UK Vacation: Day 7

Day 7 was the last day we had in Edinburgh, next stop was Loch Lomond & Trossachs National Park. We had breakfast in our room again before making our way back to the train station. Since we were in Scotland, we were able to take their local train system, ScotRail, which is infinitely better than the train which brought us up from London. The train to Glasgow leaves Edinburgh every 10 minutes or less. Hubby and I were all alone on this train car and it was blissful.

We arrived at the Glasgow Queen Street Station one hour later and walked to the Buchanan Street Bus Station. We weren't able to purchase bus tickets in advance, so the helpful lady behind the counter ensured that we bought the correct tickets and advised us to "inform our bus driver of our stop, so he doesn't pass by it." That's when you know you are going to the country!

We had enough time to grab some lunch, so we ate across the street at a place called DiMaggio's. We didn't purposefully pick an American eatery, it was the only place open early enough. The food was actually quite delightful and the portions were perfect for two people who were about to take a long bus trip.

We boarded the bus after a little bit of consternation (our bus driver hadn't changed his bus number, so nobody actually knew if they were boarding the correct bus or not) and our driver immediately plugged in his iPod and started playing Frank Sinatra over the bus speakers. He also sang out loud whenever the mood hit him. I found him extremely entertaining!

The bus trip went much smoother than we expected, although once we started to get out onto the country roads Hubby became increasingly uncomfortable. The roads were so tiny and narrow and the vehicles attempting to travel it were so large, it was a miracle no one was hurt. For whatever reason, it didn't bother me in the least, I figured our driver navigates this roadway probably 6 times a day, he knows what he is doing.

Hubby claims our driver had "balls of steel." Ha ha ha!

Approximately an hour and a half later, we arrived at our destination. It ended up we didn't need to worry about our bus stop, as several other people on board were also getting off at the same stop: Inverarnan. My goal had been to stay in a traditionally old world Scottish establishment and the Drovers Inn seemed to fit the bill. Build in 1705, the Drovers Inn was originally utilized by cattle farmers as lodging and now serves in much the same way for locals and tourists.

The Drovers Inn

Our view: The Falls of Falloch

Once we were able to check in we were informed that we wouldn't actually be staying in the Drovers Inn but in a building they had acquired across the street. Spoiler Alert: This is where things went terribly wrong. My therapist (who is quite the world traveler) warned me that something on the trip would go wrong and the best thing to do is just acknowledge that fact and try to your best to move on. 

So we walked across the major highway to the former Stagger Inn (get it...) and found our room. It was...disappointing. The room was very small and amenities were minimal, but we thought we could make it work for a few days. There was an ensuite bathroom, which was a bonus. When I attempted to take a shower, however, the shower refused to drain and ultimately we had to get another room.

Usually when you are relocated to another room, you secretly think "upgrade!" but once again, this was not the case. The room we were given was much larger than the first but it was old and stuffy and honestly felt like no one had stayed in the room in months. The room looked like it was falling apart with its raggedy carpeting and crumbling ceiling. Worse yet, there was mold. I could smell it. (For those of you who don't know, I almost died from toxic mold a few years ago and my superpower is that I can smell it. I am a glorified mold dog and I could make millions if it wouldn't kill me.) Hubby sent me out of the room and used some Clorox wipes to wipe down the walls around my bed but it was so deeply ingrained in this space, there was no avoiding it. Despite opening all the windows, I had to wear my medical mask the whole time, including when I slept.

This is the only picture of the room we took. I think I was too embarrassed that I had made such a terrible choice of accommodations and Hubby was too mortified to want to memorialize the occasion.

Luckily we weren't staying in the National Park because we were planning to stay indoors. So we went for a walk.

While we were on our walk we discovered a little gem in the middle of nowhere, the Beinglas Farm Campsite which hosts everything from camping cabins to a bed and breakfast and a pub. How did I not know this place existed? We had dinner in the pub that night and it was delicious!

Not my photo

Step Count: 10,468

UK Vacation: Day 6

Our second day in Scotland started with breakfast in our room. This was the first time we had stayed at a bed and breakfast and what a delightful little perk to not even have to get out of our pajamas to eat breakfast. Our host was a very good sport about bringing us coffee instead of tea.

I had purchased tickets for Edinburgh Castle in advance (which I highly recommend) and our scheduled entrance time was between 10:00 and 11:30 am.

This was the moment I fell in love with Edinburgh. I had never in my life felt so powerfully connected to a city as I did this one. If I could move there tomorrow, I would do it without question.

Scotland agreed with us!

This is the building where the Scottish Crown Jewels are housed. It took quite awhile but we were able to view them. Unlike at the convention, I obeyed the "no photos" policy.

Scottish National War Memorial

St. Margaret's Chapel

Immediately outside of Edinburgh Castle on the Royal Mile was our second stop of the day: The Scotch Whisky Experience. This place was absolutely mad. Not only could you tour a distillery but they must have the largest collection of whisky in the world. Two floors of some of the rarest and most expensive whisky ever produced (and also reasonably priced ones too). My one regret from this day was that we couldn't spend more time here.

Image not mine

Image not mine

Our next stop was St. Giles Cathedral where we also had lunch. Lunch here was adequate but definitely not as good as what we had at Westminster Abbey. The cathedral was absolutely spectacular but unfortunately you could not photograph the inside without purchasing a permit.

Here's an interior shot I snagged from Wikipedia
For any Outlander fans, there was an episode filmed in this space.

Next stop was Greyfriars Bobby. This little terrier became famous in the mid-1800s for spending 14 years guarding the grave of his owner until he, himself, died. It is believed that if you rub his nose, it is good luck. This was also the site where Hubby and I had the most interesting encounter of our entire trip, one that has resonated with us since that day.

We met an old man, we never got his name, but he came up to us and explained that he was originally from Scotland but had lived in Australia for the majority of his life (his accent was amazing!). He had been traveling the world, by land, air and sea for months, because he had been diagnosed with a terminal illness. He said he didn't know why he felt like he needed to talk to us, as he pushed one of us under each of his arms, but he felt compelled to bestow upon us his wisdom: "Don't wait. Do the things you want to do, while you can still do them. Forget work. Forget finances. Just enjoy life and see as much as possible." I think about this man, literally, everyday and wonder if he has returned home, if he has gotten sicker, or worse, if he has already passed away. You never know who you will run into that will change your world forever. I wish him peace.

The next part of the day is honestly a bit of a blur. We walked by so many things. We went to the University, we found a cute little nerdy store called "Galaxy," we went into the library (but weren't allowed where the books were because we didn't have a library card), we went to the Scott Monument and walked through the Princes Street Gardens. Hubs even let me go into a yarn store where I was able to find some real Scottish wool yarn and I am currently knitting him a scarf.

University Campus

Scott Monument

Princes Street

Edinburgh Castle is right above my head

The owner, Kathy, was wonderfully sweet and absolutely loved all the
photos I showed her of my completed knitting projects.

That evening we had dinner at the Cumberland Bar. Hubby had nachos with some really great guacamole and I had macaroni and cheese which tasted extraordinary.

Photo not mine

Photo not mine but I couldn't resist because this was the exact table we sat at!

Step Count: 25,700

UK Vacation: Day 5

Bright and early on a Monday morning, Hubby and I lugged our suitcases to the Tube once again, this time destined for London's King Cross Train Station. We had a train to catch at 10:00 am to Edinburgh, Scotland! We arrived early enough that we could have breakfast at Plum + Spilt Milk before we left.

Plum + Spilt Milk was the fanciest restaurant we ate at during our entire trip. It was more difficult than usual for a vegetarian to find something to eat here. My nerves were also a little on edge, so unfortunately, I did not entirely enjoy this meal.

The entire train situation was kind of a nightmare from beginning to end. I had thought that I had booked everything correctly, but in the end we discovered that we did not have reserved seating. We ended up separated (but in the same car) for the entire 5+ hour train ride while we watched people fight over seating or standing space. The overbooking of this train was to a level we had never seen before (it reminded me of the steerage compartment on the Titanic). We will never ride LNTR trains again unless we have first-class guaranteed seating. Once we got to Edinburgh, we waited for quite awhile as the staff tried to figure out how to open the luggage car. Apparently they had locked themselves out. Yeah, that was awesome. The only silver lining from this experience was the young Scottish man I sat next to, who was more than willing to tell me all about the tiny village outside Aberdeen he grew up in. 

We arrived in Edinburgh, Scotland around 3:30 pm and walked to the "The Guest Room," a small bed and breakfast located in "New Town." 

The newest building in "New Town" is 200 years old!

The husband and wife who run this tiny bed and breakfast were supremely kind and helpful. They were available to answer questions, when needed, but also honored our privacy. I would stay there again, no question!

We relaxed in our room for awhile before venturing out for dinner. You will never guess what we found? The best Mexican food we have had since leaving Arizona at a place called "The Basement"! Are you kidding me? We had to travel 5,000 miles...to Scotland...to get good Mexican food? We also discovered Swedish hard cider, which makes all other US cider seem sad and disappointing. The wait staff were tremendously kind and this was a wonderful first Scottish experience!

Hubby and I, the elderly "early birds," who had the whole place to ourselves.

Step Count: 8,001

UK Vacation: Day 4

The final day of the convention started early once more, so we grabbed breakfast and coffee again at Costa and went directly to the Olympia. First stop was the Main Hall for another Game of Thrones Panel which was supposed to have to have a number of the headliners, but instead had some of the less popular actors. See what I mean about being poorly run and promoted?

Game of Thrones Panel

As soon as the panel was over, I made it over to my second and final photo op of the trip. This time with David Duchovny from the X-Files. I cannot express how kind he was to his fans. Unlike the experience the day before, David was happy to be there and was truly gracious towards everyone. It makes such a difference when the celebrity guest is grateful!

25 years in the making! I think my smile says it all.

I was done with the convention by the time my photo op was over, so hubby and I left early again to explore London. We hopped on the tube and made our way to Westminster Abbey. A majority of the Abbey was closed on Sunday since it is still an active place of worship, but some of the exterior areas remained open for viewing.

We were pleasantly surprised to discover a little restaurant inside the Abbey called The Cellarium Cafe and Terrace. The food was outstanding! It was also the first time I was able to find iced tea since getting to the UK. Their peach and earl grey homemade iced tea was the highlight of this restaurant for me!

After Westminster Abbey we walked to Buckingham Palace, which was more difficult than it should have been since a huge cycling competition had shut down most of the roads and crosswalks. These closures ended up being kinda nice in the end, as it was easier to navigate the more touristy areas of London without dodging traffic.

The Queen was home but unavailable to have tea with us.

After Buckingham, we made it to the River Thames where we saw the London Eye and Big Ben. By this point we were both a little wrecked, so we cut the day short, got back on the Tube, grabbed dinner at Byron Burger (which was also amazing!) and got a good nights sleep.

Big Ben's restoration was supposed to be completed by the time we got there. We were unenthused with its progress.

Step Count: 23,409

Total Miles Walked in London: 23.08

UK Vacation: Day 3

The second day of the convention started extra early because I had a photo op scheduled between 9:30 and 10:10 a.m. and the line was expected to be long. As a time saving measure, we grabbed a quick bite at the local coffee shop, Costa, and went to the Olympia.

The heat and crowd was insanity! We had never seen so many people at a convention in all the years we have been attending. It was too many people, to be honest. Add in the heat and it made for a miserable day for the celebrities and attendees. I will never attend another convention run by Showmasters. They did a terrible job of managing this con.

I was lucky enough to see Rory McCann (Sandor "The Hound" Clegane from Game of Thrones) while it was still early in the day. Unfortunately, it wasn't the best experience and it was obvious that he didn't want to be there, which was a shame seeing how far I traveled to meet him.

This is right after I got his autograph and right before he yelled at me for taking his photo. There was a sign that stated "no photos" but I am a #rulebreaker. 

We attended the Game of Thrones panel in the afternoon. It was only supposed to be Rory but they added the other two guests at the last minute. They also moved this from the main stage to a much smaller auxiliary room, which caused them to have to turn a significant number of people away due to lack of seating. Like I said, poorly managed - and the audio quality was atrocious.

That evening I went to the David Duchovny talk on the main stage. This convention actually charged to watch/hear celebrities speak (which is why I did this solo). I would never have done this had it not been for the string of unfortunate incidents that occurred earlier in the day. I needed something nice to cap off a rather disappointing Saturday.

Hubby and I ended up eating a quick dinner at Pizza Express located in the Olympia. We just didn't have the energy to search out a restaurant or walk somewhere new.

Step Total: 12,667

UK Vacation: Day 2

The first day of the convention started out early, so we walked down to a local eatery called Cafe Tarte for a traditional English breakfast. 

Cafe Tarte

We did a terrible job of photographing food on this trip, so Google images is gonna have to suffice. The young French woman who waited on us was very kind and chatty and gave us a very good first impression of London locals.

Bacon (what we call ham), sausages, eggs (poached), toast, mushrooms, beans, tomatoes and coffee (or tea)

Me in front of the Olympia

Despite having picked up our tickets to the convention the day before, we still had to wait in line to enter the facility.

Friday was quite deceiving. We thought this was how Saturday and Sunday were going to be. Ha!

James Callis (AKA Gaius Baltar from Battlestar Galactica)

Around 1:00 pm, we ditched the convention and explored the city because LONDON!

Amazingly beautiful architecture!

Hyde Park for high tea, only to discover the restaurant had permanently closed.

Kensington Palace and Queen Victoria

Natural History Museum

We spent several hours inside the Natural History Museum and it was exceptional. All I can really remember, however, is how hot and muggy it was on this day. There were so many people in this giant non-air conditioned building and it was sweltering. When it rained on the walk back to the hotel, it was a welcome relief!

Alborz Persian Food for dinner

STEP TOTAL: 30,433