Day 12, Aug 21 (Tuesday)

Day 12, Aug 21 (Tuesday)

Last night on the road.  Drove to Irvine, on the coast to the south and west of Glasgow, but not very far away.  On impulse, we booked the expensive guest house (B&B) in Irvine, Braidsmead House.  It was simply beautiful.  Diana, our host, was like a loving grandmother to everyone.  We checked in, she sat us down for tea and treats before sending us off for our walk to the shore.

scenic Scotland (gosh, those roads are narrow!)

<3 Irn Bru

safety signs never cease to amuse me

no, we're not buying one just like it when we get home.

Irvine is a wee neat town, with old and new buildings well mixed together.  We donated boots, shoes, sweater, and a jacket to the local charity shop to make room in the luggage.  Driving around was little confusing, and then we found that like driving, all walking paths lead back to the skeazy little shopping mall that forms a bridge over the river.

The seaside was pretty, and of course Diane starting looking for shells.  She found a few and we brought the smelly things home.  The sea is nice, but the Gulf of Mexico is nicer and warmer.  Took a lot of pictures there of birds, the beach, and the seaside.  Diane managed to kill a couple of small creatures in the shells, mostly because she wants their homes.  She said she doesn’t like being called a murderer, but rather prefers Lance the Destroyer.

When Diane gets near the sea, this is what happens.

The view up and down the coast, as far as the eye can see.  There were a handful of people out, but the wind never stops and the water is cold.

shells!

new friends.

We ended up with our last dinner at GRO, the local café/restaurant owned by Diana’s (above) son.  It was good even if they messed up our pizza, and the place got very busy.  Like so many places in Scotland, the building was very old and the walls made of stone about 20” thick.

good plan!

The bed in our room was soft and wonderful.  Very, very comfortable.  Some random obrservations:

·         For a people who produce so much wool, they use precious little of it in bedding.

·         Erik is mastering the art of driving on the left side of the road, even though it’s still weird.

·         Blackberries are everywhere!  And there are lots and lots of them.  It seems like nobody picks them so of course Diane is trying to make up for that.

·         When we get back to the US Diane thinks we should find a “castle app” to help find castles.