May 8 - Drumnadrochit to Inverness to Edinburgh

May 8th, we woke to an early morning, but not too early.  We had a rental car to return in Inverness and train to catch.

Kent and Max returned the car, Jonathan guarded our luggage at the train station and Melissa and I went in search of coffee, breakfast and lunch.  As our train would be at least a 4 hour ride, we thought it best to keep the men fed.

It was nice to have time with Melissa just wandering around the city looking for ways to feed the fam.  I really miss her and having time with her.

We loaded ourselves onto the train and said goodbye to our wonderful time in Inverness and Drumnadrochit.

 

On the road again:

 

While we were on the train a group of men joined us--obviously celebrating a pending marriage.  I tried to get a good picture of him in his pink sailor suit, this was the best I got:

 

We did some reading--that's was we do on our holidays:

 

Scenery is amazing.

 

Decided on our next trip we need to stop in Pitlochry--super cute little place.

 

Some of us listened to some music:

 

Kent is enamoured by the Firth and Forth Bridges and I don't think we realized that we were going to be going over them!

 

You can see the construction of the new bridge in the background:

 

There are fields everywhere of canola.

 

We are almost there!

 

 

More canola....

 

Passing the airport

 Kent, Jonathan and Melissa had a 2048 competition.  Not only did Jon win 2048, he extended it to 4096!

 

 

We're almost there!!

 

 

 

There was a definite excitement for our family being in Edinburgh.  When we got out of the train station, my family was tough to keep up to.  My lack of physicality was evident, the backpack on my back and the stairs of Warriston's Close did me in.  Taking up the rear, I was slogging up the stairs.  By the time I got to the top of Mary King's Close I was in tears.



 

I felt terrible for having my meltdown.  I know that this is reality post chemo that I have aged about 10 years or so.  I did make it to the top and pulled myself up by my bootstraps.  Reality is I can't do the things I used to or want to....but that is not stopping me.  I did my level best to keep up to the family...and I did a pretty good job.

 

We found our little Airbnb place (easily) and found we were not even 1/2 a block off the Royal Mile.  And, we were the first Western Canadian's to stay there.

We went to a little place for dinner called the Worlds End Pub where part of the Flodden Wall is built into the pub.  (I had to see this!)  This is where we found this little goodie:

And tomorrow we will be off to discover Edinburgh.