Fah la la la la lahhhhhhh

Tis the season!
Okay so we went out to get a tree the other night and after much consideration we decided to buy an artificial tree. We had to buy new lights this year because of the plugs here, plus we had to buy a tree stand if we bought a tree, so we decided that if we got an artificial tree that it would cost about the same as a real tree and tree stand. Plus we can use the artificial tree again next year.

We got a white tipped tree and blue LED lights. When we got home we got out all the Christmas decorations that we brought over with us and we started decorating. Wow........looks like Christmas threw up in our living room! LOL
But Christmas is Jeff's favorite holiday and so it was fun to get it all out, put it all up. Secretly I think he loves it so much because it's Christmas and then his birthday, back to back.

Everything as we dragged it all out. Rhett is a bit of a ham and likes to be in the spot light!

Pretty! We have two more stockings......we were just afraid to put them to close to the fire.

Shelve hangers, aren't they cute!!!!

We had to add a little garland to the staircase since most everything else was in the living room!

I also put together our Christmas menu yesterday. Most of the things I can get here but the things I can't get I brought back with me. I did forget one item, but Jeff's mom is kind enough to ship it over to me. So we will be having a traditional Texas Christmas dinner, complete with cornbread dressing rather than stuffing. My biggest task will be making small portions since it's just Jeff and I this year.

Looking forward to it though!

Ta Dah! Our Scotland Christmas tree!

Thanksgiving in Texas

We had a fantastic time back in Texas for the Thanksgiving holiday. Unfortunately it wasn't long enough, but the short time we had was fun and we were happy to see everyone we got to see and just enjoy home for a bit.

We managed to see several of our families while we were there and even have dinner with some friends as well!
We got to visit the Marriott, where we got married and have breakfast in the very room we had our reception in. It was the first time we'd been back since our wedding day. So that was nice to kind of "remember" the evening.
And the Christmas lights were all up in The Woodlands. We took a walk after having some awesome sushi at Uni's and checked out the ice skaters at the ice rink they put up each year in The Woodlands.
I also got to see New Moon while I was there, and I bared Best Buy on black Friday..........but waited until around 11:00am to go! ;) It wasn't to bad, but still pretty crazy.

For all of those that we got to see............we were so happy to get to see you all and you were a cure for a little homesickness we were having. For those of you that we didn't get to see...........we are so sorry and hope that next time we visit we'll get to visit a little longer and see you all then. Just not enough hours in the day when you are home for such a short period of time.

So we are back in Scotland............trying to get over jet lag. It's hard when it gets so dark so early in the day, but we are hoping we are over it today.
And we are excited to get a Christmas tree and get that set up this week. We brought back some Christmas presents from family and plan to put them under the tree. But we got a Wii and well..............we don't exactly plan to put that under the tree. Wii Sports is pretty fun! LOL

Oh and when we left Houston on Sunday it was in the 70's and when we got back to Scotland on Monday, around 10:30am, it was 36 degrees!!!! And we woke up to ice on the ground yesterday morning. Talk about drastic change in weather!

So as soon as we get the tree up and get the house ready for Christmas, I'll snap a few pictures and post them.

Oh and just for the record............for those inquiring minds...............you bet I brought back some cans of pumpkin! ;)

An NHS update

Just thought I would give you an update on the fine medical service I received.

I went to the doctor on Thursday. Yesterday the doctor phoned me up to let me know that she nor the chemist knew what to prescribe me so she had a call into a specialist doctor and that she'd get back with me as soon as she heard from them. She recommended since I would be traveling to the states next week that I call my old doctor up and see if they could give me some medication to tide me over until they figured out what to give me here.

Isn't that great? Aren't we excited to sign our nation up for this kind of health care? So here's my question, if I couldn't call my doctor in the states, or if we go to government ran health care int he U.S., then who do I call?

My First Visit to the NHS

So I had my first visit to the NHS. The NHS is their health care system, that's government ran. I wasn't going to blog about this on here but then thought, this is part of Scotland, this is part of our life living here, so I felt it was appropriate to blog about it.

So before I get into the visit, let me explain that I feel the need to blog about this because this is the kind of system we are moving toward in the U.S. And I know that we all, as individuals have our thoughts on what should or shouldn't be. So I sincerely hope that anyone that reads this will not be upset and know that it's just my experience with NHS here and it's my opinion on government ran health care for the U.S. Don't get me wrong, I believe we need some sort of health care reform in the U.S. and I think that we can find a way to help those that don't have insurance, but I don't think government ran health care is the answer. Eventually we will run out of money and our debit will be so enormous that we won't be able to dig ourselves out. So what happens is the system will suffer and ultimately the patients suffer.

Okay.........so about the visit. Last week, a week prior to my visit, I went in and filled out paperwork so it would already be on file. I also gave them my medical records from the U.S. and allowed them time to copy them for my file there. So today was my visit. When I arrived I let them know I was there for my appointment. They sent me back to a little waiting area to wait to be called into a a doctors office. I can't really accurately describe the clinic, but the closest thing I can get too is a little less than a Plan Parenthood office I went into when I was in college to get a check up. It wasn't great, but it served the purpose, I suppose is the best way to describe it. It's not like the nice, high tech offices you see in the states. While I was waiting I was reading some of the information that was plastered on the walls and one of the sheets was explaining that you get only 10 minutes with a doctor and only one patient at a time. Another sheet explained that the NHS could no longer afford a medicine for cancer and that you should contact NHS or talk to a doctor about it if you were on the medicine. There were a lot of leaflets on things like depression, menopause, how to stay healthy in the winter, the usual stuff.
Eventually I got called back to the doctors office and as I walked in the doctor told me who she was and ask me to have a seat. The office had two chairs in it and there was a desk (like the ones in a college computer class) in the corner. In another corner was a little sink area and behind a partially drawn curtain was a little exam table/bed. Not like the ones we are use to seeing in the states, but just a simple little bed. Kind of reminded me of the nurses office in school, when we were little. That's the best comparison I can come up with.
So I sat down and she ask me what she could do for me. I told her I was there to get a prescription refill and to make my first visit to NHS. She hadn't even looked over my records at all. She ask me what I was taking and why. So after trying to give her my medical history in like 2 minutes, she explained to me that they didn't have that particular medication here but that she'd phone the chemist (pharmacy) to see what they would recommend. When she called and got a busy signal she told me she'd call me later today or tomorrow, in at least a week and let me know what medicine she had prescribed and send me to pick it up. Then she basically was done. She never took my blood pressure, she never weighed me, she never even touched me, much less examine me. And my medication bottles had my maiden name on them since I got them filled right when I got married. So there you have it.........in and out in 5 minutes. Not a care in the world about the fact that I was a new patient and no need to verify who I was. At no point did anyone ever ask me for any identification at all.
Personally, I had hoped that they'd care a bit more about me, enough to at least start a basic chart with them. But not even so much as that. I got less than my 10 minutes, and I can't even tell you what my blood pressure is or was. And I had to make sure that I explain to her why I had to have a low dose of medicine! Really..........is that the state we are in that a doctor doesn't even care enough about ya to ask basic questions? And I even took the time to ask her if there was anything else, if I needed to be examined, if I needed to do anything else and she simple said, "No, that's fine, thanks". And out the door I was sent.

As I said to a friend........quicker than a Jiffy Lube and they didn't try and sell me a bunch of extra stuff. They didn't try to sell me anything!

And if you think it's a fluke that I got treated this way, I assure you that I've spoke to several people here that has said that's the norm. And when calling the 24 hour NHS you can almost certainly be told to self medicate. If you ever visit a hospital you won't find many, if any private rooms there.

If America goes to government ran health care, we are in for a rude awakening! I can also say that the amount of taxes we pay, I feel like I was ripped off with my time at NHS. I guess I just expect that as much taxes we pay, and we do pay NHS and taxes here, we aren't exempt because we are American, that we'd get better care. That all of the UK would get better care.

So for those of you that are for health reform the way they are presenting it now, government ran, I think this is the sort of care that will eventually come. Maybe not in our lifetimes but certainly in our children's or our children's children's life time.

Glamis Castle

The view of Glamis Castle driving down the long road that is its "driveway".

Yesterday we set out to tour Glamis Castle. We've been wanting to go for some time but kept putting it off for one reason or another. Then a couple of weeks ago I read that they decorate the castle for Christmas starting on November 14th. So we thought that would be a nice time to go, when it was decorated for Christmas. The weather yesterday was nice, a little over cast but no rain.

The castle is absolutely beautiful. It's the first castle we've been too that you can actually tour a great deal of the inside and the inside is still intact! Unfortunately they do not allow photography inside the castle, so I will just have to tell you about it. I did however take a few pictures outside.

This is actually only part of the castle. The part we toured was in this part.

A statue in the front garden

We had a little time before our tour to kill, so we stopped in their restaurant and had a cappuccino and a treat. They sprinkled the top of the cappuccino with powder in shape of a Christmas tree!

Of course we had no idea that as soon as you start the tour that you are offered warm malted wine in the dining room of the castle. I didn't think I would like it, but surprisingly I did!

So the dining room was all set up for Christmas. Complete with a Christmas tree in the corner and a table set for Christmas dinner. There were small Christmas trees on the table and silver chargers at each seat. They had Christmas poppers on each charger and beautiful silver settings all along the table. It was really pretty.
The castle is still lived in today! The family that lives there are ancestors from the family that has owned it for many years. The family lives in the west wing and tours are only in a very small area of this huge castle.
We toured the dining room, the gathering room, a living area, another lounge area, a couple of bedrooms and even the chapel. The chapel is still used today! Every Sunday they have service there. The furniture in a lot of the rooms is really remarkable. It has beautiful inlaid furniture that is still very remarkable today. The castle is decorated in the Victorian age and so many things in there are just elegant. There is even a room that has the china on the wall of the original china pattern. The tour guide told us back in the day they would design their own china pattern, have the designed sailed to China and then wait about two years for it to be made and sailed back.
She told us stories of a ghost that is believed to live there, the green lady and though she says she has never seen the ghost in her seven years working there, that she's known many people that have.
She also told us of a part of the drawing room that use to be a small room off to the side and one night, long ago some of the gentlemen were playing cards and dice in that room past midnight on a Saturday. Back then it was not allowed to "play cards and dice" on Sunday and it was believed that they had brought the devil into the house. A lot of the people were scared in the house and so eventually they put them in the room, with the devil and walled up the room. She says they are still in there today and they know that there is in fact a room there because there is a window that can be seen from the outside of the castle.

So lots of tales and a bit of scare. But mostly just a really beautiful castle. We had a great time and it was nice to see the paintings, the antique furniture and to see the castle decorated for Christmas. I only wish I could have taken pictures inside to share. So I'll say if you ever find yourself in Scotland, it's worth the visit!

Jeff and I in front of Glamis Castle

http://www.glamis-castle.co.uk/

Unsalted, Roasted Monkey Nuts

It's true, I am easily entertained! Furthermore, I don't care what anyone says, they have some unusual and funny names for items here! Last weekend Jeff and I were at the grocery store grabbing a few items we needed. Headed down an aisle and as I turned the corner to make the next aisle I see on the lower shelf a bag of Unsalted, Roasted Monkey Nuts!



Okay, so it's peanuts in their shells........but come on.......that's funny! I don't think I have ever seen or heard them called monkey nuts!

In other news............I am still, after living here for six months, astonished at how differently our customer service is in Texas from here. I am also astonished at the store policies and how differently they are. Last weekend, also while at the store I bought some refills for a plug in (air freshener) and when I got home and tried to replace the old refill, I realized that I picked up the wrong ones. So when I went back to the store the following day I figured I would exchange them for the proper ones. I mean after all.......they were 8 quid! That's about $12! So why not return them if I can't use them.......right? However, I was surprised to find that I could not return them because I had opened the package and there was no way for them to resale them, so they could not give me an exchange or refund. And to make sure, she doubled checked with another employee. Now I feel bad.............all this time I was unappreciative of the ability we have in the states to return just about anything, of course knowing they can return it to the manufacturer for credit. See......the little things!

It's been icy and cold here the past couple of days. The sun comes out and melts the ice but it still remains pretty cold. We've been building coal fires, well let me rephrase that........Jeff has been building coal fires in our fireplace here and it is really nice. I had my reservations about a coal fire to begin with because I just kept thinking it would leave this odor and residue on things. But to my surprise, it doesn't. Of course its house burning coal, so apparently its different. But it's been nice and really heats the living room well!
I'm sure we'll get snow soon. Everyone keeps saying "the snow is coming". So when it does, I'll be sure to snap a few pictures and patiently wait for a good story to blog about.

Icy on the hill and grass in front of the house

So my birthday is coming up. I'm not one to make a big deal of my birthday other than to proclaim I am 25 (yet again) and usually I want to make myself a cake. I had thought I'd make myself a different kind of breakfast this year, instead. So I decided this past weekend to experiment with making stuffed french toast. I was pleasantly surprised and so I've decided for my birthday to make stuffed french toast and have mimosas as well. Who knows, maybe one day, if I ever open up a restaurant or a B&B I'll put it on the menu.

Stuffed with blueberry's and cream cheese

Looking forward to a visit home soon. It'll be short and I won't get to see near everyone I want too, but at least we get to spend a little time home!

So keep an eye out for a snow blog!

Thought I'd throw in a picture of a pheasant. They are quite annoying to me now! lol

The Holidays are almost here!

The holidays are almost here! Can you believe it? Seems like time really just slips away. So much to look forward too with the upcoming holidays. Traditionally this time of year is usually the busiest for us. Not just because of Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years, but because we have tons of family birthdays during this time too. So we get together often as a family and we do a lot of "celebrating".
This year will be a little more difficult since we won't be home for all the holidays and birthdays. But we are making a visit home, so we are trying to "cram" as much into that visit as we can. But we are really looking forward to the visit home.

Around here the days are getting shorter and the darkness is getting longer. And we've had a lot of rain lately. All the leaves are falling off the trees and things are starting to look rather "bare". We've been told that the "shortest" day will be December 21st.......so the longer hours of darkness will continually get longer and longer until then. I can see how it can get a little tiresome with the darkness and then all the rain we've been getting lately. But the thing to look forward too is the beginning part of next year when it starts going back to regular daylight hours, then spring/summer when we have long hours of daylight. lol

The baby pheasants we were seeing around the area a month or so ago are getting big now. In fact they are not the cute little baby pheasants that I thought they were a month or two ago. At this point they are annoying! lol They stand in the middle of the road and they won't move. You honk the horn and they just kind of walk ahead like there is no one behind them and they are in no hurry. And if you've ever heard a pheasant........you know what I mean when I say they sound like a a fan or something is broken. It's just this noise that will make you think something in the house is broken and making a bad noise. But it's not........just the pheasants.

I still continue to try and bake things from time to time, learning the oven here and how it will work with my old recipes. I think I just about have it mastered. Yesterday was my true test, making my Grandma Johnson's red velvet cake. It turned out fab! My Grandma Johnson made the best red velvet cake ever! And I was fortunate enough to get her recipe. I remember the first time I made it, you could bounce if off the floor! I had no idea what I had done wrong and she wasn't around for me to ask. Somehow, over the years I mastered it. Apparently dissolving a teaspoon of baking soda in a tablespoon of vinegar is far more crucial to her recipe than just adding the baking soda all by it's self. That and the fact you aren't suppose to "beat" it in, but rather "fold" it in. Go figure. But she was great at it and when I realized that her recipe wasn't' necessarily an optional guideline for me to follow to my liking, I was able to make it just like hers.

Jeff and I are going to try and make it to Glamis Castle soon. We are waiting until after November 14th, because that's when they are all decorated for Christmas. I think that would be nice to visit the castle when it's dressed up for the holidays. So when we visit.......I'll be sure to post pictures!

Hope everyone is looking forward to the holidays!

It's been a little while

I know it's been a while since I have blogged. Have you ever went through a spell of just not quite feeling "inspired" or find anything interesting to blog about?! That's pretty much what's been going on with me lately. I just haven't felt inspired or come across anything I thought was inspiring enough to blog about.

The weather is really starting to change here. It stays around the lower 50's for a high, most days. On days that it's rainy and cloudy it stays in the 40's. The darkness of the days is starting to get longer and longer with each passing day and daylight savings time is next week here (we are still on the old calendar that we used in the U.S. until last year) and so I am sure the longer hours of darkness will get here rather quickly. But we are looking forward to a little snow, but not a lot of snow! :)
And I've been checking into snowboarding lessons and I think I am going to try and take those next month. Jeff is going to try too, but he's got a bum knee that he messed up years ago, so we aren't sure yet if he'll be able to do it, but he wants to at least try.

I think most everyone knows now that we were denied the request to go home at Christmas because they don't allow the operational staff to take any requested time off during December 15th and December 29th. So we are going home for Thanksgiving, for a week and will remain here for Christmas. We've had knowledge of this for a few weeks now, so I am kind of over it, but at the same time I am a little bent out of shape about it too. It took a case of homesickness and made it worst because I can't wrap my head around not being able to see our family and friends for two Christmas' in a row. So to put it short and sweet..........I'm not a fan of the way things are going here right now. But it is what it is and I am still trying to make the best of the opportunity and looking forward to going home for Thanksgiving to see everyone, eat lots of turkey and enjoy some pumpkin cheesecake! :)

I hope everyone is having a great fall so far! Cooler weather, football games and fairs! And Halloween is just around the corner! Enjoy and if anyone gets to the state fair this year.........PLEASE try some of that fried butter and tell me how it is! :) Sounds like a cardiac arrest waiting to happen but OMG.......I'm dying to know how it is! ;)

Winter is A Coming!

Remember months ago when I was "ranting" about the long hours of daylight that we were having? Remember how I said that it was getting dark at midnight and by 3am it was daylight out again? Well...............just the very opposite is about to start! Already when I wake at 5:30am, it is still dark outside. And by about 8pm, it's dark outside. This probably seems very normal to those of you that live in the lower part of the states, but to us, that means that very soon it'll be dark until very late into the day and only daylight for a few short hours.

To add, it's about time for it to start getting cold. Real cold...........not that "cold" we are use to in Texas. This is the kind of cold that I am told we won't want to leave the house and we'll want the warmest clothes and bedding we can find to keep warm. And just bare in mind.........there is no lovely central heating and vents to circulate the warm, heated air about the house, to whatever desired temperature you'd like! No, we have radiators on the walls in each room. You turn them on, turn them up and you put a fan in front of them to circulate the warmth coming off of them, about the room! Oh..............how you have NO idea how much I am not looking forward to winter here!

And just when you thought that "well that's really not that bad", add in the ice and snow that we are bound to get! Then add a top the fact that we live down in a valley and there are hills on the road way, in both directions! Oh but wait................we have bins on the side of the road, at the bottom of both hills for "grit" so that you can shovel it about and get up the hill in a car. Oh...........how I am looking forward to winter!

I'll be sure to get some pictures of it.........especially of us............well actually Jeff.........shoveling snow! ;) But these pictures will not be for your viewing pleasure.............no, no! These pictures will serve the purpose of reminding us, when we return home.............where we have been and what we have done. They will serve the purpose of reminding me when the August blazing sun of Texas is coming down and it's so hot and humid that a person can barely stand it.............that in the winter of Scotland, not only is it snowy and icy, and cold.......but it's dark..........most of the day, for a period of time!

On a positive note...............the summer's here are fabulous...........minus the rain of course! I love the rain...........just not quite so much! But never really getting above 75 is super nice!

So I still ponder one big question........................how on earth do they play golf in this country when it's always raining in the summer time and cold and dark in the winter time! The world may never know!

My Random Thought While Cleaning

East of Tyler, Texas on Highway 31, somewhere between Tyler and Kilgore, Texas there is a restaurant that sits just off the highway. The only thing really around it is a quick stop store and a beer store. From the outside it looks like a long metal building that looks a little "rustic". When you walk inside you instantly smell the aroma of a smokehouse. It's called Country Tavern and if you are from Tyler or Kilgore you are certain to know of it and probably have been there. If you've never been there and ever find yourself that way...........it's a must stop! They have THE best ribs you can get in a restaurant. Now I am not talking about your home cooked smoked ribs. So don't send me a comment or email about how your dad, grandpa or brother or even yourself make the best ribs in 7 counties! I'm talking the kind of ribs you get in a restaurant. These are like home cooked and they are fabulous!

Now I haven't been to Country Tavern in some time but use to it was an annual tradition at one of my previous employers for the whole office to go there the day before Thanksgiving and have ribs and beer. It was our annual treat and since our work "family" was just as much part of our daily lives as our home family........we celebrated Thanksgiving each year at this place on the Wednesday prior to Thanksgiving. It was something we looked forward to all year. And yes, the ribs were THAT good. And if you've ever been there then your memory of the ribs is probably making you drool right now, so wipe the drool off you chin before it drips on your keyboard! And if you live near by, then visit soon and have some ribs for me!

One year when we went for our annual tradition, we arrived to find that the place had changed hands and been remodeled. Now you can't imagine the horror that we felt because typically, at least in Texas, if a place changes hands and is remodeled then that usually means the food is not going to be the same and therefore the best ribs in East Texas would be no more. Thankfully.........we were pleased to find that while they did have new ribs.......they also carried the "old recipe". So no fear, as far as I know, you can still get those fab ribs!
So aside from just the shock of thinking the food would not be the same, I have one very fond memory of the place that day that will probably stick to my mind forever......like super glue. At some point, especially when drinking beer, a person must excuse themselves to use the "washroom". I remember walking into the newly remodeled restroom and being totally amazed at the new "porcelain gods" they had. They were pure porcelain potties that were black! Wow I thought...........and maybe it was the beer.........but there were several of us that just kept saying things like "have you seen the bathrooms............those toilets?" Laugh......but I am telling you........it was a REALLY nice bathroom!

Okay......there is a point to this story........I swear! See personally I think the whole reason I was so impressed is because I hadn't really seen a toilet that was any other color than white in many, many years! It's just not that common, at least anywhere down South to see a toilet any other color than white. So imagine my surprise when I arrived at our new home in Scotland to find that the toilets pretty much match the wall color. And no, the walls aren't white and no they are not black either! In one bathroom the walls are a green color...........as is the toilet. Not avocado green like the 70's fridgerators and ovens! More like a sage green! And another bathroom has kind of a tan color wall with a touch of pink in it............as does the toilet!

These pictures really don't do them justice, but you get the idea!

Okay so before you go on thinking that this house was built some 50 years ago and these are the original toilets, bear in mind this house is just a little over 10 years old. And I am thinking that here it is common to find colored toilets and that its ones desire to match it to the wall color........or maybe match the wall color to the toilet?!?! At any rate, its really quiet clever to make it all blend. Cause lets face it, the toilet is not the focal point of a bathroom or the fashionable seat that people want to look at. Unless of course its at Country Tavern! LOL Now let it also be known.........that white walls and white toilets are not a bad thing either. Personally I love the black "porcelain god" I seen at Country Tavern and would love to have one in a bathroom one day in my own home.

So before you send me more emails or comments about how your house or your grandma's house has colored toilets in it.........just bare in mind that I am talking a Southern home, not a up North because I have seen them up there, and not a home that is generations old.........so no plantation homes in Louisiana, Mississippi or Alabama and not your home that has been passed down from generation to generation. But if you have a home that has been built in the 90's or since........and you have colored toilets............and you live in the South...........feel free to email or comment. I'm not knocking it, by no means, I just prefer white or black. Like I said, I find it very clever. It's just very rare to me! And don't write me and tell me that you have a black toilet either because then I'll just be highly jealous!

So there you have it................these are the things I think about when I am cleaning and there is no music for me to sing to while I clean!

And YES my mind has so many levels of complex that one could never get through them all! ;)

Learning to drive in the UK

To me, nothing is more terrifying than roundabouts! Even more terrifying is when you are in a city that not only has roundabouts but also has intersections. What the crap? Could they not make up their minds?
Okay so those of you that don't know what a roundabout is.........well its the European version of an intersection, only there are no lights (except occasionally for pedestrians to have the right of way to cross the street) and its a round circle in the middle of the road and you go around it until you get to the street you want to turn off onto and then you signal to do so. And there are all these rules like...........you have to be in the right hand lane if you are going to stay in the roundabout for longer than the second exit. You also have to turn on your blinker to the right, indicating you are going to get into the roundabout at least until the second exit and then you have to turn your blinker on to the left when you are ready to get out of the roundabout. And the only time its acceptable to not indicate the blinker to the right is when you are taking the first exit (which is essentially a left hand turn). Its crazy! Of course mind that you are also on the left hand side of the road. So roundabouts are the thing that terrifies me the most about driving here.

The only thing worst than that is when you are in the roundabout and the car next to you is so fascinated by our left hand GMC car that they aren't paying attention and almost hit you. As if the lanes aren't narrow enough here......we have that to add. SIGH! If only you knew how much anxiety I get when I think of having to drive into Aberdeen city centre.

But I keep thinking that the more I drive the more use to it I will get.

I will say though that they exercise lane discipline far better than we do in America. For instance they are strict about their passing lane. If you have a dual carriage way (meaning two lanes headed in the same direction) then you keep to the left unless you are passing and then you get into the right hand lane, pass and then move back over to the left. I know we are SUPPOSE to do that in Texas now.............(of course being on the right hand side of the road we are to keep to the right and pass in the left), but I think as a whole we are still not use to doing it that way and lots of people tend to stay in that left hand lane aka the fast lane!

Today I had to take Jeff to the heliport, which is in North Aberdeen, and we live South of Aberdeen. So that meant I had to drive back through Aberdeen by myself. I did okay but sure was a little stressed about the drive by myself.
So here's hoping that I adjust to driving here before we move! LOL

Edinburgh in August

Perhaps its just my background in civil engineering, but it seems like a really bad idea to have construction throughout a city like Edinburgh during your most busiest tourist months! What a mess! Roads were closed for the Fringe Festival but even more so they had lots of roads closed due to construction. It was absolute chaos to try and drive in the city and even more so to find parking. So needless to say, after our first attempt we decided that it was best to take either a taxi or bus into town and walk about while we were there. We met a friend of mine and her father there as well, and they too had the hardest time moving about by car in Edinburgh. Hours I tell ya..............spent trying to get around to where they needed to be and find parking. And they are from the UK......so it wasn't just the "crazy American's". LOL

The drive down to Edinburgh was really nice. We had great weather for it and the drive from Inverbervie is only about 2 hours. We stopped for lunch along the way and just took our time.......enjoying the view. We took the bridge over to Edinburgh and it was really neat to see the bridge. The nerdy bridge person in me was fumbling fast to get my camera and took a picture through the bug infested windshield.



So all that aside, after we figured out the best way to get to city centre was by bus or taxi.........we had a fab time! Friday night we had dinner at a really great little sushi place called No 1 Sushi. Yeah cheesy name but fab sushi. At least the best we've had since we've been in the UK. Which we've not found much in the way of sushi since we've been here.

Saturday morning we woke early and had breakfast at the hotel and set out to figure out the best way to get to city centre to meet up with friends. So we got down there and meet up with them and set out walking toward the castle so we could visit inside. Wow..........talk about a castle up on a hill in the middle of the city. You simply can't miss it!

Edinburgh Castle from the park

A view from Edinburgh Castle

At 1:00pm every day they shoot off a canon from the castle. Back in the day this was how people could keep the hour and knew that when they heard the canon that it was 1:00pm. So we stuck around the castle grounds so we could hear the canon at 1:00pm. That was pretty neat. And of course there were lots of bagpipers all over the place..........due to the touristy season. So any Scots that read my blog.............forgive me for what I am about to say............but really............I've had enough bagpipes after my day at Edinburgh castle. ;)

1:00pm canon/gun firing

One of many bagpipers seen and heard in Edinburgh!

Our friends were going to the Military Tattoo on Saturday night, so the grounds leading up to the castle had a lot of bleachers and seating for that. Jeff and I were headed to a ghost tour of the underground city vaults later that evening. But in the mean time we were all hungry and looking for something good to eat. We headed off down the Royal Mile to see what we could find. We weaved our way through all the Fringe Festival street performers and finally came upon a nice Italian place. It was yummy!
So lots of performers all over the place doing street acts. Everything from people dressed up as statues and not moving an inch, to people doing tricks and acts, passing out flyer's for evening acts and just lots of activity going on in the streets. So while we were just walking about we stop off to check out a street performer. This street performer is quite comical and eventually goes on to tell the crowd that he can solve a rubiks cube in less than a minute. So he ask for someone from the crowd to have a stop watch or a second hand on their watch. No one says a word or volunteers EXCEPT MY HUSBAND. :| So there he is repeatedly letting the performer know he's got a stop watch on his watch and the street performer not only moves him up to the front of the crowd, but ask his name and where he was from. So my loving husband very loudly announces that he is Jeff from Houston, Texas. Do you have a visual of this and a visual of me standing in the back of the crowd covering my face? LOL
So the street performer goes on to ask Jeff to shout out every 15 seconds that passes. And of course he ask Jeff to shout........makes him practice a bit. It was really quite comical and the street performer did in fact solve the rubiks cube in right at a minute or so's time. And my friends of course were cheering Jeff on. LOL See.............I can't take him anywhere! ;)

Jeff helping out the performer and shouting out the time at the 15 minute interval

The street performer desperately trying to get the rubiks solved!

Okay so on to the Ghost Tour. Wow............okay I won't say that its scary as much as its just eerie! Its truly very eerie in the underground vaults and the stories they tell even before you get down there, just around the city is really on the eerie side too. The vaults are eerie in themselves and while I didn't experience anything ghostly while I was down there.........I will say that there are a lot of small rooms and when they put 30 people in one of those small rooms to tell them a story.............its creepy! Afterwards they allowed a couple of minutes to walk through all the vaults if you wanted. Jeff took a walk about and said that at one point he was the only person around and it was a bit creepy and eerie. So not to disappoint, as we didn't see any ghost or experience one............we did however get that eerie feeling while we were down there.

Street performers we watched while we were waiting on the Ghost Tour to start

So Saturday was a super long day and we were exhausted. We slept in a bit on Sunday but then had to get going to check out of the hotel on time. We took off headed back home and stopped off at Deep Sea World to see their shark exhibit. They are suppose to be the Aquarium with the largest shark exhibit in the UK. It was pretty neat. They have an underground tunnel that you can walk through and the sharks and stingrays and fish swim over and around you. They've got several sharks and while most are fairly small, they did have a pretty big one. And lots of stingrays. They have a seal exhibit too and lots of other things like frogs, crabs, octopus' and even perranias. Eck! Its right by the North Queensferry Heritage Trust bridge. And this is significant because this bridge was built for railroad and there was some bad engineering done on it and when it opened for the first time and the first train went across it, it collapsed. Several lives were lost and of course it was shut down. It eventually was re-opened after a great deal of engineering and repair went into it. While we were there they were doing some more work to it. It looked as though they were refurbishing it, but its hard to tell for sure.

This seal was just chillin. He looked up once......other than that no human was gonna disturb his slumber unless it involved food!

This one was swimming laps, popping his head up ever so often to make sure he still had an audience!

A very small portion of the North Queensferry Heritage Trust bridge

Okay so the thing I forgot to mention above is that on Friday, when we got to Edinburgh and checked into our hotel, we set out to find Rosslyn's Chapel. You know the Chapel that is said to have an underground vault that contains the bodies of the Knights Templar in their full dress armor and the Chapel that Dan Brown says that the Holy Grail is in that same vault. Well we went there. That was pretty interesting to see. Right now they are refurbishing the Chapel so there is lots of scaffolds and such around the Chapel, so its hard to really see the full thing. However you can walk around the scaffolding that's around the roof right now and see it up close. That was really neat. And while you're not allowed to take pictures on the inside of the church, its really amazing. LOTS of carvings, lots of detail and its really a true sign of the age of the Chapel because a lot of it is starting to kind of dwindle away (for lack of better word). I never realized how much carvings were in this church or what they all mean. And they do address Dan Brown's theories in their tour but they simply say that it's rumored that there are several different things in the vault including the dead sea scrolls, the holy grail and the Knights Templar in their dress armour and that the Sinclair's still have full rights of the Chapel and do not want to open the vault and disturb their ancestors. They do however know that when they did a sonar of the underground fault it did in fact show a great deal of metal!

Rosslyn's Chapel

Part of the roof and top of Rosslyn's Chapel

The side of Rosslyn's Chapel and its current entry point into the Chapel

Paris

Paris reminded me of Vegas. Its one of those places that's super neat to visit, lots to see and do, but after 3 or 4 days, you are tired and need to go home just to rest! I'll also apologize in advance as this blog will probably be rather long. You just can't write a short blog about Paris and cover everything! So my apologies for the long blog today!

The intersection near our hotel

So lets get some of the basic information out of the way about Paris. Yes................its all true, everything you've ever heard about Paris, the people, the city............all of it. Yes its dirty! Yes the people are rude and yes some of them stink! BUT its Paris! I mean if for no other reason to visit than just to see Notre Dame, Arc de Triumph and the Louvre....then its well worth putting up with rude Parisians that can be smelly at times and the dirty city. I highly recommend anyone go there at least once in a lifetime if ever given the chance just to see the landmarks of Paris. Its also very expensive, just as people say. So expensive that you should not be shocked to find that you've spent 50 euro on three burgers with fries and three drinks. And just to put it in bigger perspective for my American friends, 50 euro is about $75! Yes......and that's the norm in the city! But some of the food is really quite tasty!
You will also find that if you want to use the restroom, be it to wash your hands or to pee........you'll find that it usually cost you to get in the toilet. The bathroom doors have coin slots on them where you must put in coins in order to open the door. I was blown away by this as you even see pay toilets on the sidewalks that look similar to port a potties, only you have to put coins in the door. I think on average we paid anywhere from 30 pence to 50 pence each to use the loo! And even more astonishing is that we had to even pay when we were paying customers in a restaurant! A restaurant, might I add that we were paying roughly 5 euro for a bottle of water OR a glass of soda! I would think in part its a way to take full advantage of the tourist and also to keep the gypsies from using their bathrooms. There were a lot of gypsies around the tourist spots.

When I always heard that Paris was dirty I had always envisioned that it was gray and dirty with grit and just smog or such. But I got there and it wasn't that way at all. In fact I was quite astonished when I seen Notre Dame for the first time and it was not at all this gray, dark building I had always thought it would be. Much of the city looks clean, from a distance. I would say that the dirty part comes in from the cleanliness of the streets, litter, and just over all filth of the public transportation. You just feel like you need to wash your hands a lot. Oops, but don't forget, it'll cost ya 30 pence to wash your hands before dinner! And if you have to pee........best do so then! LOL

Also don't be surprised to find a few prostitutes along the rail system. We seen a few along our journeys to and from points of interest. However I will say though that the metro/rail system is by far the best way to travel about the city! You'll still walk a bunch, don't get me wrong, as nothing is close to one another as far as points of interest. But buying a two day rail pass with unlimited use was by far one of the best buys we did.

Okay so enough about the low lights of Paris, lets talk about the highlights! Notre Dame is breath taking! At least to me it was. I stepped off the subway, walked up the stairs and there it was! WOW! As I said, I expected this gray cathedral. Jeff's dad told me that when he was visiting Paris about 9 years ago that they were washing it then. Its amazing. Its really amazing that this building still stands today and that it has all the details that it has. The inside is remarkable. I had no idea it was such a big building, both inside and out. Amazing architecture! We got to visit the crypts down under Notre Dame and its basically the base of the old building and things that they excavated. Really neat to see. You can walk up the towers but its all steps, the lines are long and we opted not to walk the steps.

Notre Dame......isn't it beautiful!

A very small part of the inside of Notre Dame

The back of Notre Dame, from the boat

We took a boat tour on the river too, around the city. I got some amazing shots of the Eiffel Tower from the boat and really...........its the best way to see the Eiffel Tower, if you ask me. We did walk up to the tower on our second day there, but it was much better seeing it from the boat. The boat ride was an hour long and we got to see the back of Notre Dame, several parts of the city and the Eiffel Tower. And it was a nice breezy way to relax and spend an hour of time.

The Eiffel Tower. I took this shot from the boat ride

Second day we went straight to the Louvre, first thing in the morning. I was simply blown away by the Louvre as well. Both outside and inside. Its amazing to me that there is so much art inside one HUGE building, so much history! I can't tell you how fantastic some of the statues are, or how neat it is to see the real Mona Lisa in person. To see the detail in the marble statues makes you wonder how on earth they had the tools to do such amazing things back then. And then to see some of the sizes of paintings............I found myself wondering how they were able to paint such detail and maintain a scale of the overall painting when they had to paint on ladders and such. Of course I am a fan of Da Vinci Code, so it was neat to see some of the Louvre in person just for that reason. I could have spent days in the Louvre and still not fully enjoyed it all. But it also goes without saying that after you've been in the Louvre for half of the day, been around all the people, you are ready to leave as well. I seen all the highlights and the things I really wanted to see. We probably covered at least 3/4 of the Louvre, but hardly no time to really stop and appreciate it all. If I ever find myself in Paris again, I will definitely go back, see a little more and pause to enjoy it. If you ever find yourself in Paris, go early to the Louvre.........when its not so crowded and the queues aren't so long!

A very small part of the Louvre from the outside!

Aphrodite aka Venice de Milo

Mona Lisa

Winged Victory of Samothrace

One of the many beautiful ceiling in what use to be Napoleon's home

One of hundreds of incredible statues in the garden of statues at the Louvre

After the Louvre that's when we went to see Eiffel Tower up close and in person. From there we went to see Arc de Triumph. Maybe I'm just a sucker for the architecture and art, but I was far more impressed by everything I seen, than by the Eiffel Tower. Its neat, don't get me wrong, just not as neat to me as Notre Dame or the art in the Louvre or even Arc de Triumph.

Arc de Triumph

The third day we were there we took a tour from Paris to Normandy. Its a long ride out to Normandy, about 3 hours, but its definitely worth seeing. The cemetery is what is the most remarkable thing to see. It puts war in a new perspective, no matter the patriot you are or your core beliefs in war and politics. Its a peaceful, beautiful place, even with all the white grave markers. A must see! And we found out that its US territory. As is Omaha beach where the battle was. Its all very surreal and it really puts the battle of Normandy into perspective for anyone that enjoys history and wants to know more. We seen a few films on the battle, seen the memorials on the beach and had a fantastic lunch at a french B&B.
The ride back was long as well but when we returned we had a nice dinner for our last evening in Paris and turned in a little early.

A very, very small tract of the graves at Normandy!

Part of the cemetery in Normandy

Memorial at Omaha Beach

We had a nice time and it was a fantastic weekend but we seen a lot, walked a lot and we were all tired when we got in the plane Sunday morning to head back to Scotland. So while France is expensive and the people are a bit rude, I highly recommend seeing Paris if ever given a chance. Just go into it with the mind set that you are going to spend an absorbent amount on food and drinks but its Paris...........home of the Louvre, Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triumph and Notre Dame. Those things right there make it worth the visit!

So that's our Paris trip. Hope you enjoy the pictures. I took over 100 pictures in Paris but of course I can't upload them all. Jeff's dad got back on a plane to head home this morning. We were so glad to have him and will miss him. We think he had a pretty good time but figure he'll be happy to see his wife, get some rest from his vacation with us and just be back in the good ole USA. ;)

Fish Festival & Dewar's Distillery

We have had a really nice time and nice weather since Jeff's dad arrived. Its raining today, but I figured it would be a good day to catch up the blog, post a few pictures and do a little laundry.

The first day Jeff's dad was here we took him around Aberdeen a bit but then let him get some rest since he was feeling a little jet lagged. The next day though Charles and I walked up the hill behind the house and to the church across the road from us and looked at the old church and the cemetery and just spent a little time enjoying the wonderful weather we've been having.

On Friday we took him to Dunnottar Castle and explored around there, let him see the sights and snap some pictures for him to share when he gets back home. To get to the castle you have to take a very steep stair climb down to get there and of course you have to take that same steep climb to get back. So he was really feeling the stairs when we finally got back to the car. But he had fun and it was fun for us to get to see the castle again.

Jeff and Charles in front of Dunnattor Castle

After the castle we decided to drive him to Montrose to see the little beach sea side they have there. We got an ice cream cone, looked over the water and just took a little stroll. He and Jeff went down to the water and put their hand in it. We all agree..........MUCH colder than the Gulf of Mexico (or any other water I've put my hand in). Maybe about the same as the Guadalupe River! LOL

Saturday we went to Johnshaven (which is right by the house) and went to their annual Fish Festival. Its much like the funfair Jeff and I went to a few weeks ago but much smaller and it was more about little booths and live bands. We had some Scottish funfair classics though and walked around and enjoyed another wonderful day. We ran into a friend of Jeff's from work and sat and talk to him and his wife for some time. They've been to Texas and actually many places in the States and really enjoy Texas and think the people are just super friendly and kind. So we had a good time talking to them. They invited us over for a beer at their weekend spot and in turn we invited them over for dinner at our place that evening. Jeff and Charles had put on a brisket, so I made some bbq baked beans and grilled some asparagus and we had a nice dinner. Was a good time!

Okay so Sunday we got up and decided to head South and hit the Dewar's Distillery. Wow! That was fun! We had such a good time. We got a deluxe tour, so we got to see the branding centre, tour the distillery and have a sample for 4 of their whiskey's made there. I had no idea Dewar's made a single malt scotch, but they do and its called Aberfeldy. Which Aberfeldy is the town that Dewar's is made in and where the first distillery is. They now have a huge operation in Glasgow and that's where they take the scotch to age. So we took the tour through the branding centre and learned all about the start up of Dewar's and how it became. After we toured the branding centre we sat down to try 4 different tastings. Wow! Okay Jeff and Charles are scotch drinkers..........I, however am not! LOL So needless to say I was a bit overwhelmed with the 4 different tastings. But it was really fun and quite the experience. Then we took the tour of the distillery and got to see how they make Scotch and the process it goes through. Again............Wow! After our tour of the distillery we went back to the coffee shop and had a snack and a cup of coffee. It was so much fun. I had planned for us to do the tour strictly with Charles and Jeff in mind and what they would like. I had no idea how interesting it would be to me and how much fun we'd have. I have to laugh and tell everyone that when we walked up to Dewar's when we first got there you can smell the Scotch! Its this strong aroma that just fills the air. Charles starts singing, "I'm in Heaven............I'm in Heaven". LOL To funny!

Our samples of Dewar's at the Distillery. I couldn't finish mine! LOL

Jeff and Charles in front of the Distillery after the tour. Do they look tipsy? LOL

So we drove back and enjoyed the scenery. Its such a beautiful drive. It skirts around the highlands and its really just beautiful! We stopped on our way there at the River Tay and took a couple of pictures there too. A really pretty bridge too! I just love the architecture around the UK.

The River Tay

The bridge that we crossed at the River Tay

So that's the holiday so far! We are headed to Paris this week. Looking forward to it!