Outlander Tour Day 1

      This was what I was waiting for! A 3day Outlander tour with slaintescotland.com - Catriona Stevenson's company. Catriona was an extra on Outlander, has been working in the travel industry since 2013 and is also a genealogist  Her tours are purposely kept small, so you won't be travelling in a giant bus. She had been so informative on the Hangover Tour, I knew her company would be a perfect fit. With covid making it difficult for those of us on the other side of the pond to visit Scotland this year, Catriona is also doing virtual tours which are incredibly reasonable as low as £5 at  https://slaintescotland.com/scotland-is-waiting/. 

My pickup was just past George Square in Glasgow and not a bad walk from my hostel on Cambridge Street - plus  there was a Nero's on the way - a nice place for a quick cup of American coffee and something for breakfast - also great on the way back in the evening for a simple dinner. 

Our guide was named Andrew - a slightly built fellow who was brimming with knowledge about all the places we visited.

We headed out past Cumbernauld Studio (So excited to see it, even from the road!) and the Kelpies into Edinburgh for another pickup. First stop was Blackness Castle -which doubled for Fort William.

The castle is amazing - I think any American faced with something that is so old has to be impressed. This is from the 1400's and is on the Firth of Forth. 

                                

 It was kind of  cool to trace Claire and Jamie's footsteps as they ran out of the castle leaving Black Jack Randall lying on the floor and jumping over the side. The area they jumped from is on the side of the castle and apparently they used giant stunt landing mats to shoot the scenes.

                   

 

             

Just imagining Jamie and Claire's time in this place as I climbed to the top and looked over the water, or stood in the long open area where he was flogged was surprisingly emotional. It did actually serve as a prison and in the mid 16th century was one of the most advanced fortifications.

Our next stop was the beloved Lallybroch - Midhope Castle. I was most excited to see this as I think it truly represents Outlander in Scotland. It was easy to imagine Jenny and Claire doing the wash, or the tenants coming to pay their rent and of course the horror of Black Jack's flogging of Jamie and assault on Jenny - yet looking at the entry, I also could see Claire sitting onthe steps in the 20th century looking out and "seeing" Jamie finish her quote

“Then let amourous kisses dwell
On our lips, begin and tell
A Thousand and a Hundred score
A Hundred and a Thousand more”

The next stop was Linlithgow Palace which was featured as Wentworth Prison. It was a pretty impressive place and I loved the foutain in the courtyard. It is said it was filled with wine when James V married Mary Guise. Their daughter was Mary Queen of Scots. Her father was killed 6 days later. My family traces back to James VI, so having the opportunity to stand in a place he did was pretty amazing. 

Of course, you would be more interested in the Outlander part - so here is a picture of the palace 

After this we were on our way to Doune Castle, also known as Castle Leoch and I am sure many of you know it was also used in Monty Python's Holy Grail.

  

 This was a busy attraction with busloads of people! I found it very interesting at both Doune and Midhope that they seem to have such large yards in the series, when it was surprising how small they really were. The inner courtyard here was under construction, but you could still call to mind the Mrs' Fitz coming out to welcome  them home, the area for horses and other things that really were kind of crammed in there!

Of course  this is the great hall

and this little nook I thought was just beautiful! 

  

Last but not least, we made our way to Culross in Fife. It is home to Geillis Duncan's house and Laoghaire McKenzie McKimmie's house where we saw Brianna end up when she was injured trying to find her Uncle Ian's house. I have a sweet place in my heart for little Joanie and her time with Brianna. 

Here I am looking up at Geillis's window.

And here is Laoghaire's house - it really was charming 

We all wandered off to have a look see at the village which was really beautiful. Lots of tiny little roads, old cottages, cobblestone streets and a lovely shop with beautiful tartan gifts.

    

                                                 

Next time I will be visitng some new Outlander sites like Hopetoun House, Callender and Drummond Castle gardens. As always, many more pictures are on my facebook account here - friend me if you like

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The Hangover Tour

 

Well, i tried to stitch this pic together, but none of my programs are having it! Anyway, I am in the second pic right behind Scott - and weirdly not looking happy, must have caught me inbetween smiles which is rare!

At any rate, our tour began early in the morning after the Fling and our late night drinks but we were all raring to go. Scott brought along some of his friends again who made wonderful guides - Jay Graham was with us as well as Catriona Stevenson who actually has her own tour company called Slainte https://slaintescotland.com/  and unknowingly I had already booked and Outlander tour with them for the next day!  

We were greeted at the Doubletree Inn by two double decker hop on/hop off buses with open decks on the top. 

 Our first stop was the Clydeside Distillery. It was a new distillery, only 2 years old, but we really enjoyed a full tour of the place and I learned a lot about whisky and how to taste it!  We were brought into a tasting room where they explained how to first smell it with your mouth slightly open and through your nose - that opens its bouquet to you. As whisky takes a minimum of 3 years before it is ready, were were tasting 10 year old single malt whisky. I am not much of a drinker, so I found it kind of funny that here I was on a Sunday morning, just past 9am drinking whisky! They let us take a sip, you keep it on your tongue for 30 seconds and then swallow, that actually makes it go down a little smoother. Lastly they gave us an eye dropper to just add a drop or two to the whisky which opens its flavor. I also learned in Scottish whisky has no "e" in it but Irish does! It was kind of amazing - the things you learn in your older years... The tour was so well done - in fact of all the tours I took over the two months, this was where I was able to see the whole shebang - from beginning to end - some places did not allow you in certain rooms. 

From the distillery it was a short hop to the Glasgow Transport Museum which housed not only all modes of transportation, it also had a charming village to walk through with storefronts you could go into. Of course being an old hippie, my favorite piece was this! I had a car when I was in my late teens that I put all kinds of slogans on - like "life is a gas at 33 cents a gallon" over the gas tank, so yeah, this was right up my alley

I  couldn't resist a little fun house mirror that actually made me tall and skinny with beautiful long legs 

I also tried on an olden days dress 

Our next stop was the Tall Ship at Riverside. It is a 3 masted barque, 245 feet long, and was first used in 1896 as a bulk cargo carrier. We got to wander all over the ship looking into the cabins, kitchen, bath etc. and it was really beautifully restored. She had circumnavigated the globe four times, went through the difficult Cape Horn in Africa many times and eventually was sold to the Spanish Navy and used as a sail training vessel until 1969. She was laid up at dock after that and pretty much forgotten until 1990 when a British naval architect bought her at auction for 40,000 pounds. She is one of 5 surviving Clydebuilt sailing ships left in the world.

Jay and I on the ship

 Our next stop wasn't originally planned but we were so close, we went to the Falkirk Wheel which is quite the modern wonder. It is a rotating boat lift that connects Forth and Clyde canal with the Union canal

The next stop was my absolute favorite - the size of these is incredible - 98 feet high and when you see them as you are driving by in the day or at night when they are lit in blue or red, its just breathtaking. I am talking about the Kelpies. Kelpies (water horses) in Scottish lore are mythological transforming beasts that posess the strength and endurance of 10 horses. They are said to haunt rivers and streams. You can read about them here https://www.historic-uk.com/CultureUK/The-Kelpie/, but there's nothing like a picture

 

and at night, they are stunning

spookyscotland.net

We continued on to Bannockburn War Memorial and battlefield where Scots King Robert the Bruce was victorious over King Edward II of England in the first War of Scottish Independence in 1314

 

Our last stop was the beautiful Stirling Castle, home of Robert the Bruce and the Stewart kings. The castle sits on top of a hill and is surrounded by steep cliffs on 3 sides. It has been used by both the English and the Scots in its very long history, but one particular Scot, William Wallace  won the battle of Stirling bridge and took the castle back for the Scots. There is an incredible monument in his honor that is quite a distance from the castle, but it is so big it is visible from the castle as it overlooks the towns and villages.

The castle went back and forth again until Robert the Bruce ousted King Edward II and there is a statue honoring him on the castle grounds

The castle itself is huge and there are several buildings as well as several areas where you can see the heads of the kings of scotland - not the actual heads of course, but large sculpted faces

Mary Queen of Scots was crowned here. I don't think I can do justice in trying to help you visualize this place, but maybe a few pictures will help

Finally we headed back to the Doubletree Inn for drinks which really capped off a fantastic day!

You can see a bit more on Scott Kyle's short film of our day here

 

 And if you would like to see all my pictures, you can find me on Facebook here https://www.facebook.com/Beespit59/

Tomorrow its time for my 3 day Outlander tour!!

 

          

        

The Highlander Fling

 

Having arrived alive and well in Glasgow, I spent the first 2 days acclimating and sleeping off my jet lag - I had prepared for this because I wanted to be ready for the Fling. As I mentioned in my last post, having heard of the Fling, I changed my whole vacation just to be able to attend this. It is put on by actor Scott Kyle who played Ross the smith in Outlander. I had started to follow him on Twitter and was surprised when he immediately followed me back and even responded to some of my tweets - that's the thing about Scott, while of course this makes a bigger fan base for him, he really does want to get to know the fans and it's one reason he started doing the flings. 

I arrived at the Doubletree a bit early hoping to get a good table. I knew no one of course but had chatted a bit online with a lovely lady from Edinburgh named Lyn Wilson. She was kind enough to ask me to join her table, so getting there early made it much easier to find her before the crowds started coming in. I was met at the door by Jay Graham also from Outlander. He was simply a really nice guy and we got to know each other a little better over drinks later in the evening.

 Now he lookeLyn and her friends and I found a nice table and as we were settling in Romann Berrux who played young Fergus walked in with his girlfriend. As we were the only ones inside, it gave us a great opportunity to chat with him. He was a very sweet young man and I could see some of the mannerisms of Fergus in him. Of course the last time I saw him, which obviously was on tv - he looked like this along with Scott.Now he looked like this 

Shortly after Scott and his wife Karen came in and we told him how excited we were to be there and how we had been looking forward to it.  I asked if there would be Haggis and he said he planned the whole dinner to be traditionally Scottish, so yes, indeed we were having haggis.

People were starting to arrive so we settled down at our table and watched the people come in. Many were in costume which I thought looked like a lot of fun. Having two kids who are into cosplay, I could see myself doing it if I didn't have to lug the clothing across the ocean!

Stephen Walters who played Angus Mhor arrived just then and once again I was able to have a bit of conversation with him - another thoroughly nice guy, taking tons of time with the people  lined up to meet him. Later he entertained us with a set playing some of his funny original songs like the Diana Garibaldi (Gabaldon) Blues https://youtu.be/IzhzFlb-pxE  and some more traditional things like Don't Let me Down and Blackbird. Of course I had to get a picture with him as well - pretty good beginning for my time in Scotland!

Dinner was as Scott had promised: traditional haggis, tatties and neeps - that's potatoes and turnips! I have to tell you I really like haggis. I had tried it before when my husband and I went with his parents to the Feast of Haggis in Chicago. As a little aside here, this feast in Chicago was a big deal. It was held in a beautiful hotel and Helen Hayes was guest of honer. The funniest thing was all the men were carrying little suitcases with them. I asked my husband what they were and they were portable bars! The drinks were very expensive there, so they brought their own!  

Scott did an incredible job putting this fling on - As we sat down to dinner a pipe and drum group came in playing Scotland the Brave - my husband would have loved that - it was his favorite song.  You can see it here https://youtu.be/maohqT9I-MM

This was followed by highland dancers - young girls who danced as a group, https://youtu.be/nwO8Kz7zZlwas a set of four doing the sword dance (they could have given Sam and Duncan some lessons!) https://youtu.be/PAplxqPYtes and one lovely young lady who danced to Scotland the Brave. https://youtu.be/mxn0hh5R-9Q

Following that were various groups of young people Scott has worked with who sang https://youtu.be/_1jiTJ5eMJc   and danced https://youtu.be/-SbUTQDspkQ  their way into our hearts.  When dinner was over, the ceilidh began with some lessons for those who did not know how to dance.https://youtu.be/3s6n_bVaPqM The very enthusiastic dancer is Jon Dan Duncan who was in the Culloden episodes and also was a regulator this season.  I found it interesting that they come very close to our square dancing which must have been brought over to America by Scottish settlers and morphed into what we have today. Here you will see them all dancing - https://youtu.be/_LXEla0fdaI

The last bit of entertainment was done by a Rod Stewart impersonator who was very good and had everyone up and dancing. A lovely surprise was Adhamh O Broin (who taught Gaelic to the cast) who sang the last song which was plaintive and beautiful.

One thing the Scots do that is incredibly moving is they join hands at the end of the evening and sing all the verses of Auld Lang Syne while holding hands, walking in towards the middle and meeting, then stepping back again and doing that until the song ends. I have to tell you I was crying by the time it was over!

permission by Scott Kyle

BUT!!!! There was more! Some of us went with Scott, Jay, JonDan and some of the other actors  to the top of the Radisson Red Skybar which had a beautiful view of the city. We sat on the rooftop with our drinks for a bit, but when it got chilly we headed inside. The conversation was interesting and at times hilarious and we all hated to leave.  It was just such a perfect ending to an incredible evening. I made a lot of lovely friends that day who I still keep up with  - from Scotland, England and of course the USA.

Tomorrow is the Hangover Tour with Scott which was an incredible day - see you then!

Sadly the fling was cancelled this year, but please check out this video Scott put together as it really catches the essence of the experience!

The Adventure of a Lifetime!

      

For years I dreamed of going to Ireland because I knew some of my ancestors came from there and I am also a big fan of the Irish group Celtic Thunder. One of the lads in Celtic Thunder, Emmet Cahill,  planned a European trip with some of the fans and I quickly signed up and got one of the cherished seats on the tour which was in October 2019. However about a year and a half ago I discovered the TV show Outlander and quickly became a huge fan. That started me thinking about maybe taking a side trip to Scotland since I would be so close. I figured adding another week into my plans would be pretty easy. So I paid my deposit for Emmet's tour and started looking into Outlander tours of Scotland. Very quickly I came upon a special evening put on by one of the people in Outlander and thought that would be a lot of fun. Only problem was it was in the beginning of September - a month before the other tour. Hmmmm....I'll tell you I spent weeks trying to play out in my mind and on paper how I could ever manage a month in Scotland.

     So, I began looking into tours and decided what the heck! In for a penny, in for a pound and started seriously looking at different airlines, hotels vs air bnb, what the cities of Glasgow and Edinburgh looked like for someone without a car - my daughter drilled into me that I was not to even think about renting a car - the obvious reason being they drive on the left and its very hard to switch to that - I knew she knew what she was talking about as she had lived just outside Edinburgh for a year (and had 2 minor accidents...) She also clued me into something I had never thought of. There are many credit cards that give a large bonus for spending 3-4,000 in the first 3 months. I looked at my bills and realized it wouldn't be too hard at all if I started using the card to pay  my heat, electric, water etc. So I found one by Citi.com that offered 60,000 points for doing it - that would mean a free international flight. Prices at the time were pretty incredible - you could fly to Ireland for as little as $99 on some airlines, but I decided to go with American Airlines Citi card. I had really thought about going with David Cook airlines because they offered to make a bed out of 3 seats for you for about $299. American was just over $500 round trip. I am glad I did that because David Cook filed for bankruptcy while I was in Scotland and the Norwegian airline that had the $99 fare, out of the blue stopped flying from New York and I would have been left scrambling for a fare which of course goes up the closer you get to your flight. The best time to book an international flight is about 3-5 months before. You can usually get a good price at that time - keep an eye on the different airline's prices, they can change rapidly. I am a large woman so I actually booked two seats so I wouldn't be encroaching on anyone. I also was traveling alone. My thought was I had traveled to Scandanavia and Europe for several months by myself when I was 20, and I really enjoyed it. People thought I was either brave or crazy at 68, but I really believed if I was careful to be back to my hotel when it got dark it would be fine - and it was.

Next thing was to think about packing and what to take on the plane. These things can be a godsend on a long flight  I bought a suitcase at Walmart for $60. It was a 29" which gave me plenty of room - I think the places where they tell you that you can go to Europe with a 22" bag think everyone is a size 2! When you are a 3X it doesn't work at all. Still I packed wisely, bringing an old tshirt and shorts for sleeping in hostels, my not so favorite tshirts for touring and some older pants as well as a nice pair, a pair of good sneakers for all the walking, dress shoes, a nice blouse and a semi formal dress. You really won't need shorts in Scotland, even in the summer - one pair would be more than enough. My ever helpful daughter had recently spent almost 3 weeks in Italy and found by bringing older clothing, she could throw them away as her bag started bulging with new things she bought there. She also recommended luggage with 4 wheels that could turn in any direction as it made it much easier to handle and I am glad I followed her advice. I had a carry on with only 2 wheels and it was a pain in the neck!

I used my carryon for my medications (be sure to have a written copy of them from your doctor), my C-PAP machine (Ireland only allows ones that have  airlines ok on them) and my kindle. If you plan on using your C-Pap on your flight, you need to ask for a seat with a plug in  and you cannot use the water portion of it. I tried it, but I kept waking up because it was so dry.  Many people like to use a blow up neck pillow like this or a foot rest/hammock like this

I did buy the neck pillow and it worked fine. Another thing people recommend is compression socks.

Traveling with a purse that is comfortable and allows you to carry a lot is really essential - I love mine so much I am still using it a year later - its washable, has RFID areas for your passport and credit cards, a place to tuck your phone... its essential. Mine is by Travelon - and the best part is it has side 

zippers that will hold a bottle of water on one side and an umbrella on the other - two things I used often - they sell it on amazon

Zipper closure

• LIGHTWEIGHT crossbody bag with adjustable shoulder strap, and fits iPad. PLUS RFID matching card case wallet with ID window
• ANTI THEFT FEATURES Locking main and front pocket with RFID blocking card and passport slots Slash-resistant body and adjustable, slash-resistant shoulder strap attaches to chair or post
• STYLISH VALUE SET– purse and wallet have discreet anti-theft features to protect valuables without compromising fashion, slip wallet into a pocket when not using the bag
• ORGANIZATION Rear zippered pocket and 2 mesh expansion pockets hold water bottle & umbrella, 3 large internal pockets
• OUTER ZIP AWAY POCKET holds water bottle EASY CARE 900 D, polyester is stain and water resistant

Don't forget  to get a universal travel power adapter so you can charge your phone, use a hair dryer etc. I used a multi and was glad I did because on my cruise to France they had a different plug than the UK.

I must be honest and tell you I bought what was called a mini umbrella for the trip - it fit easily into my pocket on the purse - but when it rains in Scotland, it also blows hard - I can't tell you how many times my umbrella was blown inside out. Luckily I had bought a lightweight anorak which folded into a bag with a belt so you could have it with you at all times!

It is wise to get some currency from the place you are going. If you are an AAA member, they will do it for you for free - just make sure you give them time to get it to your local store. Otherwise, you can do it at the airport and they of course want to charge a bit extra. At any rate, when you arrive at your destination, chances are you will be taking some sort of transportation to get to your hotel and will need local currency. (footnote here - there are Scottish pounds and English pounds. The Scots will usually take British money, but England generally doesn't take Scottish money) In Glasgow, I paid 16 pounds to get to the city center where my hostel was. Check with your Credit card provider to make sure you are not charged any fees for spending money overseas - at 3% it can take up a lot of your money. I also checked with my local bank regarding ATM's - they did not charge extra for using them overseas, so make sure you know what your credit card does and doesn't cover - you may want to get a different card for travel.

I also want to mention where you are going to stay. I actually chose hostels for several places on my trip to save a ton of money. Most hostels today are clean and in decent parts of the city - for example, the first event I was going to (the Highland Fling, more about that another day) was at the Doubletree Inn in Glasgow - it was about 200 a night. My hostel was directly across the street and I paid 31 a night because it was the weekend. When I returned to Glasgow in November, I could get a room for 21 a night. It was a single room, quite spartan - nothing but the bed, but had a bathroom with a shower so I wasn't sharing it with anyone. Other hostels I was in a room with a few people and two of them...well I'll get to that in a few weeks as I tell my story. I did use a hotel now and then, just for the "luxury" of it, but stayed in some air bnb's in Ireland.

Last but not least is as soon as you book your flight, get travel insurance. The closer you are to the date of travel, the higher the insurance is - get it the day you book your flight. With Covid screwing up the works, you may plan a trip for next year and find there is still a problem with traveling. Also think of getting travel health insurance. I can't tell you how many stories I heard of people tripping on the cobblestone streets and breaking an arm, ankle or leg - you want to rest assured that you are covered for any problem that can occur. No one thinks they will fall or turn an ankle, but it happens. A friend recommended a walking stick - they have some that collapse to fit in your pocket. I ended up bringing my cane - it's not that I necessarily needed it, but it would steady me on those streets - another piece of advice that I am glad I took - I used it every day.

Next up - arriving inScotland and my first few days