June 29, 2026 We departed Northern Ireland today and made our way to Galway in Ireland. On the way, we stopped at Donegal Town, Sligo, and Knock. As we approached Donegal Town, we passed by St. Agatha's Church built from 1869 to 1871. Like many churches in Scotland and Ireland, there was a graveyard on the grounds so that people could be buried on holy ground. Donegal Town was our first stop for a weaving demonstration. Prominently displayed on the Diamond, the Four Masters m

June 28, 2026 We left Belfast and headed to Derry today. The limestone cliffs along the Causeway Coastal Route were stunning. This one reminded me of a turtle. We stopped briefly at the Magheracross Viewpoint so we could get a better view that from the bus window. We were even able to see the ruins of Dunluce Castle in the distance from the view point. Stories of Dunluce Castle include that of the "Falling Kitchen". It is claimed that during a violent storm in 1639, the kitch

June 27, 2026 We left Glascow today and traveled to the ferry that would take us to Northern Ireland. After a pleasant ride on the ferry, we reboarded the bus and headed to Belfast for a tour of the city. Our first stop was the Titanic Belfast, a museum on the grounds of the Harland and Wolff shipyard where the doomed ship, Titanic, was built. Each of the four wings of the building resemble the hull of the Titanic. Once inside the Titanic Experience museum, you learn about th

June 26, 2026 We started the day with a Gate 1 city tour of Glascow. Mostly it was a bus tour, but we did have stops at the Glascow Cathedral and the Glascow Botanic Gardens (although the latter was mostly a bathroom stop with very little time to actually explore the gardens). The Glascow Cathedral of St. Mungo was the only mainland Scottish medieval cathedral to survive the Scottish Reformation led by John Knox. They were iconoclasts who believed the images and statues in Ca

June 25, 2026 On June 25, we left Aviemore and headed to Glascow where we would stay the next 2 nights. We enjoyed our drive through the Western Highlands. Our first stop was at Laggan Dam on the River Splean. It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed the chance to stretch our legs. We continue our drive, passing by the Beinn Sgulaird Munro. A munro is a moutain in Scotland that is over 3,000 feet tall. Many mountaineers in the United Kingdom make it a goal to climb all 282 munr

June 24, 2026 We headed out to explore the Highlands and visit the Isle of Skye. It was a long ride, but the scenery was beautiful. Findhorn Viaduct for the Highland Main Line Railroad. River Ness running through the town of Inverness. South American Alpaca grazing alongside a donkey in Inverness. A common style of house throughout Scotland. Our first stop was at Loch Ness in Inverness. We took a walk down for a view of the lake and a possible Nessie sighting. Since Nessie fa

June 23 After leaving St. Andrews, we enjoyed more scenic driving. Sheep are a common site along the Scottish roads. The next stop after St. Andrews was the Scone Palace (pronounced "skoon"). The lands upon which the Scone Palace stands hold a rich history. Fifteen hundred years ago, this was the capital of the Pictish kingdom. In later years, between the 9th and 13th centuries it became the place where Scottish Kings were crowned while seated on the "Stone of Scone", also kn

June 23, 2026 We left Edinburgh with the Gate 1 tour group today. We passed over the Firth of Forth. This picture from the bus shows part of the Forth Bridge. It was still early for heather, but occasionaly we drove by patches of purple where it was just starting to bloom. The landscape was filled with so many beautiful shades of green. On our way to Aviemore, we first stopped in St. Andrews, famous for its world-renowned St. Andrew's Beach Golf Course. This year (2026), it

June 22, 2026 Pictures of Edinburgh Castle, information to come later.

June 21, 2026 Pictures, explanations will come later

06-20-2026 Some pictures from Holyrood (explanations to come later). We did go inside, but no pictures are allowed inside.

06/20/2026 (Pictures only for now. I'll add text and some more photos of the Hop On Hop Off sites on the blue route later).

06-19 and 06-22 2026 Although we did not go to the National Museum or Gallery, we visited some of the smaller museums around Edinburgh. The Museum of Childhood was nostalgic with its displays of toys from the past to present. These baby toys were ones I played with. Fuzzy felt was one of my favorite toys when I was a little girl. My mom collected dolls and I collected Barbies. She would have loved these displays. My sister and I loved playing Mouse Trap and later it was my so

June 18, 2026 After a day of touring Edinburg on the City Sightseeing hop on hop off bus, we got off at the national museum stop and walked to Biblos. We had booked the Folk and Haggis show there to listen to traditional Scottish folk music while enjoying a traditional Scottish meal. The music was excellent, the fish and chips we ordered from the choices - not so much. Perhaps if we had gone with the haggis it would have been better. I did enjoy the Cullen Skink (smoked fish

6/18 and 6/20 Brent read Wealth of Nations when he was 10 to 12 years old, and its Scottish author, Adam Smith, had a profound influence on him. Therefore, when we were in Edinburgh where Adam Smith lectured and lived in his later life, we searched out his statue and grave at Canongate Kirkyard. His statue shows him with a beehive and plough symbolizing his impact on agriculture and industry. He rests his hand on a globe showing his worldwide influence. While walking in the r

6/17 to 6/22 2026 In addition to the historic buildings, we also saw many interesting sculptures and other monuments in our explorations of Edinburgh. The Scott Monument is a Victorian Gothic memorial to the famous Scottish writer Sir Walter Scott who wrote Ivanhoe, Waverly, and Rob Roy. In addition to the large central marble statue of Sir Walter Scott and his deerhound, Maida, there are 64 to 68 smaller statues representing characters in his novels. It is the largest statue

06/17 to 06/21 We flew from Reykjavik to Edinburgh on Wednesday and spent 5 days enjoying this amazing city on our own before our Gate 1 tour began. We used the City Sightseeing hop on and hop off bus for our explorations. They had 3 lines - the red line (primarily the old town with the Royal Mile), the green line, a similar route with some extensions but with a live guide, and the blue line which went into the new town and up into the harbor area with the rivers Forth and Le

6/15/26 We arrived in Reykjavik early in the morning. Passport control was a bit of a mess as although they had rows and rows of the automatic machines, not a single one was turned on. They were also very short staffed. We spent about 45 minutes waiting in line. Our hotel room at the Exeter would not be available until the afternoon, so we walked around the Old Harbor area and stopped by the Saga Museum that we had missed last year. It was an interesting way to explore the hi

April 8, 2026 Today we visited Rothenburg, a small town that still retains its medieval character. The Romanticists were charmed by this little town that was untouched by the industrial revolution of the time and insisted that it be preserved as it was. On the way, we drove along the "Romantic" route named for the movement that romanticized the past at a time when so many things were changing. Once in Rothenberg, we had a quick tour starting with the medieval wall that still

April 7, 2026 Today we had a long bus ride to Heidelberg. There was an accident so traffic was slow. The scenery was beautiful on the way and the charming town was worth the wait. They even had a tactile map that people who are visually impaired could use to discover the town. After a brief city tour, we had lunch with students from the Heidelberg University. Our student was a native German from Southern Germany who was studying anthropology with a particular interest in Lati