Where in the World?

Wow! Edinburgh is simply a wonderful city. We explored only a minuscule portion of the old town. Lots more to see, but what we saw and experienced was fantastic. Our journey started in the Hermiston Park and Ride, just outside of Edinburgh to the west. The owner of our bed and breakfast (Crosswood Hills) recommended we take the bus from Hermiston to Edinburgh as it is difficult to find suitable and affordable car parking in the city. It was a great idea.We exited the bus at the second stop along Princes St. and immediately had a fantastic view of The Mound and Edinburgh Castle majestically built on Castle Rock. I learned that this basalt mountain is an extinct volcano. Our tour of the castle grounds lasted for about two hours. The oldest building in Edinburgh Castle is St. Margaret’s Chapel. For lunch we ate at the Queen Anne Café. Very nice!

The Scotch Whisky Heritage Centre was next on our list. After a taste of Single Malt Scotch we learned about the history of Scotch Whiskey and how it is made. This is Scotland’s national drink. The Edinburgh Old Town Weaving Company was an interesting place not only for the incredible clothing merchandise inside the multi-level store, but it also had a database that could print out any of several thousand Scottish clan names.

The rest of the day was spent walking The Royal Mile, exploring shops and peering down the many closes, which are small, narrow alleyways between the main streets.

The people of Edinburgh and Scotland are friendly, open and ready to help. Everyone we met was exceptionally nice and never rude. Great people in a great land!

Michael

My sister, mother, dad and I woke up at 4:45 a.m. to get ready to drive to St. Andrews which is about 50 miles north of where we were staying in Scotland. We were all supporting his dream of playing the Old Course at St. Andrews. So, we packed up and headed north arriving in St. Andrews at 6:15 a.m. After my dad signed up on the singles waiting list, we headed over to the restaurant to get some quick breakfast.While we were there, my dad’s name was called three times, so he initially missed out on starting his round. After another short wait, he and 3 others were joined to form a foursome. The weather cleared, the sun came out, and the newly formed teamed started their play.

It was fantastic to see my dad start and then successfully complete a dream that he has had for many years. I think that it is important when someone is knocking on a dream, that everyone, especially family, should help in fulfilling it. When these opportunities and synchronicities fall into place, the only road to take is the one that leads to the dream.

The rest of the morning and early afternoon was joyfully spent walking in the ruins of St. Andrews Castle, St. Andrews Cathedral and the church of St. Rule. For the afternoon we spent the time touring the Kingdom of Fife along the northern coast of the Firth of Forth. We visited the lovely coastal villages of Crail, Anstruther, Pittenweem and St. Monans. I highly recommend The Honey Pot in Crail for some wonderful pastries, coffee and sandwiches.

Overall, a fantastic day with dreams fulfilled and lots of sightseeing.

Michael

I’m in Edinburgh, Scotland this week with my parents and sister. We are staying at a bed and breakfast on a sheep farm southwest of Edinburgh. The countryside is simply beautiful with many rolling hills and huge fields of yellow flowers (Oil Seed Rape). Obviously, there are a lot of sheep.I had to get adjusted to driving on the left hand side of the road again. It took about a day to get used to the narrow country roads. We drove to St. Andrews, birthplace of golf, so my father could get information on playing the Old Course. The highlight for my dad will be when he plays the Old Course and fulfils a lifelong dream. Later in the day, we drove to a town that bears our last name, Thornton. Oddly enough, across the street from the Thornton Parish Church was Davidson’s Chemist, which is my mother’s maiden name. Coincidence? I like to think of it as synchronistic.

After Thornton, we drove to the enigmatic Rosslyn Chapel south of Edinburgh. It has been famous for centuries and even more so after The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown was published. It was built in 1446 by William St. Clair. The chapel has an incredible amount of carvings displaying a dizzying array of symbolism; Christianity, Pagan, Freemasonry and the Knights Templar. There are also carvings of New World plants, which strangely pre-date the Columbus’s “discovery” of that continent by almost 100 years. What a wonderful place to explore!

Have a great day!

Michael