One of our stops was at Balnuaran of Clava, a burial site from pre-historic times. The place is supposed to have special powers that John was to demonstrate. A gold necklace was to start like a pendulum on its own accord. Somehow the gods were not with us and his experiment did not work. The gold was returned intact to its owner.
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Blair
Castle was one of the best preserved buildings we visited. The weapon
collection and furniture were splendid. Photography was not allowed and
the following pictures were copied from postcards. The same was the case at the
whiskey distillery we visited. |
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Then it was on to St. Andrews. We made a brief stop to watch people tee off on the first hole, gaped at the monstrous bunkers and shop for a woolen sweater.
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Our last stop
was Edinburgh, the jewel of Scotland. Our city tour included a stop at
the Palace of Holyroodhouse and the castle. |
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For our last night together, John took us to an Scottish pub for drinks and food. We
had to say goodbye to our new friends and travel companions. Most of them
flew home the following morning, but the four of us had made other
plans. |
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The
following morning we rented a car
and drove along the coast east from Edinburg. Our destination was a beautiful hotel, Greywalls. |
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Jay had
stopped here once while on a business trip and thought it might be a
nice place to spend a couple extra days relaxing and maybe play some
golf. The course behind the hotel is Muirfields where a few years ago
the British Open had been played. It is a private course and the only
outsiders that can play are guests to this hotel. However, it turned out
that we needed an established handicap to play and neither Roger nor I
had one. |
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The hotel
was quite elegant. It had a small but well stocked bar, several sitting
rooms with great books for wintery days, and a wonderful garden along
one side. |
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The
following morning two of us played golf. Instead of Muirfields
we went to a public course in Gullane. Keep in mind that this is where
golf was born. There were no less than eighteen courses within easy
driving distance. It was a windy, cold day and we did not have the right
clothing, but we had fun trying. |
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| After some breakfast it was time to hit the road, spend one more night in Edinburgh and then fly home. On the way there we stopped at the ruins of Dirleton and Tantalon Castle. They date back to the 13th century and have a long history. |  |
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We
started in Scotland with the famous poem by Robert Burns, so let's finish the tale
of poor old Tom O'Shanter and his mare, Maggie, that lost its tail to
the witch Cuttysark. |
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As eager runs the market-crowd, ....... But little wist she Maggie's mettle - Now, wha this tale o' truth
shall read, |
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