Museums and More

Yesterday was a busy day. It was also moving day. It was my last day in Edinburgh before heading over to Glasgow to meet up with my group of researchers. I got a later start to the day, needing to pack first. Then I stopped in at Clarinda's Tearoom for a bite to eat. 

Clarinda's is in the Canongate and so I continued my way up the Royal Mile. 

From Clarinda's I went into the People's Story Museum. This is an incredibly well curated walk through social history of the people of Edinburgh. 

Then it was over to Surgeon's Hall. 

They currently have an exhibit on the history of midwifery which was fantastic. Once again I was reminded about how I wish had had the opportunity to study midwifery in school. It wasn't available. 

My real reason in going to the Surgeon's Hall was to join a guided walking tour of the old town and its association with the history of medicine in Edinburgh, and in many cases, in the whole of Scotland. 

Before I knew it, it was time to collect my luggage and catch the train to Glasgow. 

A Day in Dundee

Started the with a black pudding roll

then it as over to the train station to catch the train for Dundee. First up was a pop in to the Family History Fair, jointly hosted by the Tay Valley FHS & SAFHS. It looked a fairly busy event. It was good to have the chance to say hello to colleagues from the various booths. 

From the fair, I made my way down to the harbour. Must say I was incredibly impressed with how well the city has done with making the harbour a focal point. 

My ultimate destination was the V&A to see their new exhibit Tartan. First an ice cream to sustain me for the very short walk. 

The V&A is next door to the Discovery. 

The exhibit on Tartan was very well done. 

After the walk through the exhibit it was time for Tea in the V&A café. 

I was in need of a walk to help digest the scrumptious food, so made my way up to see the statues.

Before long, it was time for the train back to Edinburgh. 

It’s Good to be Back

Oh how I have missed Edinburgh. I had planned to do some research but once here decided just to enjoy the town. I walked to the High Street and walked the top half, taking in the sights, sounds and smells. 

I met a colleague for a coffee and a catch up at the cafe at Gladstone’s Land. Like many places in Scotland the cafe is dog friendly so I was able to enjoy the company of this sweet lass:

Then I wandered in and out of the closes 

and stopped in at the Writer’s Museum for a long overdue visit 

From there, I made my way to Edinburgh’s most famous street. No, not Princes Street, but rather, Victoria Street.

A stop off at Bertie’s Proper Fish & Chips for a feast of Iceland Haddock & chips

before wandering the rest of the way down to the Grassmarket. It was lovely to see so many people out enjoying the patios. Dessert was from the very famous Mary’s Milk Bar.

I wandered back up Candlemaker Row. I went over to Quartermile, where I am normally stationed while in Edinburgh. 

Back to South Bridge and to the hotel to get ready for the bus ride to spend the evening with family. We got caught up then spent at least an hour watching old home movies that I had received from my cousin and had converted to digital. These evoked memories, stories and loads of laughs. It was just a wonderful night. My soul is restored and my heart is full once again. 

Are we There Yet?

 I rented a car at the airport so I could get to Paisley and Airdrie. 

To drop the car in Edinburgh was going to double my fee. So, from the hospital it was back to the airport, onto the express bus to the city centre. Off at Queen Street Station and onto the train to Edinburgh. 

The train was definitely not the express train it stopped often. But these stops provided a raw familiarity with my own family’s history. The Crawfords have history here. Coatbridge, Airdrie, Caldercruix, Bathgate. 

At long last I was in Edinburgh and after a not so quick jaunt pushing wheeled luggage over cobbled stones, I was at the hotel. I was knackered. But also starving. 

A quick bite, a relaxing shower and the last half of a Vera rerun and I was off to slumberland. 

Connecting

After a long, protracted day of travel, I was finally on home soil and it was time to make connections. One of my favourite parts of returning to Scotland. 

From Glasgow airport it was a short jaunt over to the Paisley Heritage Centre to finally meet Peter and Iain in person. These gentlemen have been an incredible resource and support for those of us researching our Paisley ancestors and have faithfully joined our drop in group each moth of answer questions and offer suggestions. And of course their banter makes the hours just so much fun. 

From the Heritage Centre it was over to Airdrie to visit my cousin in hospital. I have been so incredibly worried about her. Just seeing her put my mind and heart at peace. Honestly connecting with family is just so soul restoring. We just had a stolen hour together but it was full of laughs and sharing memories.

After leaving the hospital it was back to the business of getting to my destination. 

The Culprit

Fortunately the flight was both uneventful and quiet. The 108 drunken footballers fell asleep shortly after takeoff. It was lovely following the sun rise as we flew across Ireland. 

Once we landed and had been welcomed to Dublin, we were told that the reason for the delay in our flight out of Toronto last night was due to President Biden’s arrival in Dublin yesterday. Flights were grounded until the President and his entourage had arrived and were safely on their way. 

We were able to get a decent view of Air Force One and the accompanying security planes as we taxied to the gate this morning. 

Best Laid Plans

I like to arrive a few days ahead of a tour. This allows me to see parts of Scotland I haven’t yet seen, visit attractions or connect with family and colleagues. 

This time I am flying Aer Lingus. Primarily because the price was right and the airline is reputable. I fly from Toronto to Dublin and then Dublin to Glasgow. There’s an over stopover on the way to Scotland. Essentially enough time to get from one gate to the next. 

I’m scheduled to arrive in Glasgow at 8 am so made plans to connect with family and colleagues before heading to Edinburgh. After all, check in isn’t until 3, so plenty of time. Or so I thought. 

Thirty minutes before I was going to leave for the airport, I received an alert that the flight was delayed by an hour and that I should call the airline about connecting flights. Knowing I had a tight squeeze between flights, I called the airline. They had no information about the delay. After 15 on hold, I was told the next available flight from Glasgow is 10:30 instead of 6:30. Aaarrrrggghhhh. 

That then meant rescheduling my entire day. Thanks, Aer Lingus. Of course they don’t care.

I made it to the airport and through security with relative ease. Then I bed-lined to my favourite airport pub, Fionn MacCools. First pint went down a treat. Now I’m ready to “roll with it”

Traveling is always an adventure but not always stress free. 

Scotland, here I come. Even if several hours later than planned.