UK and Home

United Kingdom

14 February

Scottish winter?

In a way, we had been looking forward to some 'harsh Scottish' weather this week. For most of our trip, we've been extremely lucky with the weather. In five months, we can count truly rainy days on one hand (rain as opposed to overcast and dull!). So far, we think we've had only a couple of days when we didn't see some blue sky and it has been overwhelmingly sunny. And even when it did snow – in Spain of all places! - it only lasted for a day.

In one respect, Scotland has let us down! A few days before we arrived in Edinburgh, the whole of the UK was experiencing blizzard conditions. The past couple of days have been positively balmy at 8C plus. Silly as it may sound, this actually feels warm to us after our slow acclimatisation to the European winter!

“Disappointment” about the mild weather is about our only “complaint” about Edinburgh. Even though we haven't been here for more than 20 years, we have always liked this city. It is relatively small, full of history and well-preserved architecture and the people are easy-going, and friendly. Our apartment is five minutes' walk away from the Grassmarket area at the foot of Edinburgh Castle and the Royal Mile.

The city has a thousand stories. Just one should be told here to provide a feel of what the city has to offer.

Maggie Dickson was a poor fish hawker around the markets of 17^th century Edinburgh. Young Maggie had been deserted by her husband, so she left Edinburgh, moving to the country. Stopping at an Inn, she worked for her board, fell in love with and then pregnant to, the son of the innkeeper and, returning to the city, she decided to keep her condition secret, not even telling the father. Somehow she managed to have the baby without anybody being any the wiser. Sadly, the child died within a few days, so Maggie decided to dispose of the body in the Tweed River. When it came to it, she couldn't bring herself to throw the body into the water, so she just left it at the river side. Eventually Maggie was found out when the baby's body was discovered. Convicted of the obscure crime of Not Declaring a Pregnancy, she was sentenced to death by hanging.

On the duly appointed day, she was taken to the gallows in the Grassmarket and the deed was done. Maggie's body was loaded in a coffin and placed on a cart, headed for the graveyard. On the way, the driver was startled to hear knocking from the coffin. Opening it, he found Maggie very much alive! Given that she had obviously been saved by the will of God, she was set free. Maggie eventually married the father of her dead child and set herself up in a pub just metres from the Grassmarket gallows.

Her pub is there to this day. By legend, those facing Maggie's intended fate on the gallows were regularly taunted by Maggie from the front door of her pub. Locally she was, and still is, known as 'Half-hangit Maggie”

17 February

Holy Grail 'Again!'

A few days have passed since we updated the blog. This is probably attributable to the easy-going nature of our lives at the moment. Our comfortable and well-appointed Edinburgh apartment is a few minutes' walk from the Royal Mile and the Grassmarket, so we don't have to work too hard to get about and see the sights of the city. A few days back, we were complaining that we were disappointed not be experiencing some good 'harsh' Scottish winter weather. Well, it's only gotten worse! Today and yesterday were positively summery for this part of the world. Today we had lunch in the beer garden of the local at Roslin. Sun beating down. Daffodils and other bulbs were shooting in the gardens. True, early spring weather.

We were in Roslin to visit the Rosslyn Chapel of Da Vinci Code fame. If we remember correctly, in the book, the final clue to the location of the Holy Grail was found here in this magnificent 500 year old chapel built by the St Clair family, who had historical connections with the Knights Templar.

In fact, we only came to see the old chapel. We know the Holy Grail is really enshrined in the Cathedral at Valencia, Spain. We saw it!

Roslin was famous for another industry besides 'grail searching'. A walk through the local cemetery alerted us to the fact that Roslin was once home to the biggest gunpowder factory in Scotland. A smattering (poor choice of words?) of graves attest to the poor safety standards and high risk of working in such an industry. One family grave had three members who died in separate incidents at the gunpowder factory.

Being without personal transport has not been too limiting on us in Scotland. The rail and bus systems are extensive, frequent and reasonably priced. Yesterday, we jumped a regional train to Stirling to visit the Castle, stopping off in Linlithgow on the way back to visit its castle for good measure. Today, our trip to Roslin gave us a 90 minute, scenic, round trip of the Lothian and Midlothian districts in front row, top deck seats on a local bus. Bargain at AUD 5.60 each for the round trip.

22 February

Last days

After almost exactly 5 months, it’s almost time to go home.

Today is our last full day in London and this will probably be the last blog we write on the road.

London has been uncharacteristically warm and sunny, so we are seeing another side of this city that has almost always been 'glum' on our previous visits. People are everywhere, out and about enjoying the early onset of spring after a fairly severe winter. It’s 'half-term' holidays, so the city is packed with locals and kids as well as tourists - a real taste of what 'high season' must be like.

The usual round of tourist attractions has held a little less thrill for us this time. After such a long trip we might well be suffering tourist overload, so it has been great to take it a little easier while staying with our cousin Alys.

Tomorrow we lump our caravan of bags off through the Tube to Heathrow for the long flight home via Singapore. While we are looking forward to getting home, the thought of the summer heat in Brisbane is not an attractive one! It has been 12 – 13 C here and we find that very comfortable for walking about. Add another 20C to that and we are going to suffer until we re-acclimatise.

Singapore

25 February

Singapore and Home

As old hands on the Singapore Rapid Transit, we had no trouble finding our way to the City Bayview Hotel in downtown Singapore. The heat however was a ‘trouble’ to us! The added 20C we had anticipated in London did eventuate and we knew we were close to home.

Singapore always feels familiar. It could be the climate or the interesting mix of Asia and the west that the city projects. Donning thongs and shorts we spent most of our day in the National Museum of Singapore. Can you believe it? Another museum! This was a vastly different experience though. Extremely high-tech and very interesting, it had us enthralled.

Three international flights hit Brisbane’s small International Terminal at once for our return. The queue at immigration was enormous but it moved along and we were through customs and out to be met by our son and granddaughter inside 30 minutes. (US Immigration could learn from the Australian System!)

Writing this some two weeks after our return home, our five months already seems like a very short interlude! We’ll just have to do it again.

In the meantime we are off to the USA for a 8000km Road Trip including Old Route 66 from Chicago to LA in September.

Paul & Janita

2009