All Good Things Must Come to an End

As with everything else, even the best of trips must end. The past 9 days have been an absolute whirlwind when we look back on it, but the moments and the memories will last forever.

Ed & Lynne enjoyed their first trip to Scotland, Lynne's ancestral homeland. Lynne's paternal grandfather was from Stromness in Orkney. This was our first point of focus and one we were sad to see ending. While in Orkney, Lynne was able to connect with three cousins from her grandfather's line. This allowed Lynne to get additional family photos, have people in a current photo identified and to have the amazing opportunity to go and see where her paternal great granny had lived and worked and where many of Lynne's ancestors are buried. Moments like this can't fully be understood. They provide a sense of awe, a deep connection to the country, the land, the people, the history. And they provide a sense of completeness that is defies description.

Being in Orkney gave Lynne a personal understanding of her ancestor's relationship with the sea - the tides, the riches it provides in terms of food and work, how quickly a storm can blow in and how rough the passage can be. 

From Orkney, we headed back down to Edinburgh. Lynne's maternal grandparents were from Buckhaven in Fife. We toddled of to Fife for a look at where her granny had once lived, where her grandfather had attended school and to see where her ancestors are likely to be buried. We traveled to the Fisheries Museum in Anstruther to gain a better concept of what the life of a fisherman and his family was like. 

Ed and Lynne are already making plans to return and to stay longer. That, to me, is always the mark of a successful ancestral trip. 

Thank you, Lynne, for allowing me to share in your genealogy journey with you. And for allowing me to introduce you to your ancestral homeland.