The Scotland Experience.... Part 2

Arrival
(From my Journal dated December 2009)

As soon as we boarded and were settled down, the captain announced we would have a long delay. Another plane had just landed with some technical problems and was unable to get off the runway thus suspending ALL flights for the time being. Wait would be at least 40 minutes. After our extended stay in Terminal 5…..we were totally prepared for this!! We sat back to relax and wait…something we are pretty good at …when almost immediately the captain returned saying, “Delete everything I just said after ‘Good Morning’!! We are cleared to go!!” During the 1 hour 10 min. flight we were served a Full English Breakfast! I was impressed! Louis Dean said, “After the luxurious flight in the American Airlines 777, THIS was like riding in the back of a cattle truck…..fully loaded with cattle! We were all jammed in there so tightly! But it WAS amazingly comfortable…..as long as you didn’t MOVE!!” We landed and we are HERE!!!

We took a taxi to 37 Albury Mansion! Louis Dean took pictures before I even punched the buzzer to Amber and Mike’s flat! This was a moment I had long waited for!! They both came flying down the stairs to welcome us! We thought we surprised them by arriving on the earlier flight! However, Jesse had listed Amber’s cell number when he arranged for our tickets and each time we were denied flight she had received a text message from British Airways, which was very thoughtful! So they KNEW we had made the flight and were anxiously waiting for us!! It was SO wonderful to see them with my eyes and HUG them!! I love Facebook, email and Skype because it has helped us stay close even when we are far apart! And we did not have to spend a lot of time ‘catching up’ with each other’s lives as we were already up to date!

We toured the flat which is well laid out and cozier than I thought! VERY comfortable! TWO large baths so we have our own room and our own bathroom! QUEEN size bed, large leather overstuffed couch and chair, good sized flat screen TV, itty bitty washer and dryer….but HEY!! It IS a washer and dryer! They have nice bay windows to catch the couple hours of daylight each day….ALL the comforts of HOME!

We opened a couple of WELCOME gifts….a cell phone for if we get lost or need to contact them….(??? do you think that a real possibility??) already programmed with their cell, work, and flat numbers. This will be left behind for future visitors! We unloaded all the nooks and crannies of our suitcases, hauling out the 8 lb. bottle of salsa, Pepto Bismol, Alka Seltzer, Netti Pot and 100 pkg of mix, popcorn, etc. Wish I had brought the rest of the Texas Trash Mother and I had made. The gallon bag I had mailed Amber a few weeks ago has a TINY amount in it! After we visited, Louis Dean and I opted for showers and naps before we headed out to dinner for our first evening in Aberdeen.

We walked straight up the street (literally!) for a long block, turned right and walked one more and we arrived at Ferry Hill Inn where Amber had made dinner reservations. It is a charming and cozy place!! Louis Dean ordered Guiness Beef Pie while the rest of us had a salad with a goat cheese tartlet and Skink soup. The goat cheese kind of grew on me and I liked it more by the time I finished eating it…although I won’t be ordering it again! Trying to venture out and try new things!

For our evening entertainment we watched a Jeff Dunham DVD Louis Dean had brought! HILARIOUS!!!

After a good night’s sleep (the bed felt AWESOME!) we headed out of town in their little bitty car! We all fit! The engine is so small we wondered if it would actually haul us up the hills as we sped out of town. Mike has a jet ski with a bigger engine!!! The petrol here is sold by the liter! 1.07 per liter in pounds.

The countryside is BEAUTIFUL!!! Everywhere you look is picture postcard pretty! It was all frosted over in white! Amber did the driving and did a superb job! Wheel on the ‘wrong’ side….driving on the ‘wrong’ side……she drove like she had been here all her life!!

We had tea at another little inn…..there are a ton of INNS here…..before heading back into Aberdeen in the dark…at 3:30 in the afternoon.
We stopped for a shopping expedition at ASDA where we loaded up on groceries, wine, and YES, Leah! Louis Dean found ‘Wine in a box’ even HERE!!! Actually TWO! He tried something new! “Le Soleil medium sweet refreshing PERRY! A light refreshing drink made from the finest PEAR JUICE! I bought me a pair of boots and Louis Dean got a black flat cap and we were good to go! Amber prepared us a delicious dinner of stuffed peppers and balsamic vinegar chicken. We are HERE and it is just as wonderful as I thought it would be!!