Across the Pond

Photos from my March Scotland adventure with my visiting parents continue:

After leaving Edinburgh Castle, we ducked into what looked like a little storefront selling tartan blankets and scarves and turned out to be a massive showroom with fun little weaving exhibits set up throughout.

Weaving tartan (plaid) fabric at the Scottish Tartans Museum on the Royal Mile next to the Edinburgh Castle gates.

The place is a maze and you have to walk through huge rooms and shopping areas to get out (they obviously want you to buy) but I was very happy to buy a lovely thick, tartan wool blanket that was woven right in Edinburgh. I've wanted one for ages, both for picnicking and as an extra bed blanket (they're soft and warm over a duvet on cold winter's nights) and I was glad to get an authentic one at a good price.

We then walked down a hill that was alive with spring flowers and grabbed some lunch, which we ate hillside looking over the Old Town.

After lunch we headed back to the National Galleries of Scotland (at the bottom of the hill we'd descended from the Royal Mile), which had a rather fabulous art collection with many famous pieces, such as the Skating Minister. My mother is an artist and going to art museums together is a favorite hobby, so we spent several hours in the place (taking a nice break for tea and cake in the gallery tea shop) until they shooed us out of the galleries for closing. We then spent a long time in the gallery shop until they shooed us out of there, too. "You could've made a lot more money if you'd let her stay longer," I muttered to the shopkeeper, as my art-dazed mother hurriedly brought a few more things to the till.

We strolled about the city's old town a bit more, watching sunset over the hills and ancient streets, before enjoying a great Italian meal. After this we walked up to the castle one more time, just to see the Royal Mile and city below with its nighttime light display.

Finally we caught a bus back to our charming little B&B a few miles away for a well-deserved rest before getting up the next morning for a hot breakfast and sojourn to Stirling.

I haven't posted on this blog in two weeks, and when I realized this fact the other day I groaned aloud. Posting, you see, is work, especially when one is usually posting about one's own life.

Pausing on my way across a railroad bridge in Edinburgh

It'd be easy enough for me to post a few comments and links about the fascinating political revolution that's going on here as newspapers publish quite shocking details about expense claim abuse by elected members of parliament (the Speaker of the House was forced to step down for the first time in 300 years...longer than our Constitution has been in existence).

Or I could post solely about the amusing cultural differences between America and Britain, some of which still have the power to shock me and others. A recent example is when a male American visitor found a piece of litter on the floor and offered to "toss it," thereby sending all listeners into gales of laughter--except for me, who was thoroughly confused until a friend explained under her breath that, over here, that statement does not necessarily mean throwing the litter in the trash can. (Sorry, can't write the slang translation here, so look it up).

However, the last two weeks have been especially intense for me because of a few frightening family illnesses back home in Arizona (which I can only follow from afar and with anxious phone calls and prayers) and also because I've had to make difficult decisions about the future.

I'm happy to announce that both family health situations seem to be resolving in a hopeful manner for both my grandmother and my as-yet-unborn baby niece. I can also now announce that I've made a major decision for my future--I intend to settle in England for the next several years. I actually made this decision quite awhile ago, but have been waiting for several matters to resolve so that I am able to do this in a way that fits my visa and economic needs. I'll post more about that decision in the future (trust me, it wasn't easy....leaving one's home is never easy, no matter how much one feels called to a new home), but I hope it explains why posting light, frothy comments on this blog that was supposed to follow my one year abroad in England has become increasingly tricky.

Yes, life has been an adventure since I came here in September 2007, but adventures always come at a price, as I'm sure most people who've had them will admit. However, I can solidly testify that, despite all of the pain, frustration and homesickness, this adventure has been absolutely worth it.

The story of my travels to Scotland, Wales and England with my parents (who visited in March) continues with these photos from Edinburgh Castle.

The approach to Edinburgh Castle, at the top of the Royal Mile.

We were there in mid-March and I couldn't believe how wonderful the weather was. Temperatures were probably around 40-50 Fahrenheit (not bad, trust me) and it was sunny every day. The daffodils and crocuses were just starting to come out around the city and the grass was green. We loved it, and views from the castle were stunning.

Looking out over the city from the castle, which is built on an extinct volcano.

Edinburgh Castle is a fantastic site, maintained by Historic Scotland. Most of the buildings are from the 1500s, but St. Margaret's Chapel is a surviving 12th-century structure.

Windows

But it's not just a bunch of old buildings. There are scores of fascinating exhibits, including the Honours of Scotland, Scotland's crown jewels. Alongside the Honours of Scotland you'll see the Stone of Destiny, the ancient stone used in the coronation of Scottish and British monarchs. Seeing that stone felt like being in a legend come to life.

View of King Arthur's Seat, another extinct volcano at the opposite end of the old town, from Edinburgh Castle.

You also learn scores about Scottish and British military history, and one unexpected treat was visiting the former prison, which displays graffiti and handiwork by American prisoners who were held there during our Revolutionary War (though in Britain they perfer to call it the War of Independence).

View of the city from an old gun hole (probably not its technical name).

While exploring the castle, I highly recommend buying a personal audio guide to help you understand the site. The explanations on the guide are simply packed with fascinating history, trivia and architectural information, and improved my visit immeasurably.

A row of guns, picturesque now but extremely important during the days of sieges and wars.

If you are visiting Scotland for less than 10 days, I also suggest purchasing a Historic Scotland Explorer Pass. Our 3-day passes gave us free access to all Historic Scotland sites for just 21 pounds per person, as well as 20 percent discounts on audio guides. As we visited both Stirling Castle and Caerlaverock Castle over the next few days, it was a bargain, indeed.

Castle walls.

Finally, I recommend spending an entire day at the castle. We were there about four hours and, even though we were a group of history buffs and keen explorers, there was just so much to see and take in that our eyes started to glaze over about 1:00 and we left for lunch and an afternoon of continued sightseeing.

Prince Charles is visiting an Edinburgh hospital. He enters a ward full of patients with no obvious sign of injury or illness and greets one. The patient replies:

"Fair fa your honest sonsie face,
Great chieftain o the puddin race,
Aboon them a ye take yer place,
Painch, tripe or thairm,
As langs my airm."

Charles is confused, so he just grins and moves on to the next patient. The patient responds:

"Some hae meat an canna eat,
And some wad eat that want it,
But we hae meat an we can eat,
So let the Lord be thankit."

Even more confused, and his grin now rictus-like, the Prince moves on to the next patient, who immediately begins to chant:

"Wee sleekit, cowerin, timrous beasty,
O the panic in thy breasty,
Thou needna start awa sae hastie,
Wi bickering brattle."

Now seriously troubled, Charles turns to the accompanying doctor and asks "Er, is this a psychiatric ward?"

"No," replies the doctor, "This is the serious Burns unit."

(FYI: Robert Burns)

Two articles in today's Times caught my attention: this analysis of the Somali bandit culture that's led to the current piracy crisis, and this "their side of the story" piece.

The release of U.S. sea captain Richard Phillips and related Somali piracy stories have dominated headlines here in Britain. Have they done the same in America?

My parents visited me the last two weeks of March and we filled the time well with many trips around England, Scotland and Wales. Today I begin sharing some of the stories and photos from their visit.

After we spent a few days here with friends in Nottingham, we hired a car (and put 1,300 miles on it in one week!) and drove north towards Edinburgh, probably about a 5-hour drive from Nottingham. But we took our time on the way up, stopping first in the historic city of Durham (It's England. It's all historic). Durham's city centre is a charming little warren of twisty, narrow streets winding up a hill and past intriguing shops. Park in the city centre car park for a few quid (pounds) and wander up the hill. Within 10 minutes you'll arrive at the park bordered by the castle and cathedral.

My dad and friend Ruth in front of the Norman-era Durham castle, now part of the local university.

I didn't take any good photos of the cathedral, first built in the 11th and 12 centuries, so go here to learn more about it and see photos. I was very impressed not only by the building, known as "the greatest Norman building in England, possibly in Europe" but also by the wonderful sense of local community and history housed within. Although it is a grand building it is also a parish church, and memorials to local boys killed in the 20th century wars and also lovely modern artworks only enhance the experience. I highly recommend this tourist stop.

For those who are able, I also strongly recommend paying a few pounds more to climb the very long, very steep, very winding staircase up to the roof of the cathedral dome. Climbing hundreds of old steps is an experience itself, but the view from the top is incredible.

I think these are buildings of the adjacent Durham University, as seen from the roof of Durham Cathedral.

We climbed back in the car and an hour later passed the turn for the Holy Island of Lindisfarne, which is reached by driving on a causeway at low tide. We checked and were there just about at low tide, so we drove across and spent another hour exploring the island.

It was windy but lovely at the old Lindisfarne priory grounds.

This friendly horse came up for a pat as we walked through its paddock on the public footpath leading through the the 11th-century priory ruins, past a local parish church and then down to the beach.

We didn't have time, sadly, to visit Lindisfarne Castle, a stunning 16th-century property maintained by England's National Trust.

We were blessed with sunny, warmish weather almost the entire two weeks that my parents visited. They--used to the Arizona desert sun--wrapped up on the gusty island, but my English friend and I were delighted to shed our coats and enjoy the spring warmth as we set off on our adventure.

We've had dozens of lovely spring days by now, so I'd cherished hopes today of hanging my laundry out to dry on the line, where it would merrily bob next to the blossom-laden cherry tree, above the bright stands of daffodils and tulips, and near the pear and apple trees that are just about to explode into flower themselves.

But, alas, it was raining all day. And so I hung my clean, wet washing on various radiators around the home, making the usual mental calculation to figure who'd be entering by the front door and if it was safe to hang underwear there. Yet a shift has occurred within me...I no longer mind this task! This is definitely a change, as previous entries here, here and here all attest.

I didn't realize how English I'd become in this regard--proud to save energy by hanging up laundry instead of using a dryer--until I read this excellent feature in National Geographic's March issue about saving energy at home. It's long but full of great advice. If you don't have time to read it, just look at this photo. I will note, however, that one of the families who undertakes the energy-saving challenge in the article decides to go back to using their dryer after all, because they have 3-year-old twins and do 15 loads of laundry a week! Sounds like a good plan to me.