Tag Archives: travel

Day Two of the “Been there, done that, bought the T-shirt” tour

Day Two

After breakfast this morning, our mission was to go to Metro for French’s Sweet Onion Mustard. We love it, and it’s no longer available where we live. How rude!

As luck would have it, the closest Metro is on Avenue Cartier, which is a street we wanted to visit because of the funky street lights which are year-round installations.
Day Two of the "Been there, done that, bought the T-shirt" tour

When we reached the intersection with Rue Fraser, we came across this bike. It has a USB port so you can pedal your way to charging your phone or other devices.
Day Two of the "Been there, done that, bought the T-shirt" tour
Mustard purchased and taken back to the hotel (who wants to drag around six squeeze bottles all day?), we went to fulfill our other mission which we couldn’t do last November. The gates of the old cemetery are locked by November 1st and not opened again until spring.

The most direct route from our hotel is to head a bit further away from the wall along Grande Allée then turn down Rue de Claire-Fontaine.

Looks steep going down, doesn’t it? Well, that’s nothing. When you reach the last block, there are steps on the sidewalk rather than the slope. And a handrail!

We prowled through here. It’s just something I have to do when I go somewhere. Find an old cemetery and take wander through it. This one, although small and not a huge number of stones remaining, didn’t disappoint. Roxie Rebel trailed me here, and you probably saw pictures of me in here already.

Two things off the “Been there, done that, bought the T-shirt” bucket list for this trip. Next up benjo. And to get there, you guessed it – another steep hill going down followed by more stairs.

This place is huge! Amazing! Toy heaven for all kids big and small.
Day Two of the "Been there, done that, bought the T-shirt" tour

From what I can tell from the size of the sign in the photograph, this train runs around the store on Saturdays and Sundays at scheduled times. Wouldn’t that be fun?

Day Two of the "Been there, done that, bought the T-shirt" tour

Number 5 is alive! They didn’t disassemble him. The gentleman working at this counter led the robot through a demonstration for us because we expressed an interest.

Day Two of the "Been there, done that, bought the T-shirt" tour

And a tower of the stuffies from the movie, The Secret Life of Pets. Buddy clones! Don’t tell. They’ll all want to come home with him. I’ve never seen the movie, but my Buddy (purchased in Vieux-Québec last November at La Boutique de Nöel de Québec) has brought me as much enjoyment as a real dog.

Day Two of the "Been there, done that, bought the T-shirt" tour

After all this walking, it was time for some liquid refreshment. Replace the fluids we sweated out. Off to the Pub Saint Alexandre. On our way there we spotted this beauty. How would you like to drive to and from work in it?

Revived and refreshed after a couple of drinks, we decided to do the open-top, hop on-hop off bus tour. And sit up top, naturally. It was a good thing we had our umbrellas with us because we did get rained on a couple of times up there. While others sought shelter below, we toughed it out under our brolley.

This photo of the Price Building and the Château Frontenac are from almost the same vantage point as the one taken our first night. Before and after this picture was taken, it rained.

A wander along Rue des Remparts up through Artillery Park, we found ourselves back at the pub where we had an early supper before going back to the hotel.

Fitbit stats for today:

19278 steps
49 flights of stairs
7.67 miles

 

Day One of the “Been there, done that, bought the T-shirt” tour

Day One

I’ve posted other photos during our trip – mostly those taken by the “intrepid” Roxie Rebel, and others in the Searching for Serenity game.

Here are some that have nothing to do with them (well almost nothing).

This was the closest to the white horse-drawn carriage; we rode in on a previous trip, I could find. No heart-shaped window in the canopy when the top is pulled up, and the exterior of it is black.  Still, a ride in one of these is SO romantic. We met up with this handsome equine at Port St Louis just down the road from our hotel.

Day One of the "Been there, done that, bought the T-shirt" tour

The bear family in La Fudgerie Boutique on Rue du Cul de Sac. A quick way to go through a pile of money is a stop in this store will all the chocolate, fudge and other products. Yum!

Day One of the "Been there, done that, bought the T-shirt" tour

Next door is Boutique Bilodeau. This stuffed bear cub has been standing guard outside the shop for as long as I can remember.

Day One of the "Been there, done that, bought the T-shirt" tour

And how about this guy in the window!

Day One of the "Been there, done that, bought the T-shirt" tour

These umbrellas were just one of the colourful, summer displays set up in the old city.

Day One of the "Been there, done that, bought the T-shirt" tour

We had Italian for supper at Spag&Tini. The walls in the fireplace room looked so naked compared to closer to Christmas when all the decorations take over the ledges. In It Happened on Dufferin Terrace, Roger and Serenity went to this restaurant.

This was the only night we used the Funiculaire to come back up the hill. When we reached Rue Saint-Jean, it was closed down to traffic between Côte du Palais and Rue d’Auteuil. Pedestrians meandered up and down taking in the street entertainment set up in various locations – not to mention, the bistros and pubs with their outdoor patios.

Day One of the "Been there, done that, bought the T-shirt" tour

The Price Building (left) and the Château Frontenac showing off their brightly coloured nighttime lighting.

Day One of the "Been there, done that, bought the T-shirt" tour

The Fontaine de Tourny in middle of the ’roundabout.’ It’s beautiful in the daytime but even more so at night when it’s illuminated.

Day One of the "Been there, done that, bought the T-shirt" tour

Oh, and look. The hotel rolled out the red carpet for me. Although, in this lighting and no flash, it appears more orange.

Day One of the "Been there, done that, bought the T-shirt" tour

So that was the end of our first day on this Vieux-Québec adventure.
How did we do? Well, here are the stats from my Fitbit and much of the day was spent in the car getting there.

12738 steps
29 flights of stairs
5.06 miles

Vieux-Québec ~ one of my favourite destinations

Vieux-QuébecJ’adore le Vieux-Québec surtout quand elle est vêtue de ses parures de Noël!

What’s not to love about Vieux-Québec? It’s a beautiful city in every season. I think it’s the closest thing to Paris there is without jumping on a plane for a seven hour flight. From where I live, Vieux-Québec is about a six hour car ride. Everything within the fortifications is in walking distance. Even the hotel my husband and use, is only a five minute walk beyond the wall. If we have a room on the back of our accommodations, we overlook the Plains of Abraham.

With all this going for it, you can understand why I wrote a novel set in this beautiful, historic city.

Vieux-Québec
Dufferin Terrace

Dufferin Terrace is a beautiful place to walk in any season.  It overlooks the Lower Town and the majestic St. Lawrence River. Day or night, the views from here are spectacular.

Fairmont le Château Frontenac in the distance has the appearance of a medieval castle with its towers and turrets – a place where knights would rescue damsels in distress.

Vieux-Québec
Rue du Petit Champlain

Christmas in full swing here on this narrow street. Love, love, love this part of the town!

Vieux-Québec
Parc Félix-Leclerc at Christmas during the day

 

Vieux-Québec
Parc Félix-Leclerc at Christmas at night

When you’re down in this part of the city, the ferry terminal is only a short walk away. Riding across the river to Lévis gives you a whole different perspective of the city. Views you would never get from any other angle.

Between the hotel and the post office you can see the funiculaire. This inclined railway is the best way to travel from the top of the escarpment to the bottom or vice vera. Actually, the walk down the hill isn’t nearly as difficult as the return trip.

Vieux-Québec
Place royale

This part of town is beautiful year round and is one of the stops on the ghost walk. One of my favourite shops is in the background on the left – Geomania. I’ve purchased some gorgeous jewellery there.

Vieux-Québec
Place Royale from Côte de la Montagne
Vieux-Québec
Christmas Market

This is just one market stall. The area behind Hôtel de Ville and the park beside it are packed with vendors selling all manor of things – handknitted, blown glass, footwear, books, a café where you can sit and take a load off whilst enjoying something to eat or drink.

Vieux-Québec
Most haunted house in Quebec?

On one of the horse-drawn carriage rides we took, our driver told us the section of the house above overgrown by the shrubs covering the front windows was reputed to be the most haunted house in the city. It definitely looks in disrepair and sorely in need of some TLC, but haunted?

Vieux-Québec
Ghost walk guide

On our last summer trip, we did a ghost walk hosted by Les Visites Fantômes. We started out while it was still light out and finished well after dark in an unlit Holy Trinity Cathedral. Spooky.

Vieux-Québec
Busker on Rue Notre Dame

We stopped and watched this gentleman for quite some time. His music had everyone tapping their toes and clapping their hands in time to the rhythm.

Vieux-Québec
René Lévesque’s Home

During his tenure as Premier of the Province of Québec, Réne Lévesque resided in this modest home on Rue d’Auteuil.

Vieux-Québec
The Price Building

In 2001, the upper two floors of the Price Building became the official residence of the Premier of the province. This buildings is visible from almost anywhere in Vieux-Québec.

Vieux-Québec
Changing of the guard ceremony at La Citadelle

Because La Citadelle is a working military base, there were a number of places we couldn’t tour.  Here are the soldiers of the Royal 22e Régiment (Van Doos) taking part in the ceremony.

Vieux-Québec
Cannonball embedded in tree roots on Rue Saint Louis

I love this cannonball. It’s been there for ages and as the tree grows, it brings more of the iron sphere with it.

Our horse-drawn carriage

No trip would be complete without a ride in a horse-drawn carriage. We’ve done it twice now. There are three different routes you can take – two shorter ones, or a long one with puts them both together. We opted for the long one, both times.

I hope you’ve enjoyed your virtual tour of Vieux-Québec.

Welcome, Tori, the black lab from It Happened on Dufferin Terrace #woof, #blacklab

This is a first here at Celtic Connexions. I’ve interviewed characters in my books before, but never a dog. So here goes. Welcome, Tori.

*tongue hanging out and tail wagging*, Tori enters the room and plops by my feet, tail thumping on the floor.

tori

Aren’t you just a beautiful girl. So, Tori, what can you tell us about yourself?

Woof… *tail thumping harder against the floor* My humans are Roger and Adam Scott. I’ve lived with them for about three years now.

And how did you come to live with them?

Well, Roger’s wife (Adam’s mum) died. They were both very sad. Roger thought having me might help cheer Adam up. It worked for both of them.

Aw, how sweet. I remember after my dad died, my mum got me a hampster. Not quite the same thing but I know where you’re coming from. But that’s a whole other story. We want to hear about you and your family.

In the summer, my humans take me to the Plains of Abraham. We play ball there. I love playing fetch.

Something happened there, didn’t it, Tori?

Woof… You bet it did. I didn’t know anything about it, but Adam put his dad’s credentials on online dating sites. The one day we were out on the plains, Roger’s phone never stopped ringing. He was so mad. We had to come home early. I wanted to stay and play.

So, what other things have you been up to? Did I hear you were a bad girl and knocked someone down?

*hangs head and looks at me with doleful brown eyes* Yes. We were out on a walk coming home from the Plains of Abraham along Promenade des Gouverneurs which turns into Dufferin Terrace. Anyway, I was off-leash and being a very good girl. Then I saw the lady. She was leaning against the railing. She looked sad. I just wanted to cheer her up. I bolted away from my humans and ran to her. I didn’t mean to hurt her, but I jumped and knocked her down, sending her glasses flying. 

Oh dear. I hope she wasn’t hurt. You’re a big girl. I’ve read where female black Labs can weigh up to seventy pounds.

*raises head with a haughty expression on her face* I’ll have you know, I’m a svelte sixty-five pounds.

Sorry. Didn’t mean to insult you.

My humans ensure I eat healthy and get plenty of exercise. We go for walks every day but most times in the winter only go up to Artillery Park. It’s closer to home and I still get to run around and have fun.

What’s next?

I can’t tell you. It would spoil the story.

Ah, quite right. So why don’t we end the interview now and tell the Celtic Connexions folks about It Happened on Dufferin Terrace.

Woof… yes, please.

She’s married to her career… He’s a widowed father…

tori

Miracle on 34th Street meets Sleepless in Seattle in

It Happened on Dufferin Terrace

Toronto business consultant, Serenity Layne, knew the only person she could depend on was herself. Married to her career, she has no time for other pursuits and life’s intangibles.

Widowed for three years, Roger Scott, a data security specialist in Quebec City, is a single parent to his ten-year-old son, Adam.

On a day out on the Plains of Abraham with their black Labrador retriever, Roger’s cell phone rings incessantly. Adam has played matchmaker and put his father’s profile on a number of online dating sites.

The week before Christmas, Serenity is heading up a series of meetings after a six-month study of the Canadian retail chain, jonathans. After an unpleasant encounter with one of the store managers, she escapes from the boardroom of the Château Frontenac Hotel, only to be bowled over by Roger and Adam’s dog.

Guilty over the accident, Roger invites Serenity out for a drink by way of apology. Over the course of the week, and spending time together, feelings long dormant for Roger are re-awakened. At the same time, emotions foreign to Serenity fill her with contentment and happiness.

Will the couple get their happily ever after?

It Happened on Dufferin Terrace is the first book in the It Happened series, a set of sweet, contemporary romances by author, Melanie Robertson-King. If entertaining and heartwarming romances are for you, then you’ll fall in love with this entry in a light, romantic series set in picturesque Canadian locations.

BUY LINKS

 kindle

Kobo Canada

Kobo US

 

 

#SEWES2016 ~ Sept 26 Glasgow Airport to Toronto

#SEWES2016

Sept 26 – Glasgow Airport to Toronto

With a stop in Montreal

 

Sept 26
Sunrise over Glasgow

This morning was a first. Don got pulled aside going through security. They swabbed his hands (backs and palms) and his shoes before placing the swab in the machine to be analyzed. An episode of Border Security played out before my eyes. Me, I passed through with no problems at all.

We stopped at Beardmore for breakfast. We’ve eaten here before. It seems our flights always leave from gates beyond this point so when you’re lugging a heavy pack on your back, it’s a welcome stop – not to mention, the food is good.

Sept 26
From the window at Beardmore Restaurant, Glasgow Airport

On our walk to our departure gate, we got a good look back at the hotel. We’d intentionally left our curtains open so we could see our room when we were out and about. This was the first chance I had to get a photo.

Sept 26
The hotel showing our room

My plan was to read on the plane on our return flight. Not to be. My iPad was SO dead, even plugged in, it wouldn’t turn on. The seats in the departure lounge weren’t the best for plane watching but fantastic for charging devices. I had my phone and my iPad both plugged in.

While they charged, I took my Canon DSLR for a walk.

Sept 26
Our plane

Enough charge now in the phone to take selfies. We’re not looking overly happy here, but then the vacation was well and truly over by now and by the end of the day, we’d be back to reality.

Sept 26
Terminal selfie
Sept 26
On the plane selfie

Albeit blurry, we’re finally looking happy. A glass of champagne in hand!

Sept 26
Champagne selfie

Since I couldn’t read on my iPad, I watched movies instead.

When we landed in Montreal, I had the opportunity to get a picture or two out of the plane window. This Air Canada was at the gate next to us.

Sept 26
During our stopover in Montreal

It seemed to take forever to get the headcount of the remaining passengers correct. Only those deplaning in Montreal were allowed off. People stretching their legs and milling in the aisles made it impossible for the flight attendants to get an accurate count.

In Toronto, we couldn’t get off the plane straight away because of the bag log in the customs hall. It was still bad when we arrived but when we finally got to the checkpoint, like good Canadians, we declared our 100 gms of fudge we purchased on the Royal Yacht Britannia (indicated on our landing card), the remaining tin of Pringles we’d purchased so we could use the toilet at one of the roadside services, and our bottle of whisky each.

Usually, we have to wait for our luggage at the carousel. Not this time. It waited for us… and had been removed and placed on the floor. That was a first.

Cleared past the last checkpoint and out into the arrivals hall where we made our way to the post where we phoned for the hotel shuttle to come and collect us.

I had a gift card for Montanas, so after we checked into the hotel, we walked over there for supper. They had a large group in so we’d have a wait for our meal. I wasn’t super hungry after everything they fed us on the plane. We had drinks and waited for them to take our food order. Even though it took them longer to do that than we wanted, our meals were brought to us before the estimated time. Amazing what can happen when you get into the queue.

I can’t wait to go back to the UK. Now the question remains… what time of year? Next year? What part(s) do we want to visit?

 

#SEWES2016 ~ Sept 25 – Broughty Ferry to Glasgow

#SEWES2016

Sept 25 – Broughty Ferry to Glasgow

Our last full day in Scotland… 🙁 So sad. After we checked out of the hotel and packing our suitcases so we thought they were of reasonably equal weight, and as few packages as possible once we dropped off the rental car, we struck out.

I knew we’d forfeit some diesel but we’d be between a quarter tank and empty if we took the most direct route. With our experiences with rental cars on this trip, I didn’t want to run out and be stuck waiting for roadside assistance to come with a jerry can to give us a drop.

I remember seeing this tower on the cliff on my first trip to Scotland in 1993 when I took the bus from Glasgow to Aberdeen. Back then I was petrified to drive so close to a big city on my own.

Sept 25
Kinnoull Tower on the cliff (centre of the photo)

I stopped at many laybys (parking areas) along the A90 between Dundee and Perth where we switched onto the A9 after a brief stint on the M90.

We were both to the point where we needed toilets so when we saw the signs for Dunblane (which were clearly posted WC – aka water closet) along with the Historic Scotland signage for Dunblane Cathedral, we decided to make that our ‘port of call’.

Following the signs for the “WC” we drove into the village. Said signs became more and more obscure. A public car park was located off a narrow street near the cathedral – still used as a working church. No matter how bad I need the loo, I couldn’t pass up this photo op.

Sept 25
Dunblane Cathedral

We walked back to where the signs for the public toilets pointed. The council office which was closed on Sundays. ACK! I spotted an older woman across the street so approached her and asked where the public bathrooms were. “There are no public toilets in Dunblane anymore,” she replied.

Panic! We both needed a toilet badly.

“But, go up the street to the cathedral and off to the left. Use the toilets there.”

If I didn’t have to go so bad, I would have hugged and kissed her. We strode up to the hall but chose the wrong entrance so had to navigate through the church crowd who had gathered after Sunday service. We didn’t make the same error when we left.

Sept 25
Dunblane Cathedral
Sept 25
Dunblane Cathedral

We dropped Monty off at the convenient Europcar rental return (across the road from the hotel) with his proper paperwork. A bit more complicated than on previous car rental returns but we got through and sent on our way. The collision damage waiver (CDW) and roadside assistance looked after our woes from earlier.

We arrived back at the airport hotel before the 2:00 pm check-in time but our room was ready and off we went. 8th floor and a view of the planes landing on one side and the M8 motorway on the other.

Sept 25
Glasgow Airport from our hotel room
Sept 25
Plane landing in the approaching storm
Sept 25
Rainbow
Sept 25
Clearing up a bit?
Sept 25
Airport activity

Before we both crashed and burned, we went for a walk around the airport complex past the Holiday Inn Express, the Europcar rental return (no sign of Monty) and back to the hotel.

We had a meal in the bar at the hotel where we’ve had excellent service in the past. This time not so much but the food was good.

After returning to our room, I took advantage of the twilight and got some more photos.

Sept 25
The M8 motorway from our hotel room
Sept 25
Plane landing at dusk

Leaving tomorrow would be hard. Since leaving Broughty Ferry I tried to come up with every excuse I could think of to stay.

We double-checked the weight of our bags so come morning when we had to put our last night/morning things away we knew,  what suitcase to put them in.

Breakfast tomorrow at Beardmore (hopefully, still in business) then people and plane watch while we wait to board.

 

#SEWES2016 ~ Sept 24 – Fun and Family

#SEWES2016

Sept 24 – Fun and Family

Since we weren’t meeting the family until 7:30, we had the entire day to get to the distillery and back and have some time to freshen up before catching the bus over to Carnoustie. Responsible thing to do. And this way we could both drink and not have to worry about driving afterwards.

I wanted to avoid driving through Aberdeen so we headed cross-country at Stonehaven. Once I got up into familiar territory, I no longer needed Satnav Sally. I followed my heart – after a stop at the public toilets in Alford.

We encountered roadworks after we left Craigellachie, near the junction of the A941 and B9102. Another side road comes in just south of the junction so the traffic lights controlling things were odd to say the least. We sat there for quite some time before getting a green light.

Sept 24
From the carpark at the Cardhu Distillery
Sept 24
From the carpark at the Cardhu Distillery

Two bottles of 18 year-old Cardhu purchased (£69.00 each), we used their toilets and started back towards Broughty Ferry.

Curious to know if anything else had been done with Wardhouse Mansion since our last visit, we came home by way of Keith and Huntly so I could go through Kennethmont for a look.

We stopped at a petrol station in Keith to get a bottle of water (I know it sounds strange when we’re having to look for toilets all of the time) because we were thirsty. While I waited in the car, I shut the engine off. No need to idle. Well, Monty decided not to recognize the keyfob! He wouldn’t start! So here we are stuck in Keith with a car that won’t start and we have to be back in time to get to Carnoustie for 7:30! Would the vacation end on a downer (more than usual) like it started?

Eventually, Monty saw things our way and he started. Phew! After 27 hours for a flat tyre, I shuddered to think how long it would be for this before we got help.

Nothing new on the mansion restoration at Wardhouse. Wanting to avoid Aberdeen again, we got off the A96 at Kintore and went across country and found ourselves on the B974 Cairn O’Mount. Narrow road, lots of potholes along the edge. A wonderful viewpoint that we didn’t have time to stop to enjoy. Besides the weather wasn’t conducive to stopping.

This archway in Fettercairn is amazing! It’s plenty wide on its own, but the road is narrow and the curbs twist and turn making it extremely difficult to navigate.

We made it back to the hotel about 5:30 – plenty of time to freshen up and get ready to go meet the kin. So, since we were taking advantage of public transit, we stopped in the bar downstairs for a drink before heading out to catch the bus.

Our reservation was for 7:30 at The Aboukir Hotel. Don and I arrived first followed about half a large glass of red wine later by the rest of the gang.

Sept 24
The first of many pictures and lots of laughs

It was hilarious how the Canadians all sat on one side of the table and the Scots on the other. It wasn’t planned. It was just the way we sat down. I wanted to be on the end because I’m left-handed and we were the first to get there.

Sept 23
Carnoustie Cousins

It’s really hard to get good photos of everyone all at once.

Sept 24
Carnoustie Cousins
Sept 24
The family represented from both sides of the pond
Sept 24
The Canadian cousins

Lorraine was the first to go to the ladies. When she came back, she wasted no time telling Lise and me about the heated toilet seat! That brought on peels of laughter.

I went next and she was right. It was warm! It also had bidet functions built in. Now how’s that for up-market?

Lise went last and took her phone in with her. She came back with a photograph of the control panel for it. More laughs!

After a wonderful night catching up with everyone, the time came to call it a day.

We parted company outside the hotel – some of us on foot, some of us via public transit.

When we returned to the hotel in Broughty Ferry, we put our things in our room and went to the bar for a nightcap.

Our wonderful holiday quickly coming to an end – our last full day would be tomorrow – driving back to Glasgow, returning the rental car and getting ready for our flight home on Monday.

 

 

 

#SEWES2016 ~ Sept 23 – Edinburgh Bound!

#SEWES2016

Sept 23 – Edinburgh Bound!

 

I booked our return train tickets long before we went to Scotland. When I knew the train and our seats, I immediately contacted my friend, Chris Longmuir, with the carriage and seat numbers so she could book a seat with us.

The bus stop was close to the hotel, so we walked there and boarded the #5 and told the driver we were going to the Dundee Railway Station. Two return tickets in hand, we settled in for the ride.

When we reached the Nethergate (Stop 1), the driver exited his driving compartment and told us this was the best stop for the train station. We were both impressed that he remembered us and our destination.

A short walk to the train station and we redeemed our tickets at one of the self-serve kiosks before heading to the platform to await our Virgin East Coast train to Edinburgh.

Anxious and excited to spend the day in the city with Chris, it was hard to settle on the train. We chatted about publishing print books and ebooks and changes that needed to be made or which version of the document to use. I’d done it before and had no problems but the current (I’ll call it WIP) gave me grief… hence the request for advice.

The Edinburgh train crossed over the Forth Bridge. This has been on my bucket list for a long time. The bridge looks like it was constructed from a Meccano set.

The train windows were dirty so that didn’t help the picture. In the background, you can see the current Forth Road Bridge and the new, still under construction, crossing.

Sept 23
The Forth Bridge from the train

Before we left the station, we stopped at the bathrooms. 30p to use the toilets but they were clean and the attendant made sure the lines of patiently waiting customers moved smoothly.

I had booked us on a tour of “The Real Mary King’s Close” for about an hour after we arrived in Edinburgh. The printed ticket confirmation said we needed to be there about 30 minutes before the tour started.

Having taken the train into Edinburgh Waverley on more than one occasion, I didn’t realize there was a way from there to the Royal Mile that didn’t require walking up a steep hill. Chris took us on an alternate route, although a bit longer and out of the way, required less effort and on reasonably level ground.

After we checked in at the ticket office and were told we had plenty of time, we decided to look in the nearby whisky shop to see if they stocked 18 year-old Cardhu. They did stock a 21 year-old. For a mere £350.00 we could buy it. On this day, the Bank of Canada exchange rate from UK pounds to CAN dollars was $1.7059 so a bottle of whisky would have cost us $597.00!!! Yikes!!! We knew we could get the age we wanted from the distillery and we had free time on the next day (not meeting my cousins until 7:30 for dinner) so decided rather than traipse around Edinburgh all day looking for what we wanted, we’d wait and make a distillery run on Saturday.

While Chris picked up a few Christmas presents in the shop, I went out and took a few pictures.

St Giles Cathedral
St Giles Cathedral

How appropriate… Writers’ Court. Chris and I are both writers – just different genres.

Sept 23
Writers’ Court

And, no the Tattoo Office has nothing to do with marking your skin (permanently or temporarily with henna).

Sept 23
Entrance to “The Real Mary King’s Close”
Sept 22
“The Real Mary King’s Close” sign

Because Mary King’s Close is under the City Chambers, you’re not permitted to take photographs. *sigh*

Our guide, Paula, was a hoot! Knowledgeable, friendly, and funny. Even though I don’t have photographs of my own to remember the tour, I do have a guidebook and a few other mementos.

Back on Princes Street, we waited at the bus for the #22 that would take us to Ocean Terminal (a waterfront mall and ticket office for the Royal Yacht Britannia).

There’s the #29 headed in the opposite direction.

Sept 23
Lothian Buses #29 – and look what’s on the side!

When our bus arrived, we bought two day passes which would also get us on the trams.

Rule Britannia

The tour of the Royal Yacht Britanniais completely self-guided. You’re provided with an audio guide (looks like an overgrown cellphone) which is available in a number of languages. They also have a guide in Braille for visually impaired visitors.

Sept 23
Don in the wheelhouse of the Royal Yacht, Britannia
Sept 23
The Royal Rolls Royce
Sept 23
Chris and I at the binnacle rescued from the Victoria and Albert III
Sept 23
Her Majesty the Queen’s bedroom
Sept 23
Prince Phillip’s bedroom
Setp 23
The only room on the yacht to have a double bed – Charles & Diana’s room
Sept 23
One side of the State Dining Room
Sept 23
The other side of the State Dining Room

We had a late lunch/snack in the Royal Deck Tea Room. I had coffee and fruit scones, Don had chocolate cake, and Chris had a bowl of Carrot and something soup.

Sept 23
The Royal State Room

Here in the Verge Inn, you have the chance to take “Corgi selfies” (see the wee guy on the left of the photo) or take selfies wearing these hats. No, the beer isn’t real. It’s resin coloured to look like beer with a light foam head on top.

Sept 23
Enjoying a “pint” in the Verge Inn, one of the areas for the officers to unwind.
Sept 23
The Royal “Barge”

After departing the yacht and Ocean Terminal, we boarded the #22 and returned to Princes St where our next adventure began… a ride on the Edinburgh trams!

Sept 23
One of the Edinburgh trams

We had to walk to one of the stations in the middle of Princes St so that Chris could buy a ticket. Her Angus council bus pass didn’t count for nowt here. Now that we were all legal, we boarded the next tram and rode it to Murrayfield Stadium. Out here the main railway line and the tram line aren’t too far apart.

On our way back to the city centre, Don struck up a conversation with a guy stood near where Chris and I sat. Said guy was reading a Stephen Booth novel. Don told him that Chris also wrote crime fiction (embarrassing her) but she pulled our her stash of book postcards and gave them to him.

The tram ride was another thing crossed off a bucket list (not mine). My next thing was a pint at the Oxford Bar, Ian Rankin’s local. Seeing how Chris was with us I hoped he wouldn’t think I was a pyscho Canadian stalker… LOL!

By now, it was getting later in the day. The next train back to Dundee that stopped in the town Chris lives in departed from Edinburgh Waverley at 7:30. We still needed to get a bite to eat to get us through until tomorrow.

img_3017-1280x853
The Oxford Bar – Ian Rankin’s local
img_3019-1280x1920
Me outside The Oxford Bar

I settled for a photo so I could say, “I’ve been there” but I’ll definitely be back again and have an IPA or something before leaving.

Over supper, still thinking we had to be back at Waverley for the 7:30 train, I checked our tickets. We were locked in to a Virgin East Coast return or pay a fee to change it.

Chris checked her train schedule that she carries with her and luckily for us, that happened to be the 8:30 train. We could have stopped for a quick drink before stopping in at TGI Fridays on Castle Street. Oh well. It did give us some more time for evening photo ops.

Sept 23
Edinburgh Castle
Sept 23
Nighttime tram
Sept 23
Heilan’ coo in a shop on Princes Street

When I visited with my cousin, Eric, a few days ago, he mentioned climbing to the top of the Scott Monument with his father back in the day. He claims they carved their initials in the wall at the top level. Must climb up sometime (oh my aching knees) and see if they’re still visible.

Sept 23
The Scott Monument

When we arrived back at the railway station, we still had some time before we needed to be at the platform. Where else does a writer go but a bookstore?

And look who I found! Fellow loveahappyending author, Sheryl Browne, and her novel The Rest of My Life. She’s in some pretty good company there with Stuart MacBride and Kathy Reichs.

Sept 23
Sheryl Browne’s novel – in some good company at WH Smith in Edinburgh Waverley

All too soon, our wonderful day came to an end. We were getting off the train in Dundee and Chris was carrying on up the line to her stop. At least the turnstiles in Dundee were open so I got to keep our tickets as souvenirs.

It finally started to rain and drizzled as we made our way back up to Nethergate and a bus stop to catch our return bus to Broughty Ferry.

After we returned to the hotel and deposited our things in the room, we went to the bar for a drink. Whilst chatting with the young barman, we found out that he’d come to Canada on a hockey scholarship. Then we narrowed it down to Ontario (most people wouldn’t have a clue where our city is in the grand scheme of things). Come to find out, he stayed in Cornwall! That’s only a little over an hour away from us. And he played some hockey in Brockville, too.

Tomorrow, in addition to supper with the clan, we have a “side trip” to the distillery. Another adventure.

#SEWES2016 ~ Sept 22 Kelso to Broughty Ferry

#SEWES2016

Sept 22 – Kelso to Broughty Ferry

Castle and a Cold War Bunker, too

 

Jeff, our host at Duncan House, and his black lab joined the group of folks in the dining room. He apologized profusely for not remembering me (actually, putting the name with the face). With the number of people who stay in his wonderful Georgian B&B, I’m not surprised, nor was I offended.

After a hearty breakfast, including porridge, we set out. Shortly before we left home for Scotland, we received an email telling us that Craigmillar Castle would be closed until Sept 20th. The picture of the property included in the Historic Scotland email intrigued me and it being after the 20th, and the castle being close to (if not in the ‘burbs of Edinburgh) so en route to Broughty Ferry, the satnav was programmed to take us there.

I ended up driving Monty further into the city than I wanted thanks to roadworks (as in a humungous hole) in Craigmillar Castle Road. So I had to drive by that end of the road, follow the diversion signs … AND ignore Satnav Sally.

Two school buses (not like our North American ones) parked back to back on opposite sides of the car park. No way on earth Monty would fit between their snouts.

I parked sort of on the edge of the road and we strode to the ticket office/gift shop. “One concession (aka senior), one adult and toilets,” was the buzz phrase of the day. He stamped our “zero charge” receipt with the combination we needed to gain access to the facilities and off we went.

Sept 22
Craigmillar Castle
The entrance to Craigmillar Castle
The entrance to Craigmillar Castle inside the outer curtain wall
Sept 22
Don standing by the yew tree inside the inner curtain wall of Craigmillar Castle
Sept 22
Me standing by the yew tree inside the inner curtain wall at Craigmillar Castle
Sept 22
Stairway to … at Craigmillar Castle
Sept 22
Sign indicating the direction of the wine cellar

My favourite place! I’ll even do the spiral stairs to get there… 😉

Sept 22
Spiral staircase leading to the wine cellar
Sept 22
Sign describing the room. Note the windows on both sides of the fireplace and the stonework on the mantle

Years later, the windows have been filled in but the fireplace remains.

Sept 22
As the room looks now
Sept 22
One of the massive fireplaces
Sept 22
Me standing inside the fireplace

The school children were amazed that in two different towers of the castle there were bathrooms. One group called over to the other, “we’ve got a loo!” and the other replied “So do we! We have a loo, too!”

Sept 22
View from the castle ramparts
Sept 22
Craigmillar Castle from the highest level you can access

The view from the castle ramparts is amazing. The clear weather made it easy to see and recognize North Berwick Law (we’d seen it last year on our way to Dunbar and on the train to Edinburgh).

Sept 22
View from the castle rampart – the visible hump in the center of the background is North Berwick Law
Sept 22
Salisbury Crags
Sept 22
Busted taking a photo
But so was someone else
But so was someone else…

Driving towards Craigmillar Castle, we had spectacular views of Edinburgh Castle and Arthur’s Seat but no place to pull over for a photo op. I was chuffed to bits to get this view from Craigmillar’s ramparts.

Sept 22
Edinburgh Castle on the left and Arthur’s Seat on the right

As we approached the Forth Road Bridge, the first of many signs for Scotland’s Secret Bunker popped up. It had been a possibility on previous trips and we happened to have the time, so decided to make it a reality this trip. Canada has the Diefenbunker (which we’ve visited) so we needed to compare the two locations.

Imagine a Cold War Shelter capable of running the country from under an innocuous farm house? Now that the cold war threat is over (or is it) things aren’t so secret anymore.

Unfortunately, the roads leading to it aren’t so smooth, so again the buzz phrase when we bought our tickets was “One concession, one adult and toilets” but this time I added “and not necessarily in that order”.

Sept 22
The cottage that the bunker “hides” under
Sept 22
Page from The Courier
Sept 22
Inside the bunker
Sept 22
Barracks room inside the bunker
Sept 22
Bulletin board with related photos and articles
Another bulletin board
Another bulletin board
Sept 22
The chapel
Sept 22
The switchboard
Sept 22
A place to take selfies… or of each other
Sept 22
A place to take selfies… or of each other
Sept 22
A “rat” on the conduit
Sept 22
Military vehicles outside

Finally, we reached our destination for the night. When I booked, I thought we’d get the same room as last year but this time we got one on the ground floor at the front of the hotel (corner of Queen Street and Claypotts/Westfield Road). Finally, a place where we didn’t have to lug everything up at least one flight of stairs!

Sept 22
Our room at the Hotel Broughty Ferry
Sept 22
Our room at the Hotel Broughty Ferry and our champagne waiting for our arrival
Sept 22
In the bar at the Hotel Broughty Ferry where we had our evening meal

Tomorrow morning, we’re catching the train in Dundee to Edinburgh where we’ll spend the day with our good friend (fellow author and crime writer), Chris Longmuir.

 

#SEWES2016 ~ Sept 21 – Temple Sowerby to Kelso

#SEWES2016

Sept 21 – Temple Sowerby to Kelso

We decided that when we left Temple Sowerby this morning, we would attempt to visit  The Devils Porridge Museum in Eastriggs one more time. We weren’t far away and had plenty of time before we needed to arrive at Duncan House in Kelso.

My computer scared me bad. I mean scared me real BAD. When I shut down my laptop this morning, Windows 10 decided it needed to download and install updates. You can prevent it from happening, but I didn’t know how at the time. I chose install and restart. Except it didn’t restart. It went through the motions and it looked like the days of DOS or a Linux system starting up. We’re talking command line code happening… until it froze.

I froze in panic! The computer had to be turned off at some point for travelling, so pressed the power button until it shut down. I turned it back on and the same thing happened all over again. Visions of taking it in to the store I bought it from when I got home flashed through my mind. No computer until then? Whatever would I do? Sure I had my iPad and hubby had his laptop but still, you develop a relationship with your own computer. You know its quirks and idiosyncrasies (at least I thought I did).

After checking out of The Kings Arms Hotel and leaving some of my books’ postcards at the hotel – gal checking me out of the hotel asked if I knew the author – I said yes, it’s me. Well, that prolonged the process because we had to talk about writing and reading and what not. She told me there’s a book club in Temple Sowerby. So maybe one of these days, they’ll read one (and maybe all) of mine.

On to Eastriggs and the museum. We arrived there about 10:15 to a reasonably empty car park. Yay!

Robbie Brodie (I think that’s his name), gave us an overview of the original munitions plant that occupied the land between Eastriggs and Gretna.

Sept 21
map of the HM Factory Gretna
Setpt 21
#s 1-5 from the above map
Sept 21
#s 6-10 from the above map
Sept 21
uniform worn by the munitions girls
Sept 21
one of the nitrating pans

Another event depicted here at the museum is the Quintinshill Rail Disaster.

Sept 21
petition to the King asking for the signalmen charged in the disaster to be pardoned

On the upper level of the museum, they have an area set aside for research, and another for “selfies”. Here, clothing from the era is available to try on and take your picture in – including an army helmet!

Sept 21
Don modelling a helmet
Sept 21
Me wearing a hat

I rather like my chapeau even if I don’t look best pleased in the photo. Note to self… try to find something similar when I get home.

Before leaving the museum, I did namedrop. As in my crime writer friend’s name – Chris Longmuir and her historical novel, Devil’s Porridge, set at the actual munitions factory here.

I wanted to visit Hermitage Castle, one of the many properties under the care of Historic Scotland. It happened to be on our route to Kelso (more or less).

Sept 21
Hermitage Castle
Sept 21
Hermitage Castle
Sept 21
within the walls of Hermitage Castle
Sept 21
The chapel grounds at Hermitage Castle

After leaving the castle, I got my fill once again of narrow roads with passing places – and cattle grids. I really don’t mind these roads although they’re much better when the visibility is better. You don’t want to end up having to back up to a passing place if you don’t have to. I drove and put hubby to work taking pictures out the windscreen.

Sept 21
driving on one of the single track roads…
Sept 21
in a passing place on a single track road
Sept 21
Hope nothing is coming from the other direction…
Sept 21
Waiting in a passing place for the oncoming vehicle

The Waverly Route Heritage Association has preserved a section of track and we spotted this passenger carriage on our right. Despite passing place etiquette not allowing for such things as photo ops, the traffic was so light, I couldn’t resist.

Passenger carriage
Passenger carriage on the Waverly Route
Sept 21
Viaduct on the Waverly Route
Sept 21
Approaching a cattle grid
Sept 21
Tree canopy created by the lorries
Sept 21
Civilization! A road with centre markings
Sept 21
At the intersection of the B6357 and the A68
Sept 21
Approaching Jedburgh Abbey

Once through Jedburgh, it didn’t take long before we found ourselves at Duncan House in Kelso. This is the third time we’ve stayed there and since the first time, have said ‘next time we’ll stay for more than one night’. So far it hasn’t happened.

Call it premonition, but the night before I looked up an email from our host (from the previous year) to check the combination for the lock box.  If I hadn’t, we might not have been able to get in, although I carried printed confirmations of all of our accommodations and other pre-booked events with me.

The first thing I did when I got up to our room (same room we’ve had each time, too) was pull out the laptop and its power supply. Plugged in, I powered up. A huge wave of relief washed over me when the lock screen came up. Not sure what crawled up the computer’s butt in the morning but at least now I could say ,”It’s alive!”

Sept 21
River Tweed and Floors Castle from our room at Duncan House

Knowing the computer survived, we walked down to Kelso Abbey. On the way, a woman outside one of the shops approached us with bags to collect gently used clothes. I had something else in mind for them. After accepting them, we continued on to the abbey, poked around the ruins there and through the cemetery on the other side of the street.

Sept 21
Kelso Abbey

This cute gallery in the shape of a boat stands on Abbey Row across the street from the graveyard.

Sept 21
Huggins Haig Gallery

After a wander around the town, we made our way to The Waggon Inn where we had a delicious meal.

Sept 21
The Waggon Inn

Paused for a selfie on the way back to Duncan House after our meal.

Sept 21
After a delicious meal at the Waggon Inn

Tomorrow we head north to Broughty Ferry and back to the same hotel we stayed in last year.