Dunnottar & St. Andrews with Mom & Dad

Actual date of this event: 8 & 9 October

After a great weekend in Edinburgh with my mom, my dad and Julie, it was time for Julie to make her return back to Louisiana... to good ole Jennings. We had a blast hanging out just the two of us while Luke worked during the day. I may have worn her out a little bit on her visit, but it is something that must be done when there is so much to see! On Monday morning, bright dark and early, Luke took his mom to the airport for her 6:50am flight.

And then there were four. While one had to work.

Luckily it was going to be a nice day, so what else to do on a nice day when I have visitors? Can you guess it? Dunnottar Castle it is! OH. MY. GOODNESS! It was the PRETTIEST day for Dunnottar! It was sunny. It wasnt too windy. It wasnt cold. It definitely wasnt hot. Best. Day. Ever! This was my third time visiting the castle, so I dont mean to brag or anything, but I was pretty much a pro tour guide.

My mom and dad were a treat to take to the castle. Each room we went into, they were trying to figure out either, 1.) what the room was used for, 2.) how it got destroyed, 3.) why it was located in that area of the grounds, or 4.) where items in the room were placed. Okay, maybe my mom and dad are pros.

How did they cook in this kitchen??

Me, on the otherhand, could not take my finger off of the camera trigger. Again.

After leaving Dunnottar, we took a ride to Stonehaven to eat some fish and chips... because it is a must in Stonehaven. And I think I did my job for the day because I had BOTH mom and dad napping that afternoon!

On Tuesday, we made it a long day. Dad's one request while in Scotland, other than to drink some different beers at a variety of pubs, was to take a trip to St. Andrews to see the world's oldest golf course. We left around 10am after I explained to Dad how he was to help navigate me to the tiny town where Prince William and Princess Kate met.

I decided it was best to park at St. Andrews Links (golf course clubhouse) since it was free, and we would make a big circle around the town seeing all of the sites on the list. Here is what we did in our 3 mile loop:

1.) visited the St. Andrews Links (new) Clubhouse and its rooftop

2.) visited the famous Swilcan Bridge

3.) stopped to watch a few golfers tee-off on the 1st hole and finish their round on the 18th hole

4.) watched dad attempt to enter the "Members Only" clubhouse

5.) stopped for souvenirs at the British Golf Museum

6.) stopped in at St. James Catholic Church

7.) stopped at the Museum of the University of St. Andrews

8.) admired, from the outside, the St. Andrews Castle

9.) had a picnic on the Cathedral Ruins grounds where a seagull eyed my sandwich the whole time

10.) took plenty of pictures while visiting the St. Andrews Cathedral Ruins and Cemetery

11.) stopped for the most delicious ice cream I have EVER had at B. Jannettas

12.) took a stroll by the Holy Trinity Church

At around 3pm, it was about time for us to make our way back home. But not without making a quick stop first. Dad wanted to drive by Glamis Castle on the way home. Glamis is a teeny tiny town just a few miles off our route back home and has a very large castle. And that's about all their is in Glamis. This castle is not in ruins, and is actually the residence of the Earl and Countess of Strathmore and Kinghorne. It has actually been their home for over 600 years. We knew we did not have enough time to go inside the castle, so we just planned to drive by. The castle is actually 0.9 miles off of the main road... thats right, the "driveway" is practically a mile long! A brochure told us that we would have to pay to even visit the grounds. When we entered the gates, no one was in the entry house, so we just kept going. And when we arrived at the castle in our vehicle, a man asked us if we wanted to see the castle. So, we played dumb and acted as if we knew nothing about how much it cost and when it closed. He kindly directed us to keep going which will take us to the exit. And the exit just so happened to go right in front of the castle again. We got plenty of pictures of the front which is probably the best aspect of the castle!

We arrived back home in Aberdeen around 5pm AFTER Luke had arrived home from work. I am not sure who worked harder that day... me or Luke?

RANDOM FACT:
Prince William and Princess Kate met while attending the University of St. Andrews.

-Debbie-