during our first full day in Edinburgh. I found out when we got back to the hotel and I logged on to the computer (only after one of the gals wondered if my daughter might have had the baby yet... I said no, I doubt it). =:o I saw the photo of her in the hospital bed with the baby on her chest. After I shrieked at the good news, a nice American woman came up behind me to offer her congratulations.