Upcoming trips and visits

Wandering re-establishes the original harmony which once existed between man and the universe. -Anatole France-

Steve and I will be taking another trip soon. We never traveled much in Texas. We tried to get out about once a year. Now we are finding that we can make time to travel more often. Maybe it's just because we know we won't be here very long. Maybe it's because things are so close, and everything is new to us. Who knows? This time we are going to Pitlochry. I found a neat bed and breakfast that is pretty inexpensive. It's £60/night. It's called the Buttonboss Lodge. While we are there, we are going to tour the Edradour distillery.

Photo from: http://www.edradour.com/main5.html

I'd also like to walk through Killiecrakie to Soldier's Leap. Maybe I can get Steve to try the jump across the river. ;)

"It was here, after the Battle of Killiekrankie in 1689, that Donald MacBean a soldier in the defeated government army, escaped his Jacobite pursuers by leaping across this 5.5m (18.5ft) rocky chasm."

-http://www.welcometoscotland.com/things-to-do/attractions/natural-features/perthshire-angus-dundee/soldier-s-leap-killiecrankie

In June, my friend Kristi is coming for a visit. One of the things we have planned is to fly to London for a few days. We are planning to see Big Ben, the Tower Bridge, Parliament, and Westminster Abbey. Any suggestions for good places to eat while we are out and about?

"Westminster Abbey is steeped in more than a thousand years of history. Benedictine monks first came to this site in the middle of the tenth century, establishing a tradition of daily worship which continues to this day.
The Abbey has been the coronation church since 1066 and is the final resting place of seventeen monarchs.
The present church, begun by Henry III in 1245, is one of the most important Gothic buildings in the country, with the medieval shrine of an Anglo-Saxon saint still at its heart.
A treasure house of paintings, stained glass, pavements, textiles and other artefacts, Westminster Abbey is also the place where some of the most significant people in the nation's history are buried or commemorated. Taken as a whole the tombs and memorials comprise the most significant single collection of monumental sculpture anywhere in the United Kingdom. The Library and Muniment Room houses the important (and growing) collections of archives, printed books and manuscripts belonging to the Dean and Chapter of Westminster, providing a centre for their study and for research into all aspects of the Abbey's long and varied history."
From: http://www.westminster-abbey.org/our-history

We are also going to the Royal Opera House to see Mayerling.

The tickets came in the post! Champagne voucher included. Get excited Kristi.

In August, my friends Randi and Adam are coming to visit. Steve and I are trying to plan a trip to Ireland, which is their first stop before they get here. We already have some things planned and booked! We are driving to the Glenlivet Distillery for a tour. We are going to Loch Ness for some "glamping" in an "armadilla" as they call it. Only £55/night.

Photo from: http://www.lochnessglamping.co.uk/

We'll get up the next morning to tour Urquhart Castle and other Loch Ness attractions. We plan to spend some time in Perth where we are staying at a cute B&B called the Ardfern Guest House. Of course we have some hiking and other visits planned that don't require overnight stays. We'll have to go to Banchory, Stonehaven, and possibly even Edinburgh or St. Andrews! We don't want to burn out or be exhausted and cranky, but I'd like them to get to see as much as possible while here. Of course, just spending a few days experiencing "normal" life will probably be interesting to them as well because it's so different. Kristi and Randi should both know that a trip to the cheesemonger is totally on the "to-do" list. Get excited.