Sunday, August 23, 2009

Scotland Trip Report--Day 13--Inverness to Edinburgh

Had breakfast alone again, but I brought the paper so it was ok. We boarded the coach, and someone was in my seat. Now, normally I wouldn’t have made a fuss, would have just taken the seats they were supposed to have. And to be honest, the company back there would have been better! But after yesterday’s experience at the back of the bus, I was in no hurry to subject myself to a full day of queasiness, so I stated my case, and the ladies moved to the right seat. I don’t think they were terribly happy about it, but I had to do it.
We headed to Blair Atholl. Along the way, Karen gave us a lesson on Mary, Queen of Scots. It was interesting because it was of course told from the Scottish perspective, and the book I had read about her was obviously from the English perspective, so the story was a bit different!
We stopped at Blair Castle. It was just beautiful! Sadly, photos were not allowed inside, so I will have to rely on my memory, such as it is. The front entry hall was decorated with 480 weapons--guns, swords, claymores, shields, etc. I certainly would not want to get in an argument with them! The rooms were decorated in mostly a Georgian style, but some of the furnishings were much older. All very ornate, of course, and HUGE! The ballroom was bigger than my entire house! I loved all the old family portraits all through the place.
We stopped on the way out of the castle to get photos of a couple of Hieland Coos. (Highland Cows). They are so cute! From there we traveled a bit farther south to Pitlochry. It’s a very pretty town, with flower boxes everywhere. I had lunch with Brad and Linda, as we all had opted for a quick lunch of fish & chips before shopping. Our first stop was Heather Gems, where they make jewelry out of heather. They bunch it, compress it, and then polish it, and it turns out quite pretty. I got a nice cross for Laura, but didn’t find anything for me. I wandered up the street, looking in the woolen shops--still hoping to find a mohair coat. I did manage to get a highlighter at the bookstore for marking my map!
Back on the coach, I learned that I am having dinner with Brad and Linda tonite. Apparently when Karen was asking about dinner reservations, they “adopted” me! That suits me very well, as I enjoyed their company.
On the drive down to Edinburgh, Karen was telling us about taxes and the cost of living here. The taxes are amazingly high! Someone making just over 40,000 pounds per year would pay 40% income tax! YIKES! Add in all the other crazy taxes, which includes a TV tax of about 115 pounds per year, and the 15% VAT on everything you buy, and it’s a wonder anyone can afford to live here! A 3 bedroom attached house with one bath, living room, and eat-in kitchen goes for about 70,000 pounds. If you have land, that jumps to at least 200,000 pounds. A small car sells for about 7 or 8000 pounds. And I’ve already seen the prices for food, gas, and clothing, which are very high.
Karen also passed out our group photos, which were taken the first night at Cameron House. I had the great idea to have her go through the picture with me and tell me everyone’s name (since I am just terrible with names!), so now I can study the picture and know who is who (for the last 2 days, anyway!)
We passed by the Forth Bridge, which we rode over on the train last year, and then into Edinburgh. We arrived at the Balmoral, and I picked up my smaller suitcase from storage. My room, which is clear on the far side of the hotel, is MUCH smaller than last time. There is exactly ONE outlet in the entire room, and it is nowhere near the desk where I would use my computer. Swell.
I had decided to wear my kilt tonite for dinner, since Friday night we will go right from the farewell dinner to Tatoo, and I would prefer long pants for that. So I ironed the kilt and sash while waiting for my larger bag to arrive. I went down and found that I was not only dining with Brad and Linda, but also with Peg and Pete, and Alice Ann and Dick too! Once again, the company was great, and I enjoyed myself very much. I had a Mussels and Potato soup that was very nice, lamb with mashed potatoes (yummy) and strawberries with vanilla ice cream. I couldn’t finish it all, of course, and tonite at least I don’t feel uncomfortably stuffed.

No comments:

Post a Comment