Amy and Dave's Excellent Adventures: DNALTOCS

Today (well Friday) we began our adventure in our hotel room. It did not have a hair dryer. No worries Amy brought one we purchased before our trip that would work with the higher voltages in Europe. That is great as long as you remember to put it on 220V rather than 110V. If you don't, it will only work for a a few seconds before it dies. Luckily our hotel tonight has a hair drier.

We needed to rent a car today, so after breakfast we hired a cab to take us to the airport. We figured we would have a better selection there and better return options, as our flight leaves Glasgow early on Monday. We were able to rent (or Hire as they say here) a VW Polo. It is a nice little car that is big enough for us, roughly the same size as our Aveo. The fun thing is that it has a stick shift and the steering wheel on the right side, opposite of the US. I think the last time I drove a car with a manual transmission was several years ago when my parents had a car. Otherwise it has been 17 years since I regularly drove a stick. Because the driver sits on the right side of the car, the stick is on the left. Luckily the pedal positions match what we have in the US, clutch, brake, and gas from left to right. Driving on the left side of the road is pretty weird. There are roundabouts to negotiate plus other cars, bikes, and pedestrians. I did not stall the car, but did not always have the best gearing. Starting in second and third gear is much harder than first! I am happy to report that we had no fiery crashes or other major incidents. It took several hours outside the car to get Amy's nerves back in the normal range.

We took some wrong turns but eventually made it to our first destination, the Auld Kirk Museum in Kirkintilloch. They have a carved stone ball found in a nearby town. We spent a few minutes talking with the pleasant staff there. One had cousins from the Toledo area come visit her recently. Then it was on our merry way through the Scottish countryside to Edinburgh. Amy only screamed and shrieked a few times as I was driving.

Edinburgh Castle

A view of Edinburgh.

The next stop for the day was the Nation Museum in Edinburgh. We parked in a lot near the spot I remembered the the museum being located. I should have printed a map before I left, but I did not so we stated walking uphill. After asking directions, we arrived at the museum. They have a collection of carved stone balls, including the Towrie sphere, a particularly striking ball with four knobs and some intricate patterning. I also got some additional information from the friendly staff at the museum's library.

The museum also contains several Lewis chessman.

Dolly. Not a replica, the real clone.

The first cloned sheep, Dolly, was stuffed and on display. The straw and droppings in the exhibit added to the case's ambiance. Note, if for some reason you decide to stuff me and put me in a museum, I think the viewers will be fine without simulated feces.

Jackie Stewart's Formula 1 Tyrrell 003 racecar.

Amy is always interested in going to yarn stores. We found one on the way back to the car. Amy purchased a couple skeins to make a hat.

How much is that piggie in the window,
he one with the crispy ears?

First Conundrum

Another item I saw online was a public art installation of large stone balls carved in a manner similar to the stone balls in the museums. The artwork, called First Conundrum by Remco de Fouw, is at one side of a public square in downtown. The local kids were having a great time playing on them. The plaque states "Ancient carved stones believed to have been formed during the neolithic period have been found throughout Scotland. ... They remain a uniquely Scottish mystery and continue to inspire thousands of years later..."

We are about to cross the First of Forth. As you can see, we waited
for rush hour so we could better enjoy the driving experience.

We experienced another exciting drive as we left Edinburgh for our hotel on the north side of the Firth of Forth. Amy took some pictures as we drove across the bridge, which was a large suspension bridge.

The hotel is a very pleasant place in the middle of nowhere about 100 yards from the firth. We had dinner at the restaurant hotel and discussed our plans for tomorrow. We then walked outside a bit. The weather is still very pleasant. Our hotel for the night is a nice little place in the country.