Before I get to Day Five of my trip to Scotland, I have to mention getting winked at by a young man on the street! I was following Trisha down the sidewalk and approached a group of college-aged guys on the corner waiting to cross the street. One was facing me, and as I was about to turn the corner to the left, he winked at me!

Maybe I reminded him of his mother or grandmother? Or maybe he just wanted to give an old lady a thrill. Well, he succeeded. LOL

The next day I woke to Trisha calling my name. “April, we overslept! It’s 10:30!” I sprang from bed, threw on some clothes, and stuffed all my junk back into my suitcase and backpack. We had to check out by 11:00, and we were due at the airport to rent a car at 12:30. No breakfast for us, but worse than that, no coffee!

I don’t really think it mattered what time we showed up, but we got off the tram at the airport and found the car rental center where Graeme at the Avis counter fixed me up with a Hyundai Tucson, which costs way more than I had expected. Oh well…it’s only money, right?

It was pouring rain when we went to pick up our car in the uncovered parking lot. I got in on the driver’s side, the wrong side, and started out of the parking lot. Trisha had to remind me to stay in the left lane. Driving in the U.K. was going to be an adventure.

With Trisha and Millicent the car (we named her) navigating, we headed toward Aberdeen. Roundabouts were challenging, for sure, but Trisha and Millicent’s GPS helped me know which exit to take. A few miles down the road, I was thrilled to see a sign on the road for an antiques village, so we stopped in Rait (near Perth) to investigate.

Antiques in Scotland are really antiques! There were several buildings full of old relics, and it was such fun looking. Knowing how little room I had in my suitcase was a good deterrent to buying anything, though.

As lunchtime approached and since we hadn’t had coffee or breakfast, we took advantage of the little tearoom on the property, The Cart Shed. The cheese and onion toastie (grilled cheese) with salad and slaw and a cappucino hit the spot.

I had hoped to see Drum Castle outside of Aberdeen, which was given to the Irvine clan by Robert the Bruce in the 14th century. My mother’s maiden name is Irwin, a derivative of Irvine, so we consider this castle part of our family heritage. We did find the castle, but tours were over for the day, so we just walked around the stunning grounds and tried to imagine what living there must have been like.

By the time we reached Aberdeen and found our hotel, it was late, and there were no restaurants within walking distance, so we ordered nachos and water from the hotel bar. It was then we realized that people that far away from Mexico or Texas really don’t know how to make Mexican food. But we were hungry, so we ate them anyway.

Stay tuned for the Culloden Battlefield, Inverness, and the Victorian market…the fun continues!

XOXO