BEAUTIFUL LINLITHGOW

Hi, all!

On 2sday the 14th I had a full day to explore Linlithgow on my own. The downtown area is beautiful - lots of flowers and historic buildings. This is the Annet House Museum of Linlithgow viewed from the lovely back garden.

Proof I was there.

St. Michael's Parish Church is a beautiful structure that was built in 1242 on the site of an older church; there was a fire in 1424 and most of the present building is from that time period with extensive restoration work done in the 1800s. It's the home church of our Linlithgow families and we attended a service there 2 years ago.

Immediately north of St. Michael's stands Linlithgow Palace, birthplace of Mary, Queen of Scots in December, 1542. It's my favorite sort of 'ruin' - lots of stairs and details and levels to explore.

This photo is of the courtyard and fountain from the tallest tower, followed by a photo of the fountain with the tallest tower behind it, and a detail of the fountain itself.

The lower kitchen

This artifact room was behind a locked door but there was a stone missing above the door which enabled me to take this photo.

There were displays in a ground floor hallway, examples below. The top pieces bear a remarkable resemblance to the pottery you can still buy in Guatemalan markets for household use.

Free tours were offered by young volunteers in festive dress.

The Palace sits on beautiful Linlithgow Loch; it was a beautiful day so I took advantage of the perfect combination of location, time, and weather for a leisurely stroll and picnic. The swans were especially photogenic but there were lots of gorgeous bird babies and flowers as well as views of the Palace and St. Michael's from different directions. If you'd like to learn more about Linlithgow Palace, here's a wikipedia page that includes links to information about the town and St. Michael's as well. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linlithgow_Palace

Coots

Great crested grebe

Mallards

These gorgeous flowers are in Ruth and Norman's back garden.

My final meal with Ruth and Norman was this lovely combination of salad with portobello mushrooms and brie for a starter, then salmon, new potatoes, pea pods, and broad beans. I miss Mike all through every day but especially when I'm eating salmon. 

Ruth mentioned to me that they're building a 3rd bridge over the Firth of Forth, commonly referred to as the third Forth bridge. It joins the current motor vehicle bridge and a rail bridge (right) that recently obtained United Nations World Heritage Status. Norman drove me to the Edinburgh airport to catch an early flight south and I was able to snap this photo just as we climbed into the clouds. Farewell to Scotland for now!

Happy trails!

Stacey

ENGINEERING MARVELS in FALKIRK

Hi, all!

I had the pleasure of staying 3 nights in Linlithgow, about 20 miles west of Edinburgh, with my beloved host family from the 70s, the Middletons. Grown daughter Val and her family live nearby and on the 1st of my 2 full days in the area, Val and her younger son Luke and I visited Falkirk to experience 1st hand 2 incredible engineering masterpieces: the Falkirk Wheel and The Kelpies.

The Falkirk Wheel is the only rotating boat lift of its kind in the world. Modeled after a double-headed Celtic axe, it raises and lowers boats 79 feet between the Forth and Clyde Canal and the Union Canal, connecting the 2 waterways for the 1st time since the 1930s. You can see below a boat entering at the bottom and the corresponding boat carrier on the top, an extension of the canal above. You can read more about the Falkirk Wheel here: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falkirk_Wheel

Up it goes!

Then it was our turn.

Heading in...

and up - note our boat's counterpart being lowered as we rose.

At the top we scooted down the aquaduct and took a small tour before turning around and heading back to the wheel. 

Can you see the lovely view of the highlands? Yeah, neither could we - too cloudy.

Back on terra firma we had a nice lunch. 

Luke encouraged me to try a British tradition - a Tunnock's Tea Cake.

It's a globe-shaped s'more!

After enjoying our meal and surviving the gigantic Celtic axe...

we headed back out into the weather for a visit to The Kelpies. Kelpies are legendary Scottish shape shifting sea spirits that lure unsuspecting victims to their death; sometimes they take on the form of a horse, the orginal inspiration for a pair of gigantic sculptures also in Falkirk. With the region's history of metal works and of horses pulling boats along the canals, they're a fitting tribute. You can read more about them here:

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

We took a tour that enabled us to see the inside structure of 1 of the monuments, really incredible.

In the evening we had a nice dinner out; from left: Val, Stacey, older son John, Luke, Val's husband Paul, Ruth, and Norman.

I am so blessed to be able to spend time with this wonderful family again this year!

Happy trails!

Stacey

To INVERNESS & AWAY

Hi, all!

I crossed over from Skye via the Skye Bridge and arrived in Kyle of Lochalsh on a City Link bus, picked up provisions at the local Co-op grocery, then headed up the street to the rail station.

The Kyle Line between Kyle of Lochalsh and Inverness is another 1 of Britain's most scenic rail journeys. In addition to what you see pictured there were lots of surprises including startled stags and a dead beached beluga whale. 

Highland cattle

I had run across this group of French hikers on Skye wearing the same muddy kilts.

I hiked from the rail station to my hostel, Inverness Student Hotel, happy to have a roller bag. When I arrived and was assigned a dorm on the 3rd floor, I was happy my bag has backpack straps, too. 

The lounge

That's my bed plus a dorm mate enjoying a good book and the lovely view from the window, next photo.

I set out to explore and the 1st stop was Inverness Castle, built in 1836 on a site that has hosted some form of fort for many centuries. The current building houses the Sheriff Court and isn't open to the public.

I think this is a parking code but has a sort of stand alone sentiment.

I saw several of these trompe l'oeil-style paintings on the flat (yes, flat!) construction canvas covering renovations projects.

I crossed the River Ness on the pedestrian suspension bridge (did not see the infamous monster) and visited some lovely churches

before crossing back and strolling around the Old High Church.

Next door I found this otherworldy place - Leakey's Book Store.

As I walked south toward the hostel I passed 5 or 6 groups of 'hen and chicks' - some sort of bridal party tradition; this was my favorite.

The main reason I planned a Saturday stop in Inverness was to find good live music and I was not disappointed on that count. Hootenanny's has live music 7 nights/week, metal upstairs and traditional downstairs. My night downstairs it was an inspiring young group, Levack Stewart Irving.

After a bit more exploring in the morning, I headed back to the rail station for my trip south - more beautiful scenery, another nice train picnic, and my eventual arrival in Linlithgow.

Happy trails!

Stacey