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We had a picnic lunch on the day after our arrival in Scotland at a rocky beach called Abbeyburnfoot. It is near Kirkcudbright on the southwestern shore of Scotland. Here we saw creatures like barnacles and limpets growing on the rocks along the shoreline.
There was also some delicious looking sea kale, which I understand some local folks harvest and eat. |
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Our trip was based in Kirkcudbright, where my Out-Laws live. They
are my Out-Laws because it would be illegal for them to be my In-Laws,
what with the separation of Church and State, and the Sanctity of Marriage.
One morning after a rainstorm we took photos of the wet flowers in their garden. I love photos of wet flowers, so I took quite a few. |
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The next day the four of us set out on a trip to Ireland.
We took a ferry from Cairnryan, Scotland to Larne, Northern Ireland, then drove along the A2 to Giant's Causeway, a unique grouping of unusual rock formations.
The Giant's Causeway is the most popular tourist attraction in Northern Ireland. |
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Starting out from Galway, Ireland in the morning, we stopped at Castle Dunguaire, the village of Ballyvaughan, and the famous Cliffs of Moher along our way to Limerick.
The Cliffs of Moher are the tallest sea cliffs in the British Isles, they are over 600 feet high. It was very cold and windy there, as might be expected on the shoreline so far North. |
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On our last day in Ireland we mostly traveled in the car, leaving Limerick, Ireland in the morning and driving all day through the Irish midlands to reach Larne, Northern Ireland. There we caught the ferry boat back to Scotland, arriving back at the Out-Laws house so late that the Scottish summer sun had set. I did a lot of drive by shooting with my camera, but nobody was injured as far as I know.
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On a rainy Sunday we drove down to Kendal in the Lake District of northern England to meet up with some friends. They drove up from Birmingham. Along the way I kept my camera safe and dry inside the car while I once again practiced my drive by shooting technique.
As it was Sunday much of downtown Kendal was closed, so we strolled around the downtown area in a light, gentle rain before having a relaxed lunch in a Chinese restaurant. |
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On a rainy Monday we drove down to the center of Kirkcudbright so I could satisfy my genetic Irish craving for potatoes. At British style chip shops like the one in Kirkcudbright the potatoes (chips) are deep fried in separate oil from the breaded items like fish, so there is no threat to my gluten free, vegan diet. And they are delicious too.
I love the chips in Kirkcudbright so much that I documented the experience for all to see. |
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On Tuesday we travelled to Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. There we toured the castle which is the ancestral seat of the Scottish government. Since Scotland is the senior partner in the United Kingdom, this castle is loaded with history that predates the United States by well over 500 years.
The castle was both visually stunning and historically fascinating. Bits of blue were visible in the sky too! Edinburgh Castle sits on an ancient volcano cone high above the city of Edinburgh, fantastic views are a result. |
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We left Edinburgh Castle and drove through the city streets of Edinburgh to the Royal Botanic Garden, also in Edinburgh. There we saw a fascinating collection of trees from around the world, as well as greenhouses that contained microcosms of various tropical and desert plants.
The Royal Botanic Garden moved to its current location in the Inverleith section of Edinburgh in 1820 from an original location near Edinburgh Castle where it was started in 1670. |
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On the last day of our vacation we visited the Burrell Collection, located in Pollok Country Park just outside Glasgow. This fine collection of art and architecture was assembled by a famous Scot, and is now housed in a purpose-built building in a local park.
After seeing the collection we strolled through the grounds, seeing some Highland Cows, and having tea at the Pollok House. Later we drove to a hotel near the airport to relax before our 3-jet, 4-airport trip home. |
