Scotland. Another place to love.

The vast open space and the biting of the cold wind both fight to take away your breath. The beauty of snow capped mountains, and silent moors are outdoor cathedrals begging you to worship their Creator.

I love hairy cows.

Edinburgh is stellar.However it is not just the current Scotland that captivates. It is the history intertwined with today that makes Scotland so magical. The fight for independence, the survival in the most stark conditions, the deep roots in a rocky landscape.

Tales of monsters in deep mountain lakes.
The heroes like William Wallace and commandos from 'round the world.

Castles (Monty Python filmed much of Holy Grail in Scotland!)And of course, my favorite... stunning sunsets.

Hay and onward

We spent the morning poking around bookshops. We found the bookshop that began the book frenzy in Hay-on-Wye. We found a store devoted entirely to poetry. We also found a shop full of travel books.

A reading lovers paradise.

And then...the trek to Scotland!!!!

Wales, Castles and Books

Wales

I love Wales. Whales too, but mostly Wales.

We spent the day exploring abbeys and castles. Many castles. Hidden castles, wrecks all, ruins of a former home, a former haven.

Ruins at Abergaveney

Raglan Castle. AMAZING!

Stairs inside of Ragland. A rare find...a staircase that goes somewhere

The river was flooding and flowed into Skenfirth Castle.

We ended the day at Hay-onWye, the used book capital of the world. Easily one of the best towns i have ever visited. Quaint, filled with wonders, surrounded by lush Welsh hills. This was our cute home for the night.

No Pirates on Day 3

We began our day sleeping in the comfy room over The Dolphin Tavern. From our window we could see St. Michael's Mount and were very excited to eat a great breakfast in the pub and head out to see the church.

Breakfast in the UK is not like what we have here. And I liked it significantly more i think. Potatoes, tomatoes, baked beans and toast and sometimes mushrooms. YUM! And coffee strong enough to put pep in any step.

Amanda and I left the cozy confines of the tavern for rain and the bliss of seeing St. Michael's Mount. St. Michael's Mount is a small island off the southern coast of England that has a church and tiny community that is accessible by road only when the tide is out and by boat at all other times. Except, it seems, Saturdays. We waited for the Ferry to come. It never did. So we called.

The entire island was shut down. Who closes an island???? England does.

Ironic that the church was closed on Sabbath:)So we tucked ourselves back into the car and headed to Lands End and Minack Theater.

Lands End is the further point west on the English Coast. They now charge you to 'see' it. We turned around not having 'seen' the theme park that is now the end of england. We could however see the ocean and that was enough for us. And it was free to see.

Minack Theater came recommended to us by our chef at breakfast. AMAZING! Built into the cliffs over the ocean by one woman and two of her friends BY HAND, this theater balances over swells of the most beautiful greeny-blue water ever. During World War II razor wire kept the coast safe, but Ms. Minack would crawl under the wire to trim the grass. And shows have been acted out on the stage since the 1930's. Today an active theater community presents a yearly spectacle to audiences every summer.

All of my pictures of Penzance and St. Michael's Mount were destroyed along with the majority of shots from Minack Theater... Here are the survivors.The Greeny-Blue Water


The Minack Theater
from the top looking to the stage

Amanda showing us how it's done

Day 2 - Holy Shoot!

The day started early, as i assume it always does, but rarely am i up to greet it at any unearthly hour. But we had goals. Things to see, things to do, things to find.

Our biggest goal for today: find Stonehenge.

The ancient circle of stones still stands after years of soggy days, after the farming of the soil adjacent to the plot, it's still there after the meandering sheep sheer down grass roots and leave boot muddying gifts.
The circle still stands despite the two major roads running by it. As Amanda and I raced over the hills of southern England we popped over hill after hill to catch more views of green, verdant hills. Followed by more hills. And more...

And then SHAZAM!

There is was.

Stonehenge.

As i veered and swerved with glee at seeing this place literally pop over the hill by the highway, i cried out 'Holy Shoot!', much to the amusement of Amanda and it was repeated by both of us most of the trip.

Nobody alive today knows how the stones got to where they are. The source of the stones is over 30 miles away and they weight over 30 tons each.

The audio tour guide says that legend has it that Merlin the Magician flew them to where they lie today in his spare time. Others suggest it was satan who stole them from a womans garden and moved them there. Shockingly others think humans moved the stones via barges and massive man power. Giants have even been suggested as having existed:)

Another theory posits that the stones are an ancient calendar, making me very glad for the evolution of the palm pilot and paper calendars. This theory rings most possible for me, though yes, I do believe giants did once walk the earth.

From Stonehenge we headed west. The Jurassic Coast, named long before the movies, is a 90 mile stretch of the southern coast of England that has a massive amount of fossils hanging out. It also has really pretty rocks. We stopped in a lovely coastal town named Lyme Regis, written of by Jane Austen (and featured in the film Persuasion based on her book), to see if we could unearth treasures.

After little success we piled back in the car and zipped along.






On our way we made a side detour to see the remains of Maiden Castle. To our untrained eye it looked like a hill.













After the hike up the hill we loaded up again and headed for Penzance. Yep! As in Pirates of Penzance! Sadly we found a disturbing lack of pirates....

We did however stay over a pub with a lovely view of the sea, the city and even St. Micheal's Mount. My new card for my camera, however, got hungry and ate those pictures. So you'll have to survive with the few shots rescued of Lyme and Stonehenge.On to day 3!

Stonehenge and i













Stonehenge with raindrops on the lens










The Beach at Lyme Regis

Day 1 - It has begun

This vacation has begun like all good vacations should.

With a trip.
A voyage.
A heading away.

After landing in cloudy London we raced to pick up a car and see the sights. After a quick reminder of what it is to drive on the wrong side of the road, though technically the right side of the car, Amanda and I zipped off.

First stop on our tour: The British Museum.

If you have never before been, it comes your way highly recommended (two thumbs and an elbow WAY up). The things that the empire has stolen and pillaged and, in some cases, even rescued are on display in this house of wonders.

Little things you may never have heard of.A Chinese dragon head
Est. many moons ago

Really Big Atlases
Est. Really Old

And then there's the big ones that you can't believe you are gawking at like a freshly opened jar of Nutella.
Winged Lion from the Palace of Ashurnasirpal II
Est . 8th century BC

The Rosetta Stone
Est. 1st century BC

We got lost driving to Newbold College, our first 'home away from home' on this trip.
How can roads be so consternating?
Thank heavens for a local gym that had a map and an excited attendant only to willing to give long winded directions to exhausted and frazzled foreigners.