Wanda, Sheila’s friend, recommended that I take the train to Edinburgh instead of the train. She told me to sit on the left side of the train. And I’m glad I took her advice. The view along the coast was breath-taking,plus I saw a ring-necked pheasant and herons. I didn’t get in until after 11, so I walked done to my hotel before I I got something to eat. My room is the size of a postage stamp and the when I sit on the toilet, my feet are in the shower. This is no exaggeration. But the price is right for one night.
I couldn’t get into my room until 3, so I deposited my bag at the reception and started heading up the hill towards the castle. Halfway up the hill, there was a nice little cafe where I had a BLT (It had. no mayonnaise on it.) and some curry chicken soup. It was a pleasant lunch. So, I finished walking up the hill and paid to get into the castle. I first took a guided tour and then spent another 1.5 hours looking around. It was bitter cold and the wind was blowing like crazy. By the time I was finished, I was wishing I had taking my warm hat and scarf out of my suitcase. So I hustled back to the hotel and got under the covers for while. I turned on the Telly and watched some of the normal afternoon fare of gameshows and talk shows about who’s the father of my baby, and if you don’t give me back my rugby tickets I’ll knock your face in. What was the name of that guy in American TV who did the show like that? Jerry something.
After I got warm, I wanted to get something light to eat. I had been dreaming of a scone. So his time I dressed better for the weather and walked around the city. I stopped at the Black Medicine Coffee Co. It was a nice little place so I went in and asked. But they wouldn’t have scones until tomorrow morning again. That’s when I walked down the street and found the Tesco grocery store with all the fine products for my dinner featured in the blog before this. Irn Bru is actually quite tasty. Not as much carbonation as American beverages. I couldn’t resist one Krispy Kreme and I wanted a healthy component to the meal so I went with the smoked salmon ring. I consumed it all back on my bed in the postage-stamp sized room while watching “Have I Got News For You.” It’s a news show with a comical take to it. It’s pretty skin to the monologues of most late night comedians or like “Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me” on NPR radio. Just before 10 I fell asleep and slept like a log until 8.
Saturday, November 10, 2018
Friday, November 9, 2018
Irn Bru, Krispy Kreme, and smoked salmon ring
This was my supper. A lady I met at the conference told me I should try the national soft drink, Irn Bru. I don't like pop, but it's not too bad. And, there was no way I was going to resist a Krispy Kreme donut. I haven't seen one in years. The healthy portion of the meal was a smoked salmon ring. It came with a folding plastic fork. 
Thursday, November 8, 2018
I forgot the exciting part
I almost forgot. I kept hearing German all over town today and seeing guys with German soccer team scarves around their necks . It turns out that Leipzig was playing Celtics Glasgow tonight. When I headed back to the train station, maybe 150 German fans were gathered in George Square. Many were already drunk and some were trying to get songs started. There were copes all over the place and 6 mounted officers. It’s easy to see how something like this can get out of hand.
A day in Glasgow
So, I’m up nice and early to make sure I get my train. At 7:15 the loudspeaker announces that there is a fire between Dundee and Perth so there will be bus transportation between those two cities. Please don’t let it be my train! Please don’t let it be my train! It’s my train. Poop. But it worked well and in Perth the train to Glasgow waited for us. When I arrived in Glasgow, I went to the tourist office, picked up a map and got directions to some places. The first thing I did was have a great pancake breakfast at a place the tourist lady recommended. The waiter gave me additional advice about some things to see. I headed up to St. Mungo’s Cathedral and only viewed it from the outside because I walked right past it into the Necroplis, the cemetery that makes Mt. Hope seem absolutely level! And there were some very ostentatious grave markers. We’s talking here about a lot of rich merchants from a couple of centuries. Then I walked over to the Provands Lordship, supposedly the oldest house in Glasgow and where the church hierarchy used to live. Besides being impressively preserved, It has a neat herbal garden in the back with an explanation of what ailments all the herbs are supposed to cure.
After that, I walked all the way down High Street where the People’s Palace is located. It has a fabulous conservatory much larger than Lamberton and in the museum part there’s an interesting exhibit of earlier life in Glasgow. Most of the exhibit was concerned with the two world wars. When I was done there, I walked along the Clyde to St. andrew’s Cathedral and peeked in before walking up the very toney Buchanan Street pedestrian zone. Did you ever notice that the cities with pedestrian zones never have Walmart or Dolar Store on them. It’s always Gucci and Victoria’s Secret. I turned off and went into the Lighthouse, which has different art exhibits. But all I actually did was climb to the top and look at the view of the city. Then I still had time to kill and, since the Police Museum was closing soon, I went into the Gallery of Modern Art. It wasn’t my first choice, but I wanted to kill some time. Then I just moseyed back to the train station only to hear that they were still working on the equipment where the fire was and we would be bused again. No problem. It worked so well the first time. Not! This time the bus arrived at Dundee too late for me to make my connection. I ran up the street to try and catch a bus and watched as it pulled away before I could catch it. Back to the station. My next connection would be for an hour. So the station master called a cab for me and had me delivered to my doorstep. Thank you, ScotRail.
After that, I walked all the way down High Street where the People’s Palace is located. It has a fabulous conservatory much larger than Lamberton and in the museum part there’s an interesting exhibit of earlier life in Glasgow. Most of the exhibit was concerned with the two world wars. When I was done there, I walked along the Clyde to St. andrew’s Cathedral and peeked in before walking up the very toney Buchanan Street pedestrian zone. Did you ever notice that the cities with pedestrian zones never have Walmart or Dolar Store on them. It’s always Gucci and Victoria’s Secret. I turned off and went into the Lighthouse, which has different art exhibits. But all I actually did was climb to the top and look at the view of the city. Then I still had time to kill and, since the Police Museum was closing soon, I went into the Gallery of Modern Art. It wasn’t my first choice, but I wanted to kill some time. Then I just moseyed back to the train station only to hear that they were still working on the equipment where the fire was and we would be bused again. No problem. It worked so well the first time. Not! This time the bus arrived at Dundee too late for me to make my connection. I ran up the street to try and catch a bus and watched as it pulled away before I could catch it. Back to the station. My next connection would be for an hour. So the station master called a cab for me and had me delivered to my doorstep. Thank you, ScotRail.
Wednesday, November 7, 2018
Conference day and museum day
Yesterday was conference day. The presentations were excellent. I met a lot of great people and got lots of new ideas. Dundee (and Scotland in general) is moving aggressively towards a more equitable traffic infrastructure. They have a lot of dedicated people working on it.
Today I got ready at a leisurely pace and took the bus to the Museum of Transport. It was like a hobby shop for a bunch of old guys. There were guys with museum t-shirts on having a wonderful time just polishing the cars and talking to visitors. The even had guys put in the back refurbishing old cars right in the museum. This place was really. Labor of love. And I don’t have to ask for the senior discount in the museums here. The clerks give it to me before I even ask.
Then I hopped on the bus to go the rest of the way into town. I went in and took my seat, expecting the conductor to come by and collect my money. All of a sudden the bus drivers asks me very politely if I wouldn’t like to buy a ticket! I told him I was sorry , but I thought there was a conductor. He lamented that his bus line WISHED that they would get conductors. So I paid and rode to the next museum, the RRS Discovery Museum. This is the museum attached to the ship Discovery, which I visited yesterday. I got in for free because the guy gave me the free year’s pass yesterday. This museum told the story of the shop, emphasizing the journeys it took to explore the Antarctic. I spent a lot of time in there. I sat down in the little theater inside the museum to watch the movie about the ship. It didn’t start for another 19 minutes so I took a quick catnap! How refreshing. After the museum, I went to the train station and got my ticket for Glasgow tomorrow. They give you seat reservations and everything. I’m sure I’ll be taking naps on the train again tomorrow too.
On the bike ride onday, one of the guides mentioned the Dundee was famous for jam, jute and journalists. I had already heard that the museum about the jute industry was fantastic, so I got directions from the ticket master at the train station and took off for Verdant Mills Museum. By now the day was a little dreary and drizzling and I had to walk about 20 minutes. I was glad I had on my warm sweater underneath my jacket. The old stone factory building and the machinery itself is all well preserved. Previous owners were clever enough not to destroy the inventory. Some of the machines are 200 years old and still function. A guy and a lady came and gave us a demonstration of the machines. You could tell they were really passionate about it. And this was all such a big part of Dundee’s history.
After I was done there, I stopped at Lidl to pick up some tea and cupcakes for breakfast tomorrow. I’ll need something in my stomach before I take off for Glasgow. Then I can get a proper breakfast when I get there. After Lidl, I was going to head to the bookstore and then across the street to the Mexican restaurant where I wanted to have dinner. But, since McManus art and history museum was on the way, I said, why not? I took a quick look at everything then went quickly to the bookstore and over to the Mexican.
I know that Mexican is interpreted differently in every country so I didn’t know what to expect. What was surprising was that the spicy sauce on my enchiladas was made with chocolate. I had to adjust to the unexpected taste and pour a lot of hot sauce on the chocolate sauce. I had a side of refried beans which was excellent.
So, I walk out of the restaurant just in time to see my bus pull away from the bus stop. I wait 15 minutes for the next one and get one. The conductor comes to collect my ticket and tells me this bus doesn’t stop at Carnoustie. So I had to hop out at the next stop and wait another 15 minutes before the right bus came.
So now it’s about time for me to get to bed because I have to get up early for Glasgow tomorrow.
Today I got ready at a leisurely pace and took the bus to the Museum of Transport. It was like a hobby shop for a bunch of old guys. There were guys with museum t-shirts on having a wonderful time just polishing the cars and talking to visitors. The even had guys put in the back refurbishing old cars right in the museum. This place was really. Labor of love. And I don’t have to ask for the senior discount in the museums here. The clerks give it to me before I even ask.
Then I hopped on the bus to go the rest of the way into town. I went in and took my seat, expecting the conductor to come by and collect my money. All of a sudden the bus drivers asks me very politely if I wouldn’t like to buy a ticket! I told him I was sorry , but I thought there was a conductor. He lamented that his bus line WISHED that they would get conductors. So I paid and rode to the next museum, the RRS Discovery Museum. This is the museum attached to the ship Discovery, which I visited yesterday. I got in for free because the guy gave me the free year’s pass yesterday. This museum told the story of the shop, emphasizing the journeys it took to explore the Antarctic. I spent a lot of time in there. I sat down in the little theater inside the museum to watch the movie about the ship. It didn’t start for another 19 minutes so I took a quick catnap! How refreshing. After the museum, I went to the train station and got my ticket for Glasgow tomorrow. They give you seat reservations and everything. I’m sure I’ll be taking naps on the train again tomorrow too.
On the bike ride onday, one of the guides mentioned the Dundee was famous for jam, jute and journalists. I had already heard that the museum about the jute industry was fantastic, so I got directions from the ticket master at the train station and took off for Verdant Mills Museum. By now the day was a little dreary and drizzling and I had to walk about 20 minutes. I was glad I had on my warm sweater underneath my jacket. The old stone factory building and the machinery itself is all well preserved. Previous owners were clever enough not to destroy the inventory. Some of the machines are 200 years old and still function. A guy and a lady came and gave us a demonstration of the machines. You could tell they were really passionate about it. And this was all such a big part of Dundee’s history.
After I was done there, I stopped at Lidl to pick up some tea and cupcakes for breakfast tomorrow. I’ll need something in my stomach before I take off for Glasgow. Then I can get a proper breakfast when I get there. After Lidl, I was going to head to the bookstore and then across the street to the Mexican restaurant where I wanted to have dinner. But, since McManus art and history museum was on the way, I said, why not? I took a quick look at everything then went quickly to the bookstore and over to the Mexican.
I know that Mexican is interpreted differently in every country so I didn’t know what to expect. What was surprising was that the spicy sauce on my enchiladas was made with chocolate. I had to adjust to the unexpected taste and pour a lot of hot sauce on the chocolate sauce. I had a side of refried beans which was excellent.
So, I walk out of the restaurant just in time to see my bus pull away from the bus stop. I wait 15 minutes for the next one and get one. The conductor comes to collect my ticket and tells me this bus doesn’t stop at Carnoustie. So I had to hop out at the next stop and wait another 15 minutes before the right bus came.
So now it’s about time for me to get to bed because I have to get up early for Glasgow tomorrow.
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