Elgin or bust!

I am baaaack! You didn’t think I forgot about you did you? I have been with my friend Yvonne Bouma O’Brien and her family just outside of Aberdeen. I have been spending the past couple of days catching up, eating great food cooked by Shawn, doing laundry, showering in a clean proper shower, playing with an adorable 21 month old named Sophie who at times has better vocabulary than me. We spent yesterday at Castle Fraser (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castle_Fraser) located about fifteen miles from their home. It was a nice tour as you could really get a sense for the people who lived there, as with all the other old castles and ruins in Scotland it holds so much history, it is just hard to comprehend how old these buildings actually are and how many generations have lived in them.

Today, Yvonne caravanned with me to the lovely town of Elgin (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elgin,_Moray). Now most of you know that Elgin (pronounced El – Gin), Oregon is the birthplace of my Mother and holds a dear place in my heart. It turns out that Elgin (El-Gen like pen) Scotland is nothing like the Elgin that I know. It is a large town filled with ruins, monestarys and it even has a Starbucks! The drive through the highlands thus far has reminded me of Eastern Washington/Eastern Oregon but with castles littered about. Have I said that before? Am I getting redundant?!

Today’s drive took me by several whiskey distilleries, Glenfidich, Glenlivet and Dewar. I am not a whiskey fan at all, in fact a night with Jim Beam still haunts me, I am sure I am going to disappoint a handful of you when I tell you I just kept on driving.

After I split from Yvonne I headed to Cawdor Castle (http://www.cawdorcastle.com/) dating back to 1454. The drive to the castle was beautiful but I experienced my second car accident scene since I have had my car. It is a reminder that these roads are in fact narrow and that while I feel like I have become a professional driver I need to really be mindful of the road and my surroundings.

The castle was beautiful, it is always fun to get a glimpse into how others lived though it might have topped off my tank for castle tours. They are all very uniquely different yet somewhat the same. I think the next castle I want to tour is my own. Imagine the parties I could host in one of those!?!

In addition to getting the hang of shifting and driving on the opposite side of the road I am becoming a bit more at ease with directions. Traveling without GPS is still not easy but it is definitely not as difficult as it was coming out of Edinburgh.

Tonight I am staying in a B&B with a cute little twin bed and a cute little shower and bathroom all housed in a tiny little room, it is heaven compared to the hostels. 🙂

I had the chance to FaceTime with my parents last night and my brother and his family today with a failed attempt to my sister. My adorable nephew Joe told me that he is unsupportive of my blog, he thinks I am trying to compete with his blog, which we all know is impossible. You should check it out when you get a chance, he is reviewing restaurants, hotels and baseball parks, you can find him at http://joesbigreview.wordpress.com/.

XOXO –

Sarah Jane