Somebody Play A Lament

Edinburgh Castle

War Memorial

Guns

Swords

Targe

Highland Soldier Clothing

Edinburgh

Brough of Birsay Stone

Norse Silver (Found in Orkney in a stone-lined pit)

Isle of Lewis Chessmen

Rooster

Storage Chest

Swords

The Spottiswoodie Ox Portrait (Somewhat Exaggerated)

Curling Stones

Steam Engine

Targe

Not much to report tonight, we spent the whole day in Scotland’s People looking up ancestors. The Fergusons were relatively easy to find, thankfully they never left Ayr, so the searching was great. We didn’t even leave for lunch so starved all day and left just prior to 4:30 when they shut the place down. There is so much more searching we need to do, grandmother Ferguson’s mother came from Ireland so we need to go to Ireland, hahahahahaha. Grandfather James’s family is from Ayr for a long way back, we got back to somewhere in the 1700's but ran out of time. We chased our tails for a bit until we figured out that death records are the major find as they give the most information. We could cross check to make sure we had the correct family in the census records which started in 1841 and keep going until someone dropped off the census then we knew they had died and could check death records.

This is interesting stuff and we were shocked at how busy Scotland’s People is, almost every computer was full and nobody leaves, they all want to get their 10 GBP worth. We printed out a bunch of records as it costs double the amount to save electronically on a stick, which is complete bullshit.

Then we went to the whisky store and had a great time talking to the young guy who works in there, he was wearing a tartan tie and handing out whisky and mulled wine samples. He said a person came in and asked him if he could recommend a whisky made in Scotland hahahahahaha.

We decided we cannot live on whisky and sandwiches alone, which is what we have been doing for two days, so we went to the Café Royal for dinner. There is a lively bar on the other side but we forced ourselves into the restaurant so we would not have a repeat of last night. We had a seafood feast of mussels then a platter of a lot more seafood. Then I finally had raspberry cranachan which is very good. We had whisky too, I had a Lagavulin, it was very peaty and good, from one of the islands but I would have to look it up, John had a Talisker, not as peaty, but good too.

This has been such a fantastic trip, we are completely mad for this country and want to travel here again and see more of Scotland. Staying a week in one area is really the thing to do, then you get to spend a decent amount of time in one place and are not rushed. On a travel day it was really hard for us to take our time and not just speed to the destination, when you stay for a week in one place that is not an issue.

It is impossible to say which area we like the best, Orkney and Lewis are just amazing but I love the Highlands as well and would like to spend more time there. We fly out tomorrow.

Edinburgh

Well readers, the whisky report from last night could take up this entire blog entry. We planned on just having a couple of whiskies at the Guildford Arms but then we got yammering with a couple of locals, a father and daughter. His plan was to meet his daughter at Guildford Arms and then go for dinner, their plans went awry as well. He explained, Guildford Arms is a meeting place and has been so since his dad was in WWII. The dad was very entertaining, five hours and I don’t want to even think about it, sooooo many whiskies later and no dinner, there we were heading back to our hotel. We had to order a bit of crappy room service food which is horrid for a couple of food freaks but what the hell.

Yesterday, we set out for Edinburgh Castle in the morning, it was fairly busy with visitors and got busier as the day went on. There is so much history there, I just loved, LOVED the Scotland War Memorial at the Castle. In WWI, 148,100 Scots were killed and the war memorial is a fitting tribute to the soldiers who gave their lives.

When we were getting back around to the entry area a crowd was gathering, they were waiting for the one o’clock gun to be set off. It was really funny, all these people had cameras at the ready and then bang, and that was it, I bust out laughing.

Then we walked down the Royal Mile and freaked out at the number of shops selling Scottish kitsch. Edinburgh is a gorgeous city with beautiful buildings and statues everywhere, what a city, we love it.

We then visited the Museum of Scotland which is the very best museum we have ever visited. We aren’t much for museums but this one is so well done. On the lower floor is the exhibit of the early people and has numerous pictish stones. I asked a guy where the stone was from the Brough of Birsay in Orkney, he didn’t know so sent another guy to help us. This guy was so awesome, he was not certain where the stone was but found it and we talked for a very long time about Scotland and travel and then he gave us his e-mail address in case we had any questions later on after we got home. We spent hours in the museum until we had to get out because they were closing.

And that was it for the day, the pubs in Edinburgh are absolutely gorgeous with a lot of dark wood and beautiful ceilings and friendly locals. The guy we sat with told so many stories and jokes, we laughed all evening long. In all pubs and bars in Scotland you get your own drinks at the bar, it is very efficient, a staff member will come around every so often and clear glassware off the tables. What a country this is, we are not ready to leave and want to come back, sound familiar Tracy?

We took 237 photos yesterday and don’t know what to post.

Remembrance Sunday

Okay readers, it is Remembrance Sunday so you know what is coming. It looks as though they hold services and parades on the Sunday closest to November 11th rather than on November 11th as we do in Canada. Forres has a very fine war memorial and we found an article by the Forres Gazette that stated that there would be a Remembrance Sunday service in a Church of Scotland church, followed by a parade and the laying of wreaths at the war memorial.

We went for a walk in the gorgeous town of Forres, the people are very friendly and we were greeted by all the other walkers. Then we headed for the church, what were we thinking!? Unlike the Remembrance Day service that we are accustomed to, this was a full blown religious service but it had a colour party and members of the forces in attendance.

The Reverend was ancient, he grew up in Aberdeen and remembers Aberdeen being bombed in WWII when he was a kid. He had a sense of humour and an interest in history so the portion of his sermon which dealt with Remembrance Day was excellent. But as for the rest of it, wow, does he pound the congregation with his relentless religious message, it was bizarre for us to hear this over and over and we were a bit freaked at some of his seriously stodgy views on things.

We watched the parade, a lot of kids were involved, they seemed to be scouts and cadets. Then, when everybody got to the war memorial for the laying of wreaths there were more religion people blah blah blahing, then the laying of wreaths with no commentary of who was doing what and no reading of the soldiers names and I didn’t see any old veterans. Then another religious guy did his thing and finally the pipe band led the parade back down High Street. We then ducked into a café for lunch.

Forres must be full of gardening freaks, there are gardens everywhere and they win the Britain in Blooms competition. In summer when everything is in bloom the place must be spectacular.

Then we were off to Inverness to drop the car at the airport, grabbed the bus downtown and boarded the train to Edinburgh. They are doing work on the rail line so we had to take a bus when we got to Pitlochry and take it to Perth, then board the train from Perth to Edinburgh. It was a bit of a gong show because the train was late leaving Inverness so everybody missed the train in Perth. They had to get buses and we split into two different buses, those going to Edinburgh and those going to Glasgow. This put us into Edinburgh Waverley an hour late at 11:30 tonight. I am so glad our hotel is a short walk from Waverley train station and we had a clue as to where we were going since we took the train from Edinburgh to Inverness when we got here, such a short time ago, it feels like a very short time ago.

Thankfully we booked a hotel since we hate staying at a B&B, the one last night had the grossest most gag inducing “air freshener” in the place it was unreal. I think she was trying to mask the smell of musty air or mold or something, it was brutal.

We are looking forward to roaming around Edinburgh and love our hotel, it is awesome.

Pipe Band

Forres

Mainland Scotland

Oh bloody hell, I am going to post chronologically backwards tonight to see if anybody is out there, is there anybody out there other than Tracy?

Alright, we are in, can you guess? Forres in Morayshire, why the hell are we in Forres, well, I didn’t want to stay in Inverness and something must be going on in Nairn (did you know gg grandmother Spence is from Nairn?) because every damn place was booked, and the Scots are so apologetic when they have to tell you they are booked, they just floor me.

Anyway, John and I are starting to get a complex, you see, every place we eat out in, we are the only customers, wtf? Okay on Lewis, well, nobody is there. So tonight in Forres (a beautiful town, as is Nairn, these old Scottish towns are so gorgeous with their stone buildings, we walk down the street gasping as we go) the place we wanted to dine at was closed, the next one was fully booked, so I checked TripAdvisor and read about this Italian place in Forres with a wonderful chef. But what is going on in Forres, Guy Fawkes bonfire and fireworks, Guy Fawkes made an attempt to blow the shit out of the parliament buildings in London many years ago, he did not succeed as we can see. They also had fireworks in Siabost last night on Lewis but we went to the Don Black concert instead.

So we walk downtown and walk into this little Italian place and we are the only patrons, of course, because we met the masses of Forresians heading to the fireworks. The chef is quite the guy, so we order an aubergine (eggplant) dish to start, one each. But we get olives and bread first. And, no whisky report tonight because we drank way too much wine. Then I get duck breast and John gets steak and they both come in wonderful sauces. Then, wow, a table of four locals come in, I thought they were all Scots, they are so polite.

John and I are gluttons and finish everything on our plates, order more wine and desert as well. Then the chef brings us grappa, this is Italian rocket fuel. Then he asks how on earth Canadians have heard of his restaurant and I tell him, TripAdvisor. The table of Scots overhear this and ask why on earth we are on holiday in Scotland in November. I comment because there are no tourists and the chef pipes up and says because it is warmer here. Then one Scot woman says so are you visiting England, and I say no, we will not visit England! Why would we visit England when there is Scotland!! She says yes, then sorry to one of the men at their table, who, of course, is English, they really are everywhere.

Okay, before driving to Forres we visited Fort George. Fort George kind of made me hurl because it was built after Culloden to ensure a major fortification existed in the Highlands and while the Highlanders suffered and starved, the massive Fort George was built. It is an impressive fort, but we walked around making terribly snide comments about damn near everything. I dunno, after looking at ancient standing stones and iron age structures, Fort George was dull and the Regimental Museum, which I was most interested in, was closed on weekends, duh.

Prior to that, we stopped in Inverness to buy some kind of travel bag to hold the Uig Chessmen set John laid down the cash for. We ended up in some discount sporting goods store and bought a wheeled suitcase as it was the only thing big enough and cheap enough to hold the chess set. Also, we happened into a market on the street so we stopped at the free range egg stall to talk chicken, omfg, they have 40,000 free range hens and want to add 20,000 more as the egg business is the best farming business. When we drove to Fort George there was a tonne of hens free ranging in a field near the road and it may have been them. Of interest to us, they do not refrigerate the eggs in stores here, they are half-dozen cartons always on the shelves and never in the coolers.

Okay, before Inverness we drove from the ferry terminal at Ullapool to Inverness, it was a sunny day all day - so beautiful. We stopped at Corrieshalloch gorge, which in Gaelic, translates as ugly hollow, but it is a major tourist stop.

It is way cooler here in Morayshire than it was on the west coast, we are wusses now, so used to that warm (albeit wet) west coast air.

And before the drive to Inverness from Ullapool, we were on the early ferry from Stornoway. The person running the tea counter asked me where in Canada I was from before I said a word about anything. She has relatives in Vancouver and is planning a trip over there next year.

The ferry trip was great, sunny and calm water. Mainland Scotland is beautiful, it has trees which were seriously lacking, no, non-existent, on Orkney and Lewis.

Sunrise from Ferry

Corrieshalloch Gorge

Wedding in Inverness - Guests piped in

Fort George

Farewell To Lewis

The day started out with pouring rain and wind so we spent the morning getting the rest of our travel plans in order and sorting out our gear. Then we went to Dun Charlabhaigh, an excellent broch in a beautiful location on a hill overlooking Loch Roag. Dun Charlabhaigh is in very good condition and is huge. John and I are both quite taken with broch structure for some unknown reason.

Clan Morrison and Clan MacAulay used to steal each others cattle and then fight with each other. In the 16th century, a member of the MacAulay clan climbed the broch to root out cattle stealing Morrisons who were hiding in the broch, he smoked them out by lightening heather on fire and throwing it into the broch.

Then we went to meet the Lewis soapmaker who has done a fabulous job of remodelling an old stone croft into her workshop and store. The humidity is so high I asked her how well her soap cures, she does a steep water discount and the soap never does harden up very well. She is the only soapmaker on Lewis and does very well, she also wholesales to a company in Japan. Her house is across the road and she has the most beautiful ducks with black feathers.

Then we drove down the road to Calanais II and III. We actually cheated and went to Calanais I the day before because it was sunny. We had to practically walk right through a guy’s yard to get to Calanais II. On the way back it was raining so I asked him how he got any work done in this rain. He was hilarious and said it doesn’t go through his skin but if it did he would be in trouble. He had a few pigs rooting up the yard.

The Calanais stones are Lewis gneiss, a light grey colour, gneiss is very old rock. Calanais I is really amazing, the layout is quite complex. To the north, there is a long avenue of stones that lead to a double circle with the tallest stone in the centre. I couldn’t resist walking down to the end and up the avenue to begin my visit. Three single lines come out from the double circle in the other three directions. It is estimated that the avenue and circle were placed before 2000 BC, while the other three lines and a burial cairn were placed around 1500 BC. Originally, the site had been used by farmers who constructed lazy beds (built up tracts of earth) for growing crops. The one thing that is a bit of a drag is that the fence lines are close to the stones and houses are not far away so you don’t get the same feeling of the stones standing alone in the landscape like you do at Ring of Brodgar in Orkney.

Some hippy looking dude came while we were there and put a mat down to sit among the inner circle so we had to shoot our pics on various angles so he was hidden behind stone. I cannot imagine the place in summer, the guys at the visitors centre said they got 40,000 visitors, their numbers increased by 40% since the gov’t altered the ferry fare to a road equivalent price, that means lower.

We went out for dinner last night to the local restaurant which is run by very nice English people, the English seem to be spreading out all over Scotland, we have encountered this often. The food was really good, I tried black pudding as the butchers in Stornoway are world renowned for their black pudding. I won’t comment on what is in black pudding and I don’t think of these things when I eat it. It was served with a nice mustard sauce which complimented the black pudding very well.

Then we went into Stornoway for the Don Black concert at An Lanntair Arts Centre. This guy was just great to watch, he has a very casual attitude and plays a whole bunch of harmonicas, switching between them in rapid succession. He is middle-aged (yeah idiotic term but the guy is not a youngster) and has been playing the harmonica since he was 4 years old. He played mainly west Highland and Highland music and some Canadian Cape Breton music as well, it was incredible. When he talked about the Cape Breton music he said he was going to drink Canadian Club, I was thinking, omfg, why anybody drinks that crap I don’t know. Which reminds me, time for the whisky report of the day.

John measures all whisky against Highland Park so that is what he had, I had a Bowmore from the Isle of Islay, it was peaty as is most of the whisky distilled on the Islands, very good. The people who run the restaurant were telling us about the horror of tourists ordering coke to put in their single malt whisky.

Back to the concert, Don Black also told bad jokes. There was a Highlander living in the Lowlands and his friend said to him, you don’t go home much, the Highlander said, no, just for weddings and funerals. I prefer the funerals because I get the same amount of whisky but don’t have to buy a gift, hahahaha. Okay, I will leave out the Irish joke but will tell you one more. A guy was sitting in the café enjoying his fish and chips and beans when three burly bikers walked in. One biker went up to the guy, grabbed the beans off his plate and ate them, the guy eating said nothing. Then the next biker came over and grabbed all the chips off his plate and ate them. The third biker then came over and grabbed all the fish and ate it. All this time the guy just sat there quietly and did nothing. Then he went up and paid for his food and left. Another person in the restaurant said to the waitress, did you see that, they took his food and he did nothing, he isn’t much of a man. The waitress said, he isn’t much of a driver either, he just backed into three motorcycles, hahahahahaha.

It is goodbye to Lewis today, we are back on the ferry making the 2 3/4 hour crossing to mainland Scotland. I really liked Lewis, it is very different from Orkney but both are a must on the travel list, travelling rural is the very best.

Calanais III

Calanais II

Calanais I

Dun Charlabhaigh