Day 4 - Ennis, Ireland

We need to be short and sweet because the guys are falling asleep.......

We began the day in Scotland and ended it in Ireland.

Spent the am in the Scotland Museum (for free!) where Michael practiced driving a Formula One car, we all tested our response times (Dave was the quickest and Edie was an absolute slug), learned a lot about brutal Scottish history, and even saw Dolly the cloned sheep (she's stuffed now). Had a light lunch and split for the airport which was a little tense.

We were flying Ryanair, which is very no frills and strict weight rules. We all made the cut! There was a little drama because the young woman who checked us in didn't stamp our visas, but as hard as it may be for you all to believe this...we kept our cool and got it all done...after a few scampers up and down the stairs and through some lines, etc.

Then the fun begins....Michael is learning to drive on the wrong side of the road. He forgets sometimes but he has told us not to worry because he purchased extra collision insurance. It is more than a bit odd to watch cars hurl themselves at us from the opposite side of the road.

At the airport we noticed the headline on the newspaper that Muhammed Ali was going to be in the same little town as we were staying in. There are posters all over town and the windows have displays with boxing gloves, posters, etc. It seems he has returned to the town of his great great grandfather. Who knew he was Irish? Could it be he was Cassius O'Clay? Or Muhammad O'Malley Ali?

We love our hotel and the dinner at The Townhall restaurant in the hotel was Fabulous! The guys had medallions of beef, Sabrina had cod with crab claws and Edie had local lamb. And of course Michael and Edie had desserts because Dave and Sabrina don't like sweets, ha ha1 Oh and Michael said to tell you that he ran 10 miles today...Irish miles.

That's it for now. Oh and could you leave comments, we have a wager and Michael and Sabrina are way out ahead.

Day 3 - Edinburgh, Scotland

Our day started at 8 am with breakfast, naturally. Then we bought our bus tickets from a Liverpoolian, not a good deal, not a good bang for our pound. It did take us to the HMY Britannia which is the decommissioned yacht of the British Royal Family. We all agreed that it was a good value. We really got a feel for their life on the yacht and even some history. It was very dated and not formal or luxurious at all. It was as if it was decorated in the 1950's and never updated.

We hopped back on a different tour bus, with a live guide that we couldn't understand his "English". We laughed at everyone else laughing at his jokes. But when Sabrina and Dave began snoring, we headed back to the hotel for a nap.

We met at 5:30 for a spot of tea and shortbread biscuits and then we were off to our Witches tour at 7. That tour was so entertaining and a great value. We learned about all the many barbaric punishments and a lot about life and history of the town.

We ended the night with an excellent Italian dinner. We were a bit concerned about the food in this country, and we're not too wild about the Scottish fare, but there are plenty of places to chose from and we're not going hungry.

Off and on rain every day with temps in the low 60's. We think it is cool but the locals keep commenting on how warm it is!

We're going back to the Royal Mile in the am, with a tour of a museum and then flying off to Ireland. The place we're staying is in Ennis. We're not too sure how to pronounce that, but the guys have made up a rhyme that they're taking their "p___s" to Ennis. We leave it up to your imagination to fill in the blanks.

Scottish Bathrooms

The bathrooms here are so clean. And really big and nice. In fact, the one at Domes, our dinner place, had a bathroom better than Tiffany's at Valley Fair!

Once again, Patricia, our travel agent, has done a superb job with our hotel.

Tomorrow we take the city tour on a double decker bus, finish the Royal Mile, and take the witches tour. It seems that more women were killed in Scotland as witches than in any other place on Earth.

Got to go to discuss what we're going to have at the breakfast buffet tomorrow am.....

Day 2- Edinburgh, Scotland

We met at 8:00 am for our first Scottish breakfast. Our breakfasts are a really crucial element of our holiday. This is when we plan our days activities and resolve family issues. And we also have counseling sessions for those in need. We will leave it to you to figure out which one of us is in need......It changes daily!
The Scottish breakfast started with fried eggs floating in oil (Dave and Michael ate those!), black cakes (made with fresh blood(nobody ate those),runny baked beans...everything else was delicious.
We hiked a steep mountain to Edinburgh Castle. That was a excellent value for our 13 pounds and we are not talking weight. We had an audience with Queen Victoria I. We saw the crown jewels of Scotland and a bagpipe player and used the "cleanest" loo in Britain.
So far we are impressed with Scotland. The people are very friendly and helpful and we are beginning to master their language (English)!
We just had our first tea and shortbread and we are retiring for a quick nap before dinner and clubbing!!!!!

Roxburghe Hotel

We are staying at the Roxburghe Hotel in Edinburgh for three nights. The hotel is the perfect location in Charlotte Square just in the Old Town and a block away from the Royal Mile. We arrive close to 5 pm and didn't want to wait for them to bring the bags up (really Michael and David don't like to pay someone for something they can do themselves) so we decided to take our own. Well, the "lift" was not working and we're on the top floor. Here's a photo to give you the perspective on the steep, narrow, and windy stairs. Good thing we all work out.

Day 1 - Edinburgh, Scotland

We have arrived safely and uneventful...no lost luggage. We do not have anything to report...yet!

We are tired and hungry and just about to find a place to eat.

Right now we're getting back to our European roots....figuring out dollars, euros, and pounds.

Finally.....

Every time we ride through Calistoga I can smell bar-b-que from this dining establishment that is very out of place. Most dining places are cute and trendy, but not this place. I'm always outvoted. So this time, we went to Buster's.