One bus trip done. It was time for Round 2. Our tour guide might have been comparable to our first guide, Owen......., but I couldn't understand enough of him to tell you. He had a thick accent and somehow spoke in a way the speakers didn't really pick his voice up. I could hear people asking him questions through his microphone better than I could hear him speaking directly into it.
I did hear the occasional story or two, but would have liked to have heard more.
Today's tour would take us south into England to see Alnwick castle and Lindisfarne Isle. Lindisfarne sounds like it's spelled, but Alnwick is a doozy. It's pronounced "Ann-ick." If you include the 'l' or the 'w' in the spelling you'll give yourself away as a tourist.
Carrie was busy on the phone trying to grab castle tour tickets for the group. Based on some of the hotel and airline hiccups, the bosses (Grandma and Grandpa) decided to gift the group with tickets. The group already had tickets for the gardens, so Carrie hoped to upgrade the tickets at a cheaper rate.
It would have gone smoother if the people at the castle picked up. Carrie tried something like fourteen times. Then someone was on vacation and she played the transfer game. She did end up talking to the right person, got a group upgrade discount, and had things arranged before we pulled up.
We saw some rain on the drive down. I took a picture of this bridge as we passed through Coldstream, home of the Coldstream Guards.
They're a famous regiment and many people know what they look like even if they don't know their name (Look them up if you're curious!).
Besides the rain, we saw plenty of agricultural and wind turbines. I'd read that Scotland has heavily bought into wind as an energy source. We saw plenty of the way down. These were on the English side of the border.
When we arrived at Alnwick Castle, Carrie sprinted off the bus to grab the castle tickets. She was back and had the tickets ready for everyone before they scattered.
Carrie and I sharply veered off from the group as they went up to the castle and gardens. We stopped at a treehouse with a coffee shop.
We got caffeine, scones, and I pulled out a deck of cards for Rummy and King's Corners.
Carrie was very happy. She declared the downtime was just what she needed.
I needed to relieve myself. The bathroom up the spiral staircase was a fancy, but fit the bill!
I was ready to go!
Two reasons:
First, it was on the way. Efficient.
Second, there was a poison garden.
I read about the poison garden in a news article several years ago. I thought it was intriguing and that I'd never actually see it. I didn't even know it was at Alnwick Castle until we were on the bus.
Beware: This garden was the real deal. The tour was only for 15 minutes, but it was loaded with facts and plants that will kill. We heard stories of close calls and Victorian misuses.
The more we heard the more nervous Carrie got. Are you surprised I was able to coax her in there at all? She squirmed whenever the tour guide backed up so that a plant touched him. She flinched whenever I went in for a camera shot or a close-up!
I would have loved a longer tour, but for safety/insurance reasons they limit time and numbers. Our guide was a bit giddier than I would have been about some of the stories, but the captive audience clearly inspired him (That's 'captive' in a figurative AND literal sense. He was fascinating and they locked you in for the tour!).
We went on a short walk afterward. We would have gone longer, but Carrie had a muscle spasm in her foot. We really lucked out when it came to the rain. The sky remained grey, but we were able to stay cool and dry.
Carrie was a little worried about timing, but I was ready to see a castle.
Even a tiny castle for ants!
The castle was a unique design. It was established as a home more than as a military base. Note the large gap in the wall structure.
We wandered through the gap later to find another wall overlooking the valley. Hills seem to be ever-present through the countryside in and around Scotland.
Carrie found the yard where Harry learned to fly. Then she guessed the vantage point all from memory!
We didn't have time for a leisurely stroll or a tour. I did stop to read the "No Climbing" sign before I climbed up on a statue (Which is exactly why the sign was there).
We had the idea to catch a Pokemon in the castle to tell Shane about. Alnwick Castle was a gym! Carrie took it a step further and beat the gym boss, so that she could leave one of her Pokemon in charge.
We went into the inner courtyard for a final picture before we had to put the phones away. There were no pictures allowed as we walked through the inner rooms.
The rooms were incredibly ornate and historical artifacts were everywhere. I can't imagine growing up in a house where you had to be careful not to damage a piano that was hundreds of years old or drop your silverware that belonged in a different millennia.
The library was a hoot. It was two stories of wall to wall books and walkways. There was a cart full of liquors near some chairs and a fireplace (for the adults?). Then there was a TV and a bunch of bean bag chairs on the other (For the kids!?)! Alnwick Castle is opening for tours for part of the year, but is a residence otherwise.
We hopped back and made it back to the bus on time for the second part of our journey: Lindisfarne Isle.
The island is said to be the birthplace of Christianity in England. It's inaccessible when the tides cover the road and cut it off from the mainland. When the tide rescinds, the road is exposed.
The monks there were once famous for brewing mead. The business isn't run by monks anymore, but still thriving.
There is a small town (with ice cream) and a historical church and graveyard.
There is a small outpost/castle on the island, as well, but the driver warned us it was a 20 minute walk one way and the bus was only staying for an hour. He recommended everyone stick to the town.
There have been restorations made, but the age of the area was palpable. I don't get the same feeling of time from buildings in the states.
Alnwick and Lindisfarne were our only stops for the day. The bus driver took us back up along the coast line. Carrie ooh and aah'd at the lushness of the grass while I focused on the cliffs.
We drove by a statue in Edinburgh of Greyfriars Bobby on our way in. Bobby was a dog who stood watch over the grave of his owner for 14 years before passing himself. It was a small statue and would have been easy to overlook if the driver hadn't enlightened us.
The bus driver took a special request and pulled up to a Catholic church in time for the 7 PM mass when we got back to Edinburgh. Most of the passengers hopped off (some carrying mead!) and went to mass. The bus driver then took the few of us that remained back.
Carrie and I policed the bus for trash and lost items (got an umbrella) and had a chance to talk to the driver. He was set to retire in a couple of weeks. He said he would have retired five years ago, but his wife passed. He needed the job to keep himself in the right headspace, but said he was at the right place now. I wish I'd been able to hear more of his stories and talk longer, but it was time to say goodbye.
Tomorrow we would go with the tour group to the airport. They'd hop on a flight to Ireland for the second half of their tour and Carrie and I would be able to say, "We made it!" I can already tell you that Carrie won't ever want to lead a tour group this large ever again!
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