Seven days and a wedding (Feburary 2017)
By Allan: Hello everyone! Who goes to Scotland in February? We did, and let us explain. Marla has a co-worker who met a Scottish fellow in California, who works as a stuntman on the show Vikings. The filming of Vikings is done in Scotland. So when there was a break in February, that was when... Continue Reading →
By Allan: So after buying cheap flight tickets, long underwear, gloves, scarves, knit hats and parkas, us Southern California natives left for Scotland. It was great and now we were appropriately dressed. We flew to London and then took a shuttle to Inverness, Scotland. The shuttle plane was more like a city bus with little... Continue Reading →
By Allan: After arriving at the small Inverness airport, we grabbed a taxi to the Best Western Palace Hotel. The hotel was located right on the river Ness-Inverness , which means "end of the river Ness". We promptly went out in search of food and crossed the bridge towards the historic downtown. During dinner we... Continue Reading →
By Marla: We hailed an afternoon taxi to the wedding and after exchanging the usual courtesies the driver asked if we were from the United States. “Indeed we are” we replied. Then after confirming our citizenship the taxi driver became surprisingly eager to discuss US politics. It's kind of refreshing to engage in dialog with... Continue Reading →
By Marla: To ”Flirt with the Skirt" may mean something a wee bit different here in Scotland. In other words who wouldn’t want their man in plaid? Of course I’m talking about the kilt, the Scottish kilt which can be traced back to the Northern Highlands in 16th century Scotland. The original kilt was similar... Continue Reading →
By Allan and Marla: The next day we braved a tour of the Loch Ness. The excursion began with a bus ride through the Scottish countryside which passed numerous lochs. Our Scottish bus driver informed us that there are approximately 31,460 fresh water lochs alone in Scotland with Loch Morar being the deepest at 1017... Continue Reading →
By Allan: We arose and had breakfast at the hotel before heading off to the train station with luggage in tow. Those little luggage wheels over cobble stones are a pain and the manufacturer should make an European version. So bumpy bump we went. The Inverness train station was next to the bus depot where... Continue Reading →
By Marla: https://youtu.be/_jE2k1Pn_-g SaveSave Edinburgh,U.K.Feb 13, 2017
By Allan: We had breakfast at one of our favorite go-to European eateries, Preit de Manger. The food was good, cheap and the wifi was awesome. What more do budget travelers need in the morning? Off we went to Edinburgh Castle and signed up for a tour. The que was not that long and went... Continue Reading →
By Allan and Marla: We of course did our lovable Hop On Hop Off bus tour around town noting the Scottish museum and some other areas to explore later. Most importantly we spied a Mexican restaurant! Eventually we hopped off at the Dynamic Earth museum. This museum is dedicated to creating an understanding of how... Continue Reading →
By Marla: The National Museum of Scotland was excellent and more importantly dry and warm as it started to chill outside in the drizzling rain. The museum had Planes, Trains and automobiles. There where some motorcycles for Allan too. One of the most unusually cool exhibits was the stuffed sheep named Dolly, the very first... Continue Reading →
By Marla: During the 17th century the old town of Edinburgh was suffering from increased overcrowding. The city couldn't expand outward, due to the surrounding protective walls, so it grew upward. Residences grew as high as eight stories along the narrow streets. Wealthy people often lived on the higher floors where there was more light. ... Continue Reading →
A Scottish Fling 