Well now I've gone all out of order which I think is the first time I've done that!!
We were on the 7am plane so had to be up early. I didn't realise our friend who took us to the airport was so lively and full of wit and humour at 5.30am. We did our best to be humourous too but I don't think we succeeded!! The airport was full of stressed and smart looking business people with their laptops already active in the waiting areas. We were just calm and laid back. The flight was on time and I think there was only ours and 1 other piece of luggage in the hold so no waiting around at the other end.
We took the bus inot Glasgow and asked for Buchanon Bus Station. Not sure whether it was Glaswegian humour or the bus driver got lost but he didn't drop us at the bus station but somewhere about 15 minute walk away! We walked up to Queen Street to check there was no problems with the trains and got 2 bananas flung into our hands as we entered the concourse. As we had a long train journey and no lunch, it seemed a good idea to grab 2 more on the way back out the station plus this time they came in a bag with a squishy stress banana!! Tea and scones in John Lewis followed where we amused the other customers by taking photos of ourselves. We had to explain that John Lewis in Southampton prides itself on its view over Southampton Docks!! it was more picturesque in Glasgow!!!
We still had time to kill so as Pete wanted a pair of shoes we found a Clarks shoe shop - we were beginning to think that Glasgow just had designer shops and no high street ones, when we stumbled upon clarks. To our amazement Pete actually managed to buy a pair of shoes and to nobody's surprise I found a pair of boots. Not only were they Gortex lined but they were also only £20 so now we were faced with a dilemma - we had only booked one piece of luggage on the flight back and now we had extra things to take back. We went back to the station and collected more bananas, a bottle of water and a tangerine plus more squidgy stress-bananas and a stress tangerine!!
The train journey was fine but I think we were the only people eating fruit and drinking water on the train. Everybody else was eating what looked like corned beef white bread sandwiches, scones and biscuits washed down with sugared tea or beer. We did take photos of our bananas and me knitting just to prove how many bananas we had collected and ate. I will ask Pete to help me download some of our photos onto this blog as evidence!!
Perthshire was completely underwater. I've never seen water flowing so fast and fields were completely flooded. The funniest thing we saw was a portacabin in a field which had water up to the top step and next to it was a tractor with a hopper in the front. 3 men were stood on the top step and the only way they muat have got there was by the tractor apwth men being carried in the hopper!!
we arrived in Inverness and was met by my friend who I'd done my nurse training with. We first had a cup of tea in their house and then she took us out for a quick trip around the Moray Firth. It was a beautiful afternoon (well for a while before it became cloudy and cold!!!). We saw Red Kites and some other water fowl - of course now I've forgotten their names - prompt me please!! In the evening, we went to an Italian Restaraunt where we had wonderful food and wine.
Next morning we woke up to peace and quiet - well if you ignore the sound of lovely bird song that is!! Their garden had so many sparrows, dunnocks, and different types of tits in as well -it was great.
After a very leisurely breakfast, we went back around the Moray Firth to try dolphin spotting.My friend and I saw a couple just bobbing about but Pete didn't - he feels fated nopt to see one. He was busy spotting a seal and the cormorants. We also saw Turnstones which did as their name suggest turn stones!! We then went onto the Floral Halls in Inverness which were very pretty and had amazing Koi Carp in including goldy yellow ones. We also had tea and lunch!!
Then off to Aviemore and through a snow storm to Cairngorm where there was snow!! Pete had a good time jumping in the snow. We contemplated going upthe furnicular railway tot he top but there was cloud cover and it didn't seem worth the £27 it would have cost the 3 of us when we had good views out across the land at that level.
Quick shopping trip in Aviemore and home for pizzas, salad and loots of whiskey tasting. If anybody fancies buying Pete a birthday present then Laphroig quarter Cask would be his ideal but otherwise any of the other Laphroigs went down just as well. I just had the smallest of sips and decided I'd stick to the wine - boring person that I am.
Next morning - again after a leisurely bath and breakfast, we set off for the station.
Inverness Station staff must be the most rudest and loudest railway staff I have ever met!!! They were absolutely amazingly strict!! The platform indicator said our train was leaving from Platform 3 where there was a local train already there so they let a few people in through the roped off area and made them stand outside the platform entrance and then refused to let the rest us of through and shouted at us that we would be let through at the other end. People kept trying to get through the gap but they were man and womanhandled back to the waiting area!! The Edinburgh train arrived and all the departing passengers were shouted at for not moving quickly enough and other people were shouted at for trying to get through where they were coming out. Eventually, we were let through the first gap but had to stand at the entrance. We obviously did not stand nicely enough as we got shouted at to move along and stand closer together. Eventually, we got on the train where the carriage labels did not seem to match the booked seats and off we went. Everybody in the queues were laughing about the station staff and we were all good humoured which probably made the station staff more annoyed as we did not take them seriously enough!
We arrived in Glasgow and had a couple of hours to spare so another cup of tea in John Lewis followed. Then more shopping and then an Italian meal in Dinos. It was so busy for 5pm!! Think the food was better in Inverness though!!
Glasgow airport was quite deserted at 7pm. We got our tickets and got on the plane and found it was a little plane with big propellors - something like a Dash 400 springs to mind!! We got seats right next to the propellors so it was rather noisy and vibrating a lot. We also had a female pilot!!
Another friend bought us home.
We've got some lovely photos of our short break and Pete still hasn't seen a dolphin!!!
We were on the 7am plane so had to be up early. I didn't realise our friend who took us to the airport was so lively and full of wit and humour at 5.30am. We did our best to be humourous too but I don't think we succeeded!! The airport was full of stressed and smart looking business people with their laptops already active in the waiting areas. We were just calm and laid back. The flight was on time and I think there was only ours and 1 other piece of luggage in the hold so no waiting around at the other end.
We took the bus inot Glasgow and asked for Buchanon Bus Station. Not sure whether it was Glaswegian humour or the bus driver got lost but he didn't drop us at the bus station but somewhere about 15 minute walk away! We walked up to Queen Street to check there was no problems with the trains and got 2 bananas flung into our hands as we entered the concourse. As we had a long train journey and no lunch, it seemed a good idea to grab 2 more on the way back out the station plus this time they came in a bag with a squishy stress banana!! Tea and scones in John Lewis followed where we amused the other customers by taking photos of ourselves. We had to explain that John Lewis in Southampton prides itself on its view over Southampton Docks!! it was more picturesque in Glasgow!!!
We still had time to kill so as Pete wanted a pair of shoes we found a Clarks shoe shop - we were beginning to think that Glasgow just had designer shops and no high street ones, when we stumbled upon clarks. To our amazement Pete actually managed to buy a pair of shoes and to nobody's surprise I found a pair of boots. Not only were they Gortex lined but they were also only £20 so now we were faced with a dilemma - we had only booked one piece of luggage on the flight back and now we had extra things to take back. We went back to the station and collected more bananas, a bottle of water and a tangerine plus more squidgy stress-bananas and a stress tangerine!!
The train journey was fine but I think we were the only people eating fruit and drinking water on the train. Everybody else was eating what looked like corned beef white bread sandwiches, scones and biscuits washed down with sugared tea or beer. We did take photos of our bananas and me knitting just to prove how many bananas we had collected and ate. I will ask Pete to help me download some of our photos onto this blog as evidence!!
Perthshire was completely underwater. I've never seen water flowing so fast and fields were completely flooded. The funniest thing we saw was a portacabin in a field which had water up to the top step and next to it was a tractor with a hopper in the front. 3 men were stood on the top step and the only way they muat have got there was by the tractor apwth men being carried in the hopper!!
we arrived in Inverness and was met by my friend who I'd done my nurse training with. We first had a cup of tea in their house and then she took us out for a quick trip around the Moray Firth. It was a beautiful afternoon (well for a while before it became cloudy and cold!!!). We saw Red Kites and some other water fowl - of course now I've forgotten their names - prompt me please!! In the evening, we went to an Italian Restaraunt where we had wonderful food and wine.
Next morning we woke up to peace and quiet - well if you ignore the sound of lovely bird song that is!! Their garden had so many sparrows, dunnocks, and different types of tits in as well -it was great.
After a very leisurely breakfast, we went back around the Moray Firth to try dolphin spotting.My friend and I saw a couple just bobbing about but Pete didn't - he feels fated nopt to see one. He was busy spotting a seal and the cormorants. We also saw Turnstones which did as their name suggest turn stones!! We then went onto the Floral Halls in Inverness which were very pretty and had amazing Koi Carp in including goldy yellow ones. We also had tea and lunch!!
Then off to Aviemore and through a snow storm to Cairngorm where there was snow!! Pete had a good time jumping in the snow. We contemplated going upthe furnicular railway tot he top but there was cloud cover and it didn't seem worth the £27 it would have cost the 3 of us when we had good views out across the land at that level.
Quick shopping trip in Aviemore and home for pizzas, salad and loots of whiskey tasting. If anybody fancies buying Pete a birthday present then Laphroig quarter Cask would be his ideal but otherwise any of the other Laphroigs went down just as well. I just had the smallest of sips and decided I'd stick to the wine - boring person that I am.
Next morning - again after a leisurely bath and breakfast, we set off for the station.
Inverness Station staff must be the most rudest and loudest railway staff I have ever met!!! They were absolutely amazingly strict!! The platform indicator said our train was leaving from Platform 3 where there was a local train already there so they let a few people in through the roped off area and made them stand outside the platform entrance and then refused to let the rest us of through and shouted at us that we would be let through at the other end. People kept trying to get through the gap but they were man and womanhandled back to the waiting area!! The Edinburgh train arrived and all the departing passengers were shouted at for not moving quickly enough and other people were shouted at for trying to get through where they were coming out. Eventually, we were let through the first gap but had to stand at the entrance. We obviously did not stand nicely enough as we got shouted at to move along and stand closer together. Eventually, we got on the train where the carriage labels did not seem to match the booked seats and off we went. Everybody in the queues were laughing about the station staff and we were all good humoured which probably made the station staff more annoyed as we did not take them seriously enough!
We arrived in Glasgow and had a couple of hours to spare so another cup of tea in John Lewis followed. Then more shopping and then an Italian meal in Dinos. It was so busy for 5pm!! Think the food was better in Inverness though!!
Glasgow airport was quite deserted at 7pm. We got our tickets and got on the plane and found it was a little plane with big propellors - something like a Dash 400 springs to mind!! We got seats right next to the propellors so it was rather noisy and vibrating a lot. We also had a female pilot!!
Another friend bought us home.
We've got some lovely photos of our short break and Pete still hasn't seen a dolphin!!!
- Thank you to our hosts in Inverness and all that driving around you did and sharing whiskey and looking after us.
- Thank you to our 2 chauffeurs for taking us back and forth to the airport and
- a very big thank you to an anonymous person who made this trip possible for us
We are so lucky to have friends and family who do so much for us. We are truly grateful.
Labels: Scotland/the Italian experience
posted by dippykate @ 2:32 PM
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