(Click on the above slide show to view as a web album.) 

With our time in the UK rapidly coming to an end, Larry took some leave so we could get some traveling in. On Sunday, September 2, we headed north to Scotland. I took along a travel journal Susan gave me before she moved to the States. It was great to take notes on paper. (If I don't write things down right away, I tend to forget...)

We left the house just before 10am. It was cloudy and windy, but not cold. The weather all along the way north was very changeable. At times it was sunny, and at others it would rain. As we traveled farther north, low clouds and mist made for a moody, but beautiful countryside.

Sometime in the afternoon we made it to Rosslyn Chapel, which is located in Roslin, Scotland. (I'm not entirely sure why the name of the chapel and the town it's in are spelled differently, but they are.) Rosslyn Chapel has an official website: http://www.rosslynchapel.org.uk but I like Wikipedia's page better: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosslyn_Chapel It has the most basic and interesting information right there all on one page.

Rosslyn Chapel is fairly small. It was undergoing restoration work, and had scaffolding around the outside. The upside to that was the scaffolding was open to the public, so we could climb up and have a look around. I went up first, then Larry went. We both took the camera with us. It was funny, because we took some very similar photos!

It was cool and breezy out, and I was beginning to regret my decision to not bring a jacket - or even a sweatshirt! That would be a recurring theme throughout our visit to Scotland.

We walked around the grounds outside the chapel, then went inside. It is indeed fascinating. It has Masonic and Templar connections, as well as being subject of much conjecture regarding the extensive and intricate stonework inside.

After a trip through the gift shop, we went outside and followed a hand painted sign that simply read, "castle." Turns out, there wasn't much "castle" to be seen. There were some some ruins on a bluff high above a river. That was it.

We drove into Edinburgh for dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe. Ryan was well behaved, the food was good, and so was the service. It made me sad to think that could very well be the last time I ate there!

We got Starbucks for dessert, then headed to our B&B. We stayed a farm called Eaglescairnie Mains. http://www.eaglescairnie.com/ It was nice. There's Benjamin Franklin clock at the bottom of the stairs. I'd never seen one before.

We got settled, then went for a walk before turning in for the night.

Before bed, I was looking for a way to turn on the bedside lamp. There was a button on the wall right about the head board. I pushed it. I jumped as I heard a loud ring emanate from somewhere downstairs! I think it was a service bell. Oops. Thankfully, no one came!

The place itself was rather large. It was multi-level, and decorated with what seemed like about a million mechanical clocks (all set to the proper time, too). Our room had a well stocked bookshelf, so there was always something to read. The house was clean and Victorian, but also friendly and lived-in. We all slept fairly well, though Ryan took forever to get to sleep!

(Part Two coming up...)