Life in Second Gear

31.5.14:

Went to the market so that Mary could see a bit more than the village. Luckily, she's been loads of times before so doesn't need to see the sights and is happy pottering around enjoying the sun. The cherry festival was on, so parking was difficult and the town busy. It was noisy too with a succession of bandas playing at all the bars. Follow this link to have a taste of what it sounds like, if you don't already know. Saturday morning with not a bull fight in sight was a more sedate affair than this one which in it's turn was rather tame for the usual feria stuff. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnEvTDGxh_M  Still it was early on  in the day.
There was a singer/guitarist on at the bar in the evening but none of us had the energy to go and see him. Saturday nights weren't always like this!
Weather:
23°, sun and some wind

30.5.14:
Left Mary at home while I went to Spanish and in the afternoon distributed the association's lates message. In the evening, Mary and I went again to the bar and were entertained by the women starting out on Samia's "hen" night.
Weather:
23°, sun and cloud

29.5.14:

Today is a public holiday and we entertained Eamon and Liz over lunch. Did duck breast http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/member-recipes/recipe-detail/1947 which turned out well, followed by an Eton Mess made with cherries
Weather:
22°, short shower in the afternoon






28.5.14:
Collected Mary from the airport where we bumped into Rowena who had been on the same flight. Did nothing other than go to the bar for a drink leaving Christian at home to rest.
Weather:
Sunny
Headlines:
Maya Angelou died aged 86

27.5.14:
Christian spent most of the day resting or sleeping while I prepared for Mary's arrival tomorrow.
Weather:
22°, sun and short showers

26.5.14:
Made an early start to attend Christian's appointment with the cardiologist and arrived before either him or his receptionist. The upshot was that Christian's heart is not the problem but his heart medication that has thrown his thyroid out of kilter. He reduced the medsand gave him something to deal with the thyroid problem, said his swollen stomache was gas and to come back in three months time and to see his GP in 3 weeks time. Things looking brighter as it seems that something can be done.
From here we went into the town and found Jean and Françoise having coffee and exchanged our respective news.
Weather:
20°, heavy rain

Scary Results

Christian not feeling well enough to help out with the European elections, especially as he was on the list to go up o theother village where several of the inhabitants who didn't ever come to the monthly surgery come and complain about being neglected! You can certainly do without all that when you're not feeling well. After we had voted, we went off to Philippe and Paula's to have lunch with them and their respective Mums as thi is Mothers' Day here. Christian's appetite is still diminished which is a shame as Philippe is a good cook. He rested and slept most of the afternoon and didn't come with me for the count at the Mairie. What a sad turnout ..... apart from those officiating, There were only 10 of  us from the general public to witness the Front National come in first. Not just here, all the communes round about were the same. Grim; In Britain UKIP came in first passed the post. Something ....  but what (?) needs to happen before everyone becomes so xenophobe. In case your interested here are our results

European Election Results for the Commune
Registered Voters: 2,226
Abstentions: 56.47%
Front National: 292/31.50%
Ump (Right): 151/16.29%
Socialists 135/14.56%
Greens 118/12.73%
Front Gauche (Far Left) 93/10.03%
Plus 20 other Lists
The photo was taken by Philippe's house marking the passage of both people fleeing Franco in one direction and others fleeing nazi France in the other. Ironic, isn't it?

Another Rhythm

24.5.14:

After several days of being close to home, this morning we ventured forth to the market which was busy and met up with Henri and Michèle. They took us off to the Pizzeria for lunch al fresco as they are off to Australia this week. Put in an appearance at the "Nature Day" which had been organised for the first time. Sadly there wasn't much going on to make people linger ... there's a limit to how long that you can admire a teepee. Came home via the hairdressers where there was an artist painting on glass. Not as strange as it sounds; the hairdresser paints and uses the salon also as a gallery. She wants to develop her premises into something cultural in parallel to her business. With big potted plants, bistro table, chairs, parasol and her easel on her terrace, it has really added something to the square. Since moving there in April, apparently her takings have increased so, a win/win situation.
Jean-Jacques joined us for a glass of cava and some lite bites.

Weather:
22°, sun


23.5.14:
Christian went over to the Mairie for a short while while I struggled on with Spanish. He slept most of the afternoon.
Weather:
19°, sun then rain later

22.5.14:
Christian went off without his breakfast to have his blood taken and I went to the language exchange. droped into the bar for a glass of wine but wre didn't stay or have lunch in the restaurant.
Weather:
22°, cloud then blue skies and sun

21.5.14:
We took it easy all day until it was time for Christian to see his GP. His heart was sounding better but his breathing worrying however, not enouh to try and bring forward his appointment with the cardiologist. In the meantime, he has to have a series of blood tests. Quiet evening.
Weather:
17°, heavy rain

Home in One Piece

We made an early start with a continental breakfast for us all and after dropping us and our luggage at the airport, Christian and André took the "van" back to Arnold Clarke. Fortunately, there were no scratches after 825 miles on narrow roads, no speeding or parking tickets, so no horrible financial surprises awaited us.
Once through security, there was a mini drama as André couldn't find his new cap and no one could remeber if he had it with him when he'd come back from the car rental We'd make useless witnesses, wouldn't we? Anyway there was no sign of it in the security area though we couldn't imagine that anyone would want to nick it

The flight was uneventful though Christian suffered at altitude with his breathing so I was glad to touch down in Barcelona We collected our cars without problem and went for lunch to Can Pep, http://www.tripadvisor.fr/Restaurant_Review-g911483-d4293130-Reviews-Menjars_Can_Pep-El_Prat_de_Llobregat_Catalonia.html
No problem on the journey back either and we arrived home with  minutes to spare before Christian went for his regular Tuesday evening meeting at the Mairie. given that, he was having difficulty with stairs we decided to start sleeping in the Scottish bedroom for the time being which is quite a come-down from our spacious "Nest" Still, needs must as they say.

Last Day

David and Laura were also setting off after us to the south of England to go and visit their new granddaughter who arrived a month early . It was really kind of them not to tell us to make other arragements but that's what they're like. Today is the last but one leg of our trip and we had Glasgow in our sights. Kelvingrove Art Gallery had been another "must see" as they all wanted to see  Dali's "Cruxifiction". http://www.glasgowlife.org.uk/museums/Pages/home.aspx  But before that we stopped off at the "Famous Grouse Experience" near Crieff and while we didn't do the tour there was plenty to see in the visitor centre. The shop was spacious and well laid out and it was surprising how many different kinds of whisky they do, not taking into account the Glenturret malt. We'd already discovered "Black Grouse" in Ballachullish and found it lightly peaty and of good quality for a blended. http://www.thefamousgrouse.com/
We started the visit at the museum with a coffee and then went in our different directions There was also an organ recital and a temporary exhibition about the growth of Glasgow in the 18th century that Christian and I spent our time looking at before meeting Blair and Anne in the restaurant for lunch. While Christian took it easy in the afternoon I had a look around the MacIntosh collection and encouraged the others to do so on account of the Port Vendres connection. Well, not just that, he's synonomous with Glasgow and very talented.  http://www.port-vendres.com/page_ic.php?CatID=126&ArtID=160&them=4000

The sun was with us all the day until we were ensconced in "The Hollies" our B & B in Prestwick http://www.theholliesbb.com/  when there was an almighty thunderstorm but fortunately the rain was off when it was time to walk down to "The Dome", an old haunt of ours, to meet Colin and Sheila for dinner. http://www.dome-prestwick.co.uk/the-venue/about-scotts/ Once safely back, the rain came on again so our luck had held out until the very last. I can't believe that we were only bothered once by the rain and we'd had many sunny days to boot.

Staying Local

The morning was fine enough for Michèle, Henri, Nany and I to walk down into the village for a coffee while Christian stayed home and André went to church with David and Laura.

By the time it was time to go for lunch, it was drizzling but we weren't going far, just to the Mohr 84 near Balquidder. http://mhor.net/mhor84-motel/ It was a great restaurant with a casual bar atmosphere and the food was good. André's meringue dessert was so generous that we asked for several spoons so that we could all have a taste!

It wasn't just food though as we braved the drizzle that was now rain to go and have a look at Rob Roy MacGregor's grave http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/balquhidder/balquhidderchurch/
We had dinner back at home and ended the evening with a singsong around the table using Laura's tablet to bring up the words and music. I think our hosts were despairing of us going to bed but eventually we called it a day and went to pack ready for an earlyish start tomorrow

A Capital Day

Christian stayed home to rest and Nany to potter around with Laura while David drove the rest of us to Rosslyn Chapel known for its Masonic and Da Vinci code connections.

It's an amazing building with incredibly ornate stone work There were too many people trying to look around so it wasn't easy to look around.  http://www.rosslynchapel.com/  Had our coffee there and then went into Edinburgh for lunch before we "did" the Royal Mile. The pub I'd chosen was a wee place that had been an 18th century coaching inn and had lots of character. http://kaysbar.co.uk/ The food was good and extremely well priced.
The sun was shining and the Georgian New Town was looking its best when we drove through before going up to the Castle. David dropped us off and went to park.

Watched the changing of the guard and wandered down the Royal Mile, popping in and out of tartan shops, the Cathederal, Deacon Brodie's teashop for a coffee and finally to Holyrood.

There were royals (only the Wessexes) staying as it was the opening of the Church of Scotland General Assembly. Unfortunately we were too late to let Michèle and Henri to have a peak in the Parliament building but we did have time for a cuppa in the Palace tearoom.

Rather than go back home it was arranged that we'd go to the Bridge of Allen (which had been our first stop when we brought the big French group over in April2011 ) for Fish and Chips after a drink in a very crowded hotel bar across the road.
Today was supposedly World Whisky Day (established by an Aberdeen student!) but there was no evidence of it anywhere and we didn't even have a nip either. Next year it's on 16th May, so get planning.

Home from Home

Today we're set to wend our way down the notorious (for accidents) A9 to David and Laura's in Perthshire. Still, I'd planned several stops to break up the journey for both driver and passengers. Once more we have more dramatic scenery this time provided by the Cairngorms which still had traces of snow on them. Gave Aviemore a miss but stopped just outside Kingussie to visit the imposing 18th century Ruthven Barracks. http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/kingussie/ruthvenbarracks/  It was quite windy which added to the atmosphere of the place and one can only imagine how unhappy the 120 English troops garrisoned there would have been. One funny feature is the area half below ground level had holes through which to fire muskets, presumably into the ankles of passers by! Seeing the Architect's error, they were later closed up.
From bellicose actions to peaceful ones in the space of 10 minutes which is all it took us to get to the Highland Folk Museum on the outskirts of Newtonmore and what an interesting visit it was. www.highlandfolk.com Made up of buildings (school, chapel, farm, post office, shop etc) transported from all over the highlands, crafts, other rural and domestic activities, we weren't able to see it all. The school from the 1930's had a teacher in situ who explained what it would have been like and at the croft there was a shepherd to talk to. Of course, there was a coffee shop so ...... hot chocolate and shortbread!
By the time we dragged ourselves away, there was lovely sunshine when we drove over the Drumochter Pass and passed the picturesque Dalwhinnie distillery. Still sitting right at the back, I probably missed some possible photo stops as I didn't see them in time. Still, we'd still got a lot of road in front of us so there was no time to lose.
We had lunch and a walk around the House of Bruar. I also walked up to the falls which seem to have had fencing put up to keep folk from wandering too near the edge. Drove through Blair Atholl without stopping .... I'd been sure that there was a view of the castle from the rodside but if there was one, I missed it.

I did find Killiecrankie though and it was a lovely walk in the sunshine to the soldier's leap where a government soldier fleeing after the battle, leapt 18' over the River Garry. http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/blairatholl/killiecrankie/index.html The Corries among others have recorded "The Braes of Killiecrankie", a much loved folk song (words by Burns)  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFou96NpyW8
One more stop and rather than drinking tea we opted for a beer in the sun after a bit of a walk around Pitlochry.
It was good to finally arrive at David and Laura's so that Christian could have a bit of a rest and a quiet night in over a venison casserole which he didn't tuck into in his usual manner H's clearly not himself and we're all silently worried about him.
Weather:
 21°, sun

On the Monster Trail

It was cloudy when we set out but there was still plenty of scenery to see and admire when we took the road that goes along Loch Carron. The café in Achnasheen, a bit of a dreary place at the junction of two main roads, was closed so there was no point in hanging around. There was nothing in Garve either but not far outside we came across a cafe and take away all on it's own. A welcome sight indeed! Not far on from there we came to the carpark for the Rogie Falls, which I had delighted in when Christian and I visited by chance years and years ago. This time he wasn't fit enough to make the walk but the rest of us got a bit of much needed exercise. On the way back up we came across what I think was a slow worm. Harmles but still brought on an "ugh".

Going southward by now, we were passing through more populated areas and Beauly, which comes from the French  "Beaulieu or Beautiful Place" was busy. This small town with its priory established by monks from Burgundy in the 13th century, merits it's name. http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/beauly/beaulypriory/
Sadly, the deli that I'd earmarked for our lunch stop was full so we made do with the bar of the hotel. Not the most interesting of meals that we'd had but once again there weren't any complaints.
It was now time to head off for the long awaited visit to Drumnadrochit and Loch Ness. The whole place and the monster mythology is really a feat of  marketing. I had tried to sidestep a visit here and spend more time in the more picturesque North but the French weren't having it! Loch Ness was a "must see". Monster hats, postcards and souvenirs were bought and everyone was happy.

Thank goodness for the nearby Urquhart Castle which made a great photo stop. http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/drumnadrochit/urquhart/index.html   Next  we took the main road through to Inverness and for the first time hit traffic jams. By passed the site of the Battle of Culloden (1746) and Tomatin Distillery as after several days on the road we needed time at the end of the day for a wee rest .  Tonight's stopover was in Carrbridge where there is the lovely Packhorse Bridge" and apparently it's where the "World's Best Porridge Making Competition" is held annually! http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/carrbridge/carrbridge/index.html Our B & B, the "Mellon Patch" was set at the end of  Station Road among trees with lots of wildlife in the garden. It was a good job that I wasn't put off by its address when I was booking. http://www.mellonpatch.com/
Our landlady was a pleasant Glaswegian who made us welcome at  in her very comfortable home and allowed us to use one of the sitting rooms to have an apéritif before setting off for dinner in the Cairn Hotel. http://www.cairnhotel.co.uk/food_and_drink.html The dining room was busy but the service pleasant, the food good and Nany discovered the delights of "sticky toffee pudding" which will no doubt be on the menu chez elle before too long. Rounded off the evening with a nightcap and so to bed ...

Over the Bridge to Skye

Breakfast, while good enough, wasn't the all singing and dancing affair that we'd been used to until now. There was a choice of cooked or continential which included yoghurt. André, who had opted for cooked snaffled one of the yoghurts and  caused much consternation and a lot of laughs!
The weather wasn't promising for the afternoon so I reversed our itinerary heading first to Armadale Castle, one of the seats of the MacDonalds. On the way we made a short detour to the pretty little village of Isleornsay http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/skye/isleornsay/index.html where the
only place open so early was a lovely but expensive  shop selling beautiful woollens and tweeds. Nany bought a little broach but the rest of us kept our cash securely in our purses.
Only ruins are left of Armadale Castle but the gardens were a real delight with rhododendrons and azaleas in bloom; the Clan Donald centre was interesting too, especially for Michèle and Henri. http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/skye/armadalecastlegardens/index.html We spent quite a bit of time wandering around; well Christian didn't as he wasn't up to walking but we all met up in the old stables which have now become a very pleasant restaurant for a coffee.
By now it was starting to feel much cooler and by the time we arrived at the Old Carbost Inn for lunch heavy rain had settled in. http://www.theoldinnskye.co.uk/index.php?id=1
The bar was busy and it took quite a while to get served. Next came my least glorious moment as  instead of turning right to the Talisker Distillery, I sent our trusting driver to the left in direction of  Talisker. Visibility was poor and the single tract road made it impossible to turn around for several miles as the uninhabited scenery made it evident that it wasn't the right way. Eventually found the distillery, 200 yds away from the pub! What a good job we hadn't booked the tour. We contented ourselves with doing a tasting and buying. http://www.discovering-distilleries.com/talisker/tours.php
Our final stop on Skye was Portree where André bought himself a tweed cap and wax jacket at half price so he was well pleased with himself. The rain had become on and off  drizzle so weatherwise things were looking up. A cuppa was by now a priority and luckily there was a teashop still open and so ended what was for me a bit of a disappointing day. It was probably the weather but I found the scenery stark, Portree tired was half wishing that we'd gone to Mull instead. Still the others were happy so that's the main thing.
Back on the mainland, the weather was dull but at least it wasn't raining. Went down to the Balmacara Hotel for dinner as it wasn't far. Ate in the bar which was quiet where it was obvious that the barman- cum- waiter was new to the job and hadn't been given any training. I later learnt that he was there for two weeks only to earn a bit of cash and that his normal job was shepherding!

Panoramic Views

The beginning of the Caledonian Canal was only 2 minutes from our B & B so the day started there with the added bonus of good views of Ben Nevis. The canal is 60 miles long with 29 locks that raise vessels to a height of 70' above sea level. http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/inverness/caledoniancanal/
Our next stop, The Commando Monument, just outside Spean Bridge set in the training grounds of 2WW elite soldiers, wasn't far either. Imposing scenery added gravitas to the solemnity of the place. More recent losses in Iraq and Afghanistan are remembered in the newly added memorial garden.
There was more highland scenery to delight our tourists on the road to the isolated Claunie Inn. Here we made a coffee stop, managing to resist sampling one of  the 200 whiskys in the bar, . http://www.cluanieinn.com/
Next came the Ratgan Pass where we made a photostop before we descended to Glenelg with it's famous Pictish brochs. The last time I was here, in the early 90s, it was cold and pourring with rain but today luck and the sun was with us http://www.lochalsh.co.uk/glenelg_broch.shtml
Packing in so much sightseeing is hungry work so we went back to Glenelg to the inn for a late lunch http://www.glenelg-inn.com/ and a bit of relaxation as there was more to see on our next leg of the journey.
The next stop was outside the iconic Eilean Donan Castle http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/dornie/eileandonancastle/index.html where we took lots of photos before Christian and Henri drove and the rest of us strolled along to Dornie Village for tea at the "Schoolhouse Tearoom and Art Gallery" http://www.highlands-info.co.uk/dornie/tearoom.html which is more gallery than tearoom but a friendly, laid back place for all that.
Ashgrove House, our B & B for the next two nights http://ashgrovebedandbreakfast.co.uk/ was just a few miles up the road in Balmacara Square opposite the pond. Somehow or other the landlady was expecting us for Wednesday and Thursday rather than Tuesday and Wednesday but once again luck was with us as she didn't have anyone booked in. Phew ...... my reputation as a 1st class tour guide  was on the line!

This evening we had to drive to find dinner and the obvious choice was to head into Plockton, made famoud as the TV set of "Hamish MacBeth" who was played by the very versatile Robert Carlyle. Plockton was busy and as there was music on at the Inn, we had to settle for the Plockton Hotel where though there was less atmosphere, we ate well.
And so, finally after a busy day, it was time for bed as tomorrow .we're off to Skye; not "over the sea" as Bonnie Prince Charlie did but by the bridge that started life as a toll bridge which later became a free passage due to the efforts of local protesters. Rebellion is definitely in the genes of the Scots!
Weather:
16.5°, sun

All Day Round Trip

We're a very disciplined group; no stragglers at breakfast time and ready for the off at the appointed time. Fortunately, last night's rain had passed over and we had a day of sunny spells which was great as there was more scenery to make you open your eyes wide with amazement. 
Set off for the Corran Ferry for the 5 minute crossing to Ardgour. The guy who took our money was an ardent independence supporter and left us in no doubt as to what he thought of the English. I just handed over the dosh and kept my mouth shut. On the way to Strontian , which means Point of the Fairies in Gaelic http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/strontian/strontian/index.html we stopped at a layby with a view over Loch Linnhe where we found some people seal watching. They were kind enough to point them out and lend us their binoculers. Climbed back into the "bus" and went on to Acharacle  for  coffee in a wholesome sort of tea shop. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Acharacle-Tea-Room/653017044745346?ref=stream Sadly, I missed the turn for the ruined Castle Tioram (pronounced Cheerum) http://www.moidart.org.uk/datasets/tioram.htm  but who ever heard of a tour guide sitting at the back of the bus ... yes,  positions had already been taken up! 
Scenery, scenery and more scenery until we reached Morar where the hotel was closed

but the views were splendid! http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/morar/morar/index.html André and I climbed up the 100+ steps to the iron cross for even better views over the Inner Hebredes. A couple of local residents, out enjoying the sunshine advised to go back to Arisaig for lunch rather than go into Mallaig.
As we continued on our way, cloud came in and when we arrived at Glenfinnan at 3.20pm, we were 20 minutes late for the steam train that crosses the viaduct there. If you're a "Harry Potter" fan and have seen the films you'll know what I'm talking about. Much to our delight (even though none of us are hooked on the wee fella), the train was 22 minutes late so we were able to snap away along with a whole host of other folk who were there for the same reason.
Glenfinnan, is however, more than just a film set; it was the place where Bonnie Prince Charlie raised his standard to start the ill-fated 1745 campaign to put his father back on the throne. http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/glenfinnan/glenfinnan/index.html  

Tea and a wander around the Scottish National Trust visitor centre was a must before we headed to Corpach and our overnight stay at Mansefield House run by two Australians who would just love to have a place in St Cyprien! http://www.scotland-info.co.uk/mansefield/ This didn't exactly correspond with their eco/ healthy outdoor sort of image but still, each to their own. We'd booked in for the evening meal but none of us was really able to do justice to it, Christian least of all. He's still having difficulty with stairs, feels nauseous and is even more bloated. He's nothing if not courageous doing the driving and keeping up with us but maybe it takes his mind of things, more likely, he doesn't want to let people down.  Anyway, whatever the reason, he's a real trooper!

 

Off to a Great Start

After a copious breakfast for the French contingent and a more reasonable one for us, we set off at 9.30am in the direction of the Erskine Bridge which spans the River Clyde. Built between 1967 - 71, it has about 15 suicides p.p. What a grim thought. from here it was on to Duck Bay Marina,
http://www.duckbay.co.uk/about-us/visit-loch-lomond  for a coffee stop overlooking knockout views of Loch Lomond made even better by bright sunshine.

·        Finally managed to get going again and continued for a short drive to Luss, a conservation village, where the STV soap « Take the High Road » was set. http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/luss/luss/index.html  Wound our way up the lochside to our next stop which was the "Drovers”  (pub of the year 1705 !), where we had lunch. http://www.tripadvisor.fr/Hotel_Review-g551929-d581625-Reviews-The_Drovers_Inn-Ardlui_Loch_Lomond_and_The_Trossachs_National_Park_Scotland.html Simple, rustic, lots of dust, staff in kilts and as the name would suggest, it was an inn for cattle drovers making their way down to Glasgow in the 18th century.

     Drove North through stunning scenery making a pause at the « Green Wellie Café » http://www.thegreenwellystop.co.uk/Restaurant/ in Tyndrum. http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/tyndrum/tyndrum/

Feasted our eyes on dramatic scenery as we crossed Rannoch Moor http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rannoch Moor and then through Glencoe which Henri and Michèle knew all about from their MacDonald daughter-in-law. We made quite a lengthy stop at the visitor centre where Christian and I drank hot chocolate (the sun had gone) and the others  immersed themselves in the exhibition.

http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/glencoe/visitorcentre/  

With all this sightseeing and driving, Ballachullish and our B & B stop at the Strathassynt http://www.strathassynt.com/ was most welcome, especially for Christian who has found himself in the role of sole chauffer. There was time however, for Michèle and I to nip to the supermarket  to buy apéritifs while the others slept. Had these before our evening meal in the Laroch Bar which was luckily across the road  so with a quick sprint we didn't get wet. http://www.tripadvisor.fr/Restaurant_Review-g315998-d1937780-Reviews Scottish_Highlands_Scotland.html