The Forth Bridge, which is being replaced because its cables are snapping! Yikes!
On the way we drove through Falkland in Fife, another filming location for Outlander used as 1947 Inverness, but Santa was at the Falkland Castle (with its oldest tennis courts from the 15th c.)
and there wasn’t a parking space to be found anywhere. But driving through, I did see the Bruce Fountain and Mercat Cross where Jamie’s “ghost” stands to look up at Claire’s window.
Mercat Cross and Bruce Fountain where Jamie stood:
And the Covenanter Hotel, which was used as Mrs. Baird’s Guesthouse est. 1865 where Frank and Claire stayed. (In the photo, Claire’s room is the top floor right side one.) Blood was added to the doorjamb and pillars, window and doorframes were repainted. And the dining area alongside it was re-imagined as garages, with the help of fake frontages.
Claire's Room--top right:
The Falkland Parish church was used for Dalneigh Parish Church in Inverness,
The Greenhouse Chinese Restaurant was used as Farrell’s Hardware and Furniture store where Claire gazes in at the vase, and Lomond Pharmacy was changed into Campbell’s Café and has now changed for real to Campbells Coffee House. The Violin Shop Falkland was used as H. Allingham’s Music Shop.
Had lunch at KFC in Kirkcaldy in a SUPER busy shopping area! Had a much more relaxing dinner at Beancross Pub near the hotel.
More Scottish/American differences:
--they spell curb as kerb
--The use the words “team” and the names of countries as plurals. “”David’s team HAVE won the game.” And “Australia HAVE beaten New Zealand.”
--They say, “Call us ON telephone number…” instead of Call us AT
And EXCEPT for the above instances, we tend to go along with their ways of saying things while over here. You hear it so much, it just comes naturally. Like me calling tractor trailer trucks “lorries.” And Ray using the term “windscreen” instead of windshield.
Lunch one day was at Morrison's where Ray finally got his Thanksgiving Feast, though they called it Christmas Feast:
Sticky Toffee Pudding with Cream:
Lunch one day was at Morrison's where Ray finally got his Thanksgiving Feast, though they called it Christmas Feast:
Sunday, December 14:
Drove to see Falkirk Wheel which raises and lowers boats through the differing levels of the canals:
then to Culross, another Outlander filming location and used for the city of Cranesmuir, but it was so wet and cold and muddy we didn’t stop. Claire’s Herb Garden was shot behind Culross Palace and the Mercat Cross is used in the TV series.
Would love to have tromped around and seen the places where Claire meets Geillis Duncan and has her herb garden and the Black Kirk with the interesting graves, but I was exhausted and cold and just ready to go home at this point. This was also true of trying to find Finnich Glen (The Devil’s Pulpit) which is near Killearn.
According to local lore, the gorge was used by druids as a secret meeting place. It also became famous as the place where Dougal MacKenzie takes Claire to have her drink from the waters to see if she is lying.
then to Culross, another Outlander filming location and used for the city of Cranesmuir, but it was so wet and cold and muddy we didn’t stop. Claire’s Herb Garden was shot behind Culross Palace and the Mercat Cross is used in the TV series.
Would love to have tromped around and seen the places where Claire meets Geillis Duncan and has her herb garden and the Black Kirk with the interesting graves, but I was exhausted and cold and just ready to go home at this point. This was also true of trying to find Finnich Glen (The Devil’s Pulpit) which is near Killearn.
According to local lore, the gorge was used by druids as a secret meeting place. It also became famous as the place where Dougal MacKenzie takes Claire to have her drink from the waters to see if she is lying.
We stopped by Bo’ness Railway Station in Bo’ness (or properly Borrowstounness) on the banks of the River Forth. It was used in Outlander, too. We pulled into the car park just as a train was about to leave and encountered the nicest policeman who was so helpful in letting us park to just get a photo.
Then we went to Blackness Castle in the pouring rain and blustery winds. This is a 15th century ship-shaped fortress jutting out on the River Forth and was featured in “Hamlet”, and in Outlander as Black Jack Randall’s Headquarters at Fort William. It was a prison until 1707. From the seaward side, it looks just like a great stone ship that has run aground. It has three towers and to get to the inside of the South Tower where the scenes from Outlander were shot, you had to climb up and walk along the very narrow and slippery walkway high up on the edge of the tower. Ray went to check it out to see if it was too windy for me to go up, but in the prosed he lost his much loved tweed hat in the wind! It blew off his head and down to the beach and mud flats below. So while I waited in the cover of a very small entranceway for him to give me the signal to come up, I suddenly see him rush past me on the way down to retrieve his hat! Needless to say, a visit in these weather conditions was not going to occur.
Walkway where Ray's hat flew away into the bay:
"Bow" of Blackness Castle:
Prison Pit:
The South Tower, where filming for Outlander took place:
So I talked Ray into taking me out to Cumbernauld to the Isola-Werth studio where Outlander is filmed when not on location. The whole way out there, our GPS “Tomi” kept saying the name Glasgow as “Glaz-guh-wuhd.” And she says “Puhth,” trying to affect a Scottish accent, instead of Perth. The studio gate was wide open when we arrived as some maintenance men were cleaning the area, and I was tempted to get Ray to drive in, but it was Sunday and the office was surely closed as no cars were in the parking lots. So close!!!
Watched a TV show called Escape to the Country which had a demonstration of pargeting--a decorative or waterproofing plastering applied to building walls. Would love to learn to do this. Then Ray practiced getting to the airport in Edinburgh from the hotel as we have an early flight to London. Once he got back, he tried to check in and the Virgin Atlantic website wouldn't let him, so he had to drive BACK to the airport to get it all straightened out and get our boarding passes. Snacked for dinner and then TRIED to get to sleep at 7pm, but I tossed and turned with my eyes closed.
Village nearby with rows of identical houses:
Watched a TV show called Escape to the Country which had a demonstration of pargeting--a decorative or waterproofing plastering applied to building walls. Would love to learn to do this. Then Ray practiced getting to the airport in Edinburgh from the hotel as we have an early flight to London. Once he got back, he tried to check in and the Virgin Atlantic website wouldn't let him, so he had to drive BACK to the airport to get it all straightened out and get our boarding passes. Snacked for dinner and then TRIED to get to sleep at 7pm, but I tossed and turned with my eyes closed.
Monday, December 15:
Got up at 2:30am! Coffee and croissant. Then to airport and return rental car and walk down pathway to terminal. Flight at 6:50am on small plane that was PACKED and the guy with the worst cough, of any, sat right across from me! Miserable flight. I know the term dreich (pronounced “dreek”) is Scottish for miserable weather, but it was very dreich on that plane in that I was absolutely miserable.
Then we had a six hour layover at Gatwick airport. Next flight was a LONG 9 hours and 1 minute, but at least there was a LOT of empty space on the plane. Ray moved over to a three seat section and fell asleep. I entertained myself by watching several movies and reading and watching out for the lady who kept moving around the cabin and leaning in to rows, searching for something. When I got up to go to the restroom, I asked Ray to watch my purse and tote. When I came back, he said sure enough she had come to my seat and leaned in before he could stop her. He pulled her back away from my seat and said that was his wife’s seat and what was she doing? (Just glad he didn’t cause an international incident, but very glad he stopped her before she had time to take something.) She apologized profusely then went over to the row of seats behind Ray’s and went to sleep! I kept a wary eye on her the rest of the flight.
Once we landed, one of our pieces of luggage was delayed, but at least it was there finally. Soon we were on our way home in another rental car on our 4 hour trip. What a day!!!
And this was Monday night and I had 11 days to get ready for my girls to come for Christmas! It was a good thing that I had done most of the cleaning and ALL of the Christmas decorating before we went off to Scotland as since we arrived home, I was so jetlagged and still living on Scotland time that I woke up every morning at 4am!!! Every morning!
So at the beginning of this blog entry, I posted photos of the aurora Borealis that we hoped to see. Here is what we actually saw:
Nothing. That's right. Not a single northern light display at all. But we had a wonderful trip anyway.
So at the beginning of this blog entry, I posted photos of the aurora Borealis that we hoped to see. Here is what we actually saw:
Nothing. That's right. Not a single northern light display at all. But we had a wonderful trip anyway.
