Random thoughts

Safely home in Eugene. Felt great to sleep in my own bed with my pillow & blankets. And real AC. ("AC" in the UK & Ireland left a lot to be desired.) Got 2 big hugs from Reyn. Maybe I should go away more often? Stoy says he can finally relax because I'm home. The pugs - well they just wondered if I had anything to eat.

The almost 11 hour flight from Dublin to San Francisco was not bad at all. I love having the TV screen in the seat in front of you - except when a strapping Irish lad leans his seat all the way back into your lap. Watched a bunch of movies - DL found "My Life In Ruins" about a Greek/American ex-pat in Greece leading tours. Hilarious, especially given what we'd just gone through. Our flight attendant was CUTE. Dazzling smile - I didn't even get his name. We kept asking him for tea. ;-) We were on time so had ample time in SFO to collect our bags & get over to United to check in for the final leg of our journey to Eugene. BL & Stoy were there at Mahlon Sweet Airport & looked so happy to see us. Stoy brought his camera. BL brought us COLD bottled water. So thoughtful! Now I'll fill y'all in on stuff I forgot, wanted to forget & just random musings...

AIRPORTS:

• DL got frisked at every airport - except for the last one. I asked her what she had on that might be triggering the detector. Her watch! She took that off & voila! She made it through, but I didn't. I forgot to take off my zippered jacket. It was hysterical. I haven't been felt up like that in public since...high school?
• When we went through customs in SFO I used my tried & true technique. I smile my best & brightest smile at the agent & ask them how their day is going. He very nicely told us we needed to fill out our declarations card & directed us to a counter to do it. DL was about done with airports by then & quickly marked no on all the questions about food brought into the country. Upon clearing customs , we had to wait for our luggage to go over to United to check them in. Our backpacks were on the ground & the cutest beagle sniffer dog kept coming by & nosing DL's pack. Turns out she had this small stick of beef jerky - bought in Ireland - that she didn't declare. Yes, D, there was a box to mark for bringing cured meats into the country. The TSA agent with the cute beagle had NO sense of humor whatsoever. He made a red mark on DL's customs card. After getting our bags I was directed to the right. DL had to go to the left & through more screening. At least they didn't rifle through her suitcase when she told them she got nabbed for the piece of beef jerky. Or so we thought. Upon getting home, DL discovered that "Notorious B.I.G." had indeed been rifled through having been left a note inside her suitcase.
• In Dublin's airport they made us put our umbrellas in the security bins & the agents had to open them up & inspect them. I don't remember hearing about umbrellas being weapons of mass destruction.
• Once you get through security in Dublin Airport they funnel you through a shoppers paradise. DL & I still had Euros burning holes in our wallets so we shopped. It's amazing all the things they can make with Guinness or Bailey's.
• We didn't get a stamp in our passports from Scotland. I'm so disappointed.

HOTELS:

• Don't assume all hotels have lifts (elevators) they don't. Our last hotel in Dublin, the Clarion at the airport put us on the ground floor - one floor below the reception area. We found the stairs down but no elevator. There was no way DL would get her suitcase down there without someone getting hurt. Turns out there's a dumbwaiter for luggage - but you have to get the hotel staff to work it. Not the greatest system. Still better than the alternative.
• AC in the UK & Ireland is not the same as ours. It's not cold. It doesn't really blow very hard. AC is open windows - except pubs are open till 0300 & people carry on till all hours. Thank God for iPods.
• Most hotel workers are from France it seems. They have as much difficulty understanding us as we have them. Lots of restaurant workers are also French.

STORES/RESTAURANTS:

• A store called a bookseller only sells books. No magazines. No CD's. No coffee. Just books.
• Great deals are to be had at local coffee cafes. A hot drink & a danish or sandwich for about 3-4 Euros.
• Food in Ireland was amazing, away from the really touristy areas. Just a 1/2 block from the Brooks Hotel was the Hairy Lemon Cafe & Bar. That place was hopping day & night. The tomatoes were so flavorful. My mouth is watering just thinking of them. All the produce was farm fresh & beautiful. DL loved the cheeses. All those sheep & cows are being put to good use. Our worst meal was at a famous fish & chips shop on O'Connell Street Upper called Beshoff's. Greasy, no flavor except for the grease & bones in my fish. Rude counter help too.
• I loved the salmon in Scotland. DL found it too "fishy." I'm a fisherman's daughter so fishy doesn't bother me at all.
  
• Scottish shortbread is really good.
• Grocery stores charge you for plastic bags. Ireland is a very "green" country. They are big on recycling - with bins on street corners to sort your recyclables. Very nice!
• Had a couple of run ins with the surly Muslim shop keeper down the street from our hotel in Edinburgh. I had trouble with the GB pounds - especially their stupid coins. My first encounter with him was like something out of a Seinfeld episode. I was fumbling with my coins & he was there rolling his eyes. The next time I went in I was prepared. I wanted to buy a newspaper. 65 p. No big deal. I pay him & leave satisfied that I didn't look like an idiot that time. He chases me down the street to tell me I gave him a worthless coin. I said really, what is it? He said he didn't know. (It was 5 Euros folks. ) So I dig in my purse & come up with 10 p which he took with a huff & no offer to give me the change I had coming. Okay, so I am an idiot, but I never went back to his store.
• Weird occurrence: while at the Apex Waterloo in Edinburgh we never had a newspaper delivered to our door. Saturday morning we did. I glanced at the front page & saw a picture of one of my favorite movies, P.S. I Love You. I told DL I wanted to keep the paper. While I was waiting for her to get ready I looked more closely at it. It said there was a voucher for a free book on page 20. Indeed there it was, a coupon for P.S. I Love You only good at McColls, only on Saturday, only in Scotland. While we were out & about we kept our eyes open for the store & never saw it. I told DL to go back to the hotel to rest. I was going to check at the mall a block from our hotel for that store. It was there. I expected to find a book store, but it was more like a 7-11. I half expected them to say the books were all gone, but they cheerfully handed one to me from behind the counter. That's when I had my second fateful encounter with surly Muslim man because I wanted DL to have a book too. I made it back just as they were closing & got DL her book. Don't you love free stuff? Okay, so the weird part is I had called the front desk to ask if they had anymore newspapers left. I was informed that they do not carry that paper nor drop them on the floor in front of guests rooms. Ooooo.

TRANSPORTATION:

• Trains run on time. They're clean. People take their dogs on them. The stations don't have enough places for people to sit while waiting. You have to pay to use the toilets (in the station.) No smoking on trains or buses either.
• Buses - the city ones - don't run so much on time. In Stirling, Scotland, our driver stopped to get himself a soda. Really.
• Take a steam train ride sometime. The smoke comes inside when you go into tunnels, but there's something very romantic/nostalgic about the sounds it makes over the tracks & the whistle.
• Signage in both countries is terrible. It took us a while to figure out the street signs are posted up on buildings not poles. They like changing the names of streets after intersections. Confusing.

PEOPLE:

• The Irish are extremely friendly & helpful. Whenever we stopped & pulled out a map a local would come over & ask if we needed help. Not so much in Scotland, but we were in Edinburgh mainly & it's a very big city.
• Irish men are very charming & flirty. :-)
• A lot of young men in Scotland wore kilts. ;-D
• Instead of saying "thanks" a lot of people said "cheers."
• Instead of saying "you're welcome" we heard "no worries."
• When we visited Stirling Castle DL got us free tickets. A gentleman outside the castle stopped her & asked if she & I were going to go in. She was on guard. He said he was a resident & bought 2 admission tickets but didn't have to so he gave them to her. Nice!
• DL got a lot of appreciative looks from locals & tourists alike. Being short I was able to watch without being obvious. The only time I got stared at was by a woman in a mall who stared at me so long & hard I got uncomfortable. What the? Ha ha.
• Does everyone abroad smoke? Seriously. Thank goodness they have banned smoking indoors.

IF YOU EVER TRAVEL WITH DL:

• Remind her to leave the "medium" suitcase at home. Remind her about dragging that thing on buses & trains in Scotland.
• Tell her to lay out the clothes she wants to take & pack 1/2 of them.
• Make sure there's a coffee maker in your hotel room. She NEEDS that cup of java in the AM. Really.
• Know that you will not be lost when you're with her. She has a fantastic sense of direction.
• Have FUN. She's a great travel companion & I'm so blessed to have shared this amazing experience with her.

Thank you for reading our blog! xxoo

Edinburgh Military Tattoo

Wow! What an impressive spectacle they put on. Bagpipers as far as the eye could see. Military marching bands from Tonga, Australia, China, Switzerland. 8000 + people there to watch, with Edinburgh Castle all lit up as the backdrop. I'll never forget it.
We're back in Dublin now. I know it's kind of crazy, but you can't fly directly to Scotland from the west coast. So we flew back to Dublin to fly directly to San Francisco tomorrow, then on to Eugene. We're tired. Edinburgh was fun, but so noisy & crowded because of the festivals going on. We'll see you guys soon!

Oh my gosh, it's my turn with the computer room perv

So last night DL had her time with our Mr. Gaydar chat room UK, tonight he's here with me. He did the same thing - froze the computer I'm currently on, left everything he was on open & moved over to the other computer. Duh. Oh well, on to our day. Since we decided (I think wisely for the unsuspecting citizens of Scotland) not to drive here, touring poses a challenge & some things just have to give. I don't think we're going to make it to St. Andrews - I apologize to the golfers in my family, but I don't golf anymore. We decided to jump on a city bus & visit Stirling Castle. Only about 1 hour away. Stirling is in central Scotland. The castle is quite famous & beautiful, only it's undergoing renovations now. We got to see most of it though. Watched craftsmen (& woman) weaving a tapestry whose pattern is from one that hung in the castle. Talk about labor of love. Ate lunch & made our way back to the town of Stirling. Most definitely a blue collar kind of town, rougher crowd. Glad I wasn't alone. Back to Edinburgh through Friday rush hour traffic, which really wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Oh, but those traffic circles. I have enough trouble with the little ones we have in Eugene. Driving on the right side of the car in the left hand lane - it boggles my mind. Wandered back down to the Fringe Festival area. Sooooo many people walking about. Very festive atmosphere. I had to have another Scottish roast hog sandwich. Unfortunately they were out of haggis today. DL was so relieved. I do believe I like it better with the haggis. A young couple sitting next to us was also eating take away (to go) & it looked like haggis. It was haggis. I found out where they got it & will go there tomorrow. It's okay, they also have normal stuff like fish & chips for DL. Oh, and Mr. Larson, if you're keeping up with our blog, FYI, you're in big trouble mister! DL has only heard from him twice since we left. You'd better get those fingers flying on your cell phone or on the computer & send some lovey texts or emails her way. Mark Krause has texted her way more than you have. Hey Mark! Thanks for making us laugh with your great texts. So tomorrow is our last day in Scotland. It's gone way too fast. So plans are to tour Holyrood & Edinburgh Palaces, more walking our cans off & then packing. Oh that's going to be fun. You suppose DL might have a little extra room in her "medium" suitcase for me? Not bloody likely!

Hot times in the city

After I logged off this morning a woman from France came in to use the computer. The one she was on was not working so I gave her mine. Funny, she said she loved MY accent. Ha. I left DL in our room to recuperate from the train ordeal of yesterday & set out to explore (I did take her coffee - with cream & some cookies.)It was a warm day. Temperature wise I'm not sure how hot it got but I was sweating. There's a Burger King near us that has free WiFi. I love this city! The closer I got to the Royal Mile/High Street I noticed there were a lot of unusual people about. I mean they were dressed in...costumes...singing...pantomining...dancing. Then I realized the Fringe Festival started today. It's sort of an avant garde celebration of the arts. Performers have to audition to do this. The street singers were very good. I also saw a group dressed like Supermen (& a woman), a group of green...peas? Then there were the "regular" folk coming down to watch. Girls here wear the most uncomfortable looking high heels. How they don't break their necks I don't know. I walked up to Edinburgh Castle. So impressive. We'll be there Saturday night @ 2230 to watch the Edinburgh Military Tattoo with fireworks. Can't wait! My nose found a little place called Oink. Yep, they serve roast hog sandwiches. Just about that time DL texted me to say she was feeling better & was out & about. We met up & found a handsome lad juggling...in a kilt. We have pics. I still can't get this antiquated computer to load them up though. No Katie, I did not shine my shoes. So it was a late lunch at Oink. You could have the sandwich with applesauce or chili sauce; sage stuffing or haggis. Guess who went for which garnishes. The haggis was good! I'd certainly eat it again. More walking. More men in kilts - of all ages & sizes. What fun. Heard street groups playing rock, African & native American music. Good stuff! Back to the hotel to shower & blog. Most likely we'll take a bus tour of the town tomorrow. I would dearly love to see Stirling Castle & St. Andrews. I'm feeling brave. The bus station is right next to the Louis Vuitton store. I'll check about the bus service tomorrow. I almost forgot to mention DL's time with "the perv." She was down in the computer room for about an hour with a guy. Red flag - he turned his monitor away from her. So I come in after he's left. The computer he was using is frozen. I see what website he was on - "Gaydar chat room UK." No kidding. Pics of all kinds of guys, I mean all kinds. All kinds of pics too. Ewwww. Sheesh, computer etiquette 101: don't leave your porn on public use computers. Night all. Hot times in the city indeed!

To the highlands & back again

Wow. It's been a busy couple of days since our arrival in Scotland. Upon arriving at Edinburgh Airport we made our way over to the bus kiosk to catch a bus into the city. DL's suitcase is going to be the death of her yet. Lugging that bad boy onto buses & trains is not for the weak. Take heed Peggy & TP, small suitcases are good. Edinburgh Waverley train station was quite an experience for a novice train traveler like me. We found an info centre & tickets were purchased for Fort William, "way up north."It's a 5 1/2 hour ride & we had to wait -we thought for our train to Glasgow, to transfer to another train . A big surprise here in Scotland. Bathrooms - public ones are not free. £20-£30. Their GB pounds are harder to figure out too. My old eyes have trouble reading the wording on their coins. After waiting for at least an hour (a real hour not a Dr. DeHaas hour) we thought we'd queue for our train. Not time wasted though. Great people watching - like the Hassidic Jew family with 9 children, & mom not looking much older than the oldest child. How can they afford to vacation with a family that size I wonder? The conductor waved us over to another track & told us there was another train leaving in minutes. Trains to Glasgow leave every 15 minutes & we could have left on any of them. Live & learn - or ask when in doubt. It's about an hour to Glasgow. You get into country like settings quickly. Hay fields & sheep abound. A bit more of a wait in Glasgow. Only 1 train to Fort William in the western highlands/day. We're not in Kansas anymore Toto. Lots of backpackers & people with mountain bikes & people with dogs get on board. The scenery is simply breathtaking. I felt...serene...thankful to God for making such a beautiful place & humble for the opportunity to be here. I feel very much at home. I'm currently reading the "Outlander" series by Diana Gabaldon. They initially take place in the Scottish highlands. I can so see one of the main characters, Jaime walking about in his kilt. Oh be still my heart! Our hotel in Fort William is just a stones throw from the train station & really cute & quaint. That is until we get in our room & find out Romper Room is on the floor above us. There must have been an army of kids jumping & running around. I stood it until about 2030 then I banged on the wall & there was blissful silence. Thankfully, because I decided to get sick just as we checked in. My body was aching, but I thought maybe that was due to lugging our suitcases & backpacks on/off taxis, buses & trains. But no, I had the full body ache going. By the time we got to our room & knew I knew I had a fever & chills & nausea weren't far behind. My first thought of course was H1N1! No cough though. I was chiding myself for not taking the Tamiflu before I left. I dosed myself with Tylenol & Ibuprofen & Airborne then slept like the dead. Nurse DL tucked me in & made regular rounds, but I sent her out to see the town & get some dinner. I felt a bit better by morning & thought I should have some breakfast. I was afraid though because we were due to ride the Jacobite Express (the Harry Potter train) at 1020. Well breakfast was included in our stay, so I went for it. Thank God there was oatmeal. Yes something warm & bland. I got a wild hair though & also took some Scottish bacon (not crisp, more meaty like Canadian bacon), yogurt & blood pudding. DL didn't even want to look at it. I took a little nibble - hmmm, tastes a bit like liverwurst. Upon hearing that DL decided to be brave & try a bit of mine & actually liked it. We were unfortunately unable to get seats in coach D that's made up into compartments that look like the ones in the HP movies, but at least we had seats. Some folk had to stand for the whole 2 1/2 ride to the quaint coastal town of Mallaig. More gorgeous scenery & then there it was. The Glenfinnian viaduct that they show in the HP movies. We were seated on the wrong side of the train for good pictures, but could see it. The family seated around us was from Canada. Some 70 strong of them (not all on the train) came over for great granny's 90th birthday in Glasgow. Seated next to D & I were the cutest girls. The one next to D is 13. She's into sports & shopping - & was the talker. Hmmm, sound like anyone we know? The one next to me is 16. I should have had her pegged from the get go. Every other nail was pink & black, had a nose piercing & dressed "scene" as my son would say with the tight skinny jeans & band t-shirt. My girl likes going to concerts - the same music my son loves. She dropped her iPod in the toilet & was going through music withdrawal. I pulled mine out & said she could listen to it. You should have seen the look on her face when she saw my music list. "Did I see Paramore?" She was in heaven. Sorry Reyn, she lives in Toronto. We get back to Fort William at 1600 & have to catch the train back to Edinburgh at 1720. 10 hours on trains. Wow. It sure is a nice way to travel though. You can sit back & enjoy the scenery, eavesdrop on your neighbors (especially when they have that cute Scottish burr) sleep, read. Got into Edinburgh & walked to our hotel to check in at 2300. Oh that was a long, long day. The Apex Waterloo is a lovely, modern boutique hotel. Nondescript from the street, ultra chic inside. We love our bathroom & the beds. There's a walk-in shower with a killer shower head - really beats on your scalp. Huge flat screen TV. Soft beds with soft pillows. Thus far our beds have been quite firm. Utter bliss. It is warmer here in the UK. DL about froze me to death in Dublin. I'm comfortable here, but she's too hot, even with the AC on. I woke @ 0530 & read. D woke later & had to take an Imitrex for a migraine. So I'm blogging in the lovely e-center in the hotel & will explore the city. I can't figure out yet how to get pics on from their computer, but I'm stubborn & will prevail. It's sunny & I'm ready to meet Edinburgh. Love to you all. Thanks for reading & sharing in our most excellent vacation!

Tying up loose ends in Dublin

Had to have a farewell chai at Insomnia this morning. I'm so sad. DL said their coffee is good too. Visited Dublin Castle. So weird that it's kind of set back off the street, wedged in between modern buildings. Trinity College has beautiful buildings. The courtyard is an orthopedic surgeons dream with its varying kinds of stones. DL already rolled her ankle the night we went to hear Libera - down in the Temple Bar area where there are cobblestone streets. The main highlight of today was Christ Church Cathedral, built in 1030! It's so gorgeous. The tile floors are stunning & all the intricate stone work inside. WOW. Went down into the catacombs, kind of creepy & musty but so interesting. Some souvenir shopping. The other highlight was eating at the Metro Cafe again. Their mushroom toast is to die for; big chunks of mushrooms sauteed in a light cream sauce over crusty bread. Yum! Off to pack now. Early AM flight to Edinburgh. Flying Aer Lingus again. It should only take about an hour over the Irish Sea. Then we'll be spending GB pounds, not Euros. Look out Scotland, here we come!

Pics

Just some random photos. We leave for Edinburgh, Scotland, UK tomorrow morning, but will return to Dublin on the 9th to leave for the good ole USA on the 10th. No direct flights in/out of Scotland to San Francisco. We'll see some more tourists spots here today. I might go to Belfast by rail to hear Libera again...still on the fence about that. DL said while she enjoyed their concert, she was about 20% wanting to go to Belfast. So we'll see. We will also scout out the hotels Peggy is considering for her trip here in October. Word to the wise: make sure your shoes are 1) comfortable & worn in 2) have skid proof soles - there are cobblestone streets in the Temple Bar are & they're trecherous when wet 3) waterproof.