Sometimes life cries out for a nice break from the daily routine …… a pie break, so to speak. A time to sit, to listen, to reflect. To taste the sweetness of life.
It is finally warm outside here, in The Middle. Buds are on the trees and some have blossoms. Birds are singing and nesting and flying north once again.
I have longed for this. Winter lasted a long time this year and kept coming back every now and then. I do believe it is finally gone.
I sat outside for a couple of hours this morning just soaking up the sun and vitamin D. I love it. The breeze and the bright blue sky brings hope on its’ wings.
Here are some photos I grabbed….. go ahead and click on each one…….
Our final full day in Scotland landed on a Sunday. Perfect. We woke up and my daughter-in-law served up her daily cup of coffee and we prepared for the day.
This day was packed with sites and emotions. I hate saying goodbye to my kids. I was relieved and thankful to have been a part of their daily life in a foreign land. I knew they were safe and extremely happy. But I was holding back tears all day. I miss them. And I fell in love with Scotland, as I knew I would.
This morning we attended a traditional Anglican Church. I admit that it has been a while since I worshipped in this way. A flood of memories of my very young Catholic days came back to me. I confess that I looked around several times for nuns. I had a fear of them as a child. Go ahead and laugh at me, I’m laughing. It was totally irrational. I almost decided not to partake of communion due to my irrational fears from childhood. Silly. I went forward and followed my son and daughter as what to do. Again, I confess that the moment I should have been reflecting on Jesus and what He did for me on the cross, I was focused on the “bread” and how it wasn’t the kind that instantly melted in your mouth but rather the kind from my childhood that sticks  to the roof of your mouth and the tiny bit of wine the priest offered me didn’t help to unstick it. I had thoughts of grabbing his arm and taking a larger chug. Once back in my seat I was able to be thankful and hold back the laughter of how silly I was. I did enjoy the service.
From there we sent our daughter on ahead to purchase pasties for lunch. We met up with her on The Royal Mile and sat on a bench and partook of their deliciousness.
Onward we trudged to the Edinburgh Castle. I was so excited to go there because the real Stone of Destiny was on display there.
This castle is intact and functioning. Soldiers live there and it is like a village within the walls. The view is spectacular and overlooks the city and the Firth of Forth. Enjoy these pics…
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Queen Margaret, of Scotland, later St. Margaret, was a woman of prayer and benevolence. Her son built her a chapel within the castle walls…….
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We finally did see The Stone of Destiny. It was in a room, guarded, enclosed within glass and no pictures could be taken. But I saw it and it was wonderful!
Time for TEA!
And on our way….
a happy bunchI need a castle 😉my kids
From there, weary and sad and happy, we trudged back to the flat knowing that early in the morning we would bid a “see ya later” to the kids but also looking forward to seeing our pups and our bed.
My advice to all…. visit Scotland or whatever land you dream about. It is worth the money and the emotion and it is pure joy.
As we alighted the train an excitement met me, face-to-face. I love beach towns. The more quaint, the better. As we walked down the hill, yes, another hill, lovely cottages and homes greeted us. Narrow street and sidewalks beckoned to me to keep going, the best is yet to come.
We entered the town center and I drank in the small businesses that wore the garments of charm. The sidewalk and street became even more narrow as we walked on
We turned left and could see the Firth of Forth ahead of us, calling my name. The colored homes, all stuck together as if one, put a smile in my heart.
Then at last…. the beach! The tide was out and the view was magnificent. Oh how I love to walk near water. The wind was blowing hard and the air was so delicious to breathe in and drink of.
and more…..
and then…….
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We enjoyed a lunch in a local pub – fish and chips for me…..
I was in heaven. What a wonderful time at the beach! The big rock off in the distance is home to Puffins, aka Tommie Noddies, in the warmer months.
The song of the sea was singing to me that day. I would pack up and move to this great town if I could. This was a highlight to my trip to Scotland. I am smiling as I type these words. I hope you can feel my delight as I did. And, if you find yourself in Scotland, you must go to North Berwick. Cheers!
If it weren’t for my son’s beautiful mind and determination we may not have made this journey to Scotland. He is presently finishing up his Masters program at the University of Edinburgh.
Childbearing does pay off eventually. If it weren’t for my kids and their dreams we may very well still be, well, who knows where and perhaps not seen or experienced all we have. I love my kids and am very proud of all they have accomplished and for what their future holds.
So here are some random photos in Edinburgh and the area around the university…..
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Enjoy! Next post will be on one of my FAVORITE places – North Berwick, Scotland – a Day at the Beach.
This next leg of our journey takes place just after Christmas when we had a lovely time as a family and partook of a roasted turkey and fixings to accompany it.
The next mini trip was, again, challenging to my emotions and body. I am still struggling to understand the emotions of this trip. I know it has some to do with my love of this place that stems back to childhood. I think some to do with any ancestral connections of my roots. And some to do with being with our son and his wife. It does the heart of a mom good to see where her children live and their day-to-day lives. All of these, combined with our bodies being subpar, stirred up a jumble of emotions.
All I wanted was to visit my kids and enjoy Scotland, land of faeries and stories and shortbread! I got more than I expected. I’m still processing all my experiences over there. To some of you I may sound bonkers. Please tell me someone out there has experienced the emotions tied to a trip you took!
Anyway, we set off one morning by train to Berwick-upon-Tweedin northern England, just over the Scottish border. The very name, Berwick-upon-Tweed, demands to be thought and spoken in an accent other than American. Another quaint, lovely town with scenery to match.
via duct on The River Tweed
garden in Berwick-upon-Tweed
Here we caught a bus that wound past views of the sea and farms to Northumberland. We got off the bus and began to walk towards the Bamburgh Castle. I am speechless at this point. Just look at the pictures of this castle from the road. I really am speechless. A perfectly in tact castle and live-able. Passed down from generation to generation. I was struck by it’s awesomeness.
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Walking up the road to enter the castle was difficult. I was struck by it’s enormous beauty and kept taking pictures. I think I forgot to breathe – LOL – when they say something is breathtaking I can vouch for that first hand. I made it to the top in one piece but had my doubts.
The pictures say the rest. Magnificent and Majestic.
We were pleasantly surprised. Not only did it star Charlie Cox – aka: Dare Devil, but the plot was based on the true story of Scotland’s Stone of Sconeand a few university students who actually stole it from England and brought it back to Scotland.
As soon as we found out we were taking a trip to Scotland to visit our kids, my son told us to think of places and things we want to see.
I asked if he knew where the Stone of Destiny was? He, being a history major, knew exactly where it was and it would be easy to see.
So on our journey we went. In my previous posts on MY Scottish Journey, I talked about some of the challenging aspects. All the walking up and down hills and on hard cobblestone surfaces. A bit painful by the time we fell into our bed at night but so worth it.
I wanted to suck all I possibly could from my Scottish heritage and connection to this amazing land. One day, just before Christmas, we set off by train into The Highlands. Be still my heart. The beauty, even in the dead of winter, is surreal. How one small bit of land in this vast world can be so diverse is mind boggling. Or is it? I come from the USA where the difference in terrain goes from frozen tundra to wide vast prairies to rocky shores and sandy beaches on two different oceans and tropical places all along the southern border! But SCOTLAND has more magic, at least to me. A fascination that draws you deep inside of its very heart. And faeries! Don’t forget the fairies. 😉
Here are some images from our train ride into The Highlands taken through the train windows..
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Our destination was Fort William. I beautiful and quaint town set into the hills and water –Â Loch Linnhe, one of Scotland’s longest sea lochs. One of my goals was to walk on beaches. Any kind of beach was wonderful to me. In Fort William there is a beach and that day the tide happened to be out. My son and I set off onto the wet stones that covered the bottom of the inlet along with seaweed. It was a bit slippery but nothing stops me from walking on a beach.
Camera in hand and a smile on my face I walked and snapped images and looked for some wee treasure to take home with me. And there it was. Right before me in the wetness of low tide, MY personal Destiny Stone.
MY Destiny Stone – complete with MY initial
I bent over to pick it up after taking a photo. It was so slippery and I was layered with warm clothing, I just couldn’t get it. I started laughing. My son came over and asked if I needed help. YES! It’s my stone of destiny! He was quite surprised at that “C” on that stone for his mom. He picked it up and I was thrilled. I could go home a happy woman. My gift from Scotland.
Here is a glimpse of Fort William…
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After enjoying Fort William and our stay in an Air B&B we boarded a bus the next day and went to Loch Ness and Urquhart Castle. What an enjoyable and beautiful place. I did look for Nessie but she was no where to be seen that day.
Urquhart Castle…
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From here we bused up to the city of Inverness. Oh Inverness, how I fell in love with you. I promise to spend more time with you in the future. The locals have thick Scottish accents and I love it, even though you have to listen very carefully to understand them. And unicorns…….
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From Inverness we hopped onto and train as the sun was setting and ended our trip back in Edinburgh the day before Christmas Eve. A very satisfying and beautiful journey.
Here we are, almost into the middle of December and just now the weather has gotten cold. That’s ok. It makes winter even shorter, at least in my head.
Here are some images before the weather turned at Pertle Springs. Such blue skies and water.
Then we have the culprit that brought in the cold. A thunder storm in December! Brief, but successful.
Let's Have Another Piece of Pie 