Day 28 (Oct 12)

 Today we headed home!
We were up early and left for the Airport by 9am.  Even though our flight wasn't until 2:15, we we wanted to be sure we had enough time in case we got lost trying to maneuver the subway.  As it turned out, that was the easiest part.  We arrived at the airport shortly before 10am and found our way the WestJet counter, which wasn't busy at all.  We checked in, and were advised to go through security right away.
The line-up to the security line up started outside the terminal building and wound it's way through two floors in a snake-like pattern until you reached the actual security area.  We stood in line waiting for almost three hours.  Periodically staff would walk through calling flights within the next half hour and fast track those people.  Of course, with false knees, both of us ended upgoing through enhanced screening, and Bob was "lucky" enough to have his back selected for a random search. We made it to our gate half and hour before boarding!
The flight itself was unremarkable.  I was amazed at the simplicity of coming through customs and immigration in Calgary.  It is much easier than it was the last time we went through a few years ago.  We  were so glad to see David  and know we were almost home. 
We arrived home just before 9pm after being up for the past 19 hours!
It is good to be home.  We are tired but happy.  This has been a great trip.

I can't end this blog without thanking the people that helped make it happen.  Thanks to Earl and Shirley for looking after our house while we were gone. Thanks to Gord and Susan who let us know about this bus tour. Thanks to Marian who organized and coordinated the trip.  Thanks to George who took us to the airport at the last minute when our arranged ride was derailed by Covid.  Thanks to Ken for keeping the website updated and loaned us the adapters so we could get power.

Thanks to Fiona, our tour guide, and Julian, our driver, for making the bus tour a fun and informative trip.  And a special thanks to Matthew, friend and guide, who made the last week in London so special.  And last...to our son, David, for the ride home.

NO PHOTOS TODAY

Until the next trip....

Day 27 (October 11) Mayfair-St. James Park

This is the last day of our holiday.  We had decided this would be a down day as we prepare for our trip home. Our plan was to not take our cameras. I was thrilled because I wouldn't have to worry about photos tonight.  NOT!  I forgot about cameras in phones. 

We had arranged to meet Matthew for a last lunch together. He suggested the Guinea Pub which is the oldest pub in Britain.  It is located in the Mayfair District, which is a very high end business district.

We took the subway to Green Park and got off prepared to walk to the restaurant.  To my dismay, I could not get a GPS signal to get Google to show me the way.  We had to rely on the old fashioned way ...ask for help.  A delightful, cheery man carefully gave us directions, although he said it was a long way away.  His comment of the day: "London...you come to the biggest city and you can't get internet".  

We followed his instructions and found the Pub with no difficulty.  When we walked in the restaurant, the one thing we first noticed were all the suits.  This was obviously a high end district and it looked like several business lunches. The first thing they brought us was the wine menu.  I have never seen a 23 page wine menue before.  We opted for a couple of Guinness and a coke.  We also had steak and kidney pie which was excellent!

After lunch, we walked along towards Picadilly looking for an ice cream store, which, when we found it, was unfortunately closed.  Along the way, we passed a number of car dealerships who had cars selling for 250,000 pounds.  Did I mention that Mayfair was a wealthy area.

As we entered St. James Park, we found an ice cream vendor, so were able to get our ice cream.  We sat on a bench, savouring our ice cream and watching the crowds.

We later walked through the park. We noticed some crocuses blooming... they must have their seasons mixed up. We passed the pond we had seen the other day, where Bob found many birds to entertain him.  One particular parrot was particularly interested in Matthew.

We continued our walk, and ended by our hotel.  We bid goodbye to Matthew, after a wonderful week.  We have thoroughly enjoyed our stay and London, and are incredibly grateful that he was willing to take his holiday time to show us around.  It would not have been the same holiday without him.

Tomorrow we head home, so tonight are preparing to say our last goodbyes.

Hotel:  Resident Inn Victoria
Weather: sunny but a little cooler  -high 14c

PHOTOS

Day 26 (Oct10) Westminster Abbey

We were on our own today!  After a leisurely wakeup, we decided we would visit Westminster Abbey today.  After finding the best route on Google maps, we headed out to find the correct bus stop. It actually wasn't too hard at all.  Four stops later we were in front of the abbey.  

We joined the queue, which was about 40 minutes long.  We were surprised to learn that it didn't matter whether you already had tickets or not, you joined the same line.

We met a friendly woman from California and and had a good chat about health care in Canada.  It's interesting to learn what Americans are being told about a Public Health Care system.  It was a good conversation.

While we were in line, Bob slipped into St. Mary's Church for a quick photo op.

About 40 minutes in line, we gained entrance to the Abbey.  Words cannot describe what we found inside. The ornateness and carvings are absolutely amazing. 

The Abbey also serves as a mausoleum for about 30 kings and queens.  We were able to visit many of these resting places.

Leaving the abbey proper, we visited the cloistered area, including the oldest part of the Abbey, as well as the oldest door in Britain.

Leaving the Abbey, we wandered across to the Supreme Court, where we sat in the sun for a few minutes.  We had just decided to visit the court, when a huge group of students got to the door before us.  We got just inside the entrance and decided that this was probably not the best time to visit.

We grabbed a bus, heading for home.  Unfortunately, this time we missed our stop.  Fortunately, the next stop was Westminster Cathedral, so we popped in there for a view.  There was a service in progress so we weren't able to take and photos.

From the cathedral we walked home.  Later we walked over to a local pub, The Phoenix, for a pint and burger.  The atmosphere was typically British pub and the food was very good. (It helped we were hunger)

After a rest in our room, we headed out once again for Westminster Abbey to attend the Evensong service. The boys choir was singing this evening.  The acoustics are amazing in the building.  One of the things we both realized was that we are glad we attend a more relaxed church!

Back in our room, we are relaxing and planning our last day tomorrow.

Hotel:  Resident Inn Victoria
Weather:  Sunny and warm  high 18c

PHOTOS

Day 25 (October 9) Eastbourne

Today we took a train and went to Eastbourne on the south coast.  Eastbourne has the highest cliffs on the English Channel.  They are also known for having the highest suicide rate. They say people come from all over the world to commit suicide here.

The train ride down was relatively uneventful.  Much of the time there were trees on either side of the train.  We did watch the changing landscape as we went south.  In some places, there seemed to be family farms, and in others it looked like untamed land.  There were many small villages that we passed on the way.  It was impressive to see how many of the houses had solar panels on the roof.  We even passed a few tall buildings, whose roofs were slanted towards the sun and had solar panels.

Closer to the coast, we started to see cliffs in the distance.

We arrived at Eastbourne and started to walk towards the information office, but instead decided to take a taxi to Biring Gap and Beachy Head where the cliffs and the eight sisters are.

The cliffs are amazing. Tall ragged cliffs and a beach of stones.

Looking out over the English Channel, you can almost imagine that you see the coast of France. The cliffs are deteriorating and are very unstable.  We were warned not to go to the edge and they could give way anytime.  It is particularly bad following a rain, apparently. 

We wandered the beach for awhile, although the footing was very unstable with all the rocks on what felt like a spongy underpinning.  Later, Matthew and Bob climbed the cliff while I soaked up some sun.

After taking a taxi back to town, we walked down the pier, which is very ornate with lots of "gold".  We were told the same person that owned the pier also owned three hotels there, and you can tell which one by the gold. We stopped for some traditional fish and chips served in paper and with little wooden utensils.  We ate on the pier, overlooking the channel, listening to the waves lapping on shore.

By then, it was close to the time for our return train, so we took a taxi back to the train station.  We watched as they added an additional four cars to the train before we got on.  Already, the coaches were full and got fuller as we headed to London.  I think the previous day strike, and the fact that it was a Sunday and people were returning to London from the weekend might have explained how busy it was - definitely standing room only.

Arriving back at Victoria Station, we said goodnight to Matthew and headed back to our hotel, satisfied and content.

Hotel:  Resident Inn Victoria
Weather:  Sunny and warm  -high 18c

PHOTOS

Day 24 (October 8) London - British Museum

Today we spent the day at the British Museum.  Matthew met us at Victoria Station and we took a bus to the museum. When we arrived, there was a bit of a queue but it moved quickly.

Once inside the museum, it was overwhelming.  We started in the Ancient Eygpt room. Unfortunately, the Rosetta Stone was recently removed from the permanent display pending movement for display at another museum.  The artifacts were amazing.  The overpowering size and complexity was breathtaking.  I was amazed at the intricacy of some of the carvings

We moved through Ancient Greece and Rome, and also moved through the ages.  It was very interesting.

We moved to the Africa Display and on to America.  I was surprised, although I shouldn't have been, how much of the display was American, not Canadian, although there were a number of Inuit artifacts.

We took the elevator to the Japanese display only to find it closed, so took one floor down and walked through "paper and print" display. One of the areas was listed as "pornographic".

After that, we went down one more floor, and walked our way through a number of exhibits to the theme room on Clocks and watches.  This room was fascinating.

By this time, our minds were pretty much overflowing, and our feet were complaining, so we headed towards home.

We stopped at Dammikas, a Sri Lankan restaurant on Ken Glover's recommendation.  It was a good decision!  The food was excellent.

After supper, we said goodnight to Matthew and headed for our hotel.  On our way, we passed some interesting bobble heads

We arrived home shortly after 6pm, ready to settle in for the evening

Hotel: Resident Inn Victoria
Weather:  sunny and warm (I think - we were indoors)  high ?

PHOTOS

Day 23 (October 7) London

Another remarkable day.  We had decided to explore the local area today, so Matthew met us at our hotel at 10am.

We headed towards Buckingham Palace, which is literally just around the corner when we noticed that there seemed to be a lot of people gathering.  We soon realized that there was the Changing of the Guards today.  We decided to hang around a bit to see what we could see. We were not able to see the actual changing inside the palace walls, but we got a spectacular view of the guards march both in and out the palace.  

Later we walked through Green Park towards Soho. Matthew explained some of the greenery in the area.  The park has trees that are several hundred years old. There is one kind of tree that periodically loses its bark so it always "looks clean".  

On the other side of the park, we walked down Piccadilly to Piccadilly Circus.  We stopped there for a sit down and cup of tea.

From there we wandered through SOHO, a district well known for its partying and food.  We walked through the gay district and on to Broadwick Street and the Broad Street Pump.  This pump is a famous symbol of Public Health as the removal of the handle of this pump ended a cholera epidemic in 1854. We stopped for  drink in the John Snow Pulic House located nearby.

We then down walked Berwick Market, where there was a long row of tents featuring food from any country you might want.  The smells were amazing.

Next was China town with lanterns strung across the walkway. We stopped at C R Cafe for a Malaysian lunch.  The food was excellent!  I thoroughly enjoyed it.

We walked through Covent Garden and window shopped along the way.  There were also a number of street performers to add the to atmosphere. Matthew explained the history of Covent Garden and Market.

From Covent Garden, we headed to Trafalgar Square.  At this point, I was getting a little tired, so sat down in the square for a rest and did some people watching. 

We walked through St. James Park on our way back to our hotel.  We did some bird watching by the lake in the park.  We watched swans, ducks, coots, parrots and one heron.  There was even a black swan.  

We got home around 7pm, again exhausted but well satisfied with our day.  My steptracker said 15,596 steps.

Hotel: Resident Inn Victoria
Weather: mixed sun and cloud -high 16c

PHOTOS

Day 22 (October 6) London - Greenwich

What a day!  We had agreed to meet Matthew near Big Ben at 10am. We headed out of our hotel with Google maps on hand.  The new live view works very well and kept us on track.  We walked along Victoria Street through what looks like a business district. Along the way, we passed by Westminster Abbey, a stop for another day. 

It took us longer than google says to get to Big Ben, but we do walk quite a bit slower than most, and stopped numerous times along the way to confirm our direction and to look around. Matthew had suggested we walk through St. James Park, but I think we missed that.  All that being said, we are getting more confident in our journey.

The scaffolding has been removed from Big Ben and the clock is running, but it is not yet open.  It is an amazing structure.

We met Matthew and headed off for Greenwich.  We took a "river bus" which is part of the regular transit system, only on water.  Matthew gave me a running commentary on the the buildings we passed while Bob took photos out the back.  We passed Cleopatra's needle, which Egypt wants back, under London Bridge, Tower Bridge, and past numerous other buildings etc along the way.  It was great getting a local's comments.

Arriving at Greenwich, we wandered the village and then walked past the university.  We stopped for lunch at a local tavern, and then took a taxi up to the Observatory.  There was a detour to get there, but the driver did not charge us for the extra distance - a "decent chap".

At the obseratory, we stood on the prime meridian! There is a marker on top of the observatory that helps mark the time.  There is a red ball that falls at exactly 1pm every day.

On the walk down from the observatory, Matthew pointed out the different types of trees there.  There are two types of chestnuts growing there.  He explained the difference as one of them is poisonous.  We tasted chestnuts right off the tree.

We took the train back to London, and then the tube to "The Strand".  This is the tallest building in Europe.  We took an elevator to the 68th and then 72nd floor.  The views from this area are absolutely amazing.  The sky was clear so we were able to see for miles!

We then took the subway back to Victoria Station and home.  We said goodnight to Matthew and started our walk back to the hotel. We stopped at a local restaurant for drinks and chicken wings.  We sat outside and people watched for almost an hour.

Back in our rooms, we are exhausted, but very satisfied.  My tracker said I did over 14000 steps.

I wonder what tomorrow will bring?

Hotel:  Resident Inn Victoria
Weather:  warm and sunny - high 19c

PHOTOS

Day 21 (October 5) Edinburgh to London

Today was a travelling day.  The bus tour ended with breakfast.  We said goodbyes to our travel-mates for the past 3 weeks and set out on our own.

Today is strike day on the railways.  The railway station was just down a hill and around the corner from the hotel. Along with another couple (Phyllis and Dennis), we made our way down the hill and into the train station.  Because we had scoped it out a few days ago, we were quite comfortable at this point.  We found our platform and got on the train.  For a strike day with limited trains running, I expected this train to be fully loaded.  Our coach, however, was almost empty.  It got a bit busier as the trip went on, but never filled.

It was an uneventful ride.  We made 9 short stops at smaller communities to let folks on and off, and arrive at London's King Cross at 3:40pm exactly. 

Then the fun began.  We had to find the Victoria underground line.  Fortunately, Matthew had provided us with detailed directions (Some of you will remember Matthew - the young fellow we met at the Arctic Circle, who said "if you're ever my way, look me up".)  We did.  The walk to the Victoria line was VERY VERY long, with heavy luggage, and took three elevators. But we found our way and got on the "tube".  Our trip took four stops and then we had to find our way to our hotel.  Again, with Matthew's help, and that of a few good women, we were able to find our way to our hotel.  Did you know you could set maps to live view, and it would actually point you the way if you showed it where you are!  Fantastic little tool!

We checked in with an absolutely delightful front desk hostess, Bianca.  Our room is comfortable and a decent size with a king bed.  It has a coffee maker, which neither Bob nor I could get to give us anything but hot water.  Biance was good enough to come to our room and show us how.  I swear she didn't do anything differently that we had done, but she got coffee, and now we do too.

After a short rest, we headed out to explore the area a bit, and find a bite to eat.  There is a plaza a short walk from our hotel with a wealth of different restaurants.  We ate a Franco's which makes Italian pizza with a sourdough crust(much different than what we have at home). After a good supper, we stopped by the grocery store for some orange juice and bananas and have settled in for a restful sleep.

Tomorrow, Matthew is meeting us near Big Ben (hopefully we don't get lost looking for it) for breakfast and a bus ride on the Thames to Grenich. From there, we will decide what to do next.

Hotel:  Resident Inn Victoria
Weather: cloudy with scattering rain, high18c

PHOTOS

Day 20 (October 4) Edinburgh

This morning, we had some time for ourselves.  We slept in until 7:30am, and had a leisurely shower and start to the morning.  After breakfast, we decided to walk down to the National Gallery. After checking Google Maps, we set off for our destination - after deciding NOT to take our cameras with us.  It was a refreshing break to just view the area with our eyes and not camera lens.  After checking with someone only once, we found the National Gallery.  It was amazing!  Art work dating back to the 1300s.  Much of the older art was biblically related. Note for Jordan - one of the paintings has a red-haired Jesus.  

We spent a couple of hours wandering the gallery, from the early works to some fairly contemporary Scottish art.

We headed home through Princes Park and up Cockburn Street.  Cockburn Street is all up-hill.  Did I mention earlier that Edinburgh is built on Hills?  Half way up the hill, we stopped at a tea shop for a coffee and pastry for lunch.  The proprietors' were delightful and we fully enjoyed our stop.

Back in our hotel room, we had about an hour before heading out to visit Rosslyn Church

I had visited this church about 30 years ago and had fond memories of it, from the lone piper outside the kirk, to the amazing carvings inside.  It is now much more commercialized, and more restricted in what we can do.  No photography is allowed inside.  

Rosslyn Chapel is built in the Gothic style of architecture. There was an interesting presentation on the history of the church and its restoration.  There was quite a bit of discussion on Da Vinci Code that brought Rosslyn Chapel to awareness. (I remember when I visited previously, the discussion was mostly on the masons, Knights Templar and the intricacy and meanings of the carvings.)

           Learn more here.

On the way back to the hotel, we past Holyrood to see if the King was still in residence, and his royal standard was flying high, indicating he was still there.

After a bit of a break, we headed out again for a night of Scottish music, dance and food.  It was a great time.. lots of Scottish dancing, music and song. 

Tomorrow we begin a new adventure.

Hotel: Hilton Edinburgh
Weather: overcast  high 17c

PHOTOS

Day 19 (October 3) Edinburgh

Up and on the coach by 8:30am.  We each received "Whisperers".. audio hearing devices.  A local guide took us around Edinburgh on the coach and explained the difference between Old Town and New Town, and how New Town was built on top of Old Town.  It was all very confusing but very interesting. We saw many of the monuments, old buildings and residences of past important people like Robert Louis Stevenson etc.  

Later we drove down past Holyrood, which we had visited yesterday.  Everything was closed off today in preparation for the arrival King Charles.  We caught a glimpse of the Royal Guard preparing for his arrival. (Later in the day we could see the King's Royal Standard waving, indicating he was present in the palace.).  

Next, we stopped at Edinburgh Castle and our local guide did a quick tour of the castle, pointing out the highlights, and then turned us loose for a couple of hours.  We saw Scotland's Crown Jewels, the dungeon/prison area, the military museum, palace apartments and much more.  We were glad that we arrived early in the morning, as when we came out of the castle, the crowds were overwhelming. This was a very interesting visit to learn the history of the castle, and particularly the changing relationship between England and Scotland.  

After the castle, we had some free time back at our hotel.  We took this opportunity to scope out Waverly Station - the train station that will take us to London on Wednesday.  I have to say that it was pretty overwhelming when we first walked in, but with some exploring and the help of one of the train agents, I think we are fairly comfortable with our journey on Wednesday.  Hopefully the strike doesn't create chaos.  

Later in the day, we joined our tour guide for a tour of the "Vaults" under Edinburgh. We opted not to take our cameras for this part of the tour.  We walked along High Street to meet our local guide, who took us to the old Scottish parliament, hidden by Gothic Architecture. We are learning more and more about the political relationship between England and Scotland.  After a brief tour of the streets and buildings, we were taken down to the vaults, a series of caverns underneath South Bridge which were discovered in the 1980s.  The Vaults were originally the support structure for the bridge, but as buildings were built on the Bridge, the structures were closed in and became storage for the buildings above.  They also became sights of illicit alcohol production, and homes for the poorest of Edinburgh. It was fascinating to think how lives were lived 200 or more years ago.

After the vault visit, we had a delightful supper in a local restaurant.  The dessert was Eton Mess.

Back home after a busy day, we fell into bed.

Hotel:  Edinburgh Hilton
Weather:  Overcast  high 14c

PHOTOS

Day 18 (October 2) Dundee-St. Andrews-Edinburgh

 We were able to sleep in today - bags out by 8am, but not on the bus until 9:30am.

We drove through the countryside, but field crops and small villages until we arrived at our first stop - St. Andrews.  St. Andrews is known for its golfing!  Today was the final day of the Alfred Dunhill Links Competition, so the area was quite busy.  We were dropped off near the golf course and were given three hours to explore the town.  Bob and I weren't interested too much in the golf, so we wandered down by the seashore.  St. Andrews is on the east coast of the Fife.  We watched the birds for awhile, and walked along the rugged coastline.

We wandered up through the town to the University of St. Andrews, currently ranked the top university in the British Isles.  It was amazing to wander through the campus with its ancient buildings.  We walked past Purdy's, through the church courtyard, and down to the University Library.  It had a strong "academic" feel to it.

Later we walked down Market Street, which is where the stores... and tourists are.  There, we stopped for a cup of coffee and watched the bustle.

Back on the bus, we drove to Edinburgh and on to Holyrood Palace. This was absolutely fascination.  Holyrood Palace is the official residence of the King of England in Scotland.  Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take photos inside the palace. We were provided with audio headsets which described the palace as we walked from room to room.  It's hard to believe that some people can live in such opulence.

After the palace, we checked in to our hotel, and had the rest of the day to ourselves.  After a short rest, we dropped by the bar for and drink and then set out to find a hamburger joint.  Which we did.. Byron's.  The burgers were great, and the recommended cheesecake was sooo good.  It was good to get some down home food.  Our waiter was a young fellow with a twinkle in his eye.  He has been to Canada once - to Banff to ski.

Back in our room, we are settling in as tomorrow is an early day again.

Hotel:  Hilton Edinburgh
Weather:  Sunny and warm  high 18c

PHOTOS

Day 17 (Oct 1) -Inverness to Dundee

First, a note about yesterday's blog.  The wireless at the hotel was slow and erratic.  As a result, the blog and photos did not get posted until this afternoon when we arrived in Dundee.

Back to October 1 - Today, we started a little later than we have been lately..we were on the bus and on our way by 8:30am.  The weather was threatening rain, but there were a few blue spots in the sky, so we were hopeful. We drove through Cairngorms National Park.  It was more like a forest, with patches of clearings and the mountain hills in the background.  It would have been more spectacular but for the rain and foggy conditions.  But even so, it was interesting to see the varying landscape along the road.  There were two areas of constructions where we had a bit of a wait - Canada is not the only country to have highway construction, lol.  

Arriving at Pitlochry, we drove a little further to Blair Athol Distillery where we had a tour and tasting. This distillery is a small one, with only 4 stills. But they manage to put out about one million litres of scotch whiskey every year.  The tour guide covered much the same information as the guide did yesterday, but with a slightly different approach, focusing on some of the differences between different distillerys.  All in all, very interesting.

Five minutes down the road, we parked in the centre of Pitlochry, where we were given just under two hours to explore the town, shop, and eat.  Bob and I opted to take a short walk down to the train station, which was quiet today because of a rail strike, and they wandered down to the Pitlochry dam and fish ladder. With the development of the dam, used for creating energy, it was necessary to provide a way for the thousands of salmon to make their way upstream. The ladder as it is known is 310 metres in length and has 34 pools, 3 of which are resting pools.

After our visit to the dam, we stopped at a small shop for our usual scone and coffee lunch.

By then it was time to head back to the bus...so no shopping.. ahh.. what a shame.

We continued our travels towards Dundee.  We passed what looked like a single vehicle accident on the road, and immediately noted the backup of oncoming traffic that literally went on for miles (not km..we are in Scotland).

We arrived at our hotel around 3:30pm and after settling in, wandered out to see the water park just outside the hotel.  It was a massive park, with lots of water sports available.  We watched a group of kids for awhile, and then came back to the hotel so I could get today's blog done before supper.  Bob is on the bed, reading his tablet.

A word about Covid. We first experienced Covid on the bus on Day 3 of our trip.  Up to now, there have been 8 people confirmed positive, and several others with symptoms who are either negative or who have not tested.  The back of the bus (where Bob and I were sitting) was declared the isolation zone and those affected travelled there.  Fortunately, no-one has been very ill, and it mostly seems to be behind us as very few folk are still coughing.

Hotel:  Apex City Quay Hotel
Weather: mix of sun and rain - high 16c 

PHOTOS

Day 16 (September 30th) -Isle of Skye to Inverness

 We acknowledge National Truth and Reconciliation Day in Canada.

Throughout the night, we could hear the wind howling outside our window.  As a result, we woke earlier than usual, so were up, showered and dressed before 6:30am.  

The bus left at 8am.  It has been very windy and rainy today.  There was some question whether we would actually get off the island, and the bridge was closed to high-sided vehicles.  Julian decided that we weren't in one of those, so ...very carefully.... we drove slower over the bridge.  We could feel the wind buffeting the vehicle as we drove.

Once across the river, we headed along Loch Ness, and learned the many stories of Nessie, the Loch Ness monster. 

Our first stop was at  the remains of Urquart Castle. When we first arrived, we watched a film on the castle from the 6th century when Saint Columba arrived to convert the inhabitants, to the to 17th century when it then current inhabitants blew up the castle rather than turn it over.  We then explored the ruins in the rain.

While we were in the obligatory shop at the Castle, we found a painting that we both fell in love with.  If only we had wall space.

Continuing on, we headed to Culloden Moor.  For those of you who are Outlander fans, you will remember the battle of Culloden.  There is a wall there that has bricks sticking out to represent the lives lost... it was very dramatic the few loyalists lives lost compared to the 1500 Jakobeits lost. We stopped for lunch here and watched the rain and heavy wind.

Next on our agenda was a visit to Glen Ord Distillery.  On our way there, we passed through Ord of Muir.  This is the first time I have seen the name Muir, other than a brief reference to John Muir.

At the distillery, we had an excellent tour where we learned how scotch whisky is made.  We then visited the warehouse where we saw the barrels aging.  This distillery ages its whiskey about 8 - 12 years, while some are still aging after 38 years.  We were then treated to a tasting.  All in all a great visit.

The weather was starting to clear up by now, as we headed to our hotel for the night.   We are now settled in our room, waiting for our dinner at 7pm.

On another note, the British Railway is staging a rotating strike on October 5th, the day we are scheduled to travel by train to London. From the information I have been looking it, it looks like we have lucked out and that our scheduled train is still scheduled to run.  More to follow.

Hotel: Mecure Inverness Hotel
Weather:  Windy and Rainy - high 11c

PHOTOS