Thursday, December 29, 1988

On to Inverness ...

Woke up early and took a bath in preparation for our biggest "adventure" yet. J.P. and I gave the Grantham family a gift of appreciation (chocolate ginger) for letting two American college students invade their lovely home for two nights, then headed for Kingsknowe. There we caught the 10.55 a.m. train to Edinburgh, and there we caught the 11.35 train bound for Inverness (picture #1), the furthest north I've ever been.

It was a beautiful journey through the Scottish highlands. When we arrived in the town of Inverness a little past 4 p.m., J.P. and I made our way through town. We stowed our gear in a locker at the train station, and then began our search for a reasonably priced bed and breakfast. We came across a tourist center, where we were able to make a reservation at a place just 10 minutes walk away.

So we gathered our gear, crossed the Suspended Walking Bridge (picture #2) across the Swift River Ness, and eventually arrived at the home of Mrs. E. Mactaggart (picture #3 is her business card). It was a comfortable place, and we got a room with coffee, tea and biscuits in the morning for only £8.50 each.

We unloaded and rested, then went into town for some dinner. We found a Pizzaland restaurant, where we had a ham and pepperoni pizza (forgetting that here, "pepperoni" is actually "peppers"), which was good. We then walked around town a bit, but there wasn't much to see because it had long since been dark in town. The one thing we could see was the castle in town (picture #4, on the hill in the background), which was beautifully lit.

With nothing much to do, we returned to our room in the bed and breakfast and sat talking and reading for awhile, drinking a bottle of wine that J.P. had purchased. At 9 p.m. we went downstairs to watch TV. We opted to watch "Gremlins" over "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" because J.P. had never seen it. During the movie we started playing a partial game of Monopoly, but stopped midway through because J.P. just wanted to watch the movie. So we did until 11.45, when we went back up to the room. I read a chapter, then went to sleep.

Wednesday, December 28, 1988

A Windy Day in Edinburgh ...

I woke up at 9 a.m., ate breakfast, and, after a bit of confusion about what we should do, J.P. and I were able to catch a local train to Waverley Station to begin our day exploring Edinburgh.

We first walked to Calton Hill, where we got a majestic panoramic view of Edinburgh. It's also where The Proclaimers shot the cover to their album "Sunshine on Leith." I finished off my roll of black-and-white film here (so it's back to color photos!) (Picture #1 is me on Calton Hill.)

J.P. and I then climbed down the hill and walked along Princes Street, looking for a bank we could use. It took awhile, but we finally came across a Bank of Scotland with an automated teller. Next we ate lunch at McDonald's (that's Scottish, no?) bought some film at a Boots, then walked through Princes Street Gardens and up the trail that leads to Edinburgh Castle. Snapping a lot of photos along the way, we finally made it to the top of the hill in the gusting but warm winds (near gale, it felt like).

Paid £2 each admission to enter and tour the famous historic castle, but it was well worth it. We walked the insides of the castle for about 1 1/2 hours, taking more photos and braving the harsh winds. (Pictured right are shots from inside the castle. #2, the entrance; #3, an interesting location for a cemetery overlooking Edinburgh; #4, "Hey mate, the sign says 'Please keep off the rockery!'")

When we left, we walked down the Royal Mile, where I bought a very nice white heavy sweater for £15.95 ... £2 off.

We stumbled upon a library, where we went in to look at the phone books in the hopes of finding Big John's address in Blackburn, Lancashire. It turns out his last name, Whalley, is quite common in that area, so we left the library learning only about the commonness of the Whalley name in Blackburn, Lancashire.

Next we went to see Greyfriar's Bobby (picture #4), but J.P. didn't like it at all, because he just couldn't understand why a statue of a dog was famous. Then we walked to the Edinburgh Art Gallery and strolled around there for awhile.

Finally we caught a train at around 5.15 back to Kingsknowe, where the Grantham family lives. While there we watched Humphrey Bogart's classic "Treasure of the Sierra Madre" until dinnertime.

Afterward, quite exhaused, we plotted our route to Inverness, then watched a bit of "The Cotton Club." I then left to watch "Top Secret!" in another room until midnight. Read some more James Bond, then fell asleep at about 1 a.m.

Tuesday, December 27, 1988

From Skegness to Edinburgh...

I woke up bright and early (at 9.30 a.m.!) and showered in preparation for my journey to Edinburgh from Skegness. I bid farewell to the Schofields and thanked them for their kind hospitality, then said my goodbyes to Viv, who I won't see again until we return to school on Jan. 8. They drove me to the train station in order to catch the 10.49 train and begin the journey to Edinburgh.

I took the small train back to Doncaster, where I then changed to a speedier Intercity 125 that zipped me along the rails to Edinburgh. The train was packed, so I decided, rather than fight for a seat among the coach class crowds, I paid 3 quid and upgraded my ticket for this journey to first class. It was well worth the extra money. I had a very comfortable and scenic trip up along the North Sea coast. I wish I could've taken some photos of the small picturesque villages on the tiny peninsulas that extended out into the sea, the rugged sea coast, the mighty moors and the beautiful landscape.

I arrived at Edinburgh's Waverly Station at 4.20 p.m., and 30 minutes later I met up with J.P. We then called the Granthams, and J.P. and I then went and got some food while we waited for Mr. Grantham to come and pick us up. It was dark by this time, so we got to drive through Edinburgh at night, which gave us a chance to marvel at the lights and sights of the city, particularly the castle on the hill. (pictured, right)

When we got to the Grantham's house, which was very nice, we enjoyed a delicious meal of lamb. Then we sat and talked with them while watching TV. During this time, we decided on a whim that as part of our trip we should take a trip way up north to visit Inverness... the town located near Loch Ness. We watched "The Eagle Has Landed," then I read some of "You Only Live Twice," and then went to bed.

Photo is of taxis waiting in a queue in Edinburgh. This is one of my favourite pictures taken during this trip. This scene just had a very old-fashioned British look.