Caryl Posted April 20, 2009 Report Share Posted April 20, 2009 We are having a good time despite having trouble figuring out the road rules, signs, and speed limits! Am driving around in an Audi A3. Very nice and quiet except when we are screaming at Grant "Next exit!!!" or "Wrong way!!" etc. Thank goodness for the GPS but there are roadworks everywhere and new roads not noted on it. Many roads look like driveways and are not signposted or lit. Have got photos uploaded from our arrival in Edinburgh plus sub albums of Edinburgh Castle, the drive from Edinburgh to Linlithgow (where we are staying for a week) and Holyroodhouse. http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v144/ ... /Scotland/ Yesterday we visited Larbert, where mum's ancestors came from, and roamed through the cemetery looking for their graves. Today we went to Deep Sea World, Scotland's national aquarium. They have a 112m underwater tunnel they claim is the longest in the world. The main difference between it and our aquarium, or Kelly Tarlton's, is the lack of visitors. Very few there on a Monday morning so it was good. We got to play with a bearded dragon and got some great pics of poisonous frogs too. We also visited Linlithgow Palace. Both places were interesting but our Net connection is too slow to allow uploads so can't show you that yet. Am getting out and about despite having sprained my ankle in the Royal Mile the other day :roll: Tomorrow we are thinking of doing the Falkirk Wheel and visiting the historic sites at Stirling. T shirt weather the past 2 days but forcasting a bit of rain later in the week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supasi Posted April 20, 2009 Report Share Posted April 20, 2009 Looks like you are having a good time there Caryl. Looking at those old buildings makes you realise what little history NZ has compared to England or Europe. Keep the photos coming Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel Posted April 20, 2009 Report Share Posted April 20, 2009 Hello Caryl, what beautiful photos I love the old buildings - however I thought the new cars looked so out of place definitely a place I would love to visit one day Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scottie841 Posted April 20, 2009 Report Share Posted April 20, 2009 Very nice Have you been checking out the fish shops over there to see what interesting things they have? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yeh_buddy Posted April 21, 2009 Report Share Posted April 21, 2009 I wanna go to Scotland!! OOooo the history... I would be right at home there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted April 21, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 21, 2009 It is definitely different having such a longer history and such old buildings. You wonder how they managed to build them without all the modern machinery available today. The streets are unbelievable. Many are cobbled and all are half the width of ours. I find it confusing when cars park in either direction on the side of the road. They do not have to park facing the same way as traffic flow as we do here. We visited the Linlithgow Pet Shop yesterday and they had similar to what we have here. They had neons, harlequins, gourami, platys etc. I wanted to see a weather loach as we don't have them but they didn't have any either. It was just a small pet shop in a small town. Prices seem to be similar. I can't remember what they were though exactly and wasn't sure what prices were at home as it has been a long time since I bought fish. I will try and remember to write some prices down next time. I remember they had some elodea for sale! :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chilli Posted April 21, 2009 Report Share Posted April 21, 2009 apart from friends and family i think its the history and oldness to the place that i miss the most about scotland eg playing around old castles,and old cottage roads etc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zev Posted April 21, 2009 Report Share Posted April 21, 2009 Glad to see you are having fun, but did you have to send the cold weather down here while you are enjoying your balmy sunshine? Overnight lows in the minuses in the South Island and not getting much over 15 up here the last two days! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billaney Posted April 21, 2009 Report Share Posted April 21, 2009 good to see your having a great time Caryl . look forward to more pictures Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted April 21, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 21, 2009 More poictures are going to have to wait as the Net connection here is too slow. Can email and write in forums though 8) Not sure what the temp is here but I believe it has been about 16C. No sign ofrain since we left home but I believe some is coming across from the west. Linlithgow Castle was fascinating. The outside walls are there and stone inside but all wooden bits are gone. They have boards showing what it would have looked like and what each part was. I have a pic of mum and Grant standing in the fireplace of the kitchen. They could have run races in it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah Posted April 22, 2009 Report Share Posted April 22, 2009 Cool photos and nice to hear from you Caryl! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted April 22, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 22, 2009 Stirling Castle was warmer than Edinburgh Castle! :lol: Have also been to the Wallace Monument and Callendar House. The Falkirk Wheel was fascinating and fun to ride on. Was hoping to play with snakes and tarantulas at a butterfly farm today but discovered Friday is snake feeding day so have put it off until then We saw our first squirrels today!!!! What cute little rodent pests they are :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah Posted April 23, 2009 Report Share Posted April 23, 2009 Stirling Castle was warmer than Edinburgh Castle! :lol: Have also been to the Wallace Monument and Callendar House. The Falkirk Wheel was fascinating and fun to ride on. Was hoping to play with snakes and tarantulas at a butterfly farm today but discovered Friday is snake feeding day so have put it off until then We saw our first squirrels today!!!! What cute little rodent pests they are :lol: We have been told that squirrels come to feed at the BB we are going to in July- cute!! :-) They feed from a bird feeding table of course! lol This is on the Welbeck Estate in Mansfield where my Grand father used to work as a gardener. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted April 25, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 25, 2009 Hi all, we are now in Aberdeen and it is cold and overcast with scattered rain. We got a last minute deal on a hotel room and have a night with complimetary breakfast and dinner for 3 for 55 pounds ($140NZ approx). Best thing is the hotel has parking (many don't) plus free wifi that works at a good speed so I have managed to update the albums... http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v144/ ... /Scotland/ Check out the album list down the left of the Scotland album, especially Deep Sea World and the Butterfly and Insect World. It has lots of snakes and spider pics. 8) There are fish featured in one of the other albums too but I am tired and can't remember which one. Will look around Aberdeen tomorrow before heading for Inverness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acara Posted April 26, 2009 Report Share Posted April 26, 2009 Hi Caryl,just before you get to Inverness,there is a retail park on your left with a cinema,etc.Theres a pet shop in there,that was(well when I lived there)well stocked with reptiles and fish.They also had chipmunks,which were cool. Im as jealous as hell,I lived south of Inverness for a couple of years or so,and then a year in Inverness,really miss it. Are you coming to Dublin?If so,contact me and I will show you the shops,or anything else you want to see.My closest LFS always has weather loaches! Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PuffaDragonNZ Posted April 27, 2009 Report Share Posted April 27, 2009 all i can say is wow thay have some cool stuff over there Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted April 29, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 29, 2009 We are now in Inverness but didn't see the park and cinema acara mentioned. We won't be seeing Ireland either - not enough time and too expensive Net access is really hard to find with consistency. After tonight I think we will be without it until next week as we head for Thurso and the Orkneys and the B&Bs don't seem to offer wifi there. We went to the Floral Hall today and found these tiddlers... I updated the photos tonight so there are albums from Aberdeen to Inverness, including Culloden, Loch Ness and Elgin Cathedral, among many other sights. http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v144/ ... /Scotland/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted May 5, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 5, 2009 Finally we have internet access!!!! The Photobucket has been updated http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v144/ ... /Scotland/ Note that some of the albums have sub albums too eg Aberdeen to Nairn has Castles as a sub album and Culloden and Loch Ness has Culloden as a separate sub album. Inverness and the floral hall has 3 subs - Dornoch Cathedral, Dunrobin Castle (with a lot of falconry pics) and John O' Groats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acara Posted May 6, 2009 Report Share Posted May 6, 2009 Wow Caryl,you've really seen a lot of my favourite country!They're great photos,and bring back a lot of memories.You were lucky at the Italian Chapel,when I was there,there was coachloads of folk,hard to get good photos.I like the pics of the ruins of Ardvreck Castle,I was taking my fiance there a few years back,the rental broke down and we flew past it in a towtruck! Thanks for sharing. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted May 8, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 8, 2009 We were lucky in the chapel as our bus lot were the only ones there and I think the bus was half, or less, full. I have started a new album with subs for the rest of our journey since we have left Scotland; http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v144/carylnz/England/ We travelled the Yorkshire Dales today (thanks to incorrect input into the GPS) and visited the White Scar cave, the longest showcave in Britain. Not much, compared to the huge caves we toured through in Borneo, but very interesting all the same and we very much enjoyed it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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