Days of yore and men with little sticks

We are so behind posting. Wifi was unavailable at our Kenmore hotel due to storms the previous two days. If you recall, there were 40-70 mile per hour winds in Edinburgh and worse in the highlands. Even now we are keying this post in a Word document, hoping to post later tonight when we can get a signal. We (Americans) take so much for granted. Things are not as simple or easy in Europe. Even small things like electrical outlets in a room are sparse, and internet connectivity is “dodgy.”

We started with our usual breakfast at the hotel in Edinburgh. By the way, we have learned that it is not pronounced with a “g” sounds but instead, it is pronounced as “Edinboro.” We DID NOT have haggis again. Once was enough and instead we opted for a safer choice - porridge (oatmeal).

Culross
Our first stop was at a 17th century cottage palace called Culross. The owner of Culross was a local businessman named xxx Bruce. He is known for producing coal and salt and providing many in the area with reasonable pay, thus improving their lives. At this time, the coal mines had become flooded and unusable. Xxx discovered a pump that could drain the mines and put them in production. He also discovered that he could use the slag from the coal mine, which burned very slowly, to produce salt from the nearby sea (google to get more information on how to produce salt from sea water).

We learned about life inside the “palace.” The old broads were a little disgusted at some of the regular habits, in particular the passing of the slop pot in the dining/sitting room. Apparently men and women ate and socialized in separate rooms and it was in bad taste (or not allowed) for any of the men to leave the room before the host. Since hours passed before anyone left, a small metal pot was passed amongst the guests by a servant so they could relieve themselves in the room – can you say eeeewwwww! They were pretty masterful though at modernation inside the home, especially in the kitchen where a series of troughs carved into stone allowed water to collect in a sink and then drain out of the house. Of course, other things also drained in the open troughs, such as the slop pots from the sitting/dining room.

St Andrews
A man hitting little white balls with sticks is pretty much the same all over the world unless of course you are at St. Andrews. Although not proven, St. Andrews claims to be the birthplace of the game of golf. The Old Course is just how it appears on television – windy and regal. It skirts St. Andrews Bay (the North Sea) so it is fiercely windy. To play the Old Course requires a reservation, likely at least one year in advance.

St. Andrews is also the home of Scotland’s most prestigious university – think of it as the Scottish Cambridge. (And the best place to hook up with the prince of your dreams…) The university buildings are ancient and beautiful and the town is typical – full of youngsters being youngsters.

Also in St. Andrews are the remnants of a castle and cathedral. We only had time for the cathedral. Around the time of the Reformation (14th-16th century), St. Andrews was the ecclesiastical of Scotland and the church was its showpiece. Even as a ruin it is beautiful.

On the way to our hotel in Kenmore (no relation to the appliances sold in Sears), we stopped for a quick walk 45 minute through the forest to visit Black Lin Falls. Beautiful, quick moving falls, in a heavily canopied forest. Nice break from riding the bus.

Kenmore
Our final destination of the day was Kenmore, the site of our one-night hotel. One nighters are particularly tough because of you have to unpack to take showers; get out fresh clothes etc. but you have to re-pack the very next morning. The Kenmore hotel is the oldest hotel in Scotland, built in the 1500’s. It sits along the Tay River with a great river view from the dining room. Even though it was barely a pit stop, the hotel was nice and the food was good. Of course, we are now very careful with the breakfast buffet. The Kenmore offered blood pudding for breakfast and, yes, it is as it sounds. Yuk.

Well this catches us up to this morning but we will post separately – this one is getting too long as it is. Plus tonight is a wash night. You just can’t appreciate doing wash until you have to wash everything out in a small sink and then find places all around a room to hang them up. The old broads have a better appreciation for the term “scullery maid.” We are sure that this was their duty and it is not fun. Also, due to the weak internet access, we won’t be posting new pics for a few days.