NYC 🍎.

The second part of our holiday begins. We were a little delayed out of Frankfurt but it was all good in the end.

Lufthansa was comfortable to fly with. The seats smaller than Qantas and Singapore business but comfortable.

I love observing my fellow passengers. The couple opposite did not stop talking except when kissing , holding hands, touching and when everyone was settling for a nap she disappeared. I thought a toilet break but no she had climbed onto his seat? In a very short white skirt. I’m not really sure what happened after that as I put my sleep mask on!

A glimpse of the seats and the skirt.

We arrived into NY JFK airport. It’s never easy travelling into the US. Customs is extremely slow.

We got off the plane – me with my crutch and swollen knee to be confronted with a huge queue. I’m not underestimating the 600 or so crowd of ‘Others’ – the US citizens went one aisle & the others in a long queue.

I stood for awhile until a staff person saw me swaying on my crutch and took me to the front and a special quick lane. Thank goodness. I would have been standing for at least 2 hrs.

There were 5 customs officers each taking at least 7 mins to process each entry.

We still waited for about 15 mins to get to the top of the 2 person queue.

Then a wait for luggage. Then a 5 min walk to a bus. A 10 min bus ride to an air train. A few mins in the train and finally to the hire car place.

We landed at 1.30. We were on the road to the Hamptons on a Friday afternoon by 2.50 and reached East Hampton and our friend Lynn at 6.30. Phew.

Lynn is a friend we met on our swim trek to Galapagos about 7 years ago. She, her sister Lois and five other friends often zoom with us and we meet up when we can. It’s always fun.

Looking towards the courtyard designed by Lynn’s equally talented & gorgeous sister Lois.

This time it’s just us with Lynn, along with her lovely cheeky step son James and his fun wife Aline. They are such a friendly couple who have just moved back to NYC after raising their two daughters in Connecticut. We are so fortunate to be having the weekend together in Lynn’s fabulous house in the Hamptons.

We arrived in time for drinks and a delicious lobster meal. What a welcome.

The next day after a morning swim we took off for the beach and a bit of sightseeing in the area.

If you look closely at my pictures you can see Lynn’s love of the African giraffe.

The closest beach is Georgica beach. Dolphins were playing off shore, the water was sparkling & beautiful and the two young lifesavers really friendly.

We came up the Hamptons to Sag Harbour a few years ago with Rob & Jordan and Jordan’s parents Lisa & John. That weekend was great though it was cool and a bit rainy. This time it’s warm and sunny.

Main Beach East Hampton.

Lynn’s house is like a resort. I could stay for months. And Lynn is a warm generous host. Definitely a 🛌 🛌 🛌 stay. With a usb special plug next to the bed! Thanks Lynn.

Lunch was a fresh corn, avo, tomato, feta, & herb salad. Just what a weary traveller needs.

The afternoon was spent swimming, reading and preparing for dinner that night. Lynn had invited a few friends in for dinner.

Such an eclectic group. Alan an actor with several films under his belt, Brooke a retired Journalism professor, and author and Marilyn whose husband , Don Hewitt, now deceased had founded US tv show 60mins which was then produced as an Australian 60 minutes as well. Lynn, our friend was a journalist was on the ABC news magazine. And a nicer lady you could not meet.

We had a terrific night.

Today we talked about playing pickle ball, a new game which is taking over the US as a new sport. It was hot, we were tired from last night so spent time sitting around the pool relaxing.

Then it was time to head into NYC. The drive back was much better than the one going out. We found the hotel with no problems and found the room to be big and very comfortable. I had heard the wifi was terrible. It’s not.

The Tuscany by Lux I’m giving you a 3 🛏️ 🛌 🛌

We were going to meet some friends but plans didn’t eventuate so we had a drink at Alberts Bar on 42rd St. and watched the last few games of the US Open.

Then dinner at a little Italian. Too bad we hadn’t organised with to meet James & Aline for dinner. They live quite close and are great company.

NYC 🍎.

The second part of our holiday begins. We were a little delayed out of Frankfurt but it was all good in the end.

Lufthansa was comfortable to fly with. The seats smaller than Qantas and Singapore business but comfortable.

I love observing my fellow passengers. The couple opposite did not stop talking except when kissing , holding hands, touching and when everyone was settling for a nap she disappeared. I thought a toilet break but no she had climbed onto his seat? In a very short white skirt. I’m not really sure what happened after that as I put my sleep mask on!

A glimpse of the seats and the skirt.

We arrived into NY JFK airport. It’s never easy travelling into the US. Customs is extremely slow.

We got off the plane – me with my crutch and swollen knee to be confronted with a huge queue. I’m not underestimating the 600 or so crowd of ‘Others’ – the US citizens went one aisle & the others in a long queue.

I stood for awhile until a staff person saw me swaying on my crutch and took me to the front and a special quick lane. Thank goodness. I would have been standing for at least 2 hrs.

There were 5 customs officers each taking at least 7 mins to process each entry.

We still waited for about 15 mins to get to the top of the 2 person queue.

Then a wait for luggage. Then a 5 min walk to a bus. A 10 min bus ride to an air train. A few mins in the train and finally to the hire car place.

We landed at 1.30. We were on the road to the Hamptons on a Friday afternoon by 2.50 and reached East Hampton and our friend Lynn at 6.30. Phew.

Lynn is a friend made on our swim trek to Galapagos about 7 years ago. She, her sister Lois and five other friends often zoom with us and we meet up when we can. It’s always fun.

Looking towards the courtyard designed by Lynn’s equally talented & gorgeous sister Lois.

This time it’s just us with Lynn, along with her lovely step son James and his fun wife Aline. They are such friendly couple who have just moved back to NYC after raising their two daughters in Connecticut. We are so fortunate to be having the weekend in Lynn’s fabulous house in the Hamptons.

We arrived in time for drinks and a delicious lobster meal. What a welcome.

The next day after a morning swim we took off for the beach and a bit of sightseeing in the area.

The closest beach is Georgica beach. Dolphins were playing off shore, the water was beautiful and the two young lifesavers really friendly.

We came up the Hamptons to Sag Harbour a few years ago with Rob & Jordan and Jordan’s parents Lisa & John. That weekend was great though it was cool and a bit rainy. This time it’s warm and sunny.

Main Beach East Hampton.

Lynn’s house is like a resort. I could stay for months. And Lynn is a warm generous host. Definitely a 🛌 🛌 🛌 stay. With a usb special plug next to the bed! Thanks Lynn.

Lunch was a fresh corn, avo, tomato, feta, & herb salad. Just what a weary traveller needs.

The afternoon was spent swimming, reading and preparing for dinner that night. Lynn had invited a few friends in for dinner.

Such an eclectic group. Alan an actor with several films under his belt, Brooke a retired Journalism professor, and author and Marilyn whose husband , Don Hewitt, now deceased had founded US tv show 60mins which was then produced as an Australian 60 minutes as well. Lynn, our friend was a journalist was on the ABC news magazine. And a nicer lady you could not meet.

We had a terrific night.

Today we talked about playing pickle ball, a new game which is taking over the US as a new sport. It was hot, we were tired from last night so spent time sitting around the pool relaxing.

Then it was time to head into NYC. The drive back was much better than the one going out. We found the hotel with no problems and found the room to be big and very comfortable. I had read the wifi was terrible. It’s not.

The Tuscany by Lux I’m giving you a 3 🛏️ 🛌 🛌

We were going to meet some friends but plans didn’t eventuate so we had a drink at Alberts Bar on 42rd St. and watched the last few games of the US Open.

Then dinner at a little Italian.

Last Day in Scotland

It been a wonderful 5 weeks in Scotland. Lots of planning – after booking 3 years ago. Thanks covid. rebooking and here we are

We’re been to Iceland , Shetland , the Borders, Edinburgh, Skye, the Outer Hebrides, the Highlands.

And the last day is spent getting to Edinburgh.

First exploring the coast of Fife.

Then lunch at Fettykill Fox, a very old pub, with our friend, Jim Chisholm’s cousin Irvine.

We had a lovely long lunch chatting like old friends. He has Jim’s dry sense of humour.

Then it was off to farewell Edinburgh.

A small shopping trip which ended in a navy linen shirt.

Beautiful old town Edinburgh afternoon light

A drink on the terrace of where we are staying. Right on Princes St with a view of the old town. We sat in the late afternoon sun just the two of us until…… a man in a pale linen suit , braces, a glass of champagne in hand with a look reminiscent of Rumpole of the Bailey began talking to us.

Turns out he is a retired barrister. Now does voice overs and with his accompanist performs Noel Coward and Flanders & Swann performances. Google Flanders & Swann!

John & Gillian share a drink.

What an entertainment he was. His partner Gillian joined him. Then his accompanist, a lawyer during the day and pianist by night, joined us.

The show John is recreating.

We had a fun hour before they left for a dinner and we went to Elements, a lovely wine bar for dinner.

We discussed our holiday so far deciding what we would change, if anything.

Very few changes I’m happy to say. Maybe one extra day or two in the Hebrides. One less in Edinburgh the end of the festival or no Hebrides, a day more in Skye and in the Scottish Highlands. But minor details. We’ve loved it all.

Now to the USA.

With a night in Frankfurt which didn’t go according to plan. Our plane was late. The luggage took ages to come through and we got on the wrong train to our ‘airport’ hotel.

By the time we were in our apartment we didn’t want to go too far. We didn’t go all the way into the city centre. Still, we had a good dinner, and a nice evening reading, and trying to work out how the automatic curtains worked in our studio apartment. Then regretting the first thing I’ve left behind. My tshirt nightie. Yeeks. Going to the USA with no nightie. I guess they have shops.

Last few days in Scotland.

We crossed on the 3 hour ferry from Lochboisidale to Mallaig

Mallaig is a lovely little town with lots of shops and cafes and a railway line that ends right in the centre of town.

The famous Jacobite train runs between here and Fort William and it would be great to fi it. We have trusty black hire car.

The viaduct

The drive to Fort William is magnificent. Seeing so many trees after being on fairly tree less Hebrides.

We stopped to view the viaduct – made quite famous through Harry Potter.

The afternoon light is beautiful.

View from our window

We arrived into Fort William and to our BnB Myrtle Bank. Run by a very friendly Dora the place is beautiful. Opposite the loch it’s a mass of flowers. Quite a standout amongst the other BnBs. Our room on the ground floor is big and beautiful. Dora is a character. During our several emails to secure a booking she said no credit card needed. She just took the booking and when we got there said we could pay by PayPal or cash.

Myrtle Bank BnB

We went for a walk through the town and chose somewhere for dinner.

Breakfast is as good as expected. And then we were away driving alongside the sparkling loch. We stopped at Glencoe which was much smaller than I thought. It has such a reputation for being the centre of the battles.

Continuing on, the area is so stunning. And the gorgeous weather certainly helps.

The land is so distinctive

Arriving at Stirling it is the castle and the William Wallace memorial that dominates the skyline. Sitting a top the hill the castle in imposing.

Stirling Castle

We took the audio guide self guided tour. These are so good these days. They bring history alive as you walk area the rooms of the castle. It is a very special Castle. It was added to over the years but it was the Mary of Guise the French wife of James V who made some significant changes.

Theres got to be an advantage to having a sore knee, and with my crutch which I only use now if we’re doing lots of walking on cobbles, I get special access to lifts to avoid all the stairs. Very helpful.

The William Wallace memorial

William Wallace was a knight and a leader in the first Scottish war of independence. he was nicknamed Braveheart.

We drive to St Andrews. famous for its golf courses and the fact Prince William went yo University there.

It’s a lovely lively student town fairly overrun this week with golfers. There’s a big tournament on.

The students were all wandering around looking handsome and wealthy. And we watched as quite a few headed down to one of the ocean pools for an afternoon dip. Very brave I’d say.

Conditions were beautiful if not a little cool

We continued on along the coast – it’s a great area for holidaying. There are lots of holiday parks. Little cottages all lined up. They do have caravan parks but they also have many little cabin type places.

Our hotel The Waterfront.

We arrived at Anstruther in the late afternoon when the sun was dipping before setting.

The little harbour is a gem.

The theme in these little coastal town is the decorated dog.

And ice cream shops. And after our fish ‘n chips dinner we had our first ice cream.

Outer Hebrides. Out of this World

We woke in our little attic apartment to wind blowing and rain beating. So a little sleep in !

It’s also Sunday so nothing much happens on a Sunday. We did not think of this too much when planning and booking. We probably should have. Nothing is open. Except our lovely old hotel.

So down time morning. A great Scottish breakfast. Followed by time in the lounge area looking into the garden drinking tea, reading and catching up on emails.

By 11am the conditions improved and we headed off. I love going off the beaten track so directed Steve off the main road as we headed south and went along the little road down near the waters edge.

It was peaceful. Not a car in sight. In fact I was hoping nothing happened to the car as no one was around to help. People were either at church , still in bed or watching the tv. Probably sport!

The water an extraordinary colour.
The landscape is moon like.
The beaches are beautiful

The beaches here are renowned for their beauty, colours, and remoteness. Even on a dull windy day it was a great colour ( hard to capture in a photo) a kind of milky blue. The wind surfers were having a ball

Exciting to watch.
Lots of little cabins for holiday makers.

We wanted coffee. Nothing open. Until….. we saw a sign. Followed it to the cutest little yurt style building. And it was super busy.

Door to the yurt coffee house
Best coffee stop

We had noticed quite a few roadside shops! Honesty cupboards or cabins. With a variety of home baking from the owners of the Croft houses nearby. Our favourite was the chocolate hut.

Jill, this is for you my friend.

We pottered and admired the scenery and eventually got to the ferry terminal to catch the ferry to the next island. The Hebrides are a chain of islands. Several need ferry crossings. This one needed an hour to cross.

We crossed from Harris to North Uist and found our accommodation The Fisherman’s Snug . Run by fisherman’s wife Anne it is a perfect little studio place. A separate lounge area. Big bathroom and comfy bed. We could have stayed a week. We keep saying that about places we are visiting.

Anne left the best welcome basket I’ve ever seen.

Help yourself the welcome sign said.

We went for dinner ( lobster!) to a local tavern / pub and met a few other characters. A bike rider from Edinburgh – he was a combination of funny, mad and manic. But entertaining. And a couple from outer London. We had fun!

Another great day.

Skye is a Beauty.

We are so very lucky. The weather is perfect for Skye. The sky is blue. No breeze. And fortunately for us , not as crowded as we thought.

We set off for the Fairy Pools. We’d heard the roads were super busy but we had no trouble. We parked and then the trouble began. It’s a 1.5 km walk in and 1.5 out. A lot of it downhill to start then flat then uphill.

I started but just couldn’t do it. So sat patiently in the sun while Steve headed off.

He saw little fountains bubbling,
A lovely water fall
And rocks & pools.

He made it in good time so off we went through the most beautiful countryside.

We took note.

Coffee called and we found a lovely little cafe. There are not too many villages. They are small little places but lots of farm houses around. More populated than Shetland or The outer Hebrides will be.

Coffee stop.

Next stop ……. Another castle. Dunvegan. It belongs to the MacLeod clan. By other castle standards it’s little – but it’s a little beauty. I could stay there – in summer.

Dunvegan Castle
Inside the entrance the stairs climb to the main castle rooms.
The dining room is intimate. Only seats 16
There are several old cannons for protection.

And the gardens are beautiful. There’s a walled garden, a water garden , a rhododendron garden and a wild wood.

A small part of the walled garden
Beautiful hydrangeas

Portree is the capital and is a buzzy hub compared to the rest of the island. It boasts a cute harbour with coloured buildings.

This is a photo of a photo. There are no clouds today.

There are lots of ice cream shops, little shops with the usual tourist offerings. But it’s the boats and water we are drawn to.

We drive north and stopped at The Storr. Storr’ means ‘big’ or ‘giant’. In Celtic mythology, Skye was once the island of warring giants. After a particularly vicious fight, an enormous giant was slain on the Trotternish ridge. I love all the myths and legends from these islands.

It’s hard to photograph this Rocky outcrop.
The coastline here is stunning. Especially in this weather.

We head up the Quiraing. This is a land slip on the northern part of Skye. You drive up a winding road to the summit and stop to look back at the spectacular view.

Today being a beautiful blue day I spotted some locals removing the hay bales and the wooden wreath from where Alan married Sophie. I’d seen a banner as we drove up. And there at the top saw Alan himself. Newly married moving the hay to the wedding reception or Ceilidh ( kay-lee)

The groom moving the hay
The best man in kilt moving the flower arbor
Us in front of the view.

The best man stopped and chatted and had the best legs in a kilt I’ve seen.

We could have continued over the Quiraing but headed back from where we’d come to continue up the coast.

The drive was beautiful. We were listening to radio Skye and they gave instructions on how to drive. The roads here are narrow so there are little passing bays every 300 metres.

The manners of driving. If you are slow like most of the vans then pull over and wave those behind you on. Some people didn’t get the message. But here it’s best to go with the flow. Which we did. It wasn’t very busy and we passed little townships , lots of sheep , beautiful coastlines , a beach with some hardy souls swimming and despite the blue skies the water would be cold!

Sitting comfortably in the house where they brought up 10 children.

We arrived at the Museum of Skye. A series of Croft houses showing how people lived. A little similar to those on Shetland. We’re becoming quite knowledgeable about Crofting here on the islands.

From here we continued around the top of Skye to the Fairy Glen.

Fairy Glen. Pretty pools and rocky outcrops.

We arrived at our Hotel Uig. A great place with a beautiful view and we had a lovely garden room with table outside our door where we could have a drink looking at the sunset ( and dry some washing. ) It doesn’t get dark here until around 8.30!

Our hotel view.

Dinner was in the dining room and I had the most delicious caprese salad which is my favourite Italian salad which was good as straight after we got got talking to people I’d met in the car park earlier.

Turns out they are from Messina in Sicily. We shared a drink and lots of conversation. Such a lovely couple. They love to travel and we suggested they come to Brisbane and they invited us to their beach house in northern Sicily.

This is why travel is so great. It opens the world to people and places.

Outer Hebrides: islands of contrast.

We caught the ferry at 9.50 after a big breakfast at our hotel. If breakfast is included we eat up and skip lunch.

Beautiful morning for a two hr crossing

The ferry takes 2 hours from Uig in the nothern part of Skye to Tarbert on Harris around the middle part of the Hebrides.

From the top of Skye to the dot – Tarbert

It’s around 11.30when we arrive so after a look at Harris Tweed we head north to Stornaway the capital of the islands.

Arrived in Tarbert for the ladies craft fair. Not much else happens here
Distillery in Tarbert.

The drive up is via the only main road and takes about an hour. Stornaway is much livelier than Tarbert with its harbour, narrow streets, little shops and cafes.

The castle and museum is the draw card in this town. We make our way there and like all museums it’s is free.

The castle is old and the museum extension new but have been sympathetically joined together

The museum tells the history of the Hebrides from the earliest inhabitants to the present and how the land and sea have shaped them.

Entering the very renovated castle
Main staircase

They have a very good screen section with people from different parts of the Hebrides talking about their lives. I learned a lot about island life and by the end felt I knew Sophie, Callum, and some of the other residents. One thing is clear. Living here gets under the skin.

It may look remote ( it is) lonely ( it’s not) but they are definitely a community who pull together. People leave but often come back.

The museum also houses 6 of the 12th century Lewis chess men found here. They are in perfect condition and each piece is constructed to tell a story.

The buildings in Stornaway are old and mostly dark on a grey day they look particularly dark

We drove out of the town towards the Calanais standing stones. they are dated to be 5,000 years old, older than Stonehenge and many stories surround their erection.

You can walk around them and touch them.

I thought if I touched one I might be transported back in time. A bit like Claire in Highlanders.

We continued driving, stopping here and there to admire views or houses. These islands are about absorbing the land.

Our hotel the Harris is an old world one with staircases going up and off in different directions. Creaky floors , doors that stick just a little, hot water that takes 15min to travel up to our attic apartment and of course no wifi in the attic.

So we spent time in the comfortable lounge before a lovely dinner in the lovely dining room . I seem to only eat seafood here. Salmon, cod, scallops or prawns. No haggis for me.

The mix of landscape and waterways.

Isle of Skye

We left Edinburgh by 9 and we’re heading north through places with familiar names.

Stopping in Perth we had to visit the Black Watch Museum. One of Scotland mist famous Highland regimens.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Watch

We are in the land of highlands, tartans, clans, whiskies, castles and palaces.

Along the road there are signs pointing to the castles that each area seems to have. And if you’re a Highlanders fan and love Jamie you should come to this country.

We drove on towards the Isle of Skye through beautiful scenes of mountains , green fields , heather , trickling streams, lochs, but no Loch Ness monster, waterfalls and camper vans. There are lots here.

Had a little walk through the bush to find the waterfall.

Our first big castle was Eilean Donan castle on Kyle of Lochalsh. Before you cross over to Skye. It was getting late. Around 4.30 – we were able in for free. It’s a moody, dark castle in the most beautiful spot.

Guarding the castle door.

Walking around I like to imagine the people who lived here back in the 15thC. The life they had and here are we today with our cameras on iPhones walking the same ground.

We crossed the big bridge to Skye. This has made it easier to travel there leading to overcrowding. The number of small vans on the road is pretty amazing.

The island in ceramics

We booked at the Guesthouse in the first town over the bridge. Kyleakin. Our guest house is newly renovated and quite comfortable though I do wonder if owners ever actually stay in the rooms themselves. We rate it 2 🛌 🛌 Nicely fitted out room with a comfortable bed . But tiny bathroom, no toiletries, no shelf over the sink or in the shower. Breakfast was a tray in the room with packets of cereals , tea etc. not much really. It was really impersonal. All keyless no contact with owners only the sounds of other guests.

That night we treated ourselves to a special dinner at Kinloch Lodge. It’s a beautiful old house with bedrooms facing a large stretch of water and st sunset was magnificent.

The dinner was expensive but so delicious. Our waiter was from Terrigal in NSW Aus.

Such a beautiful setting at Kinloch Lodge

We’d heard there were loads of midges on Syke but I risked it and left the window open. It’s lovely weather and not as cool as I thought it would be. We’ve been lucky!

Last day Exploring Edinburgh

Another beautiful day and can you believe it we didn’t book tickets to the castle and so missed out!

Reminder to self. Book everything ahead . I can blame our decision in waiting ‘until the crowds had gone’. Then forgot to book. The crowds haven’t really gone. Just decreased.

It doesn’t take long to get into the countryside.

Oh well we did see it years ago. I don’t suppose it’s changed much. So we took a lovely bus ride out of Edinburgh to Queensferry. I’d heard it was a lovely little village and it is.

It sits beneath the bridges across the Frith of Forth. We wandered the little street and had a bowl of chowder for lunch with a view. It was a relaxing last day.

The train bridge

We had to return to Edinburgh to pack up ready for our car pick up tomorrow.

Our last dinner was at Dine. A very good menu at one of their special offer prices ÂŁ20 for two courses. Actually, in saving money we eat more and have an extra glass of wine. So not really a saving. But a nice end to Edinburgh.

Except it wasn’t really the end. On the way home we stopped at the pub, 75 steps from our door, for Steve to have a last beer – but was Trivia night. so we stayed awhile.

Trivia at the pub.

We made some new best friends!

Jim, a local got us into his group. Such a lovely man. He told us he was a volunteer radio announcer. So lovely He made us guess his former occupation. Steve thought policeman or Vicar. But no he was a butcher. “But you have all your fingers” Steve laughed. He proceeded to show us all his cuts.

A fun end to our Edinburgh experience.