Edinburgh Festival Fever

August 23, 2023 / brisbanefrannie / 4 Comments

We may have 10 days here but there is a lot to see and do in this compact city.

We set out at 9.30 after a late night unpacking and settling into our little Edinburgh apartment.

We walked down the street and around the corner and 5minutes later we could see Edinburgh castle.

Our apartment is the little red marking bottom left.

We walked in it’s shadow heading towards Grassmarket in the Old Town before heading up a winding street to Greyfriars Bobby.

Steve posed next to Bobby the faithful dog to show he really does like dogs!

We had time for a coffee at Bobby’s just opposite the National Museum of Scotland. I’ll be visiting there later this week.

We had booked a fringe event. The Tale of Two Cities. Our leader Peter arrived and is a very personable friendly Scot. It was a small group a couple from Canada and mother & son from Boston and a young uni student from England – Brighton.

We headed straight into Greyfriars Church and Graveyard. Our storyteller started recounting the story of the Old Town. He took us through then down the hill to Grassmarket. He grew up not far from here. One of 10 children. Life was not easy.

We headed up the very pretty West Bow Street

West Bow curves gently up hill towards the Royal Mile

Peter led us up straits through laneways always with an interesting story to tell.

We came to the Writers Museum.

Peter told a very good tale about the first public loos.

A man took money to extend his rather tent like cloak around a squatting client while he relieved himself.

We arrived at the very busy Royal Mile which leads up to the Castle.

The Royal Mile was busy but we quickly escaped by going down a little lane. We would never have explored this part off the beaten track ! we then popped back out to the end of the Royal Mile and had a great view of the Bank of Scotland.

Then it was down the winding hill toward the New Town. The Prince’s Street Gardens divide the old town / up the town and the new town. The Art Gallery sits overlooking the gardens and the forecourt was awash with noise and people. Festival fever: magicians, jazz bands acrobats. People everywhere sitting soaking up the sun eating cream watching the buskers.

We stopped at the monument to Sir Walter Scott, Scotlands famous author. The monuments here are amazing. The higher the spire the more revered the person. Almost all men of course!

We walked to St Andrew’s square looking along Rose St towards Charlotte Square. Crossing St Andrew’s Square I was impressed with the low fence inside the park. – perfect for stopping and having a sit but no sitting for us. By now my legs were tired and I was longing for a sit down.

One more stop. the beautiful Bank of Scotland which we went into to admire the beautiful domed ceiling.

We finished near Waverley the big station after 3 hrs of walking. After farewells to our group Steve and I headed to the monument for sore feet and dry throats. The Duke of something or other.

We sat for an hour over a beer and soup. Then off to the Portrait Gallery in another beautiful building. Last stop the National Gallery before heading back to West End and our little apartment.

A little rest then a short stroll to meet Cathal my Irish massage therapist. He got me going again and that night we went to hear the Oslo Philharmonic.

What a performance. The orchestra were great and the pianist a dynamic young 36 year old woman , born in Beijing but living in the US.

To start though…..The orchestra tuned up and …..We were left waiting for her and the conductor to arrive on stage. Wait. Wait.

Her entrance made us sit up. Very attractive with a thigh high split dress. I whispered to Steve that she and the conductor must have been having a ‘ moment ’ back stage.

She had remarkable fingers flying over the keys in the Concerto for the left hand by Ravel. Composed for a pianist who had lost an arm in WW1. Fantastic piece. .

At the end of that piece she and the conductor – after many bows, left the stage for another few minutes. Then they made another entrance with her wearing another dress this time a bright yellow & very fitted dress. I have never seen someone leave the stage to change clothes while the orchestra sat waiting. I guess she needed the conductor to zip her dress.

Another wonderful piece.

There was then an interval and then just the orchestra performance of Shostakovich. 5th Symphony in D Minor.

Of course after the concert I had to research the pianist and turns out she just might be dating the 27 year old Finish conductor. ( for readers from Australia he was a young David Wenham look a like. )

Going Back in Time. Museums In Shetlands

August 22, 2023 / brisbanefrannie / 4 Comments

Pack up time in our very good apartment. It was perfect for a few days stay. We had decided to stay in last night and get some fish n chips. No. Sunday night and nothing much was open. Except Indian.

This morning was another lovely day so we headed to the little main street to see a big cruise ship coming for a day. The street that was so quiet yesterday was awash with people today.

I wanted to visit the bookshop to get a few picture books for my little grandsons so Steve bravely drove down the little Main Street.

We heard ‘Steve!’ We were moving so slowly Steve glanced up and saw a friend from Brisbane. He and his wife were on the cruise. Naturally we parked and had a catch up.

This led to a very late breakfast and a late start at Scalloway. This small community is on the western side of the island about 15 minutes from Lerwick on the east.

A contrast to the two island Yell and Unst.

It has a lovely little harbour and lots of little boats tied up at marina bobbed and glistened in the sunlight.

The museum is next to the castle which is closed for repairs. Fortunately the museum was open as it had a great display on the Shetland Bus. For those who haven’t heard of the Shetland Bus it is a WW2 very moving story about the cooperation between the English, Shetland and Norway. During the war they needed to get fugitives and those trapped in an occupied Norway out. They started to use fishing boats.

Read about it here. It’s a fascinating story of incredible cooperation and bravery.

Read about it here:

https://www.scallowaymuseum.org/the-shetland-bus.html

We drove south through Trondra a series of small islands. You can see the influence of Norway here. Even the houses have a distinct Norwegian appearance. Very well kept, painted bright colours, even made from timber a material in very short supply here the Shetlands.

Next stop was the Quendale Water Mill which has been restored to working condition. It’s a water wheel that was used for milling grain.

The crofters house museum was our next call. We arrived after the lunch break as it said ‘closed for lunch’ 1-2pm. We arrived at around 2.30 and walked in – actually ducked down and in and all was quiet. Finally a man opened the little door to the main crofters room. Rubbing sleep from his eyes he admitted he’d had a wee nap.

He made himself a coffee and then chatted to us for ages about the crofters life. Not that he was one but he has a good knowledge of it. This house is a project taken up by a a New Zealand architect in 1960. He had connections to the Shetlands …… read about it here.

A box bed in the Croft house. Doors for keeping you warm & cosy.

The Croft house was great to see. It wasn’t like a museum display. It was an original house as through someone had just walked out.

Our last stop today was Jarlshof. This is one of the most important archaeological sites in the UK. A whole village was found buried. it’s a wonderfully presented history of not only had one group of people lived here but several subsequent groups.

Neolithic people first settled at this site in Shetland around 2700 BC, and it remained in use until the AD 1600s. Discoveries made here include oval-shaped Bronze Age houses, an Iron Age broch and wheelhouses, Then Norse long houses, built by Vikings, a medieval farmstead, a large broch and a laird’s house dating from the 1500s.

I have learned such a lot in a few days. Shetland has been an eye opener.

We got to little Sumburgh airport quickly by crossing the runway after watching a plane takeoff and stopping at a little petrol station – run by ….. the car hire company. Five minutes later we got to the airport entrance, & parked the hire car when a man came up and said I’ll take the keys! He identified himself as the car hire man so after a laugh together we did hand over the keys.

‘Would you like to inspect it ‘ I asked helpfully. ‘Oh no – and I saw you filling up with petrol before‘ he replied. It’s all good. Obviously he thought we looked trustworthy of no one bumps their cars in the Shetland.

Then the down side of our trip.

The flight was delayed for 2.5 hrs. They gave us a voucher for the tiny cafe where the women who ran it said she was ‘ off home soon’ We’d better spend our money. The most nutritious offering was a ham & salad sandwich. Or perhaps a rather hard sausage roll ? We bought crisps, chocolate, a sandwich for me and sausage roll for Steve. Great dinner. We had to buy our own beer as the voucher didn’t cover alcohol. Wouldn’t want us sozzled on the flight.

We now get to Edinburgh-at 10pm. Poor Steven our host, who is meeting us at the apartment with our bag. Hope he’s at a good Fringe show tonight! He’s a saint.

Later: We made it. 10.15 pm. Our host was great delivering our bag and waiting for us. The apartment is just right for 19 days in this beautiful city.

Sunny Sunday in Lerwick

August 20, 2023August 20, 2023 / brisbanefrannie / 4 Comments

We woke up the sound of church bells. It’s Sunday and we are near two churches.

The sun is shining and the view from our little attic apartment windows is beautiful. Chimneys of different heights, and rooftops with angles and attics add interest to the skyline.

Steve was going on the boat to the island of Mousa We had missed it when we landed a few days ago so he was trying again. I decided not to ( I might regret it but reading about it, I’m not sure I want to walk on uneven ground or wet slippery paths as described. ) I tried to book on a bird watching tour from Lerwick Harbour but they were all booked out. Advice: no matter what you want to do these days you must book!

So I decided to walk and discover Lerwick in the sunlight. It’s been beautiful. I walked from our apartment to the church across the road and sat studying the stained glass windows.

I walked to Fort Charlotte, a wonderful fort that has never seen a shot fired in anger.

I passed at Lerwick police station and wondered if I would spy Jimmy Perez from the tv series Shetland.

Then I walked down hill through one of the many lanes from the higher part of the town to the waterfront. To cut the steep walk down they have added a series of steps.

I met a man with his goat Lucille. He told me she provided so much milk they had started their own goats milk soap company. I went into the shop and tried the various body butters and chatted to the lady who explained the process. Across the lane way was the Puffin Place where everything in the shop was somehow embellished with puffin pictures. I’m thinking the puffin is a little exploited.

See the goat outside his soap shop. And note the chimneys.

I continued along the road and met Jimmy , no, not Perez but a local who offered to show me around. We bought coffee and chatted but I assured him I was enjoying a stroll. He told me he was being picked up by boat soon to go to a bay nearby for a fishing competition. Now that would be interesting!

Sipping a coffee by the waterfront was peaceful and calming. Who could get stressed at this pace !

I walked the entire water front. Past Jimmy Perez’ house, the Lodeberrie. This is a house jutting in to the water where in years gone by boats would pull up to the house to unload their cargo. It’s now privately owned and the most photographed house here!

Lerwick like many other sea ports is host to the cruise ship! Not many……not enough to flood the town but to deliver some money to the locals. I hope so.

I walked towards the Museum of Shetland on the waterfront and passed the new theatre centre. They advertised a short film ‘ Welcome to Shetland’ ! I decided to see it and the 40 minute film showed a little of the history of this fascinating place. It also focused on the music. The violin or fiddle was a part of every Croft house. It provided the entertainment people needed to relax.

The Scottish music has great appeal – gets the feet tapping and the hands clapping. Traditionally played by men the violin is now favoured by Scottish women.

I was waiting for Steve and he arrived back full of stories about the boat trip to Mousa to see the broch. Perfect day for sailing.

It’s one of the best preserved broch probably because it’s so tall.

Climb it if you dare. Steve didn’t. Too dangerous.

I wasn’t unhappy with my decision not to go. Although he saw seals from a distance. He didn’t see a puffin but saw some shags. and there was a lot of time on the island after walking the islands shoreline.

The Shetland Museum is very well displayed. It shows a timeline of the islands development. The Norse arriving and taking the land. The eventual return of Shetland back to Scotland as part of a dowry paid by the Kings of Norway when his daughter Princess Margereth married King James 111 of Scotland.

Of course the afternoon finished with a G&T in the local pub. The Douglas Arms.

Fish n chippies tonight!

Heading North. Island hopping.

August 20, 2023August 20, 2023 / brisbanefrannie / 3 Comments

Breakfast was held in the old world dining room and served by a friendly local girl. They are having a wedding at the hotel today so it as all busy busy!

We headed north to get the first ferry to Yell. A great name for an island. First stop was a teeny tiny Old Haa Museum. Its in a house belonging to one of the islands great characters I’d say. He was a crofter, fisherman , raconteur and part time dentist. There was a tray of teeth he had pulled over the years & there was a old recording of his voice ‘telling ‘ stories.

And right on time as predicted, the rain started. We drive the length of Yell island. It’s very barren. Hardly a tree to be seen.

Lots of hardy looking sheep grazing along the narrow roads with hardier looking people out on their properties mustering the sheep.

We got to the second ferry crossing. From Yell across to Unst. This is really getting northerly. It is the most northerly part of the United Kingdom. It has around 700 residents and is rugged , remote, open, wild and beautiful.

Each of the islands has a distinct personality. Unst is more settled and we spent more time on this island.

Unst is believed to be the first landing point of the Vikings in the North Atlantic. There are the remains of at least 60 longhouses, and the highest density of rural Viking sites anywhere, including Scandinavia.

We visited the small but informative Unst Heritage Centre. This is an ideal first stop for anyone visiting the island. Visitors can explore the unique history of Unst through a display of artefacts donated by residents both past and present. The exhibitions depict geology, archeology, crofting and there are unique examples of lacework & knitting.

The displays depict life for a Crofter – farmer.

Sleeping arrangements in the crofters house. Note the expandable cot.

The most exquisite lace work. Done by lamplight.

For a small centre it is well worth the trip. We were there with a group of knitters & weavers from Scandinavia. They were in raptures.

We moved onto the Unst boat haven also in Haroldswick. And a haven it was. A well curated shed of boats outlining herring fishing from its earliest days until the present. Robert the guide on duty was keen to help and walked with us through the centre talking about the boats and the history of the area. He loved Steve’s enthusiasm for boats, so was a great companion.

We heard about herring fishing from its earliest days until the present.

I was fascinated by the section on the Herring industry. The women played a big part in keeping this going. In the 1800’s there were 3,000 people living in Unst and 28 registered boats. The fishermen were also crofters to supplement their poorly paid jobs. The landowners and boat owners made most of the money .

By the 1970’s the government banned herring fishing as the giant trawlers had depleted stocks so much. Now the main industry is drawn from its 1700 miles of coastline. The seafood industry and oil from the North Sea.

We took refuge from the drizzly rain in Victoria’s tea room in front of Boat Haven. It’s a gift farm shop and cake heaven. People were tucking into soup and sandwiches but as we’d had a big breakfast we enjoyed coffee and a slice of cake. Coffee walnut for Steve and lemon drizzle for me.

https://www.victoriasvintagetearooms.co.uk

We had read about the Norse people arriving in this not too dissimilar country and building longhouses and longboats.

The Scottish humour shines through the drizzle.

We stopped at the Shetlands Gallery. there is quite an arts crafts trail here in the Shetlands and this gallery was airy, calm with beautiful light filled spaces. It is owned by artist Shona Skinner a woman who taught art in London for many years before she and her husband moved here to her homeland and set up a gallery and studio. Shona had her own workroom attached to the gallery which is open and shows her beautiful work with textiles as well as painting.

Don’t miss the red shed. Shetland gallery halfway up Yell island

Shona Skinner’s workshop walk. Paintings , sketches and sewn

I loved Shona’s work. Such beautiful colour combinations that reflect the colours of the island.

We met a young woman from New Zealand at the gallery. She’s a young doctor doing 6 months work at the hospital. She was telling us how much she was enjoying living in Lerwick. That it is a vibrant friendly place. After 6 months spent just out of London she is enjoying this so much more. I think Ísland life gets under the skin.

We now drive through quite heavy rain to catch the larger ferry back to the main island. We queued up in the unbooked lane and very nearly missed out. So my advice is get online and book your ferry crossings. It can be very busy and you might miss out.

We drove down to Lerwick and in light rain drove around the town.

My first impression is of an interesting town set by the sea ( always a winner for me). Lots of boats to look at. Recently they had the Festival of tall ships. It would have been so colourful to be here then.

We found our little apartment in the attic section of a three story house. Yes a few stairs but so worth it. The apartment is terrific. Clean, well organised and just so comfortable.

We ventured out for food to find the wind and rain had cleared to a beautiful night.

Planning tomorrow’s activities kept us busy over dinner and then we watched a little tv !

Shetland Islands. looking for ponies , otters, puffins and maybe Jimmy Perez

August 19, 2023August 19, 2023 / brisbanefrannie / 8 Comments

Our plane was an hour late arriving which put us behind. We hired a car from the airport and were sent to the car park to play ’ find the car’. Such a relaxed island way of hiring a car. Steve walked around clucking the car opener until we heard a beep.

We headed straight up the hill to Sumburgh lighthouse. It was super windy and the views were an indication of what as to follow as we explored this most northerly part of Great Britain.

The lighthouse museum explains the history of lighthouses. The hardship the early keepers endured and life for the families of the keeper. I loved the profile of a Lighthouse Keeper.

View from the lighthouse. Very windy but not that cold!

It had an excellent marine section showing the birds found here. The puffins are a favour and everywhere you go there are pictures and little stuffed toys depicting the puffin. I got to hear the noises of the birds and the little puffin has a growling type call.

We continued up the main road north and called into Sandwick with the idea of catching the little ferry across to Mousa a small island off the mainland. It is a bird life haven. Unfortunately we were running late because our plane was an hr behind and we missed the last ferry of the day. we’ll try again in Sunday.

We called into a jewellery shop on the arts and crafts trail. Karlin Anderson was born in the Shetlands but had spent a lot of her adult life in London. She does beautiful work which reflects life on the islands. Her lace work jewellery is exquisite.

If you can read this it tells the story behind her collection.

I might have ordered something from her!

We had a bowl of soup at the Hoswick craft cafe and chatted to the lady in the shop They are such warm friendly people so open to questions about their life on the island.

Excited to see some Shetland ponies on our way to the sunny west coast of the island.

Horses came over with the Norse settlers. They would have been bigger then but evolved with the conditions to be shorter study horses to cope with the conditions and the work load.

We detoured to visit St Ninians. It’s a spectacular beach which stretches from the mainland to a small island. The weather was perfect. Warm & sunny there were even people paddling in the crystal clear water.

Steve walked over to the island and I walked around the cove to explore the rocks. There are so few people around it makes it very special.

The road north is much better than I anticipated and there was little traffic so it was an easy drive

We passed through Brae and decided as the weather was so good to head out the peninsula to the cliffs of Eshaness. The drive gave us the most spectacular scenery possible. We got to the lighthouse and looked North. The afternoon light bathed the coast in sunlight. Truly beautiful.

Heading back to our accommodation we drive down to a little boat ramp used by local fishermen.

Arriving at Busta House was like stepping back in time. It’s old, steeped in history and had rooms refurbished. However, it has stayed. Big stone stairs down to an entrance then up two old staircases to our room named Papa Stour , one of the little islands nearby.

The room was comfortable, had a view out to a bay named Busta Voe. The new bathroom was tiny and definitely wasn’t for the feint hearted. The bath was so high it was like doing gymnastics to get get in! I counted at least 5 people staying at the house who used walking sticks so I don’t know how they managed. So it missed a 🛌🛌🛌 rating. Only a 🛌🛌. But a fairly high 2!

We had drinks in the sitting room before dinner. There were around 125 Gin and nearly 300 whiskey varieties to choose from. Dinner was nice fresh homely food- lamb for Steve , salmon for me with lovely fresh veggies.

A quiet 💤 night.

World Cup vs Walking. In Scotland

August 17, 2023August 18, 2023 / brisbanefrannie / 5 Comments

The Matildas Australia’s favourite women’s football team was playing England. Big moment.

I choose to explore Lauder ( it didn’t take long ) even though I was walking at a snails pace. Steve decided to walk. Turns out he covered 19 km.

The beautiful sign welcoming people to Lauder

Lauder is a lovely Border town and has a nice little High St with a great cafe gallery. I occupied myself there for a while with the other people using walking sticks. I’ve really noticed how many people need a walking stick perhaps more here in Scotland?

I then returned to the Black Bull and chatted to the wife of yesterday’s timber man the owner – Steve’s new best friend . They have owned this pub for 8 years and have turned it into a friendly place for locals and tourists. Turns out they travel to Sydney every second year to visit their daughter in Sydney. She & her husband run an event company and recently organised the opening event to the World Cup which involved closing the Sydney Harbour Bridge for an opening party.

So she was more than happy to chat and have the tv on the GAME I sat there mostly alone ( it was 11am) with a coffee. Not a gin!

It was a great game but unfortunately Australia lost to England. Remember, I’m in Scotland and they were mostly supporting Australia! No love lost between England Scotland.

Meanwhile, Steve is walking along the road then detouring through fields , forests & villages.

He found a beautiful old church and chatted for ages to the three ladies doing the weekly clean. The church only opens twice a week so he was lucky today was one of the days .

This church dates from 1242 it looks quite new but has recently celebrated their 781 year anniversary.

I left the pub and drove around the country side and arrived at the Juniperlea Pub to meet a very tired Steve for a late, late lunch.

We had a quiet afternoon as the afternoon ‘sludge’ had started. ( drizzly rain)

Dinner was at the Hotel pub and and early night. The food is good but it’s getting hard to select! I had the steak pie ! Steve the local cheddar Mac & Cheese. We’ve had the fish ‘n chips another favourite a few times. So time for a change.

Steve decided yesterday’s long walk was enough. It was cloudy and he didn’t want to walk in the rain, so we left together for an explore of the countryside. It’s so beautiful. Lush fields , stone fences where no one seems to be in a hurry. Lots of retirees in these little villages where there is nothing around. Most have few, if any shops at all so you have to get a bus or drive everywhere. oh it would be so cold in the long winters!

We found a laundrette in a supermarket car park. Such a great idea. Three big machines in a bus shelter type building. You pop your washing in, go into the Coop supermarket. Come out , change to the dryer and have a coffee in the adjacent coffee shop. So easy.

We drove up to the next village Dalkeith. It’s only about 30 mins from Edinburgh so would be a good place to live and commute to work in Edinburgh.

We visited the stunning Dalkeith Park. You can drive around it (a bit like Centennial Park in Sydney) and there is a Palace which is only open on weekends for tours and concerts. There’s a rotunda and nearby a part called Restoration. It’s a little piazza type area with restaurants, shops a great food hall and gallery. A lovely place to meet for lunch.

There’s also camping in the park next to an adventure playground. Free for children but £4 for adults! It’s got all sorts of tree houses, slides sand play and from the delighted screaming for the children a fun place to spend some time.

About 20 minutes away is Rosslyn Chapel. You may have heard of this chapel – mostly because of the book & movie The DaVinci Code. They filmed scenes here. The publicity was good for the chapel because visitors to it have increased . Before there was a little man sitting in a wooden box at the entrance where you entered for free. Now there’s parking , a visitor centre, lots of well planned & displayed information.

The chapel was started in 1442 and took 40 years to build. It was built by the wealthy St Clair family as a chapel on their land. It deteriorated over many years and was at one point used as a stable for horses.

The design is gothic style with the most beautiful stone carvings. All designed to reflect stories from the bible.

It’s small with a limited number of people entering in each 90 min time slot. There’s a free talk about the Chapel, when everyone sits in the pews and look ready for a church service. Our guide was a frustrated actress or maybe a vicar. Reminiscent of Dawn French she brought the history alive with a few well told stories including dramatic pause, lowered voice and a laser pointer to highlight the stone sculptures.

Note the kangaroo in the bottom left. A wife of the Earl was Australian.

From the Chapel it was off to Edinburgh for a night before flying to the Shetland Islands. I pre arranged for Steven ( the man I’ve been communicating with for our 10 day apartment stay after Shetland ) to store a bag. So kind of him. We have limited luggage for the small plane to the islands & were planning on playing storage costs at a local place but it got complicated so I emailed my friend Steven and he met us at the apartment and took our bag to his place until we arrive back. So kind of him.

Pub near our apartment in Edinburgh. Staying there after our Shetlands trip.

The apartment position is great. Just behind the castle, 4 minutes from a tram line & Steve measured 75 paces to our local pub. Can’t wait to settle for 10 days.m!

We had the night at The Royal Scots Club near Princes St after a tasty Japanese meal. Huge variety of food places here.

A 5.15 am taxi pick up for our 7.20 flight to the Shetlands. I’m sitting in the little plane with only about 20 passengers watching the propellers twirl waiting for take off.

Off to find Jimmy Perez. If you don’t know the tv series take a look (and put the captions on to help with the heavy Scottish accents)

Too good to be true. Not taking off. The Shetlands control tower radio was faulty and had to be checked – so back to the gate for an hour!

The Maitlands visit Thirlstane Castle : home of the Maitland and the Earl of Lauderdale.

August 15, 2023 / brisbanefrannie / 5 Comments

This castle is in the Borders area of Scotland ( meaning it borders England. But just in Scotland !) we were excited to visit as there is a connection with the Maitland family.

No we’re not directly related. Though Steve’s Uncle, Major General Gordon Maitland headed up Clan Maitland in Australia. He was so enthusiastic that many Maitlands joined and made quite a club.

He had been to Lauderdale and I think met the Earl.

Just some of the Earls of Lauderdale. I think they are up to 15.

The castle was built in 1587. And has been added to over the years.

The original castle was this centre piece. Then the two extra turrets were added.

We spent 90 minutes with Gordon & Trish our guides as they took us through room by room. they had many stories about the family , the Earls and the castle itself.

Personal photos of the present Earl and his family.

Gold leaf edged doors. Replaced a few years ago after a fire.

Chairs are draped with the Maitland tartan – rugs, throws. Etc. our little team of people on the tour were very quiet and didn’t ask much so our guide ploughed on with information about the house and the family. He knows his facts!

We climbed up and down stairs and saw the wing that had been turned into accommodation. We thought about staying here but at £1500 a night we decided t to stay at the Black Bull pub in the town of Lauder 5 mins away.

These little Scottish border towns are just lovely, each is distinctive with its castle or abbey or just a very grand house.

Selkirk is home to Walter Scott the novelist & poet.

A pub at Melrose Steve’s sister Marg worked in Melrose when a young nurse.

Street in Coldstream home to the Coldstream Guards.

Road tripping around Scotland is fun. Lots to see and not far between little towns.

And the people. So friendly. We are staying at The Black Bull in Lauder tonight. The owner and Steve hit it off immediately as Steve admired a small stool in the reception area. Turns out he does woodwork on a serious level. He’s a building and loves wood. He made all the tables in the restaurant and the bathroom cabinetry is his work.

Notice the tables. All made by the owner.

They chatted for ages about woodwork!

Then we had a great dinner. And retired to a very comfortable room. Not the Maitland suite at the Castle and I’m not sorry at all!

Our day on Hadrians Wall

August 15, 2023 / brisbanefrannie / 2 Comments

I decided to let the photos do the talking.

Hadrians Wall is a masterpiece of Roman design and execution. Who knew so many Romans made the trip to Britain to build walls & forts.

This timeline explains when and how the Roman occupation of Britain began and ended.

Steve’s walk along the wall.

A very straight section of the wall. Steve clambered into it for this photo.

The tree seen from another point on this looped part of the wall.

Where Steve started and finished his loop of 4 hr walking. The last hour in the rain!

The thistle growing along side the wall.

Along the wall there were sections built as lookouts.

Some sheep keeping a check on the walkers.

I got talking to these two men who are volunteers for the National Trust. They inspect small sections of the wall on a weekly basis.

Vindlanda is another museum and the place where the Romans lived while building sections of the wall. It was a small city with barracks, baths, latrines, kitchens. It was discovered and has like so many ancient sites been dug carefully and exposed.

It’s fascinating how much they uncovered. How it tells about the times they lived there.

Our night at Twice Brewed was great. Just made top score of 3 bed 🛌 🛌 🛌 Location excellent particularly for walkers. Restaurant on site. Dinner great. A fun bar. Breakfast included and was terrific. Our room was small ( that’s what I picked) but so well organised. A drying room for wet clothes. All in all 🛌🛌🛌

Today ended up being wet ! Rain ☔️ do we drive into Newcastle. For those who watch Vera on ABC this is the area she is from! When she’s not in the countryside solving murders.

Our hotel The Vermont is in a great spot. But too wet for us to go out. It has big rooms , a terrific bar with cocktails two for 1 price and a nice little restaurant. Steve is too tired to go out so we’ll stay in tonight.

Good decision!

And breakfast was terrific.

Walking Hadrian’s Wall

August 13, 2023 / brisbanefrannie / 4 Comments

After a few detours we left Glasgow and headed south. The countryside is green, lush and covered in wind veins. All over the countryside ? What do you think of them?

Did a brief drive through Carlisle and then out to Hadrians Wall. Steve has been in training for his few days walk. Will his knees carry him along the wall ?

First stop was Birdoswalk Roman Fort. It has been uncovered in recent years and is a popular place for families. Lots of child related activities.

We called into the Roman Army Museum.

Such a great place. Lots of displays about how the wall was built. The huge number of soldiers who were moved here to build it in AD 122 l. Hadrian built it to secure the border of what was called Britannia.

There was a great movie. Everyone sitting with their 3D glasses marvelling on how these poor soldiers did it.

From here Steve launched into his walk. He planned on 12 km. Along the wall up and down and making new friends along the way.

The stretches for 73 miles from Newcastle to Carlisle

Some people walk for 4-5 days. Others do sections. Steve choose two days to walk. Tomorrow will be longer.

I chose to drive the little roads around the area. Up and around I went. Names like Haltwhistle, Bardon Mill, Greenhead. It’s a beautiful part of the country. I love looking at the walkers. Big walking sticks and determination written all over their faces. It gives a sense of community.

I arrived at our hotel for the night. It’s right on the wall and called Twice Brewed ! They have a brewery on site called Once Brewed.

Steve was ready for a beer and a hearty meal. We tend to have breakfast and maybe miss lunch. So a big dinner for Steve tonight.

It was roast night. Sensibly they offer a half serve which I had.

I forgot to rank our room in Glasgow. A 2 🛌🛌it was roomy but the bathroom was quite old fashioned and there was noise from the back alley!!hundreds of bottles being collected and smashed each night!

Breakfast was good though and Leslie our breakfast waitress looked like she could be an extra on Downton Abbey.

Tonight a small room at Twice Brewed.

Last Day in Iceland : Blue Lagoon

August 10, 2023 / brisbanefrannie / 5 Comments

I’m a little sad we are leaving tomorrow. When planning this holiday we had so many things we wanted to do and we thought 6 days here would give us a good taste. Now I would love to do more. To go north. A little more exploring. But I still consider myself lucky to spend 6 beautiful days here in the land of Fire & Ice.

We set off in brilliant sunshine though as always there were amazing clouds. Streaky ones, fluffy white ones & grey snowy ones. The sky is interesting here. I think coming from Queensland where we have such bright blue skies ( unless it’s stormy) this is a contrast.

We searched for the basalt stones. This series of columns Kirkjugolf. ( the Church Floor) is a series of eroded and shaped columnar outcrops where only the top of these basalt columns can be seen.

The columns were formed by lava flow and the way it cooled then eroded smooth by the weather. There is no evidence a church stood here but perhaps was an area occupied by Irish hermits in the years before Iceland was settled !

Sellfoss is one of the larger centres in Iceland. it was very small but has grown to over 4,000 residents. And lots of tourists

We went volcano hunting by choosing the coast road toward the Blue Lagoon. We saw the turns offs to car parks with walks into view the volcano. But I could spot it from the car park. Big black and imposing. But no firey lava.

We were early for our 5 pm Blue Lagoon booking but the lady took pity on my crutch and let us in.

It’s a very well organised operation. It’s expensive – there are two packages you can take. The Comfort: includes entry, a towel , 1 drink and a silica mud mask and well equipped bathrooms with good shampoos , conditioners and body creams.

Or you can take the Premium: entry, towel, a robe, 2 drinks 2 masks. We thought the Comfort package was fine so that’s what we did.

I was excited ! we scanned our wristbands and in we went. You use the band to scan any extra drinks , masks, food or products you buy.

The shower area is well set up with lockers you scan to access. You change , shower ( I thought it was in the nude like other spas but this one allows you to dress in swimwear first )

They encourage you to put conditioner in your hair as the water can make hair dry and brittle. I lathered it on

Then out to the pool I was pleasantly surprise it wasn’t as crowded as I thought it might be. We slipped in. Delightfully warm

Pictures don’t do the colour justice. Ut was a milky blue.

After a good soak I move over to the mud house. You are given s big scoop and you apply it all over your face. It was strange seeing lots of people with white or mud faces.

Its supposed to give you beautiful soft skin!

We got our free drinks. Water and a rather good carrot apple ginger juice. No beer for us! So healthy!

After about 2 hours of being constantly in the warm water where my knee felt wonderfully light and not sore we dragged ourselves out.

Unfortunately back on hard floors it was indeed still sore! I had a long warm shower using lots of the included shampoos etc. the shower room has individual shower stalls. Unlike l when we went to the spas in Budapest where it’s all communal.

We drove to a little apartment I had found in Keflavik because we have to return the car and get to the airport early tomorrow. It’s only about 10 mins from the airport.

What a nice surprise. It was such a comfortable place. The bonus was the great view over the water and the beautiful shower and bed. Luckily we had brought dinner with us so enjoyed staying in.

It was lovely place to stay so a 🛌🛌🛌. 3 bed rating. SOL Apartment. it’s on booking.com

frans travel tales

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Author: brisbanefrannie