Good enough for the Prince, good enough for this Princess (St. Andrews)

Today was an interesting day, my first truly challenging day. It wouldn’t be an adventure if it was all simple, right? I offered my new friend Jenni a ride to the airport so that she could skip bringing her bag on the bus. She treated me to breakfast as a thank you prior to us going to pick up the rental car. We both had Googled the Hertz car rental place and it took us about five blocks North of our hostel. When we arrived we found nothing even resembling a rental car place. I decided quickly that we should get a cab to the address to save us from any unnecessary meandering about, I was concerned she would miss her flight and have bought me breakfast for nothing. We grabbed a cab and went to a completely different part of town to the actual location. When I arrived they didn’t have my reservation, turns out I booked it for the day before. Sigh. Luckily they were able to find me a car and we were on our way back to the hostel to pick up our luggage. We got back to the hostel just fine, loaded the bags and we were off! We just didn’t fully know where we were off to, the airport was eluding us. We drove around in circles for about twenty minutes, crisscrossing town and then after some white knuckle driving experiences we finally found our way to the airport. I dropped Jenni off and I was all alone.

I didn’t realize how difficult it was going to be to drive on the opposite side of the road, in a manual transmission (something I haven’t done in YEARS) while trying to look at directions and figure out how the signage worked and most importantly the roundabouts. Here is what I learned about myself and my adaptability. Driving on the left side of the road is not that difficult, driving a stick shift is like riding a bike, it comes right back to you. I did struggle a bit with the left side of my car, let’s just say I misjudged it a bit and on a very tight road with cars coming at me I might have clipped my side mirror, I took that as a sign that perhaps the mirror should stay in for a bit. Thankfully there was no damage and had there been I was smart and got the full coverage protection.

I found my way easily enough out of the city and was on my way towards St. Andrews. I took the proper exit and about a mile down the road was stopped by the flashing lights of police cars and ambulances up ahead, there was an accident and they had closed the road. I was directed to head a different way which put me back on the freeway going the wrong way. I was able to get off at the next exit and right myself, this time noticing signs for an antique village. I guess it was serendipitous. I headed to the antique store where I poked around for a bit and purchased a 1910 (so they say) charmed necklace. Regardless, the price was right and it is super cute.

I got back on the road and was soon heading towards the general direction of St. Andrews. About this time it became apparent that driving without GPS on my phone was not ideal. I had thought prior to departing that it would be more fun without GPS, fun to get lost, part of the adventure. Guess what. I was wrong! I imagined myself getting lost amongst rolling hills with little cars, not in the downtown of a metropolitan area (Dundee, Scotland) right during rush hour traffic. Gulp. I was able to finally figure out where I was going after a lot of frustration, and I am proud to say little cussing.

I was now back on track, comfortable with the size of my vehicle, able to keep it in the center of the lane and on the correct side of the road. I hit St. Andrews and drove around a bit (read lost) before finding a coffee shop that was still open that had free WIFI. I hopped online and borrowed the coffee house phone to make some local calls to some B&Bs in the area. Summer is over, why, why would I think I needed to make reservations for lodging? I called about ten different places including some very spendy places and they were all booked. I was just about ready to hit the road again or sleep in my car when I decided to look for a hostel. I was ready for my own room so it hadn’t been first on my list of places to stay. I called and they told me they had only one bed left for 12 pounds, I told her my name as fast as I could and said I would be right over. Luckily I didn’t even have to move my car as the hostel was literally a five minute walk from the coffee shop.

I am now sitting in a large room with free WIFI watching the movie Tron with about ten strangers. Thank goodness I lived in a communal living space in my past or I don’t know how I would be faring right now. I decided instead of going out to dinner that I would go to the grocery store (Tesco) and grab some food to eat in while blogging to you all. I saved some dough and was able to bless you with this post. I feel like a hippie.

There are plenty of times in this post when I want to put a smiley face in but it converts to a horrible little yellow face guy when I do so you will have to just figure out when I am smiling. 🙂

I didn’t take many pictures today. What I did take are below.

XOXO,

Sarah Jane

End to Edinburgh

Today was another day full of museum and castle tours. Yesterday when I was walking around I happened upon a place called Zen Spa, it was like I was drawn in by some strange force. If anyone knows me well they know I am a sucker for a spa treatment. I do find it a bit funny that half the reason I need a spa treatment is the bed I have at the hostile, perhaps I should just pay for a real bed somewhere and skip the spa treatment. Seems like a bad idea, I have met new friends and have a fresh exfoliated face, I would say I am doing things correctly.

I had dinner tonight with my new Aussie friend Jenni, we found a restaurant that advertised a two course meal for two plus a bottle of wine and coffee for 35pounds, kind of a no brainer. We had a lovely meal and decided to meet in the morning for coffee before we went our separate ways, of course we are friends forever with the advent of Facebook.

My new friend headed to bed and I headed to find a pub where I could get free wifi and some electricity. I ended up at the pub aka local across the way from my hostile. Within a few minutes of my arrival a band started setting up and I was treated to an amazing singer, though he chose to cover all American songs. His Father was sitting by me and starting chatting and I told him I was visiting from Seattle and that a small part of my trip is dedicated to finding out more information about my Great Grandfather who wrote a Scottish song called “Wee Deoch-n-Doris” performed by Harry Lauder. This gentleman was incredibly familiar with the song, as I guess it is a very popular in this country. He told his son about it during one of his breaks and when the son got up he made some smart ass comment about Americans coming to Scotland looking for their roots. This watonot really the response I was looking for but I just brushed it off. His Dad told me about a local folk bar down the street that has a long history of old Scottish songs.

I finished my cider and hit the streets. The bar was called The Royal Oak and was a wee bar as they would call it here. I call it a closet. I pushed my way through to the bar and was greeted by two very nice bartenders. We chatted for a bit before I was able to settle into a stool to listen to the music. An older gentleman who seemed fairly sauced noticed my American accent and started chatting, I told him how I came upon the bar and he indicated that I should chat with some of the band members. When it came time for the band to take a break he went out to talk to them for me and then came and found me in the bar to tell me to go talk to the irritable old guy outside. Gulp. I headed out after accusing him of just wanting my seat which he took the second I stood up to go outside. I headed outside and nervously stood for a minute when the older band member approached me and said “are you the girl whose Grandfather wrote “Wee Deoch-n-Doris”?” I let him know it was my Great Grandfather and he indicated the name sounded familiar but he didn’t know much about him beyond that song. Within minutes the entire band was hanging out with me chatting about old Scottish songs and potential places I could visit to learn more about the career of my Great Grandfather. I don’t think I will have much luck during my trip here but it is good to know where to continue my search when I head home. These things take time.

I am now back at the hostel for my last night before getting a rental car and heading North. I am a bit nervous about driving on the opposite side of the road but am up for the challenge. I hope to drive just a bit North to St. Andrews and Perth before heading to Aberdeen to meet up with a friend from High School. I haven’t seen Yvonne since we graduated, I am quite excited to see her again and meet her family, funny that this reunion is happening in Scotland.

Sorry I don’t have any good stories of police tackles and arrests tonight, nothing too exciting happened today. I will try and rough up some good stories for my future posts.

I have added some pictures from today. (note. I tried to add pictures from today, the wifi at the hostile is….acting hostile and won’t cooperate. I will have to update the pics tomorrow in a cafe). Also, the pictures of R.F. Morrison’s music were taken from a box of mementos my Father let me borrow. I thought to have some images would be helpful.

XOXO-
Sarah Jane

Edinburgh, Scotland

I had a lovely four and a half hours on the train. I either got upgraded to First Class or accidentally purchased the ticket that way, regardless, it was a wonderful trip. I was first sat at a table with a family, it was a bit awkward. About an hour into the trip I realized the air conditioning had quit and it was stifling. We were encouraged to change seats if we preferred AC. I moved to the next car and found it cool and with plenty availability. I sat by the window and was able to plug in my iPad to charge it. I think this will be one of my greatest challenges, keeping my iPhone and iPad charged. At one point I looked up to see the toilet sign lit up to say “toilet engaged” I tried to get a picture of it so I could make some smart ass comment about even a toilet being engaged before me but the toilet tenant was too quick and the toilet was single once again.

The scenery was beautiful, rolling hills, sheep and castle like structures littered the landscape. I received a text from my new friend Tricia. Tricia is the sister of a good friend of mine, Piper. When he heard I was coming to Scotland he didn’t hesitate to connect us on Facebook and we have been chatting for the past few months. Anyway, Tricia was waiting for me at the train station.

We walked to my hostel which is located right in the heart of the city, perfect choice. I was a little concerned about staying in a hostel, the last time I lodged like this I was just out of college and my taste was a little less refined. My bed is one of ten beds in a room and thankfully I was given a bottom bunk, it was a bit of an experience with a very thin “mattress” but worked well enough.
Trisha and I went for a Turkish coffee but when they didn’t have iced coffee on the menu I naturally opted for a glass of wine. We then proceeded to dinner where there was more wine and a live Scottish band. We were originally suppose to watch fireworks at the castle but dinner went long so we had to settle for running out into the street to catch the show. The hostel was just around the corner so I said goodnight and headed “home”. When I arrived I chatted with a girl from Australia and we decided to meet tonight to do an underground haunted tour. The tour was a disappointment but I enjoyed meeting and chatting with a new friend, one of the definite benefits of staying in a hostel.

Today I allowed myself to sleep through all of my roommates getting ready and caught up on some much needed rest. I woke up and walked around the city for about six hours. I went to the Scottish Library where I looked for info on my Great Grandfather Robert Ferguson Morrison. I didn’t find much. I did come to the realization that I think Google searches differently when you are in a different location. Some of the same Google searches that I have done in the States yielded different results here. I saw a handful of things with RF Morrison mentioned but wasn’t able to find any new info, I do believe Glasgow might hold something but I am not holdng my breath. I really wish I had done more extensive geaneology before arriving. I guess I will just have to come back sometime.

I saw a lot of beautiful buildings today including the Edinburgh castle and Greyfriars Kirkyard which housed many interesting memorials and monuments. Tomorrow I plan on going inside some of the buildings such as the Palace of Holyroodhouse which is the Queen’s Scotland residence.
One of the most extraordinary things I saw today was a woman being pinned down on the ground by four police officers and then cuffed and stuffed in the paddy wagon(or whatever they call it here). I guess it is illegal to drink a beer in an alley with your friends. I will plan on only sharing pints inside a pub.

It is almost midnight here so I will head to bed trying to be quiet as to not wake up the sleeping bodies. One of which is a other Australian who didn’t understand the word cool. I realized how uncool it was to say cool when I had to repeat it three times and she still didn’t get it, she has never heard the word. My new Aussie friend said that she must be a Dill because everyone knows the word cool. I didn’t ask what a Dill was.
Some pictures of my day……

London Beaches

The flight from Seattle to London was fairly uneventful and while I didn’t get an upgrade to a better seat class I did find myself with an empty seat next to me when the rest of the plane was almost entirely full. This extra seat was life changing, at least for the 9 hours I was in flight. I think the seat luck was good kharma due to my chocolate bribes er….gifts.

I easily made it through Immigration, collected my luggage and bought my express ticket to London Central/Paddington Station to go to my first hosts Jim and Kim Beach. I knew I was going to forget something, or several somethings, the first became obvious when I went to look for Jim’s cell number. I was to text when I arrived at Paddington Station, hard to do without a phone number. Thankfully I was able to get free wi-fi on the train and was able to leave a HeyTell message to coordinate a meeting place.

Jim came and met me at Paddington Station and lugged my bag back to their flat for me. I had changed shoes at the airport knowing I was going to be walking a bit, I traded my slip on Tom’s for a more suitable walking shoe, or so I thought. It took about five minutes of walking before the blisters started on the back of my heel and left me wobbling around pathetically. I arrived at their flat, learning that the second floor flat was actually what a third floor would be in the US, they count the main floor as 0. After a few minutes catching up with Jim and Kim and a quick shower we were of off to explore and run some Saturday errands. I quickly learned that the pubs and restaurants near one’s home were considered Locals, the Beaches were gracious enough to show me four of their locals. All very nice, friendly places. I am sure if I lived near I would find them often, quite the neighborhood gathering.

We went to several stores, a kitchen supply store, an electrical store, coffee shop and two grocery stores. It was quite interesting to see the different types of food offered. Also, there didn’t seem to be much one stop shopping options. I guess such is life in the big city.

The evening had us going to several local places and having a wonderful dinner together. I had an amazing lamb dish followed by a stolen bite of Jim’s dessert and a cappuccino. The jet lag was staved off for a bit and we hit one final local before heading home to bed.

This morning I enjoyed an iced americano and a slice of toast before heading out to King’s Cross Station to catch my train to Edinburgh. I was to take the Bakerloo line at the Warwick Station to Baker Street and then transfer to the Metropolitan Line. As I approached to transfer I was greeted with a closed line, my options were to take a surface bus or to take another train to Oxford Station and another transfer. I opted for the train. It was able to maneuver quite well and was at King’s Cross in no time. I got my train ticket a tuna panini for the ride and boarded the train which I am ecstatic to say has free wifi!

The pictures below are a scattering of images taken from my time in London. A huge thank you again to Jim and Kim for your hospitality! You made the first night of my trip so wonderful and memorable!
XOXO –
Sarah Jane

The Journey Begins

Well I have had my first technical difficulty, I just composed a brilliant post to kick off the journey and when I added the photo of my traveling companion (my Father’s Pendleton Hat) it deleted the entire post. Sigh. Live and learn. Here I go again…

Traveling for me is often riddled with stress and anxiety. Will I remember everything I might need? Have I packed too much? Too little? Do I have my passport? Will I make it to the airport in time? This anxiety slowly lifts the closer I get to my gate. Once I have settled in and have a visual of the gate agent and can hear the updates I am at peace.

I have been known to stop in for a little spirit prior to my flight but this too causes a bit of stress, long ago on my first international flight experience taught me that gates change. So here I am sitting in the seats watching all of my fellow passengers with a smile on my face. The smile could be easily explained as I am excited for my upcoming vacation but it is a bit more than that. A former flight attendant told me that flight staff really enjoyed small gifts of appreciation. To be completely honest when I was wrapping up my little gifts I had visions of upgrades and added legroom dancing through my head. As I gave the gifts and walked away I found that I had a big smile plastered on my face and a pep in my step, it even lasted its way through security where I chose the slowest line, had a gaggle of flight attendants cut in line and was lucky enough to be chosen for the naked machine.

I secretly still hope for a last minute upgrade but I am not holding my breath, to be headed on a flight to London makes me feel lucky enough. I am so excited for the journey that lies ahead.

Chat with you in the UK!

XOXO,
Sarah Jane

Beam me up Scotland….

Scotland, I have heard about you for years, you were the home to my ancestors. I have heard enough, take this as your warning, we are about to meet!! I have a feeling neither of us will ever be the same.
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Tentative Itinerary. I reserve the right to veer from this at any moment!

London, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Inverness, Isle of Harris, Isle of Lewis, Isle of Skye, Oban, Glasgow

As most of you know I will be traveling solo on this journey and I am excited that you might consider following along with me. I only hope that I can keep the blog up to date as well as entertaining!

XOXO – Sarah Jane