The Midlife Reframe

Tag: grad trip

  • Scotland: The End

    The trip of a lifetime.

    Our whole time in Scotland was like a dream.

    Then I got sick, lol.

    This meant some shuffling around of activities, but we had a complete blast the last few days out and about in Edinburgh.

    We took one beautiful day and did some walking tours.

    Our first tour was through a part of the Underground South Bridge Vaults in Edinburgh with Auld Reekie Tours.  These vaults date back to 1700.  They were used as living quarters, brothels and bars over the years.  They were also used for “black magic” and a local coven set up a temple in one of the vaults to banish the negative energy.

    These vaults are creepy, that’s for sure.

    The Wiccan Temple
    Outside the vault entrance of the Wiccan Temple
    The cursed stone circle
    Looking out of the vault

    After being creeped out by the most excellent tour guide, we bummed around town a bit before our evening walking tour.

    We checked out Holyrood, Arthur’s Seat, Scottish Parliament and of course we had burgers, lol.

    Loved all the little “secret streets” off the Royal Mile
    One of the quotes on the wall down to the Scottish Parliament
    Arthur’s Seat

    Side Gate at Holyrood
    Scottish Parliament
    Entrance to Holyrood
    Tea with the Queen anyone?
    You can see the Abbey in the back

    Back up the Royal Mile
    The Heart of Lothian (you spit on this…for real)
    St. Giles Cathedral

    Our evening tour was one of the free walking tours held by SANDEMANs.  We chose this Dark Side tour to hear more about Edinburgh’s creepy history.  Our guide was awesome.  He was really funny and gave us multiple opportunities to stop and take pics along the way.  The most amazing views were from Calton Hill.  Calton Hill is the home of the National Monument and Nelson’s Monument.

    Nelson’s Monument

    The National Monument (also known as the National Shame)

    Going down Jacob’s Ladder (they moved coffins up and down these stairs)

    Walking Tours are a great way to learn about the city and the guides are great for giving you tips and tricks for food and attractions.

    We were lucky enough to be staying close to the Edinburgh Zoo, so our next day was spent with the animals, after some food at the Cocobean Cafe.  We were lucky enough to see one of the pandas 🙂

    YUM

    Meerkats
    Red Panda

    Sleepy Tiger
    Kangarooooooooos
    Rhino

    Heeeeeeeeeey

    Hi Panda!
    Bye Panda!

    Our last day of running around Edinburgh was spent in town gathering goodies to take home and making sure TeenThing had motion sickness meds, as the plane ride over was not fun for her.

    So, before we packed it in, we had to go to The Scotch Whisky Experience!  We did the Silver Tour and had a great time.  I wish I had gotten a video of TeenThing’s face when she tasted her whisky, lol.  The tour ended in the largest whisky collection (3,384 unopened bottles of whisky).  It was amazing.

    Off in a barrel we go!

    I am so sick in this picture, lol.

    We both chose to taste whiskey from the Speyside region
    The walls were alllllll bottles

    The oldest whiskey in the collection
    The man who donated the 3,000+ bottles

    Our Sunday was spent resting and getting ready to head home to Nova Scotia.  We had to be in bed early to get up at 4:00 so we could grab the bus into the Glasgow Airport.

    On our way, we talked about “the next time we visit”, and I sure hope we do get over again.  I am in love with Scotland!

    Thanks for coming along with me on our little adventure.

    Bye bye Edinburgh. Until we meet again.

    @crazymamaruns

  • Scotland Adventure Part 4: Western Highlands

    Oh, the Highlands of Scotland.

    Just a taste of what we were about to enter.

    To really see Scotland we would have to have spent at least a month.  To see just a small part of the Highlands in the time that we did has a tease really.

    It just makes us want to go back for more!

    We did a day tour with Rabbie’s to explore the Western Highlands.  Our tour guide was Fran. She was AWESOME.

    We began our trip from Princes Street in Edinburgh and did the round of introductions on the bus.  Fran talked about the lowlands and highlands and spoke of the three bridges, the Kelpies, and what our trip would entail for the day.  The weather wasn’t super, but TeenThing and I were pretty pumped, so weather be damned!!

    Our entrance into the Highlands started once we entered Callander, the Gateway to the Highlands.

    Our first stop was at Loch Lubnaig (pronounced Loch Awe).

    What a beautiful start to the Highlands.

    You could camp along here. There was a nice little spot to grab a snack.

    It was raining right before we got off the bus.  But once we got out to explore it started to clear up!

    We gathered our snacks and hopped back on the bus.  If this was just the beginning we couldn’t wait to see what was in store for us 🙂

    That also meant: Castles!!

    Our first Castle was Doune Castle.  We did the audio tour here.  You could listen to audio specifically for Monty Python (Terry Jones) and Outlander (Sam Heughan).  It was super fun.  We had a blast here.

    I still wonder how they maneuvered those turrets.  TIGHT FIT!

    Doune Castle: Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Castle Leoch (Outlander) and Winterfell (Game of Thrones)

    All of the delicate furniture had thistles on them to deter people from sitting.

    Our next stop was further up in the Highlands at Kilchurn Castle, built in the mid-1400s (Clan Campbell).  I’ll show you the pictures and THEN tell the story, lol.

    Kilchurn from afar.
    Aaaaaaand a little closer.
    And there it is 🙂
    Now for the story.

    So, as you can tell from the first pic, this is quite a distance from the road.  We all hopped off the bus and started making our way through the “field”.

    It was a bog.

    Once another passenger and I sunk a little bit (mid calf), everyone else pulled back.

    NOT ME.  This was the first castle built by the Campbell Clan.  My Nanny was a Campbell.  I WAS GETTING THIS PICTURE DAMMIT.

    So, off through the bog I ran.  Got down to the Loch and ran into a lovely man fishing on the shore.  I took my pictures, cleaned myself up a bit in the loch, turned around and went back into the bog, this time keeping to the other side which was more water than mud.

    I got to the road and Fran was like “Yes!!! I knew you were going to keep going!”

    Rock. Star.

    Our next stop was Inveraray.  What a beautiful little spot.  There was also another castle.

    Inveraray Castle (Clan Campbell since the 18th century).

    If you watch Downton Abbey, this was the Castle they visited in Christmas 2012 episode.  We didn’t go into this Castle, instead choosing to go into Inveraray and have a bite to eat at Brambles 🙂

    A gorgeous little spot.
    Loch Fyne

    Some Scottish beer 🙂
    This burger was AMAZING!

    With our bellies full and treats bought at the little candy store, we were ready to get moving!

    We drove through some amazing scenery.  My GoPro died early (wah) so I was unable to get some good video of the area.

    One of the most amazing spots of the day was the Rest and Be Thankful Pass.

    I can’t even explain how beautiful this place was.
    Cheeeeeeeese!
    So many teeny tiny cars.

    We were able to take some time here and really soak up the atmosphere.

    Our next stop:   Loch Lomond.

    O ye’ll tak’ the high road, and I’ll tak’ the low road,
    And I’ll be in Scotland a’fore ye,
    But me and my true love will never meet again,
    On the bonnie, bonnie banks o’ Loch Lomond.

    So beautiful.  I could have sat here forever.

    But Fran wouldn’t leave without us, lol.

    It was time to load up and head back.  All the sads 😦

    We were very lucky to stop and see Stirling Castle, some hairy coos and the Kelpies on our way back to Edinburgh.

    Stirling Castle
    Highland Cows (Hairy Coos)

    The Kelpies

    This was our FAVOURITE road trip.

    The beauty of the Highlands is something to see.

    I want to go back and just experience the Highlands next time!

    It was fairly late when we arrive back into Edinburgh.  There was a concert at the National Gallery, so we checked that out before grabbing a bite and getting back to our rental.

    Evening Concert

    Come back next week for Walking Tours of Edinburgh and our trip to the Edinburgh Zoo!

    @crazymamaruns

  • Scotland Adventure Part 3 (#2): When TeenThing Got Sick

    TeenThing was a trooper. Even with the head cold.

    Usually it’s me.  I either get the head cold at the end of a trip, or right when I get back (Spoiler:  I got sick too, lol).

    It was TeenThing’s turn this time.  The first day she really started feeling it was a gorgeous sunny day.  I really didn’t want to stay inside all day, so after popping down to the pharmacy and gathering an arsenal of cold meds, I hoofed it back to the house and suggested a walk along the Water of Leith Walkway.

    Once she was sufficiently medicated and fed, we began our journey.  It was a 10 minute walk to the spot where we could hop on, so enough time for us to see if TeenThing was really up for the trek.

    She was 🙂

    What a hidden gem!  This is a definite must do if you ever get to Edinburgh.  We walked to Dean Village and back, took us about 2 hours.

    Murrayfield Stadium. No games while we were there, booo.

    Here we go!
    “Mom, take a picture of me!”

    Dean Village

    There she goes.
    Another serious “trip selfie”.

    So pretty

    Could have walked for hours. So beautiful.

    We could have walked further, but we didn’t pack snacks (oooops).

    The next day was cloudy and cool.  TeenThing was feeling a little rough, but she agreed to a trip into town to check out the National Gallery.

    Rooms and rooms of art.  So many serious people in there sitting and staring at all of the paintings and sculptures.

    We wandered and took in all of the art.  Some of the paintings were HUGE.  It was difficult getting photos.

    The Campbell Sisters

    So serious in here….
    Man with Jawbone (this is the title, seriously)
    Cain and Abel

    Creepy Chair
    Creepy Monk Statues
    More subtle “trip selfie”, lol.

    I was glad I didn’t have our time in Scotland fully planned, as it was good to have some downtime for TeenThing to get better.  It was nice to have a couple of low key days.

    After we had spent our time exploring the Gallery, we took the tram back to the house where we chilled for the rest of the day.

    By the time our next adventure rolled around, TeenThing was feeling better 🙂

    Coming up:  Western Highlands!

    @crazymamaruns

  • Scotland Adventure Part 3: OUTLANDER!

    Lallybroch (Midhope Castle)

    I am an Outlander fan.

    Since we were in Scotland, I could not pass up a tour to some of the Outlander locations!!

    TeenThing and I hauled butt out of bed early one morning and got to the Royal Mile to take The Outlander Palaces, & Jacobites Experience Tour with Timberbush Tours.

    This was a nice small group tour with like minded Outlander fans.  It made for a really great day!

    We started our tour with the drive to Midhope Castle.  This property has ties to Hopetoun House, which you will see later in this post.

    Midhope was the setting for Lallybroch.  It is very run down, which is unfortunate as it is hauntingly beautiful walking up the dirt road.  We took a few pictures here (and yay for fun travel mates who take pics for you!).

    Waiting for Jamie 😉
    At the entrance. Let us in Jenny!

    The small area where we parked was also used in filming as the spot where Claire first met Captain Randall, right before she was taken away by the Scots.

    After we all scampered around in the woods, it was time to get in the bus and head to Blackness Castle, the setting for Fort William.

    Blackness Castle – The “Ship That Never Sailed”

     

    The scene of Captain Randall’s flogging of Jamie.

     

    Inside – Amazing.

     

    Walking around the Castle.

     

    No fun was had at this location.

    After a snack grab, it was time to head to Linlithgow Palace, the setting for Wentworth Prison!

    Linlithgow Palace was also the birthplace of Mary Queen of Scots.  It is a gorgeous castle.  We checked out the spots used for the prison scenes and then took a guided tour.

    Yep, that is prison like.

     

    The Kirk. There was a funeral being held that day, so we were unable to go inside.

    You can see where the roof and floors were.
    TeenThing gets the photo cred here.

    The wine cellar was built with grave stones. This one was accidentally left facing out. Ooops!

     

    The Loch.

     

    Mary Queen of Scots

    I could have stayed here for hours.  The castle is amazing.

    Our next stop, Callendar House.  The location was used as the Duke of Sandringham’s kitchen in Season Two.  It has also hosted Bonnie Prince Charlie and Mary Queen of Scots.

    This was a really neat stop. This room was our only area to tour. We had a great time in here though!

     

    Gorgeous from the outside!

    We had a few minutes here to enjoy the grounds.  It was super pretty here.

    Our next stop – Culross.  Used many times in Outlander.  The Mercat Cross area was used as Cranesmuir, while the Palace had many rooms used in the series as well.  The garden in back was used as Claire’s herb garden at Leoch.  (Side Note:  TeenThing was THRILLED to learn that Culross was also used as a location while filming Captain America, lol.)

    A lot of the houses were painted grey or white during filming. This is such a cute little village.

    A dram in Geillis’ parlour anyone?

     

    Claire’s Herb Garden

    Culross Palace

    We had lunch in Culross and ate at a super cute spot called Biscuit Cafe.  We had awesome sandwiches and some hot bevvies 🙂

    Loved this little spot!
    Yum!
    This sandwich – the bombdotcom.

    After lunch we hopped on the bus to head to Hopetoun House.  This location was used as the home of the Duke of Sandringham. Two rooms upstairs were used as Claire’s rooms in France, and they also used a small area to the side to film where Claire and Mary were attacked.

    But first……standing stones!!!

    No touchy, lol.

    Hopetoun House is AMAZING.  It is Scotland’s largest home.  It was host to a wedding while we were there.  The staff here are wonderful.

    This is the back of Hopetoun, where they filmed Jamie’s arrival to see the Duke. The duel was also filmed in the back yard as well.

     

    The “back yard”.

     

    Claire’s room in France.

    Where Claire sat with the Duke asking for Jamie’s pardon.

    I walked forever to get this shot, lol.

     

    Part of the side of the estate where other filming was done (attack on Claire and Mary)

    No serious selfies here.

     

    You can see the “Three Bridges” from here.

    We had lots of time here to look around and take everything in.  The house is absolutely beautiful.  The perfect spot to end our Outlander experience.

    After all this excitement, we piled into the bus and head back into Edinburgh to the Royal Mile.  We grabbed food, went back to our humble abode and crashed.

    This post alone could have been multiple mini posts.  I didn’t even put in a third of the photos, lol.  It was a great day and the 9.5 hours flew by!

    Even though TeenThing hasn’t watched Outlander, she loved every location we visited (with Culross becoming her number one favourite, because Captain America, lol).

    Unfortunately, I never did run into Jamie Fraser.

    Or did I??  😉

    It was as close as I could get, lol.

    Come back next weekend.  The Water of Leith and the Art Gallery are up next!

    @crazymamaruns

  • Scotland Adventure Part 2: Edinburgh Castle, Grassmarket, Harry Potter, and Greyfriars Bobby

    Entrance to Edinburgh Castle

    Our next couple of trips into town took us to quite a few spots.

    First stop:  Edinburgh Castle

    I think I took a million pictures here.  This castle could have it’s own blog post!  Things we could not take pictures of:  The Crown Jewels and the Stone of Destiny.  I did take photos of some of the areas leading up to the room.  We had to go up a winding staircase to get up to the Honours of Scotland.  Thankfully not ALL the way up, lol.

    There is so much to see at the Castle.  You need at least 2 hours here, if not more, to really see everything.  Also, going between 10-2 means a BUCKET LOAD of people, so if you want to feel like you need a little more space, head in a little later.

    There is even a dog cemetery.

    There is a prison exhibit, war/regimental museums and St Margaret’s Chapel, which was built in 1130.  The views from the Castle are well worth some extra time to take in.

    Grassmarket, Harry Potter and Greyfriars Bobby

    Some neat little pubs along this stretch
    Grassmarket. This area has a Saturday Market filled with vendors.
    Parts of Grassmarket (and The Royal Mile) are pedestrian only.

    We ventured down to Grassmarket through some little side streets and walked around for a bit.  This area is full of food and stories.

    We ate at The Last Drop.  A fitting name for a pub sitting across from where public hangings used to take place 😉  There was good food here (TeenThing had mac and cheese and I had haggis sausages and mash), a great drink selection,  and the staff were very nice.

    Now, Harry Potter.

    Potter fans know that JK Rowling started writing Harry Potter in Edinburgh.  Once you are here and travel along the streets, you see the magic around you.  The history, the architecture, and the atmosphere is definitely inspiring.  There are a couple of streets that claim to be the inspiration for Diagon Alley.  With so many small winding side streets, it would be easy to get inspiration from any of them!

    You can see the inspiration for Harry Potter everywhere.
    Supply List
    Victoria Street lays the claim to Diagon Alley 😉

    A little HaHa to break up the day 🙂

    The Elephant House Cafe is an extremely busy spot, as you can well imagine (JK Rowling wrote two books at this location), and is very close to Greyfriars Kirkyard.  The Kirkyard is where the grave for Tom Riddle is located, and behind the Kirkyard is George Heriot’s School, the inspiration for Hogwarts.

    This Cafe is always packed. You can sign your name on the bathroom wall here, along with a bazillion other Harry fans.
    Tom Riddle’s Grave
    There is NO grass left here, lol.  Also, the Kirkyard staff will lead you down to this area if need be.

    Greyfriars Bobby

    This was one of my favourite stories of Edinburgh.  Bobby was a partner for his human John Gray, who was a night watchman for the Edinburgh Police but died of tuberculosis.  Bobby was a constant visitor to his master’s grave.   He has his own stone in the Greyfriars Kirkyard where visitors leave him sticks.

    And yes, we did rub his nose for luck 😉

    Using our own two feet to explore the city was amazing, and I am glad we did because you really get to see all of the small nooks and crannies of the city.

    Side Note:  We had great experiences on all of our walking tours.  You’ll get to see some of the sights on one of the tours in a later post 🙂

    Next week:  Outlander!

    (p.s. If you are not a fan of the show, feel free to just come back for the pictures, the set locations we got to visit were amazing!)

    @crazymamaruns