Fired up the Passat (which is turning out to be a very comfortable car), and went north to Edinburgh, Scotland. We were met with very cold, blustery weather, and I regretted that I neglected to bring a warm jacket with me. We found a cozy place complete with red plaid carpet – the Marchall Hotel – and lugged our suitcases up the ubiquitous flight of steep stairs. After settling in, we toured Edinburgh Castle , which is on top of a hill and offers panoramic views of the city. I noticed that the Black Watch guard standing at attention outside the castle was not wearing a kilt, although the castle guides were. These guys were truly dedicated - it was about 30 degrees outside. I was coming down with a rather nasty bug at the time, and I recall only a couple things about the castle - "Mons Meg", a huge cannon they seem to be very proud of, and a street musician outside the castle playing a dead goat bagpipe.

Bill really enjoyed Edinburgh though, particularly the Heritage Whiskey Center, where he found several fine Scotches that weren’t available in the US. He also visited the Cadenhead Whisky Shop, an independent bottler of cask-strength whisky from Scottish distillers. For lunch, we ducked out of the cold and into a pub. I had a hamburg that reminded me of meatloaf, and Bill went for the real Scottish experience by ordering the special - Haggis, Tatties, and Neeps. This is sheep innards mixed with oatmeal, accompanied by boiled potatoes and turnips. He said he liked it. (In Ireland, we met up with a 80-ish Scottish woman who, when I told her that Bill had enjoyed the haggis, said, "Oh, he’s verrry brrave. You know, the Scottish rarely eat it except on Robert Burns Day.")

I did some shopping at Jenner’s on Princes Street, Scotland’s oldest department store, and it was there that I discovered Caithness Glass paperweights. These are handmade in Scotland, and are some of the most exquisite pieces of glass art I’ve ever seen. They range in price from 20 – 500 pounds. I got the one called "Gold Rush" with colors of teal and gold. Gorgeous! We also wandered down the Royal Mile with its woolen, whisky and souvenir shops.

Monday, June 1st

I woke up with a nasty fever and chills, and made an appointment with a doctor located ‘round the corner. I spent the day in bed. Blah.

We drove about 100 miles south, crossed the border, and arrived at Keswick (pronounced "Kezzick") in the northern part of England’s Lake District. We got a good deal at the Keswick Lodge Hotel, and since I was still feeling poorly, decided to stay for three nights. Located in the middle of town, the Keswick Lodge had a small pub and restaurant that served typical English breakfasts. The streets were busy with tourists, many of whom were oufitted for hiking in the countryside, despite the sporadic rain. There are several outdoor supply stores in Keswick, a couple bakeries, and an excellent liquor store where Bill found some good bottles of Scotch – including some he hadn’t seen in Scotland. At this point, we had nearly a suitcase full of Scotch to carry home, but the Master Packer assured me that it was no prrrroblem.

We visited the Cumberland Pencil Museum on a whim, walking in after making some cracks about the place, and finding two stone-faced dowagers who were obviously not amused. They take their pencils seriously there. When we walked across the room to view the World’s Biggest Pencil, we were quickly informed that we were not permitted in that area unless we paid the museum admission price. Forget about taking pictures. I ended up buying several postcards, and (what else?) a pencil. And a damned good pencil it was – didn’t even smear on the postcard.

Wednesday, June 3rd

We took a day trip to Windermere and Ambleside, in the southern portion of the Lake District today. On our travels, we took our first – and shortest – car ferry ride across Lake Windermere, which was a hoot. It took twenty minutes to load the boat with people and cars, and 5 minutes to cross the lake. The lake was pristine and the sun was shining, with long lines of ducks swimming alongside the boat.

Windermere is a pretty little town, but was overrun by tourists and plagued with heavy traffic. Shopping, I found a beautiful 100% wool sweater at Quill’s Woolen Market, which would come in handy later in the trip. Ambleside was more scenic and slightly less congested than Windermere, which suited us fine. Back at the hotel by late afternoon, we did some reading and relaxing, listening to the rain on the roof.

Thursday, June 4th

We set off to explore the northern Lake District after picking up some sandwiches from the bakery across the street. The weather was overcast with occasional light rain, but we held out hope that we’d be enjoying our picnic lunch lakeside with at least a tiny bit of sun to warm our faces.

After visiting Castlerigg Stone Circle, we meandered through the Newlands Valley and west to Buttermere, enjoying the peacefulness of the soft English countryside. There were few tourists and little traffic here, which was exactly what we came for. Lunchtime rolled around, and so we parked alongside Lake Buttermere, ignored the steady drizzle, and ate local cheeses with our sandwiches while watching the sheep stroll by.

Speaking of which, have I mentioned the shear number of sheep in this country? They were everywhere – brown, white, shaggy, shorn, sleeping, chewing, bleating, wool factories. Lambing season just passed, so there are lots of them around, usually at their mother’s side looking adorable. We often see them along the side of the road. The noise of the car startles the skittish lambs, but the ewes continue grazing furiously, casting the occasional baleful glance over their shoulders. I found a small patch of wool in a field that I’m carrying around. Why? I don’t really know. Sheep magic maybe.

Next, we traced Buttermere Lake on our way to Borrowdale, where we discovered a small coaching inn, the Scafell Hotel. The grounds were very inviting, so we stopped for a pint and a Coke. Prim and white on the outside, and furnished with antiques inside, it was lovely.

From there, we drove to Derwentwater, lighting at the Derwentwater Marina for a couple hours, watching the boats on the lake, and talking with the barkeep.

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