Edinburgh

Another sunny day! Our excursion today was a walking tour of the Royal Mile. We walked a mile just to get to the starting point of our tour, the Mercat cross. It was a market hub, located in the heart of the old town, where announcements were made to the community.

Mercat cross

When Queen Elizabeth died, that was announced from the Merkat Cross. The monument itself, like much of Edinburgh,  is a 19th century replacement of the original 15th century cross. Our tour took us down the Royal Mile and a few side streets, where we learned about Edinburgh and some of its quirks and highlights. We heard about Wynds and Closes, historic, narrow medieval alleyways and passageways in Edinburgh's Old Town that branch off the main Royal Mile, the city's main street. Many if not most are very steep and are stairways: 

Achor Close

There are so many long, steep stairways, it's best to visit Edinburgh prepared and in good shape. It seems like many of the oldest buildings in the city have been replaced with 19th century copies. Edinburgh has placed bronze markers in the road to show where the actual old buildings were. 

We visited St. Giles Cathedral, begun in the 14th century and extended until the early 16th century. Significant alterations were undertaken in the 19th and 20th centuries. The exterior is almost entirely from the 19th century.  There are some interesting modern stained glass in the church, and the 19th century ceiling is beautiful. 

Our tour also took us up to the castle, which dates from the 11th century, and sits high up on a rocky outcropping. Research shows it is one of the most besieged strongholds in the world, with 26 attacks over its history. We can't figure out why. It really looks formidable. Inside the gates, we enjoyed an amazing city view, and visited the great hall which dates from the 16th century. The ceiling is made from oak taken by boat from Norway. It is made without the use of nails and is in the shape of an inverted ship's hull. Beautiful. 

After the tour, we walked over to the Scott Monument, a 200 foot tower that celebrates Sir Walter Scott. It's covered in centuries of soot now, making it look black. In depictions from when it was erected, it was white/light colored. Many/most historic buildings in Scotland are like that.

It's hard not to be impressed with the history of this place, but much of what you see in the city was actually constructed in the 18th to 20th centuries. Buildings have been torn down and replaced, or reconstructed, added to or changed over the years. Even the city's oldest buildings are original in core or foundations only. What you can actually see is newer.

Photos here

The Kelpies and airline issues, September 30, 2026

 We've decided that on any further travel, we'd prefer to stay at B&Bs. It is great to be able to chat with other people and the proprietors. Hotels don't give you that opportunity. The people who run the Spindrift, our accommodations for last night,  are trying to sell it, and move to the States, specifically near Penn Yan, NY, about an hour from Rochester. I thoroughly enjoyed our short stay in this Victorian era home. 

The day started out as expected, rainy, windy, and foggy. But the weather forecasters got it right today, and as we headed toward our first stop, the rain stopped and the clouds

The Kelpies

lifted. We're heading for the Kelpies in Falkirk, 98 foot high steel horse heads to honor Scotland's horse-powered industrial heritage. They're set in a lovely park by a canal.

Today we drop the car back at the rental place. After way too many roundabouts, Ray was happy to do so. We took an Uber from the car rental to our hotel in Edinburgh.

When we got settled in our hotel room, I checked email, to find an ominous one from KLM, our carrier (through Delta). Our flight from Edinburgh to Amsterdam on Friday (2 days away) had been canceled. They would try to rebook us. Try?? For 2 hours, I phoned and chatted online with KLM and Delta to resolve this. I was really surprised that Delta, which normally has fabulous customer service,  said they couldn't do anything to help, even though  the original booking had been made with them. Their suggestion was to speak with KLM. After 2+ hours, I did get an email from KLM with arrangements to fly into London on British Airways, then back to Toronto (from which we had originally flown) on Virgin Atlantic. We're not happy with seat assignments. On the transatlantic flight, we sit in the 2 middle seats of a row of 4. Delta will hear from me. And I want a refund for the premium seats we originally had.

With that situation addressed, we walked down to the Grassmarket, an area of old town Edinburgh filled with shops and restaurants, and had dinner at a brewhouse situated in a former church.

Photos here

Another day that beat expectations

St. Andrews Cathedral 

 I had expected that our walking tour of St Andrews would be golf related. After meeting our genial guide, I realized this would be much more than that. 

St. Andrews is, in fact, the birthplace of golf, but it is so much more. He explained we'd be learning about golf, religion, and education, not necessarily in that order. We started at the Old Course at St. Andrews, the place where the game of golf began. Our guide talked about how it started, some important people in the game, how rules were made, and golf's impact in Scotland. He pointed out the road that traverses the 1st and 18th holes. It was really fascinating hearing the stories and information.  

We moved from there up the hill to a monument that memorializes 4 men who were murdered for their support of Martin Luther. The places where each man was hanged in town are marked on the street with their initials. He explained how the Reformation changed the face of Scotland. 

From there we headed over to the University of St. Andrews, the 3rd oldest university in the English speaking world (after Oxford and Cambridge), founded in the 15th century.  We visited the chapel, and moved among the students (who all looked sooo young!) St Andrews has a normal population of 6,000. When the student are in session it's 16,000.

From there we moved to the cathedral,  built in the 12th century,  that fell into ruin after the Reformation when the Catholic mass was outlawed. Mobs attacked the church and and the interior was destroyed. Townspeople used the remains of the cathedral for building materials. Even in the current state, the ruins are imposing. The original building was 390 feet long.

The Castle, now in ruin, sits at the edge of the North Sea. Our guide told us that the bishop who lived there had one of the 4 Reformation martyrs hanged in a place convenient for him to watch from his window. Not long after, the Protestants came for the bishop and hanged him from his window from one leg and one arm, forming St Andrews cross. (The X-shaped diagonal cross represents the apostle Saint Andrew, who was murdered by crucifixion. According to tradition, Andrew requested to be crucified on an X-shaped

Flag of Scotland 

cross because he felt unworthy to die on the same shape of cross as Jesus Christ.) Legend is that a Scottish king saw an x formation in the clouds before a victorious battle, and he took it as a sign. St Andrew became the patron saint of Scotland and the x (called a saltire) it's emblem.

Great day today! We really enjoyed our walk, even with the wind howling!

Lastly, we headed for our stay tonight at a b and b in Anstruther , a short distance from St Andrews. We were greeted by the proprietors, Jenny and Mark. In conversation,  we discovered that their sons live not far from Rochester, and they spend winters with them. Talk about a small world!

Photos here

An unexpected high point for us

Sun!! All day!! (Mostly) 

Today we headed to Blair Castle in Atholl, south of Pitlochry where we are staying. Blair has 30 of it's 60 rooms open to the public, and sits on 145,700 acres (about 228 square miles). It is an unusual castle, in that all the furnishings, collections, artifacts, decor, is original to the castle. When you see a chair covered with gorgeous needlepoint, the handwork was done by a family member. Furniture is all original, not period pieces or reproductions . The castle itself is the ancestral home of the Murray family, and has been since 1269. Over more than 750 years, the castle has passed through 12 Dukes, and many Marquesses and Earls, all of the Murray clan.

We arrived at an auspicious time, a piper played outside the entrance for 15 minutes, setting the tone for the rest of our self-guided tour. Every one of the 30 rooms open to the public had something fascinating, gorgeous, or wonderful to look at. Docents walked the house, and you could ask questions to get more information. In one room, there was a canopy bed with elaborately embroidered decoration on the canopy and bed covering. The docents pointed out to us that the lady in the painting over the doorway had done the embroidery in 1650.

A hallway was lined on both sides with stag antlers taken by members of the family, with the name of the person and the date taken. We asked about the

Glove storage

function of a particular table, and were shown that the lid lifts up to reveal pockets inside for storing gloves. (Doesn't everyone need lots of glove storage?)

Room ceilings were remarkable, with intricate plaster designs.

The entrance to the castle is surprisingly small, and the entrance hall shows a collection of shields, muskets and swords, some of which were used in the battle of Culloden.

he cabinets in the dining room were made from larch on the estate property.

Views out the windows of the Highlands are spectacular.

The castle's contents tell its story over 750 years, and it was a fascinating one to see. After the tour of the house, we ventured out to explore the grounds. There is a walled garden, the ruins of a church whose site dates back to 1275, the building to the 16th century. An area called Diana's Grove is home to some of the tallest trees in Scotland. A fir tree there is the second largest in Scotland. 

We greatly enjoyed this visit.

We're staying in the village of Pitlochry, population about 2700. It is really charming and clean, and I love the floral displays around town. Most homes and businesses have huge colorful flower baskets out front. I'm not sure if I  like this village because it's beautiful,  or just because I saw it in the sun!

Photos here

Hairy Coos and History , September 27, 2026

We visited an estate in the Highlands yesterday that has been in the same family for almost 500 years. It is located in Cairngorms National Park, where the owners raise Highland cattle, also affectionately known as Hairy coos. The cattle are distinctive for their long shaggy coats and huge horns. We had the opportunity to learn more about their estate, and the cattle themselves, that are prized for the quality of their beef. At retail, Highland cattle beef fetch 20-50% more than, say, Angus beef. Interesting stop. 

 Our next stop was the Highland Folk Museum, with recreations of Highland buildings from the 1700s to the early 1900s. Similar to Sturbridge Village, there are costumed interpreters who explain and demonstrate life in the 1700s.

I asked why the 1700 era houses were thatch, sticks and stone, when wood was used in the US in the same time period. It's because the English took all the timber. They had exhausted their own local wood supplies by the 17th century. and turned to Highland forests to produce charcoal to melt iron ore. Lumber was also constantly required to build and maintain ships for the Royal Navy and the expanding British Empire. Combined with the Jacobite cause, I asked if the Scots had any lingering bad feelings about England, and was told that especially in the Highlands that definitely is the case.

This entire day was spent in the rain, so our rain jackets and umbrellas came in handy. Actually, it's rained nearly every day, some days more than others, but usually in bouts of 20-30 minutes. Yesterday was pretty much an all day event, with occasional downpours. Temps are in the constant 50s. Somewhere along the way, I picked up a cold. That seems to be getting better. Looking forward to a sunny day tomorrow!

Photos here

Culloden

 Our day began at the Culloden battlefield south of Inverness.

The Jacobites (supporters of King James) staged a series of rebellions in Scotland in the 18th century, attempting to overthrow the ruling House of Hanover and restore the Catholic House of Stuart to the British throne. They were encouraged and assisted by Britain’s enemies, who saw their cause as a way of distracting Britain from its military campaigns overseas. Over the years from 1689 to 1746, the Jacobites (which included Scottish Highlanders, Episcopalians, Catholics, and those angry over the 1707 Act of Union joining Scotland and England) fought the British. 

Culloden was the final battle that ended the hopes of Jacobites forever. Around 1,000 to 1,500 Jacobites were killed during the battle itself, with additional hundreds dying of wounds or summary executions in the days and weeks that followed.  Around 50 British forces were killed and roughly 250 to 300 were wounded. The battle itself only took less than an hour, but it changed the course of Scottish history.

We toured the visitor center that laid out the events that led to the battle, and then walked to the place where the Jacobite mass burial took place.

Small monument to clan members that fell here.

No individual monuments were placed at the time, but small inscribed memorial stones were placed around the graves in 1881 by Duncan Forbes to mark where specific clans fell and rest. As a result of the fall of the Jacobites here, the British government dismantled the traditional clan system, banned tartan and Highland dress, and outlawed bagpipes as instruments of war. 

The Gaelic language was pushed out of schools, hundreds of rebels were executed or exiled, and harsh occupying measures reshaped Scottish society.

This was a critical juncture for Scotland.

Nearby, there are 4000 year old cairns, a bronze age cemetery each of which is surrounded by standing stones (thought to be inspiration for Outlander).

Right down the road from that was the Culloden viaduct.  Opened in 1889 and still used today as the main rail link into the Highlands, it has 29 arches.

Lastly on our day's visits was the Catholic church, St Mary's, right on the Ness River. The stained glass is particularly bright and lovely.

Beastie Boat on Loch Ness

The drive from Portree to Inverness was about 3 hours to go 106 miles. The last miles were on single track roads along the east side of Loch Ness. Those single track roads are OK until a bus comes from the opposite direction. All you can do is squeeze as far left as you possibly can, and pray as the bus comes within inches of your car. The added bonus is that the speed limit is 60 mph, and the locals do drive that speed.

Beastie Boats are speed boats that hold 10-12 passengers. It turns out that we were the only people on this excursion. Our driver, Kate, fitted us with life vests, and we came prepared with parkas and rain jackets. Good thing we did. It was cold and the boat went fast. We motored across the Lake to Urquhart Castle, ruins near Inverness. Kate explained a few points about the castle, and on a previous stop, told us more about Loch Ness. It's 22.5 miles long, 1.7 miles wide, the average depth is 433 feet, it's maximum depth is 754 feet. It's very cold.  Kate told us that winter is cold and gray and  the days short, which can be a depressing time. She was shocked when we told her that you won't find peas on an American restaurant menu. They're everywhere here. Apparently, it's a vegetable that grows well in Scotland and they're inexpensive. She explained that there are few, if any, houses around the Loch. The land is government owned. It was wonderful having our own private guide, so we had nice conversations when the boat wasn't speeding along at 30 mph.

It did sprinkle a bit on our trip, but it was mostly cloudy with some sun. It was unusual that we could actually see from one end to the other. Usually clouds and mist obscure the view.

Inverness was our next stop. We walked the city a bit, and stopped to have a cup of tea to warm us up. We were still cold from our speedboat encounter! Finally we checked into our room, a bit on the cold side. It didn't look like the heater was working. So we mentioned it at the front desk, and they brought up a portable heater. 

Out of desperation to have a meal that didn't include french fries (chips) or PEAS, we went to an Italian restaurant for dinner. 

Photos here

Dunvegan Castle, September 24, 2026

Scotland was back to its more recognizable face today: rain.

We had a lovely breakfast where we had a conversation with a woman from Perth who told us she was on a 2 week tour of Scotland with her son. She was a MacLeod and had visited Dunvegan, the ancestral home of the MacLeods and a castle we would be seeing today. She mentioned how significant the castle was to her, and outlined her trip for us. 

Dunvegan Castle

Unfortunately, the rain increased as we approached the castle. But we came prepared with rain jackets, so no big deal. The castle was wonderful, and presented us with so many interesting stories of early Scotland and how Dunvegan fit into it. We learned that the MacLeods originated with the Vikings, that beggars were licensed in early Scotland, that the dungeon was placed near the kitchen so the prisoners would smell the cooking food, that men who wanted to marry had to make a rope and use it to rappel down the cliffs to catch birds to prove they could support a family, and ...so much more. This was a fascinating look at the only Highland fortress to have been continuously occupied by the same family for 800 years. It consists of 41,000 acres!

After our tour, we headed toward Kilt Rock and Meallt Falls, north of Portree along the coast. Kilt Rock is a sheer cliff in the distance from the viewpoint, and Meallt falls tumbles to the sea from the top of another cliff. It was very windy, and pouring rain, so we didn't spend much time there. 

Northern Skye

We decided to tour the northern coast of Skye, the Trotternish Peninsula. It was very scenic, remote, and sparsely populated, and the road was built for one car width, although it accommodates 2 way traffic. That made driving interesting. If a car or truck comes from the opposite direction, one of you has to pull over as far as possible to the left to accommodate the other vehicle. Avoiding the many potholes was part of the drive as well. But it was a beautiful drive. Ray did great!

Back at our hotel later in the day, we had a cup of tea, then went to dinner at a Portree restaurant. It was still raining.

Photos here

Eilean Donan Castle to Skye, September 23, 2026

It was really surprising to wake up yesterday to find the Sun out. We're heading towards Portree with several stops along the way. The moors are beautiful in the sunlight, a completely different mood from their misty, foggy look. 

We stopped at the Commando Memorial, a 17 foot statue dedicated to the men of the original British Commando Forces raised during World War II. The bronze sculpture overlooks the commando training grounds during WW2. Nearby is a separate area where people can leave a memorial for deceased members of their families. I found the memorial area very touching.

We continued along the 2 lane A82, very scenic and in places very winding. We thought it amusing that there were few speed limit signs. The best it got were arrow markings on the road on which the word “SLOW” was printed. How slow? There were also signs that showed that the road was becoming curvy. But how slow is slow enough? How fast can you go on the straighter sections? 

I think we may have passed 2 small towns on the way to Eilean Donan, a castle at the confluence of three sea lochs. The original castle was built in the thirteenth century; it became a stronghold of the Clan Mackenzie and their allies, the Clan MacRae. Since it's roots in the 1200s, it has been built and rebuilt 4 times.

Partially destroyed by the British in 1719 as a response to the Jacobite rebellion and rebuilt in phases over the years, most recently in the early 1900s by a MacRae descendant. There are four generations of the MacRae family past, present and future who are still the Constables of Eilean Donan Castle today. It was interesting to walk the grounds and read about the history that took place there. We were struck by the reverence given to the Scottish warriors over the years, especially for WWI. Since the newest castle renovation was done in 1932, that was completely understandable.

From Eilean Donan, we drove on to Portree, on the north eastern coast of Skye. It has a lovely harbor, and the colored houses along the shore are distinctive. 

At Portree, we checked into our hotel, right on the harbor, and discovered that parking is limited -- extremely limited. There are 10 spaces for 42 rooms. We got directions from the lovely "grandma" at the checkin desk, and set off to try our luck finding somewhere to leave the car for the night. Lo and behold, we got one in the tiny hotel lot, overlooked by others because it was behind the other cars. 

Thank you God, for a sunny day!

Photos here

The Jacobite train through the Highlands, September 22, 2026

 Today's excursion took us for a trip on the Jacobite train, an 84-mile round trip between Fort William and Mallaig in Scotland, famous as the real-life Hogwarts Express from the Harry Potter films. As we left Port William, we were concerned that we'd miss a lot of the Highlands scenery because it was foggy and raining. In fact much of the journey to Mallaig was shrouded in rain and fog. But by the time we arrived there, the rain had stopped and the skies had brightened.  We spent 2 hours in Mallaig browsing the shops

Glenfinnan aqueduct

until the train started on its return trip to Fort William. That was much more rewarding. The moors and mountains of the Highlands now revealed themselves. We were able to get a better view of the Glenfinnan aqueduct over which we had traveled as well. And I learned what the copper colored plants were that covered the landscape: bracken. Bracken are ferns that

See the hiker on the knoll?

spread aggressively. As fall advances, the ferns die back and take on that copper color. It's truly everywhere. 

One fantastic detail to the train trip: As we approached the western end of the train trip in Mallaig, the train rolled by some houses. An older gentleman stood on his doorstep, not far from the train, holding up a sign with large letters that said: HAVE A NICE DAY! He was there on the return trip, waving to passengers with a big smile.

Back at Fort William,  we retired to our (not crazy) hotel and then went to dinner at a local restaurant.  It seems that every Scottish restaurant serves the same stuff: fish and chips, burgers and pizza. There are a few other choices, (I had sea bass for dinner) but those 3 are ubiquitous. 

Another thing of note: pay toilets are popular here. God help you if you REALLY need to use a rest room and don't have change. (That happened to me. )

Photos here

Three Isles tour, September 21, 2026

 We arrived at our hotel in Oban yesterday 45 minutes before check in time, and the desk clerk made us wait those 45 minutes rather than give us the key to access it. It wasn't that the room wasn't ready. But, rules are rules... That should have given us a clue as to what was in store. Constructed about 1895,  the building has a classic Victorian frontage overlooking Argyll Square. It has been renovated over the years,  but apparently not recently.  Maintenance has been spare. The rooms are small, like the beds, US double size. There is no heat control, so all rooms are kept in the mid to upper 70 degree range. There is a window in the room that partially opens, but the drapes prevent ventilation. The floor slopes significantly from one side of the room to another. The elevator (at least it has one), is the slowest I've seen. The hotel overall has a shabby, but clean affect. Thankfully,  breakfast was good, but it starts late, 7:30 am, not great if you need to get an early start on the day. 

At any rate, today we did a lot of traveling. We started at the Oban pier, a short walk from our hotel. There, we took a ferry to the island of Mull and landed at Craignure, where we took a bus tour across the island to Fionnphort, where we boarded a small boat (about 20 people) that took us to the island of Staffa. It's name comes from the Old Norse word for a stave or pillar.  The Vikings gave it the name because its columnar basalt reminded them of their houses, which were constructed using vertical logs. The basalt formations are certainly impressive and are part of the same geologic feature we saw in Northern Ireland at Giant's Causeway. We were supposed to disembark at Staffa, but a storm had

damaged the tour dock, so we idled for a bit around the edge of the island to take pictures, as the seas got progressively more turbulent. It was hard to get good photos standing outside on the deck as the boat was being tossed by the rough sea that was so bad that one of the passengers got seasick. We turned then toward Iona, the third of the Inner Hebrides islands to visit. The seas continued to toss our boat around, lifting us out of our seats more than a few times. That ride was as good as any Disney park ride for thrills!

Around 1200, the sons of Somerled – ‘King of the Isles’ – founded a Benedictine abbey here. Monastic life on Iona ended with the Protestant Reformation of 1560. Augustinian nuns set up a community here in the 1200s as well, and we walked through the ruins of the nunnery. Iona is beautiful and quaint, reminiscent to us of Iceland. We stopped into the currently used parish church and the ancient cemetery that's the reputed final resting place of dozens of early Scottish, Irish, and Norse kings, clan chiefs, and prominent figuresincluding (Macbeth and Duncan). The inscriptions on the graves are now all worn away.

After the Iona visit, we were picked up by a ferry going back to Mull, Fionnphort. At Fionnphort, we boarded the bus to go back to Craignure, a 35 mile ride that takes about an hour and 20 minutes on a single track road. The buses seem to fly down the road, even though there's traffic in the other direction. They pull off (!!) to the side, and the vehicles pass within inches of each other. We were impressed with the driver's skill. 

From Craignure, we took another ferry back to Oban, where we walked to a cool restaurant for dinner, and then back to our crazy hotel.

Photos here

To Oban, September 20, 2026

 

Trossachs National Park 

We packed up after breakfast and set out north out of Glasgow, headed for Oban, on Scotland's west coast. Our route out of the city gave us the opportunity to see more of the non-touristy areas. There were many different ethnic shops along the way. It struck me that there were not many trees in the city, just rows of moldy apartment buildings. I guess that was startling to me who lives in the Rochester area. The buildings were mostly pretty dirty in the residential area we drove through, sooty and grimy. Unlike Ireland (with the exception of Dublin), litter was apparent.

Once we got out of the city, the scenery turned green, reminding us of the northeast US. Our first stop was the quaint town of Luss, along the western shore of Loch Lomond. The flower-lined streets filled with picturesque grey-stone and slate-roofed cottages are charming. One cool hotel, Loch Lomond Arms, caught our attention, as it is covered in deer antlers. 

From Luss, we headed away from Loch Lomond for a longer trip to Oban. This was. lovely country through Trossachs National Park.  Oban is directly on the western coast of Scotland and is a major tourist spot as a source of ferries to the Inner and Outer Hebrides. Our impression of Oban was the same as Glasgow. Most of the buildings need to be washed. Litter is seen on the streets. 

Pictures here

Glasgow, September 19, 2026

 

After a good night's sleep,  a bit of web surfing, and a delightful breakfast buffet at the hotel, we set off by Uber to the Glasgow Cathedral,  Built in the 13th century it is one  of the 2 medieval cathedrals in Scotland to have survived the Reformation virtually intact.  In 1560, the Cardinal fled to Paris and the church was stripped of all its Catholic images and statues. The church walls and columns are covered in soot and grime, but there is one room that has been restored to its former glory. Originally, the walls were limewashed, and brilliant white. Now, they're black. But the wonderful thing about this place were the many stories about the people and how the church developed over those 800 years. I've included some in the photo descriptions. We were struck by the numerous memorials to military men. Loved the story of the well, and the friendliness of the people we met there.

Behind the cathedral and up a hill, Glasgow's cemetery , the Necropolis is reached by a cobbled path, and a short climb. There are tombs of many celebrated Scot authors, scientists, that sit crowded together in rows . You get some great views overlooking the city and cathedral. 

We then took another Uber over to the Kelvingrove Museum, Glasgow's all-in-one Smithsonian. Museum collections include natural history, Egyptian antiquities, design, architecture, medieval arms and armoury, Scottish history and the history of Glasgow. It's owned by the city and is free of charge. One notable exhibit is Salvadore Dali's Christ of St. John of the Cross, that not only displays the painting but explains why Dali painted it (being  so different from his usual style), but also highlights salient points about it. The museum is fabulous, for its collections and it's architecture.  

When we finally departed the museum, it was close to closing time, and we decided to walk the short distance back to our hotel, where we relaxed and then dined in the hotel restaurant. We both enjoyed the beer of the day: Tennant's Lager, Glasgow's own.

Photos  here

To Scotland September 17-18, 2026

 

The day before we were to leave on this trip, I received a message from Delta saying that our flights to Scotland would preclude us traveling by premium select, a class just below business. Not happy, I called Delta, and they obliged by changing us from KLM partner flights to Air France partner flights. That resulted in much more favorable flight times for us. As it was, our flight left Toronto for Paris (way cheaper than Rochester) a half hour late. Since we had to drive the 2 1/2 hours to Toronto, we got there early, and enjoyed the airport lounge for a few hours. 

Our flight to Paris (connecting to Edinburgh), was fine, but most of the in flight entertainment were French movies  with English subtitles. The food was quite good, I thought. Boarding the plane with Air France was a free for all. They had signs for each boarding group by the gate, and rather than instruct people to wait until their group was ready to board,  they allowed everyone to mob the area. It was impossible to tell which line was which, and with 350 people (it was a 777) jockeying for position, it was pretty much a mess. 

The flight from Paris to Edinburgh was uneventful, but with a note for how jammed together the seats were. I've never seen seat rows so close together. 

We were able to get through customs easily, and after a few inquiries,  find the shuttle to the car rental place. There, we thankfully got a complementary upgrade to an SUV. The drive from Edinburgh to Glasgow made us think how much the scenery reminded us of the northeast.

Our hotel is lovely, and the room is huge. It's about the size of our first apartment on Putnam Ave in Cambridge!

March 23, 2026 Casey IL, World's Biggest

As we were passing through Illinois, I glimpsed a sign at the side of the road advertising that the next exit was for Casey, IL, home of the World's Biggest... That's about all I was able to capture as we whizzed by, and we made the quick decision to check it out. At the next exit, we turned in to Casey, IL,  home to many "World's Largest" (verified by Guiness) things: wind chime, car key, mailbox, rocking chair, barber pole, pitchfork and a lot more (WORLD'S LARGEST | BigThingsSmallTown). Each item has scripture engraved or placed on it. There are also a bunch of items that are not necessarily the largest of their kind, but they're very large: antlers, anvil, cactus, glider plane...(BIG THINGS | BigThingsSmallTown)  This was a really cool find! I particularly liked the Mailbox, and the fact that each item has a Bible inscription associated with it. The town itself is lovely.

Here's the interesting story of how it all began: https://youtu.be/nK4SRBpTXOU?si=cmMmKVbod7xmBLA0

Uranus (not the planet)

 In 2015, Louie Keen wanted to create a roadside destination that captured the spirit of old-school Americana: fun, family, and a good laugh. What began as a quirky pit stop for travelers has grown into a full-blown attraction in St. Robert, MO. He now has 3 locations, including 2 in Indiana. The first sits on Route 66. The billboard on I44 was enough to pique our interest: 

That was after a billboard that touted "The best fudge comes from Uranus."

We pulled off the interstate, and made the stop on Route 66. It did not disappoint. It's somewhat recalls South of the Border, but is funnier. It actually is a Fudge Factory and Louie Keen built his business around one joke and a good product. There's a large store, mini golf, ice cream shop and other buildings that mimic a town. In around the store, a song plays that touts Uranus (too funny). The photos (https://photos.app.goo.gl/jJkcMnQdUYPpCMdt8) will give you an idea of the humor. Make sure you read the signs, labels, and inscriptions. 

We had ice cream (handmade here) and checked out the Guiness record belt buckle. 

Fun stop. Tomorrow we'll end up in Columbus, OH.

Cattle stink, lava , and more March 21, 2026

After almost 3 months away, we're heading home, 2252 miles and 8 states, driving 7-8 hour days, our stops are Albuquerque,  Oklahoma City,  St. Louis,  and Columbus, OH. Today could have been really boring, as we  passed through New Mexico, northern Texas, and western Oklahoma.  But it turned out to be both good and bad interesting.  

The bad? We encountered at least 6 objects on the road that Google warned us about. Of course when you have no idea where or what lane the object is in, it makes things interesting.  Most were large pieces of tire. There was a tandem instance when a large metal chunk was followed by a large pipe. At 80 mph (speed limit 75), that makes for a situation that begs for alert driving.

Somewhere around Amarillo, we passed a huge cattle stockyard with literally thousands of cattle. Before you see them, you smell them. I read that in this area there are dozens of feedlots, that hold Texas Panhandle’s massive, concentrated cattle-feeding industry. This area hosts nearly 2.5 million head in feedlots, with individual, large-scale feedyards often holding 20,000 to over 100,000 head at a time. The smell was so incredibly bad that I wondered how the paint on the car could hold up passing through. It took several miles for the stink to dissipate in the car.

The good: Along our way on I40, we passed the Leaning Tower of Texas, and discovered it has a pretty cool story: https://texashighways.com/travel/roadside-oddity-the-leaning-tower-of-texas-britten/

Extensive lava fields line the edges of I40 near Grant's, NM, part of the Mal Pais National Monument. 

The Peace Garden of All Faiths,  is a unique, roadside attraction in Amarillo featuring plaques, memorials, and a large peace sign.  https://www.facebook.com/peacegardenoffaith

Not far from the Leaning Tower is the Cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ ( in Groom, TX) erected by the Ministries of the same name. It is a 190-foot-tall, 1,250-ton free-standing cross monument that can be seen from 20 miles away.

In addition to all this, we saw lots of scrub land, goats keeping brush down on the edge of the highway, motionless windmills, and some later that were moving, and places where semi trucks (sans trailers) were lined up in fields along the Interstate. 

It really was an interesting ride. Tomorrow we head to St. Louis.

Loved NZ, and here are the reasons

This was a really special trip for us. Our first trip, even before we were married, was hitchhiking around Europe for months. We stayed in a small tent, and ate what we could buy in grocery stores. It was awesome. Our next big trip was a few years later, in 1975, when  we took our 74 Volks bug cross country for 6 weeks or so. We started by using the same tent we used in Europe, and then upgraded in Denver to a huge tent you could actually sit up in. At various times over the years, we've traveled with an 8 x 10 tent, a pop-up tent, a 19-foot hard sided trailer, a 35 foot class A motorhome, and a 28 foot motorhome. We've "moteled" it too. Usually we try to get our biggest bang for our buck, and save money where we can. 

This trip was a relatively last- minute choice for us, and as with most travel decisions we've made, settled on with little discussion. (Hey--you want to go to "fill in the blank"? Yeah, that'd be cool) What made it unique for us was that we decided to travel first class.

And rather than make all the accomodation and excursion reservations ourselves (aka me), we chose to have a tour company arrange everything: hotels, activities, transfers, travel methods. All we had to do was show up ( and pay the tour company).

So what we got was a fantastic trip in luxurious style, with activities that we loved. 

In these 3 weeks, we learned a lot about NZ , its culture, its plants, it's land, it's customs, and came away with a great deal of respect for this special place. If it weren't so far away from friends and family, and if I were looking for another country to live in, I would choose NZ. But I love the US -passionately, I couldn't be away from those I love, and I can't see myself ever leaving.

Along the way,  we had these minor observations about NZ:

• There are very few public waste receptacles in towns and cities. Yet the country is refreshingly clean. Even in Auckland, a city of 1.7MM people, there's no litter on the streets. Glorious!
• There are sheep everywhere. There are 4 sheep for every person in the country.
• In hotels, they give you 1 hand towel and 2 bath towels.
• In hotel rooms, they place 1 miniscule waste basket in the room.
• There is no tipping in restaurants. In casual restaurants,  you enter, check out the menu, and order and pay. Your food is delivered, you eat, then leave when you're done.
• Prices in the grocery store are reasonable.
• In summer (our only experience here), there are lots of tour busses and camper vans on the road.
• Other than sand flies, there are really not a lot of biting bugs here, even in the rainforest. But the sand flies are the equivalent of NH black flies, biting and itchy.
• Gas stations don't have trash receptacles or windshield wash cleaner or squeegee. 
• There are many one lane bridges. You may be driving on a 2 lane road at 60 mph, then find a one lane bridge ahead that requires you to stop and wait for a car coming in the opposite direction.
  
• Chinese tourists seem to make up over half the population.  We happened to be here during Chinese New Year, and I expect that made a difference. 
• There are signs along major road that warn: "Take care, Accident Black Spot"

Last full day in NZ, a different kind of garden,, February 27, 2026

 We got up late and had a wonderful breakfast of pancakes layered with banana and bacon, and topped with mascarpone and blueberry compote. Mmmm. A good part of our enjoyment of this trip has been the places we've stayed and the restaurants we've visited.

Today we drove an hour and a half north to Hamilton Gardens, an unusual grouping of 18 unique gardens. It's usually described as a botanical garden, but  it doesn't technically qualify as a botanical garden. Instead, it has separate gardens representing the art, beliefs, lifestyles and traditions of different civilisations or historical garden styles. Each garden is set off in its own space. 

There were the Italian, Egyptian, English, Surreal, Indian, Modern gardens and more. It's a quiet and relaxing place. We particularly enjoyed the Surreal Garden and the English gardens.

Hours later, we decided to head to Auckland, our final stop, where we will fly back to Phoenix tomorrow. We are staying at a hotel close to the airport to minimize the time to return the car, and avoid traffic. The drive north to Auckland was nasty, and punctuated with times of bumper to bumper traffic due to break downs or accidents. Google routed us around a 20 minute slowdown through some hilly, narrow roads. Kudos to Ray! That was the highlight of the drive back!

Photos here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/QaS2DMC1HekMgJWv5

Walk in the treetops and a micro- Yellowstone, February 26, 2026

Before we set out for the day, we walked around the property of our hotel. They have decorated it with various pieces of interesting modern art, and some cages of parrots. One of the art pieces is a big pink bunny rear sticking out of the ground. It's a quirky, but elegant little place (12 rooms) with superb service. The concierge carried our bags up to our room (there's no elevator).

We went for a different kind of forest walk this morning.  Instead of walking on the forest floor, we were high above it among redwoods, on suspended bridges and platforms that have been designed to protect the trees. The trees themselves are about 250 feet tall, and 150 years old. Redwoods were introduced to New Zealand around 1901 in Rotorua as a government-led experiment to test the viability of fast-growing, high-quality exotic timber species. They were planted to replace rapidly depleted native forests and to assess their suitability for commercial forestry. Due to the rich soil, favorable climate,  and high rainfall, the trees grew faster in NZ than in their native California, reaching heights of 230 feet in just 100 years.

We thought it interesting that NZ and California are equidistant from the equator, one north , one south, and both provide favorable growing conditions for these trees. We enjoyed reading the information provided on the walk about these trees and the construction of the cabling. Great care was taken to protect the trees. 

I was surprised that they did not take care to highlight the difference between redwoods and giant sequoias, seeming to equate the 2 species. Redwoods are taller and thinner and grow on the coast. Sequoia are massive and grow at high elevations. They had a display showing information and a giant sequoia slice without mentioning and difference between the 2 species. At any rate, it was a cool experience.

We then headed south to the thermal area called Wai o Tapu. As we discovered, it's a micro-Yellowstone thermal display. They have bubbling pools, fumaroles, boiling water bubbling out of the earth and more, on a 1/10th scale to Yellowstone. Having been to Yellowstone several times, we enjoyed the walk, but were less than impressed.

By late afternoon, we drove back to Rotorua and checked out the restaurant scene there. There is a street called Eat Street lined with restaurants. Near there, we chose a little cafe for dinner. What a find-- the food was fresh, locally sourced (although I suppose they all are out of necessity), and delicious.

Pictures here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/LZiLyGncH71P8V8w5