Mom Came to Scotland....OR....Two Ladies Went Cruising

At the River Ness

Mom has always enjoyed traveling.

That’s probably why she enjoyed being an Air Force wife. 
Or maybe that is what started the interest. 
For a woman who grew up in a very small town where everyone literally knew everyone else, she ended up traveling to many parts of the world.

At Urquhart Castle

Six months after I was born, our family lived in Okinawa, Japan. After that, we lived in Las Vegas, NV, England for 4 years, and back to Las Vegas until after I grew up and moved away.  




Mom has traveled many places around the US, all over the UK, been to Germany, Venice, Spain, and a few other small countries in Europe. She has always enjoyed the travel itself, as well as appreciated the beautiful and different sights she would see in new places.

But like a lot of people today, Mom has trouble with her knees.   

What you may not know is that she had two bad knees and had the worse knee replaced last spring. Recovery was long.  Now the new knee is better and is the better leg, and the ‘better’ old knee became the ‘bad’ knee. As a result, Mom has to walk slowly and carefully. She has to look down at the road/floor/sidewalk/stairs as she walks. If she wants to look around, she has to stop. Stairs are a challenge. She can do them, but not a lot of them. And she must do them slowly and carefully.

And Mom wanted to come to Scotland.

I said, “Mom, nothing in Scotland is level.”  I said, “Mom, our apartment is on 3 levels. The main living floor is on the second level. The guest bedroom is on the 3^rd level.” I said, “Mom, we have to walk everywhere here, so you must be able to walk for 30 minutes.”   

Mom said, “OK.” And she worked at making her legs stronger.

We've both been to the top and bottom of the UK

So in June, Mom came to Scotland. With her two canes for assistance. (Everyone here has called them ‘sticks’.)

I will tell you the truth. I prayed quite a lot before she came and while she was here.  And it sounded something like this: “Dear Lord, please protect her  - and pleeease don’t let her fall here on my watch!”

the scooter at Urquhart Castle

In Inverness, we walked down the High Street to the River Ness. We took her to see Urqhart Castle and she got on a scooter to go down to the ruins.

Leah holding onto Mom. The wind almost blew Mom over!

Leah drove us to see the Camster Cairns one day and Mom walked across the raised walkway to see them up close. She observed us play Mah Jongg one afternoon and we played BINGO at the British Legion. 

the board walks to the cairns

She went with Mike and I to our dancing classes and visited our first Boot Sale. (no, we did not buy boots. This is the UK's version of a Yard Sale).

Many years ago she would have eagerly joined me and the ladies on my morning walks along the river and the beach. But that was not possible on this trip. So we did some things she could do. 

Janet, Liz, me and Mom at Dunnet Head

My friend Janet offered to be tour guide and chauffeur one day. Janet and Liz picked us up and took us on a full-day excursion around Caithness. We drove to Dunnet Head and along the back road to some small fishing wharfs.  We stopped at the Mey Castle for coffee and cake. We drove to John O’Groats and on up to Duncansby Head, where she and Janet admired the view of the North Sea meeting the Atlantic Ocean while Liz and I took a stroll across the field to find puffins. We stopped by Lyn’s house to pick up some fabric and ended up having coffee and sweets while admiring the sea coast where Lyn lives.

coffee morning at the Pentland Hotel  -
with Carol, Mom, Jan and me

On another day, Carol picked us up and took us to the Pentland Hotel for coffee with the church ladies and then dropped Mom off at the Caithness Horizons museum on the High Street, where Leah kept an eye on her as she wandered through learning about the Caithness area. 

Afterwards, we walked home very slowly and carefully through the very chilly wind.

walking home from the high street

The week passed quickly. And Mom made it up and down the stairs of our apartment without incident (to my immense relief).

Last summer, when talking about coming to Scotland, Mom asked, “Could we see something while I’m there?  Could we go somewhere?”

I said, “Mom, travel here is complicated. It takes a lot of time. And it’s complicated from here. And most importantly, the streets in Europe are cobblestoned and nothing is level.”

Mom just replied, “Where shall we go?”

From all the traveling I have done in the last year, I knew the lay of the land, so to speak. I knew what we could expect from traveling and what walking conditions would be like. So I considered our options and thought taking a cruise would be an easy way to travel and see sights. And we could do everything on Mom’s schedule and ability.

boarding the ship - the Balmoral

So we took a cruise to see the fjords of Norway.

Neither of us had been there before, so we would both see something new together.

But before I go on – lest you think that the traveling and the conditions were smooth and effortless – let me assure you that it was not. Now, don’t get me wrong – we had a great time. And everything went really well. Better than I expected, actually. But that does not mean it was easy.

the first train

I am sure I have mentioned a time or two that it is complicated to travel to and from the most northerly town on the UK mainland.  

We left Thurso the day before the cruise. Two trains and 7 ½ hours later, we arrived in Inverkeithing, where we took a taxi to our hotel. The next day we took another taxi to the ship. 

being silly

On returning, I thought we would have to take a taxi back to the train station that would take us into the center of Edinburgh, change to a tram that would take us to the airport hotel. 
(Then, of course, we wanted to return to downtown to sightsee). 

being sillier with a drink  

However, at the last minute, we took a taxi, which took a mere 15 minutes and cost a lot less than expected.  Then, of course, getting the shuttle to the airport and getting a last-minute wheelchair assistance (it got missed in the booking) to get her to the gate on time. Whew! (I just felt like I had to throw all that in. It’s not really important to the story.)

Our room was nice ...and spacious

Remember when I mentioned earlier that taking a cruise seemed easy? Well, there were some things that did not occur to me until we got onboard.

1. Ships rock. That’s not so good for people who may not be completely steady on their feet.

2. Yes, the elevators were essential for getting to different floors, but there was also the three-times-a-day trek to and from the dining room plus the treks to the game room and/or coffee café.

This was the best! 
A lone piper walked the pier
playing his bagpipe as the shipped pulled out

3. There are the steps and/or steep ramp to go out to the decking.

4. Then there were the port excursions. 
I thought it would be fun to do something in just a port or two, so I chose just two excursions that I thought would give the most bang for the effort. I chose a bus tour that required little walking but required getting on and off a bus and another excursion that was a train-plus-coach tour around the countryside which required a little walking but also a high step onto (and off of) the train. That was all well and good on paper.

Boarding the tender

What we did not know about was the tender in the second port for that second excursion. Our ship could not dock at the pier. It required a tender boat to shuttle people back and forth to and from the pier. THAT required a steep set of stairs down the side of the ship and a step-over onto the boat. And then the reverse on the return trip.  !!!

the Flam Railway excursion

As we were confronted with each of these obstacles, I got concerned. I thought for sure we would be left standing on the ship or pier while everyone else boarded and had a lovely excursion.   

the streets were all like this -
lovely to look at, but hard for mom to walk on

However – surprisingly - Mom rose to each occasion. Her eyes widen at each point of concern, but then she said, “Let me try.” Or “I can do this.”  Or “Give me a push from behind.”  😊

And she did it. 

Each one.

I was completely amazed. (I think she was, as well)

And all the walking across the ship? Instead of wiping her out the first day and not being able to walk again, I think it actually helped build up her endurance!   

I would guess that she probably walks about a 1,000 steps a day at home, but she put on thousands a day on this cruise!!  We were both sad that she had not set her phone to record steps because I think we would have both been surprised.   (All this walking and steps - it was either going to be the end of her or make her stronger. I believe it made her stronger!)

The cruise was over, but the trip was not over yet.

Edinburgh

We had to disembark the ship early in the morning, leaving us with an entire day to do anything.  Mom wanted to see Edinburgh. We had been there as a family about 44 years ago.  And she fancied the idea of seeing it again.

Back then, we had driven up from the Oxford area with other families we knew then and camped in Edinburgh. Or just outside. Not sure there. But the reason for going was to see the Military Tattoo, which had only been going on for a few years at that time. Mom loved the idea of seeing it again after all this time. I figured we would have to see it from afar because I was in Edinburgh last summer and know that the Royal Mile is on a hill. It’s long and the side roads are steep. As well as covered with cobblestones.

We caught the city bus to Waverly Station and ate a late lunch at a pub right there where the bus stopped. It was a very happening place and was absolutely packed. But what fun it was!  After standing for quite a few minutes to try to figure out whether we were to find our own seat or wait to be seated, the interactions with others began. We had to order at the bar. THAT was a hoot!  

And what chaos!  Did I mention the pub was packed? There were about 20 people standing at the bar ordering food and/or drinks.  Some teenagers (from Texas!!) asked me about pizza. The only pizza I had seen on the menu was haggis pizza. I suggested they might not appreciate that one, as it would not be like pizza from home. The look on their faces – LOL! 

the ship looks big in this picture, but ....

Standing at the bar, trying to figure out if there was a system for ordering, the Scotsman standing behind me tapped me on the shoulder and said, “If you want to order, you need to put your hand on the bar and hold the menu in your hand like this,” and he proceeded to show me. So I did that.  Then I exchanged conversation with another Scotsman next to me. I wish I had a better memory and could recall the back and forth bits. All I know is that it was delightful!

...our ship is the small one to the right of that large ship

We needed to use the toilet before leaving the pub, but to Mom’s dismay, we learned she would have to go down 2 flights of stairs to get to it. Just as she was contemplating this, a Scotsman saw what was what and stepped in to tell us there was a disabled toilet on the main floor and he took it upon himself to go and fetch the key for us.   These are the kinds of people I meet here in Scotland every day!

see the piper in the corner?

We discovered the Hop On Hop Off tour bus and hopped on. Right.  😊

We hopped off at the top of the Royal Mile, just below the entrance to the Edinburgh Castle. The road was cobblestoned and both it and the sidewalks were uneven. Plus there were masses of people. This was not a desirable location for Mom’s walking abilities, but she was not deterred. 

The weather was fantastic!
Everyone laid out on the grass.

I think after that week of doing things she didn’t know she could do, she just figured she could do this, too.

She slowly made her way up the inclined street until we found ourselves just inside the castle gates. I know she enjoyed being there and seeing it, but it made me feel like a long-tailed cat in a room of rocking chairs. I was so nervous about her tripping and falling. And, in fact, we saw a lady do that right beside us! Wouldn’t that have been a sad ending to a wonderful trip?

in front of Edinburgh Castle 

But she didn’t fall. 

And so we rewarded ourselves with an ice cream cone.   (I think we were both glad to return to the hotel, though.)

So, Mom came to Scotland. 
And I am so glad she did.
And now she is on her way home. By the time you read this, she will already be there and will have slept in her own bed again and will be on her way to recovering from her ‘vacation.’

As with every post, there are SO many details I want to share about the cruise, the people, and the sights, the food -  but there is neither time nor space for it.  

So to finish off, I would like to leave you with a few interesting facts/observations:

Of the 1,200 passengers, the cruise was made up of about 80% Scots and about 18% English.  There were 11 Americans. Since Fred Olsen (the cruise line) sails out of the UK, everyone wanted to know how Americans came to be on this cruise ship. My mom's travel agent could not even find it. 

Fjord = a long, narrow, deep inlet of the sea between high clilffs and also means ‘a way to travel’ (by boat)

Norway = means ‘the way to the north’

There are a LOT of tunnels in Norway. In fact, there is a 24.5 mile tunnel. It has ventilation inside and lights that change colors to keep people attentive.

Only about 50% of residents own cars. Most own boats because it is easier and faster to travel by boat than by car. 

There is an 80% tax on alcohol and tobacco.

Norway hosts the largest glacier on the European continent. We saw a piece of it in Olden. 

In Norway, large amounts of land, including forests, are owned by individuals. However, the general public has “the freedom to roam” or “every man’s right”.  That means that the general public has a right to access public or privately-owned uncultivated land for recreation and exercise.  You can walk right through a person’s yard. That means a person also has the right to camp anywhere he wants for up to 48 hours. And then after 48 hours, he can move his tent 5 metres and stay another 48 hours. It’s his right. And he does not need the permission of the land owner. Of course, the ‘freedom to roam’ is more involved than that, but that is the essence.  

I thought the further north we went, the smaller the towns would be. Not true. Alesund was the last of the 4 ports and was the largest city. It is the largest fishing and whaling port in Norway.

Long days – the latest sunset was at 12:35 pm and the earliest sunrise was at 3:41. That was in Alesund.

Yes, I used a face mask to sleep.  😊