(no subject)
I have had enough fish and chips to kill a cow this trip. This leg of the trip we're staying with cousins up north. They live in Banff (yes, the sound Nightcrawler makes), a tiny seaside town about two hours from Inverness. Once we got to Aberdeen, we drove an hour to the coast. I don't want to leave. It's magical.
The first day we went to see the local sights, starting with Duff House. It's a fancy pants mansion built by the local royalty. Very photogenic. We also walked out to the Bridge of Alvah, picking raspberries along the path and heckling the cows. That night we had Chinese takeaway, and it was goooood. I'm in love with prawn crackers. I thought about trying to get some to take home with me, but they'd get so crushed on the way back.
The next day we went to Elgin. Elgin's about half an hour from Banff, and it's a bigger city. I had fried haddock, chips, and baked beans for lunch, plus the strongest cup of coffee I have ever had. We went shopping in the afternoon, and I had a blast looking in the craft shops, fashion stores (got a pretty lavender blouse from Next), and the locAl liquor store. I so wanted the bottle of Scottish vodka. I love vodka, and Scottish vodka would have been a treat. Plus it was cucumber flavored. IMAGINE what a martini would taste like with that stuff! However, I can't risk taking it back. If it broke, I'd be out thirty bucks and my clothes would reek. Kevin and I stopped in every bakery we came to, and ate fresh pastries and sausage rolls the whole day. I would say I'm going to gain a ton of weight, but with the walking I'm doing, I should be good.
That evening we went out to the rock pools in Banff. There's giant rocks along the coast of Banff, and when the tide comes in they're covered. But when it goes out the depressions in the rocks fill with water, and all kinds of life reside in there. One of my memories as a kid was jumping from rock to rock and playing in the water. So once again, I braved the rocks and walked out into the water, feeling the sea spray hit my face and taking in the beautiful smell of the ocean. The only downside is that the North Sea is COLD this time of year. We also went to visit Tarlair swimming pool. The pool was built in the early 1900s. It's all stone, and when the tide comes in, it's full. It's built in a section where the cliffs bow inwards, and you have to drive down a nearly vertical drop to get there. It's abandoned now, boarded up and silent. Eerie, even. It's a touch sad, because back in the day my mother and father used to swim there, plus my grandfather won medals there in the 20s. Even so, now it's like a dreamy place, surreal. I walked up the steps to the concession stand and tried to imagine it full of people, and listened to the waves breaking on the rocks beyond the seawall. I took a ton of pictures but I can't post them at the moment.
The day after we went along the coastal trail. We drove all along the coast to Fraserburgh. The first stop was a small fishing village near Banff. I'm so bad--I forgot the name of it. Nearby, up on the cliffs, is the ruin of a church named St. John's. It's a bit of a hike to get there, but it was worth it. The churchyard overlooks the village and the ocean, and the view is spectacular. I could not imagine a more beautiful place to rest. My great great grandparents are buried there. I think when I die someone will have to take my ashes and scatter them over that cliff. We continued to the next graveyard, where my great grandparents are buried. Then we went along the coast again, stopping in various places to take pictures. Fraserburgh was the last stop. We went to the lighthouse museum and visited the Wine Tower, which I had read about in the paper. It's a small tower built alongside the ocean, with the basement going deep into the hill. Supposedly it was a food storage place, or a secret catholic church. Either way, the legend there is that the Earl of the land had a daughter that was in love with a piper. He was so pissed that she was having an affair with him that he had the piper chained in the bowels of the tower. When the tide came in, he drowned. The Earl's daughter was so distraught that she threw herself out of the window on the tower and killed herself on the rocks below. The rocks are painted red to mark the spot. Morbid and beautiful at the same time. That night we had a fancy dinner at a local hotel, then had some drinks at my cousin's beautiful historic home--it too, overlooks the ocean the the rock pools.
Yesterday was the day that was the best and the worst. We went back to all of the old haunts and places of the past: Edzell, Brechin, and Glamis. Edzell was a naval base that my dad worked in until '85. It's abandoned now too, but we were allowed in to see a small part by the guard, who also worked there back in the day. It's completely deteriorated and falling apart. The grass is high, the buildings are crumbling, and the glass is broken on all the windows. The church that I was baptized in is on that base. I walked up and got some pictures of the building and the broken windows, plus the sign out front. It reads, "Goodbye, Farewell, Amen." It was the only time during the day I was close to tears, which is amazing. We also cruised by my first home, which thankfully is in good shape.
We also went to the blue door. The blue door is alongside a wall near the base. Behind it is a nature walk. But it's no normal nature walk. It's a fairytale door. A real life fairytale door that takes you through the woods and along the river Esk. There's certain places you can scramble down and walk right alongside the rushing river. There's a painting of this bridge my grandmother did, and it's hanging up in our living room. I really, really did not want to leave. We went to Glamis Castle afterwards, the most haunted castle in Scotland. I won't rehash all the tales here; those of you that have read this far are AWESOME as it is, but it had been 17 years since I had done any of these things. My memory is surprisingly intact. The last stop was Brechin, where my grandparents lived, my mother grew up, and she got married. It was very, very hard. My grandparents' house is in good shape, and the Tarlair sign is still over the door. The riverwalk to the cathedral is the same, and the cathedral itself is in good shape. However, the town is in disrepair, stores are boarded up, and Mason Dieu Church, where my mom got married, is falling apart and overgrown. Also, to add to the mood, it poured rain the whole time we were there.
So here I am this morning, getting ready for a trip to Portsoy. Portsoy is where my mom's grandma lived. It's a nice chill morning, but that'll end soon enough. Tomorrow we leave and head out to Edinburgh. We also have less than a week left here. Unbelievable.
The first day we went to see the local sights, starting with Duff House. It's a fancy pants mansion built by the local royalty. Very photogenic. We also walked out to the Bridge of Alvah, picking raspberries along the path and heckling the cows. That night we had Chinese takeaway, and it was goooood. I'm in love with prawn crackers. I thought about trying to get some to take home with me, but they'd get so crushed on the way back.
The next day we went to Elgin. Elgin's about half an hour from Banff, and it's a bigger city. I had fried haddock, chips, and baked beans for lunch, plus the strongest cup of coffee I have ever had. We went shopping in the afternoon, and I had a blast looking in the craft shops, fashion stores (got a pretty lavender blouse from Next), and the locAl liquor store. I so wanted the bottle of Scottish vodka. I love vodka, and Scottish vodka would have been a treat. Plus it was cucumber flavored. IMAGINE what a martini would taste like with that stuff! However, I can't risk taking it back. If it broke, I'd be out thirty bucks and my clothes would reek. Kevin and I stopped in every bakery we came to, and ate fresh pastries and sausage rolls the whole day. I would say I'm going to gain a ton of weight, but with the walking I'm doing, I should be good.
That evening we went out to the rock pools in Banff. There's giant rocks along the coast of Banff, and when the tide comes in they're covered. But when it goes out the depressions in the rocks fill with water, and all kinds of life reside in there. One of my memories as a kid was jumping from rock to rock and playing in the water. So once again, I braved the rocks and walked out into the water, feeling the sea spray hit my face and taking in the beautiful smell of the ocean. The only downside is that the North Sea is COLD this time of year. We also went to visit Tarlair swimming pool. The pool was built in the early 1900s. It's all stone, and when the tide comes in, it's full. It's built in a section where the cliffs bow inwards, and you have to drive down a nearly vertical drop to get there. It's abandoned now, boarded up and silent. Eerie, even. It's a touch sad, because back in the day my mother and father used to swim there, plus my grandfather won medals there in the 20s. Even so, now it's like a dreamy place, surreal. I walked up the steps to the concession stand and tried to imagine it full of people, and listened to the waves breaking on the rocks beyond the seawall. I took a ton of pictures but I can't post them at the moment.
The day after we went along the coastal trail. We drove all along the coast to Fraserburgh. The first stop was a small fishing village near Banff. I'm so bad--I forgot the name of it. Nearby, up on the cliffs, is the ruin of a church named St. John's. It's a bit of a hike to get there, but it was worth it. The churchyard overlooks the village and the ocean, and the view is spectacular. I could not imagine a more beautiful place to rest. My great great grandparents are buried there. I think when I die someone will have to take my ashes and scatter them over that cliff. We continued to the next graveyard, where my great grandparents are buried. Then we went along the coast again, stopping in various places to take pictures. Fraserburgh was the last stop. We went to the lighthouse museum and visited the Wine Tower, which I had read about in the paper. It's a small tower built alongside the ocean, with the basement going deep into the hill. Supposedly it was a food storage place, or a secret catholic church. Either way, the legend there is that the Earl of the land had a daughter that was in love with a piper. He was so pissed that she was having an affair with him that he had the piper chained in the bowels of the tower. When the tide came in, he drowned. The Earl's daughter was so distraught that she threw herself out of the window on the tower and killed herself on the rocks below. The rocks are painted red to mark the spot. Morbid and beautiful at the same time. That night we had a fancy dinner at a local hotel, then had some drinks at my cousin's beautiful historic home--it too, overlooks the ocean the the rock pools.
Yesterday was the day that was the best and the worst. We went back to all of the old haunts and places of the past: Edzell, Brechin, and Glamis. Edzell was a naval base that my dad worked in until '85. It's abandoned now too, but we were allowed in to see a small part by the guard, who also worked there back in the day. It's completely deteriorated and falling apart. The grass is high, the buildings are crumbling, and the glass is broken on all the windows. The church that I was baptized in is on that base. I walked up and got some pictures of the building and the broken windows, plus the sign out front. It reads, "Goodbye, Farewell, Amen." It was the only time during the day I was close to tears, which is amazing. We also cruised by my first home, which thankfully is in good shape.
We also went to the blue door. The blue door is alongside a wall near the base. Behind it is a nature walk. But it's no normal nature walk. It's a fairytale door. A real life fairytale door that takes you through the woods and along the river Esk. There's certain places you can scramble down and walk right alongside the rushing river. There's a painting of this bridge my grandmother did, and it's hanging up in our living room. I really, really did not want to leave. We went to Glamis Castle afterwards, the most haunted castle in Scotland. I won't rehash all the tales here; those of you that have read this far are AWESOME as it is, but it had been 17 years since I had done any of these things. My memory is surprisingly intact. The last stop was Brechin, where my grandparents lived, my mother grew up, and she got married. It was very, very hard. My grandparents' house is in good shape, and the Tarlair sign is still over the door. The riverwalk to the cathedral is the same, and the cathedral itself is in good shape. However, the town is in disrepair, stores are boarded up, and Mason Dieu Church, where my mom got married, is falling apart and overgrown. Also, to add to the mood, it poured rain the whole time we were there.
So here I am this morning, getting ready for a trip to Portsoy. Portsoy is where my mom's grandma lived. It's a nice chill morning, but that'll end soon enough. Tomorrow we leave and head out to Edinburgh. We also have less than a week left here. Unbelievable.