This is a sea day, which means the Crown Princess is travelling to a new port, but will not make one today. It left Greenock on schedule at 2 AM local time. The seas are a bit rough because it is raining quite hard and there is a strong wind. That is in marked contrast to our weather so far. Fortune favored our travels so far with lovely weather. Rain dampened us only while walking to the Underground or while inside a van. Somehow the skies managed to clear when we wanted to be out in the elements as part of our fun.
Scotland and Ireland are both know for beautiful terrain. We enjoyed both without getting wet. It is colder here than back home. That is typical. Temperatures are a good twenty degrees (Fahrenheit) different. What Mark Twain said about San Francisco could easily apply to Scotland. The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in Edinburgh.
The Royal Military Tattoo invites bands, nationally sponsored by connection to a country’s armed services, to perform. Organizers construct a temporary arena in front of the castle. This year it boasted brand new seats, apparently a big departure from the uncomfortable seating provided in previous years. It is a demand ticket. All the performances sell out. We brought along additional layers of clothing for warmth and water, but discovered the forecast changed. No rain gear needed.
One challenge to date is to tune our ears to the speech patterns of the locals. Neither of us understands Gaelic or Welsh but even when our hosts speak English (and they do most of the time) our ability to sort it out is a bit “dodgy.” The Scots tend to run their words together. Get on now spills out as “getonnow.”
We are going to take advantage of the leisure in our schedule today anddosomereading.
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| Scottish country |
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Lovely scenery |
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| Ideal climate for growing and locals love to garden |
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| Brazilian Naval Band forming an anchor |
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