Another long entry... Atlantic coast day!

Hi Max and Everyone!

 

We got to sleep in a bit today... this whole jet lag thing is hard to get over!  Heather and I both woke up by about 8:15, and headed downstairs.  Jamie and Catherine decided that it would be best to delay going out for the day until 10:30 or so, because we were going to head through Glasgow, and wanted to avoid the traffic.  So, Catherine and Heather and I went to a supermarket type store about a mile from their house.  Heath and I had actually walked down there last night about 10:30PM (It was very safe, Mom, well lit the whole way... Alloa is a pretty safe place, everyone knows everyone else).  They also have clothes... and a lot of the clothes were marked down 75%!  Heather ended up finding a swimsuit for about £4.00, which is somewhere around $7.00 or $8.00, so she was happy!  I don't want to have to pack anything else around with me!

 

We headed out for Glasgow and the west coast by 11ish.  We stopped at the Glasgow Ranger's Futbol (soccer) stadium.  I have been wearing their emblem around my neck for 2 and a half years, and I finally got to see the outside of the stadium... let me tell you, it is HUGE!  Jamie said that 52,000 people can fit in it, and every week 52,000 tickets are sold during futbol season.  We drove through some of Glasgow, but didn't stop otherwise, so then we headed on out the coast.  I ended up sleeping for about an hour - the scenery was beautiful, though, what I saw when I cracked my eyes open.  There are a lot more trees on the west side than there are in Stirling, and it looks more like a cross between home and Hawaii.

 

We drove through Ayr, the home of Robert Burns, and then checked out the Electric Brae.  The Electric Brae is a stretch of road in the countryside that is on a hill.  It is about 1/4 of a mile long, and the way we were coming, we appeared to be going down a hill when we came around a bend.  The hill isn't terribly steep, but there is a definite incline.  However, it is an optical illusion!  There IS a hill, of course, however, rather than going down hill, we were actually going up!  I wouldn't have believed my eyes - it was really weird! - but Jamie put the car in neutral on the hill, and we started rolling backward "uphill"...  Too cool!

 

The Electric Brae is in the hillside overlooking the west coast (Atlantic Ocean), so we headed down a very narrow, windy road (remember going to that little black-sand beach/cove in Hawaii, Max?  That is what it reminded me of) to get to the beach.  The weather was just lovely, in the mid 90s, I think, so we had a picnic lunch on the beach.  I, of course, had to go wading!  So Heather and I headed out and got our feet wet (it was a wee bit cold!) and took pictures.  Jamie hauled the futbol out, so we kicked it around a bit, then packed up and headed for Culzeal Palace.

 

Culzeal Palace is GORGEOUS!  It is a beautiful palace that overlooks the coast - set almost on a cliff.  Everything is decorated and set up in late 1700s, early 1800s style - complete with furnature and fake food and everything!  The first room we entered, Max, was the armory, and it is a room set up with tons of swords, daggers, guns, and small cannons around it.  The swords and daggers and guns are all hung in patterns on the walls - it was VERY cool!  You would have loved it, bro!  I can't begin to describe the splendor and riches that graced the building....  An oval spiral staircase, rich paintings, drawing rooms, dining rooms, bedrooms, and an absolutely STUNNING view of the ocean!  It was simply amazing!!!  (we bought a magnet, Mom!)

 

We headed home after that, catching an ice cream cone on the way.  They serve "99s" here, which are ice cream cones with this chocolate stick (made of flakes of chocolate) stuck into the top of it.  Jamie was determined that we would try it, and we did, and it was really good!

 

BBQ for dinner, then Heather and I went for a brisk walk/jog to try to burn off some of the treats we've been eating!  They introduced us to "tablets" (a carmel-y tasting square, about the size of a brownie - that has to be almost straight brown sugar and butter!) and "flying saucers" (well, Heather likes these, I'm not crazy about them... they are shaped like UFO flying saucers, about 2 inches across, made with rice paper that resembles the texture of styrofoam, and filled with "sherbet": ie: pixie dust sugary stuff).  Jamie came out and met us (we sort of got lost last night on our way home from the walk, and he didn't want that to happen again!) and we went to visit is aunt.

 

Now we've finished laundry, and I need to pack and get some sleep.  We leave for the airport at 7:45 tomorrow am, and we'll be flying to Germany.

 

Love you (Max) and all!

Dani

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We arrived (Comes before Spiral Staircase)

Hello Dad and All!

I'm writing from Sarah's room near Stirling Scotland. Heather and I arrived safe and sound... We left our house at 11:30 on Sunday morning, arrived at the SeaTac airport at 1:30, and our flight was to take off at 3:30. We had a slight adrenaline rush when we realized that our gate had been changed about 20 minutes before boarding closed... to a terminal at the far end! We briskly walked (maintaining dignity!!!) to the terminal and managed to catch the plane - after they paged "Shulke, party of two, this is your last boarding call" or something! But then the plane had to be re-fueled anyhow, so we sat on the plane for 40 minutes! We flew to Vancouver, BC, and had a short layover before leaving at 6:30 and flying over the pole to London. I forget how long the flight is until you're in the middle of it! We tried to sleep.... tried being the key word. It never got dark, of course, because we were near the North pole, and my seat didn't recline (we were in the very LAST row on a crowded plane), so I think the last 3 hours were the hardest.

We landed at Heathrow early, because we actually made time on the flight over, so then we had a 4 and a half hour layover to wait through. We reclaimed our luggage and got it checked on the next flight, then found a bench to crash on and read a bit. Our flight to Edinburgh was delayed because a whole group of Spanish women were delayed on a connecting flight, so we waited for them.... then waited for their luggage to be loaded.... then waited for the engines to be checked before we finally took off. By this time, it had been about 25 hours since we'd slept, so everything started to be funny! (Always a dangerous thing when it is the two of us!)

Jamie and Catherine met us at the airport - Jamie in his kilt - and we picked up our two (small) bags and took off for Stirling. On the way we sung by a Castle to take some pictures.

I had forgot how beautiful the countryside is. Stirling is in a valley, surrounded by tall hills. There aren't many trees on the hills, so they seem exposed and rugged. Soem beautiful purple flowers are in bloom all over the place, which make a nice contrast to the green grass and grey rocks. White sheep dot the landscape, and, of course my favorite, highland cows add a touch of tannish brown to everything. Many of the homes are either rock or a cement/stucco looking type with tiles roofs.

K, we're off to see the Wallace monument and Stirling Castle, so I'll sign off, but know that the weather is beautiful (well, overcast but warm at the moment) and we're having a wonderful time so far!

Love,
Dani (and Heather)

Spiral Staircases and other adventures of the day

Hello Grandma Jean and Everyone!

We just got home from a busy day of touring... We started out by climbing to the top of the William Wallace monument. Do you remember it, Grandma? It is a beautiful column-type building, at the top of a hill we hiked (we drove up in a van last time :-) ) A spiral staircase goes up and up and up, and we stopped at each of the three levels that contain a display on Scottish History. Heather and I stopped and posed by the William Wallace Sword that I took a photo by three years ago. The viewing platform at the top was closed for maintenance, which I was bummed about, but such is life. Then we headed over to the Stirling Castle. Stirling Castle was one of the royal residences for the Stewart family - ie many of the James's and Mary, Queen of Scots. The castle is being restored, tapestries are being made, and displays will be set up... by 2010, so I'll have to come back! It is a cool castle, but very crowded... and lots of spiral stairs to climb! By the time we finished up there, we were all hungry, and Heather and I were starting to get that glazed over look that was so common last night!  Jamie suggested we get some lunch and take a wee nap before continuing any more touring, so we headed back to their house, ate some lunch, and slept for an hour.

We were back out driving to Linlithgrow (sp?) castle by 4ish.  What a cool castle!  The place was practically deserted, but it was very well kept up, and we had two girls give us a tour (they were the appointed tour guides, I guess!).  They did a pretty good job of explaining each room, despite the fact that both were rather shy and quiet.  Once again, we climbed many spiral staircases.  :-)  This castle was set up more like a fairy-tale castle, complete with a large courtyard in the middle of the square building, and a huge fountain (that according to the girls would flow red wine on special occasions).  Everything was built around the courtyard, so the windows faced in towards each other (or out, of course, towards any potential attackers).  Linlithgrow was were Mary, Queen of Scots was born, by the way. Surrounding the castle - which is situated on a hill like almost all the castles around here! - is a rolling green with manicured grass, and then a man-made lake lies at the base of the hill that the castle is on. Many swans live by the water, and it makes a beautiful park with the grassy hill, the lake, and the castle. We spent a long while wondering around.  We even got to climb to the top of one of the towers in the castle, where (as the story goes) one of the queens would sit waiting for her husband to come home from battle. One day, a lone horseman came riding in, and she thought it was her king, so she eagerly went down to greet him. Unfortunately, it was a messenger coming to tell her that the king had been killed in the battle. So she ordered her servants to not deliver her any food or water, and she climbed back up into her tower and died of lack of food, water, and a broken heart... Tragic!

Then we headed back to Stirling Castle to watch some traditional Highland Dancing. It was a dance studio, of sorts, that brought a bunch of their students to the castle green to perform. The girls ranged in age from 4 or 5 years old, up to an advanced student probably around 13 or 14. I don't know how much Heather enjoyed the dancing - she said something about them all starting to look and sound the same after the first two! - but I thought it was very cool. Getting to hear the bagpipe played for an hour straight was wonderful too! And the girls in their little Scottish kilts and vests and plaid socks... it was very "Scottish" feeling :-).

Then, we started back for home for dinner, but on the way Jamie surprised me by pulling over to the side of the highway. It was a fairly straight stretch of land, with not too many cars, and he stopped the car. "OK, Dani, it's your turn to drive!" He said. So, I got to drive the rest of the way home. He has a manual 5 speed car, (very nice!) so that wasn't terribly different, but, of course, the steering wheel is on the right side of the car, and you drive on the left side of the road, and I had to shift with my left hand, which was weird feeling. I don't think I have the roundabout etiquette down, yet (when, exactly DO you turn your blinker on? And what lane ARE you supposed to be in?) but since hardly anybody was out driving, it wasn't too bad. Jamie handled it well, too... My hands were sweating like crazy, but he remained calm the whole time!

So we arrived home safe and sound, and now dinner is being made, so I better head downstairs and go visit for a bit. Talk to you all (Grandma and everyone else!) later!