The ferry experience was mixed. The ride over to England was pretty good. The boat was huge (like a small cruiseliner) and had shops, bars, and restaurants. We slept in little bunks and it was nice to wake up, have breakfast, and get on the road. The trip back, however was not as simple. There were 40-50 young Brits heading in to Amsterdam for the rest of the long weekend and they took full advantage of the ship's bars. We have no problem with the kids having fun, but unfortunately a dozen of them had rooms across from us, so we had the luxury of listening to them until about four in the morning... Also funny was that we had smaller rooms on the way back, notable for the bathrooms which were so small that the shower was a triangle shaped wedge right next to the toilet. You could literally shower while on the toilet if you were so inclined (we weren't!).
So, anyway. Scotland. Expecting the worst, we were delighted to have three days of sunshine. The Scottish countryside is absolutely beautiful: gorgeous green hills, marked off with stone walls and full of livestock, mostly sheep.
And, since it's spring, almost every field of sheep was littered with lambs, who frolicked and played in the most ridiculously adorable way, filling our first hour on the road with a car full of 'awwwws' and 'oooohs' (and about a dozen near death experiences as Rob split his focus between driving on the left side of the road and trying to see what all the 'awwwwing' and 'oooohing' was about). If you think you'd eventually become numb to little lambs being absurdly cute, you're wrong.
We survived the Scottish Lamb Deathtrap and made it to the town of Jedburg (pronounced Jed-bourough). Jedburg's home to the remains of Jedburg Abbey, a 12th century church and monastery destroyed centuries ago during a war with England.
In fact, in an interesting twist on the Giant European Churches that we seem to spend a part of every trip in, there are several church ruins in Scotland. Our favorite was probably Sweetheart Abbey, near the coastal town of Dumfries. Sweetheart Abbey is so called because it was founded as a monument to a Scottish Lady's dead husband (and where she was later buried along with her husband's heart. Rob asked Erika if she'll get buried with his heart. She wasn't so sure). The grounds inside Sweetheart Abbey are overgrown with lush green grass, so as you walk through the old church, it really feels like a beautiful and ancient sculpture.
Eventually, we made into Edinburgh, where we had a lovely dinner in a small pub and walked around the city. We met this (possibly crazy and) exceptionally nice lady on the bus who heard us talking and proceeded to recommend her favorite 12 restaurants. Actually, every single Scot we chatted with was nice and friendly and helpful. We stayed at a small hotel just outside the city center, which was notable for its tiny beds. Rob's feet and ankles hung off the edge and Josh, who is 6' 11", had an even rougher time of it.
The following day, we made our way into the city. Edinburgh Castle towers over the city and is definitely worth a tour. We do have one good tip to share. If you go to the castle you can view the Honours of Scotland, which are the old crown jewels of the Scottish Kingdom. The jewels are beautiful, but what we didn't know was that there were two ways to view them. The door we entered led to a 45 minute line that wrapped through a cheesy museum display giving the history of the jewels. The display was actually okay, but it was prerecorded and repeated itself 3 or 4 times as you waited for the line to move. When we finally made it to the viewing room we discovered there was another entry way that led directly to the jewels. One of the older women in that line was very curious about where we came from, but when Rob assured her that she hadn't missed anything she shrugged and said, "Got it. Just google it."
After the viewing the castle, we had lunch and enjoyed a Scottish Whisky tasting. It would have been preferable to visit a distillery, but we didn't really have the time to go north into the Highlands. The tasting was great as you got an appreciation for how different the whisky from each region in Scotland is. We spent the rest of our time in Edinburgh wandering through the old city and doing a little shopping before heading out to the western coast.
We spent the next night in Dumfries, a small fishing town, where had the unnerving experience of walking around the city center while scarcely seeing another soul as we looked for a place to eat dinner. It was like something out of a bad horror movie where all the locals turn in after sundown. Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on your point of view) we never came across any Scottish vampires or zombies and finally found the one non-Chinese restaurant that was open after 8. The next day we headed back to England to catch our ferry, but not before visiting a working 15th century mill and Caerlaverock Castle.
The mill's water wheel still works and there's a miller who still grinds oats a few times a month.
Caerlaverock Castle is mostly in ruins, but the two tall battle towers are still quite imposing and the castle is still surrounded by a moat. The castle was destroyed and rebuilt several times and there is a lifesize replica of a medieval trebuchet (catapult) on the grounds.
The castle visit also gave us one last chance to enjoy some haggis, which is not as bad as you think it will be, and which Rob was delighted to find can be eaten on a baked potato. How can anything be bad if you can eat on a baked potato?
We had such a good time in Scotland that we think we need to go back. The people, the food, the whisky, the sights, and the country were so great, we left wanting more.
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