Brom's Photo on Sunday 2015-28

Coocoo

This is the last post about our holiday to Scotland I had promised you to tell all about the kerfuffle that happened on the Wednesday, but it wasn't the only kerfuffle! The first kerfuffle was on the Monday, the day they LEFT ME BEHIND! Because Mara was suffering from a bit of a headache that day [an understatement, it was bad], not only did she leave little old me on the bed, she left her purse in her coat! And she didn't take the coat along. So, she didn't take the purse along. And she was the week's treasurer, the silly dope! Gera to the rescue though and the day was saved. Apart from me being stuck on a bed all day of course!

On Tuesday evening Mara told everybody what was going to happen on the next day. 'It's going to be busy in Edinburgh, be careful of your money, here's a list of things to do and see etc etc' and Gera handed two tickets to the Edinburgh Tattoo over to Mara (and Gera's) Papa. The next morning we all got in the car with our luggage and drove to the hotel in Edinburgh. About half way through Gera (who was driving) said that once we got to the hotel she would need to check if the tickets for Mara and Gera were in her bag...

Well, they weren't! The second silly dope of the week had put them in her bag and then she took ANOTHER bag!! So, Mara and Gera's Papa and Mama took the bus into town, while Mara and Gera drove back to our home away from home to get the tickets. And then silly dope number one realised that she had left the car papers at home all week as well! 

You have to wonder how two such silly dopes get through life...

Brom's adventures in Scotland VI

Coocoo

This day was a special day. Not only did we go underground without going underground, but we got to meet Mr Chips [and Yamini, don't forget Yamini]!

First we took the bus into town again. We sat on the topdeck and I got to sit all the way upfront! I could see all the buildings and saw everything wizzing by. We got off the bus in the center of town and today it wasn't so busy as yesterday. But it was still early.

Mara's Papa and Mama took the bus up the hill, while Mara and Gera walked up the steep hill. They looked at some of the entertainment setting up, got a coffee and waited until we could go on the tour.

The great cuddler Yamini and me

The tour was through one of the old closes. A close is an old name for an alley and they were very narrow. There would be houses on both sides and they would be up to 10 stories high! And that was a long long time ago! We saw a cowshed and a kitchen, a living room and heard stories about how they lived that long ago. The lady even told us a ghost story, which was quite scary. I was glad Mara held me really close. Unfortunately Mara wasn't allowed to take any photos!

The haggis

By the time we got out, it was a lot busier in town. We weren't staying though, we were going back to the hotel to pick up the car and meet Mr Chips [and Yamini, don't forget Yamini]. We made it to the restaurant and had a lovely table for our lunch. And the food was yummy Mara says. Mara's Papa had haggis and thought it was scrumptiously nice. Mara tasted it as well and liked it as well, although not scrumptiously she said.

After our lunch we said goodbye to Mr Chips [and Yamini, don't forget Yamini] and drove to our next destination. We were going to see Baron and Duke, otherwise known as 'the Kelpies'. Mara had been there last year (on a holiday without me) with Yamini and wanted to show us. 

They were really really really big and impressive. And beautiful! They were shiny and did I say they were really really really big?

There was a boat on the top there!

Now, when we were driving to the Kelpies we had seen a sign for the Falkirk Wheel. Mara knew what it was, but thought it was at the same place as the Kelpies. It wasn't too far though, so after all the photos were taken, we got back in the car and made our way to the Wheel. 

Can you see the boat in the gondola on the right?

Mara says that boats couldn't go up the hill because the hill was too steep, so they made a thing that would carry the boats up the hill. It was like a merry-go-round with only two gondolas. If you came from the top, you would sail in the gondola, the merry-go-round would start and slowly you would go down. 

There the gondola would open, you would sail out and continue on the canal. I would have loved to go on a tour, but we were too late for the last tour. Perhaps next year??

Somebody had to take the photo.
And you know I am only small!!

Then it was back in the car and we drove home again. Another brilliant day!

Brom's adventures in Scotland V

Coocoo

On day 5 we packed our bags. No, we weren't going home, we were going to stay in a hotel. And the reason for that was the Edinburgh Tattoo. They had decided to drive to the hotel in Edinburgh, park the car and then take the bus into town. I didn't mind, as long as I was coming along!

Greyfriar Bobby

After a bit of kerfuffle (I will write about that soon), we checked into the hotel and then took the bus to the center of town. It was soooo busy! There were people everywhere. Mara said it wasn't only the Tattoo, but there was something called the Fringe! Artists, comics, living statues, and a lot more. 

There was enough to see
just get a leaflet of the show you want to see

We walked around a bit and we ended up seeing a really nice show. It had a lot of bubbles in it, something that made me very happy. There were a lot of children there as well, who jumped at all the bubbles. It was great fun and Mara took a lot of photos.

After dinner we made our way up the Royal Mile for the Tattoo. So many people were also going to see it. I was happy Mara had a good hold of me, because I wouldn't have wanted to get lost there. So busy. We made our way inside the stadium which was on the Esplanade of Edinburgh Castle and found our seats; Mara's Papa and Mama were already there. 

The show started and it was absolutely beautiful. The theme was East meets West and there were groups from the United Kingdom, the United States, Switzerland and China. Probably even more, but I can't remember all! 

There were bagpipes and drums, there were men throwing guns (didn't like that very much though, I don't like guns), there were violinists, dancers, Chinese dragons, singers, Swiss drummers and a pony. 

My favourites were the Chinese dragons and the Swiss drummers. The dragons were just a really fun show with lotus flowers and bees and such. The Swiss drummers did everything at the same time and it was just perfect!

The mascot of the Tattoo (I think)

At the end there were fireworks and balloons and everybody came in. It was great fun and I was so glad I had been allowed to come along. When it was finished, it took a bit of time to get out of the stadium again and to find our bus stop, but we made it back to the hotel around midnight. After a quick drink Mara and I went up to our room.

I dreamt of bubbles and Chinese dragons that night!

Brom's adventures in Scotland IV

Coocoo

Well, I made SURE they took me along today. I wasn't going to miss out on another day. We would do the same route up north as they did yesterday, but we would visit a castle and perhaps see Nessie!!

The weather was a lot nicer than yesterday so I got to see the cargums [Cairngorms] with a lot of sun. It was beautiful! Mara drove the car and she stopped several times to take photos or let others take photos. She got a bit mad at her Mama and Gera though, when they saw antlers and didn't say so in time for Mara to stop! I didn't see them either, but they were far away and I only have one eye you know!

After the coffee stop in Braemar we drove on and it just got beautifuller. We went up very high and then went down and down. It was great. 

We even saw some big animals in a field. Gera said they were yaks, but Mara said they were Highland Cattle. Whatever they were: they were very big!

When we got to the castle [Castle Cawdor, near Nairn] we had lunch first. I tried some bread, but I prefer hugs, they are much better for teddies. And then we visited the castle. There were people living there, but only in the winter. 

Mara wasn't allowed to take any photos which was a shame, because there was a nice friend there! And the beds looked very comfortable as well. 

In the gardens Mara was allowed to take photos fortunately, because the flowers were very pretty. The first garden we saw had a maze in it, but we couldn't get in at all, which was a shame. 

The second garden we saw had a great birdfeeder. The birds weren't very scared of us at all and just kept eating their seeds. 

The day wasn't over though, we were still going to see loaknez [Loch Ness] and Nessie. Mara said we might not see him, because it is a very large lake and he might even be on holiday himself! Well, the lake was very big! And it looked very cold as well. I wouldn't want to live there at all. 

We stopped for coffee again soon after and then we saw Nessie. He looked very scary and angry, but I did get a photo of us together anyway! But a long way away from his head: I didn't want to get eaten!!!!

On our way home we stopped for dinner in a small village. It was really nice and from the restaurant we could even see benavies [Ben Nevis] until the clouds covered everything. We got home very late and it was already dark! It was a beautiful day!! 

Brom's adventures in Scotland III

Coocoo

On Monday we all woke early, because we were going for a long drive through the Cairngorms and going for a visit at a whisky distillery. But when they left, they left me behind!! I was still at home when Mara left in the car! [oops, sorry again Brom, I guess I will have to tell today's story]

Well, as you gathered, I forgot to take Brom along and the bad thing of it was, I only found out about twenty minutes into the journey! Shame on me!!! Since it was such a long drive though, we didn't want to turn around again and get him, so we continued on our way. 

Braemar Castle

It was a beautiful journey. The Cairngorms is quite a haunting place. Not a lot of trees to block the view, the first of the purple heather was blooming and the road was quiet, even though it is a main road through the Cairngorms. We stopped off in Braemar to get a coffee (my parents need their coffee fixes at set points during the day) and something nice to go along with it. 

After coffee we contiuned on our way until we saw the signs for Glenfiddich: that was where we were going. First lunch and then a guided tour through the distillery to see how the whisky was made. 

The first thing we noticed was that it was hot, sauna hot! But we saw where the malted barley and the water were mixed. 

This was like an iceberg: most of it was underfloor!

We saw the big vats in which the yeast was added to the barley/water mixture to make alcohol. 

However, that alcohol would be absolutely undrinkable, so it needed to be distilled (twice, once in the small stills and once in the big stills). But even then it wouldn't be nice to drink at all: it needed to be put into vats to age. 

A marrying vat

At least 12 years at Glenfiddich, before the first bottles would be filled. There were a lot of storage rooms, but we only saw 2 of those. It smelled absolutely gorgeous inside, and in the end we got the chance to taste the gorgeousness of the whiskies. 

We had 4 different ones to taste. To be completely honest, I didn't taste that much difference, but they were nice anyway. My dad however, he could taste the difference and came away with a nice bottle to enjoy at home. 

On our way back home to Brom, I had decided to drive via Aberdeen, perhaps even with a little stop there. However, time was not on our side and by the time we got to Aberdeen, it was in the middle of rush hour. We only stopped at a supermarket to get some food for the evening, but no real stop to see the town. And then: home to Brom!

Brom's adventures in Scotland II

Coocoo

On the second day of our holiday we were going to Perth. It was very close to where we were staying and we were going to visit the Highland Games. I was allowed to wear my kilt and my sporran all day and was really excited. After Mara had payed the fee to get in, we all got stamps on our hands to show we had payed!! 

There was so much to see. First we went to see some of the piping bands. They came from Scotland, but there was also a band from Vienna in Austria, a band from Oman and one from Malaysia. And apart from those last two, they all wore kilts! Just like me. I fit right in...

After that we walked around a bit and ended up at the dancing girls (and one boy). It was a competition and they all had to do the same dances. Some were really good and others not that good yet. But it was good fun to watch. And nearly at the end I even...

got a photo of me with one of the dancing girls. Doesn't she look pretty? And we even saw her dance as well. I think she was very good and I hope she will do very well in her dancing. And did you know: she came all the way from New Zealand!!

But there was so much more to see. We saw big big men throw a big pole. It was huuuuge! And they threw hammers with chains. I don't think I would have been able to lift it, let alone throw!

There were several cycle races, but they were quite confusing: they all started in different places and the first one over the line would have won. But we couldn't see who had started in the front. And the runners did several races like that as well. 

More strong men came into the big arena and they were doing a tug-of-war. It took ages, but in the end the reds won all their matches and were the champions. 

Nearly at the end of the day there was a big surprise for Mara: a school band from Oslo, which is the capital of Norway, came into the big arena and played. Heia Norge!!

And completely at the end, all the pipe bands (minus the one from Malaysia, at least we didn't see them) came into the big arena. They passed right by us in four groups. It was very very beautiful and a fantastic end to a fantastic day!