Dreaming of Scotland

I found Kath's blog and pined for Scotland, so I dug out my photos from our trip and after oohing and aahing over them I thought I'd share a few.







We had a wonderful introduction to Scotland at Bigger. We'd arrived late in the afternoon with no lodging arranged, so naturally we headed to this pub first. We were quickly welcomed and shown to a table where we got talking with the men next to us and met Alastair and within 15 minutes we had our lodging secured. Alastair's wife did B&B at their home, a lovely grey stone house with plaid carpets and photos of pipers everywhere. We had a pleasant stay and a hearty breakfast the next morning before we left for Edinburgh.







We arrived in Crail with its tiny round harbor in the late afternoon.






The next morning we found the Lord of the Manor's ancestor's home just outside Crail. It had a B&B sign on the wall, so brash Americans that we are, we drove right up and rang the bell. Alice answered and after hearing our story, invited us into the kitchen for coffee where we met her husband Tim and their son Tristan. We weren't even remotely related to them, but they literally opened their doors to us! I'm afraid we kept them from their work for quite a while, sharing stories of the old family who lived there, Crail history, our life in California, and their life at the broccoli farm. Tim had even visited an area of California near us to compare farming techniques with other broccoli growers. What a small world it is.





After we'd finished our coffee, they loaned us boots and allowed us to tramp across their fields and down to the sea below where we recreated these scenes based on old family photos from over 100 years ago. What a treasure those photos are! We framed them like the originals and together they hang in our dining room as a constant reminder not only of the ancestors, but also of the wonderful day we had there.











We enjoyed several days there in Fife wandering and explore the countryside. One day we drove to Pittenweem.





One day we drove to Glamis Castle where the Queen Mum was born in 1900.




And here is an old sign we saw somewhere along the way. It was made out of cast metal, very old I think, and wonderfully detailed. It has distances as close at 1 mile marked on it. That's a far cry from our signs today, isn't it? Zipping along at 70 mph, we think, "Oh there's my exit in one mile, I'd better get over quickly."

I'll leave you with this photo of heather. I remember this place clearly. It was near Cairn O'Mount, on a breezy summer day with bees buzzing amongst the flowers and the beautiful Scottish country rolled out before us. What great memories we have of Scotland .