RTW ’23: Week 13

It felt like a milestone when I changed the date on my daily note to December, my fourth month of traveling. I started in sunny and hot Portugal in early September with Pam, and this week, I’m solo in frosty Scotland, all bundled up. I’ve adjusted to living out of a backpack and figuring out where I’m sleeping each night. I’ve managed to stay in touch with family and friends in different time zones. I’ve even managed to maintain my transportation methods being aligned with my goal of pre-1920! It’s been a journey with some unexpected challenges, but I overcame them nonetheless. I’ve been writing a daily note on my phone for 91 days straight, and my daughter has been taking that digital snapshot and turning it into this beautiful weekly blog to share with all of you. I am so proud of us, and I’m so proud of all that I’ve accomplished!

Wednesday was a relatively relaxing day for me. I spent the morning doing laundry and searching for a yoga studio and massage parlor– I’ve been craving some self-care time. It was one of those days where I just couldn’t seem to stay warm. I’ve gotten used to walking around everywhere and dressing in layers, but on Wednesday, I kept going into places along the way to break the chill with a hot coffee or pot of tea. I get the expression of “putting the kettle on” to warm up, now! A hot cup of tea really takes the edge off! I guess a dram of whiskey might do the same, but I’ve never been much of a whiskey drinker. I am saving the whiskey tour for Edinburgh, along with the bagpipes. I’ve overheard and read that Edinburgh is THE place for both of those iconic Scottish things, and I want to experience them at their finest! I also firmed up my plans for my remaining days in the UK. On Monday, December 4th, I’ll take the train to Edinburgh, followed by a train to London on Sunday the 10th for a brief stay. On the 11th, I’ll take a train to Rotterdam to get settled for the J&J Mentor Town Hall on Thursday. It feels good to have plans ironed out, especially this far in advance, and I feel like I am able to rest and enjoy the “now”. In the evening, I enjoyed a nice in-person yoga class. It was good to move and stretch at a studio guided by an instructor. They even had cozy blankets! I do miss my Manduka yoga mat, but I settled for the borrowed cork mat, which felt wildly different from my sticky, thick mat. One of yoga’s teachings is non attachment, and the irony of being so attached to my yoga mat at home is not lost on me. Yoga poses, being present, and remaining aware of my breath in rhythm with physical flow are all universal aspects of a yoga class anywhere I’ve gone, and this class was no different. I felt peaceful, rested, and grateful as I left. After yoga, I returned to the hostel and had a chat with some of the Aussies. They made me realize that I may need to buy some thermals to add to my layers as it’s only going to get colder. There are 4 Aussies (1 couple and 2 young women) who are all traveling to celebrate Christmas in the winter. They’re so excited to see real snow, which is such a strange idea to me since it’s so common at my home in Massachusetts. They hadn’t even heard of the word “flurries” before! We also compared shopping experiences since we all do food shopping for cooking our meals at the hostel. In the AU, there are two main grocery stores, Coles and Woolies (Woolworth). I explained how in the US, we combine grocery, homegoods, and clothing into one store like Target and Walmart, and they were impressed! We had a good chat about an array of topics, and at one point, they explained “girl math” to me. I really didn’t like the idea of math being gender based, but once they provided examples (justifying getting something you want on sale, not necessarily something you need), I got a little chuckle out of it.

On Thursday, I put a lot of foot miles under my feet! I had a nice, long walk to the Caledonia Canal and stopped at a Botanical Garden. It was really nice to be walking on clearly marked trails during the day. The sun even made a brief appearance, and I loved spending the day at a 3 MPH pace, exploring new areas. There were some very picturesque canals and locks, coupled with regular neighborhoods with traditional houses complete with English chimneys and walled front gardens. It felt like I was seeing everyday life in Scotland, especially when parents and grandparents were walking children home from school around 2:30 p.m. I love getting to know a place through this lens! I also really loved going into the tropical house. It felt so good to feel the warmth and humidity, very nicely landscaped with small alcoves to stop and take in all of the surrounding beauty. The desert area was being renovated, but I managed to check out some ferocati! I had the idea during my walk to rent a bike, but all of the bike rental shops were closed for the season. I’ve been seeing people riding around town, and after walking on the canal paths and Great Glen Way, which were both well marked, I thought some bike miles would be fun. But, alas, I’ll have to settle for train or bus miles instead! The Outlander spotting of the day was the Abertarff House on Church Street. It’s the oldest surviving building in Inverness, dating back to 1593. It was built as a townhouse for Clan Fraser of Lovat, and was once occupied by Colonel Archibald Fraser, who was the son of the infamous “Old Fox”, Lord Lovat. Inverness is mentioned a lot in Outlander, but filming occurred in Fife for the Inverness scenes. Fife is closer to Edinburgh than Inverness, but historically, all of the Fraser locations here make me feel like I’m close to Jamie and Claire. I booked a Thai massage in the afternoon, which was the perfect way to end a long day’s walk. I was so relaxed afterwards that I forgot to take pictures! My feet and legs were especially sore from walking and hiking through the mountains this past week. I may book one more session before I leave, and will hopefully remember to take a picture beforehand! Between yoga yesterday and the massage today, I really felt the much needed self-care kicking in!

I woke up early and well-rested on Friday morning, so I caught a bus to Beauly before the sunrise, which has been happening after 8:30 these days. There were snow flurries on the way there, and the grass at the Beauly Priory and cemetery was frosty and crunchy. The Priory is a ruins site that’s open all of the time, so getting there early was not a problem. Beauly Priory was one of the three priories founded in Scotland by monks of the Vallizcaulian order in the 13th century. In Outlander, it’s the location where Claire meets the seer Maisri. After wandering around finding the Outlander sites– Fraser and McKenzie gravesites– I was very cold and needed to find a coffee shop. That little adventure had been spur of the moment, so I hadn’t quite realized I would end up out in the cold, frosty morning, looking for any place to warm up before the next bus came at 10. I ended up at the town’s hotel, and was very grateful that they served breakfast. Beauly is a very small, quaint town, about 10 miles outside of Inverness. After breakfast, I warmed up again, and then wandered around the priory some more. I found a little shop, The Old School Beauly, that Diana Gabaldon (the author of Outlander) had visited in 2017, which was a pretty neat find! During that visit, she helped open their new book and stationary section and gave a talk in the local hall to hundreds of admiring fans! I left the shop just in time to catch the bust back to Inverness. My mini, impromptu adventure was a resounding success!

I’ve inadvertently left my scarf in a few places since I’ve been to Inverness. On my first day, before dropping off the rental car, I left it at a coffee shop. I went back later that day, and thankfully they had it. Then, on Friday, I left it on the bus coming back from Beauly. As soon as I realized it had slipped off of my coat, I went back to the bus, but the driver wouldn’t open the door. The sign said “out of service”, and the bus started moving forward, so I followed it on foot around the block. At first, I kept up with it in the city because of the traffic and lights, but after 2 blocks, it turned the corner onto a major road. I mentally took note of the number on the back, and went to the bust station. I told them that I left my scarf on bus 11788 and it was out of service. The very nice woman at the station told me to come back later in the day to see if it was returned. I bundled up my jacket, and hoped for the best. I need all of the layers I have– scarf included– as it’s been staying below freezing each day. Thankfully, when I went back later in the afternoon, it had been returned. Not sure where the scarf went after Beauly, but my traveling scarf is getting more miles than I am some days!

Saturday proved to be a productive Outlander day! After enjoying a nice breakfast at the hostel, I grabbed a bus to Culloden Battlefield, then walked to Clava Cairns, and then went back to Culloden to explore the museum. Clava Cairns was absolutely incredible– I stayed longer than expected! There was a tour bus there when I first arrived, but after they left, it was so peaceful. Once I walked around and settled into the atmosphere, I played some Outlander songs on my phone. I found a flat rock to sit on, had a biscuit, and soaked in the sunshine and energy of the sacred place. The trees were the most recent arrival in the setting, which seemed so odd to me. Normally, trees are the oldest part of a landscape, but here, everything has outlived them. As I soaked in the environment, more questions arose. Where did the ancient people find those huge rocks? How did they stand them up? I pictured them having ceremonies in the place I was standing. Almost every photo I took had a sun dot (green lens flare) in it, which I know can be explained technically… but it added a magical feeling to my surroundings. As I looked around the area outside of the cairns, the sheep on the hill were keeping themselves in the sunny area of the hill, while frost stayed on the shady side of the landscape. I really felt connected to nature and the ancient wisdom of my surroundings. I’m glad that I went to Clava Cairns before touring the battlefield. The Cairns were very grounding, ancient, and filled with wisdom. The battlefield exhibit was historic and very sad. Thousands of Jacobites (loyal to Bonnie Prince Charlie) lost their lives in April of 1746. The museum went very deep into the battle details, telling the story from both perspectives (Jacobites vs. Redcoats). Whereas the cairns went back 4000 years ago and represented a less violent time in humanity than the battle for one country’s freedom. I don’t mean to minimize the lives lost that day, it was just such a contrast to me. Once I had seen everything there was to see in both places, I got back on the bus and rode back to Inverness. I had a nice chat with Corrine on the phone. It warmed my heart to have a long conversation and catch up on both of our lives. Family is such a blessing, and making time for those connections is an important part of my mental and emotional health as I travel. Though it hurts my “mom heart” to be so far away, especially when unforeseen events occur in the lives of my children, I am thankful for the modern day technology that allows us to remain connected and in constant contact. Being “just a phone call away” certainly has a more profound meaning to me now! In the evening, I lounged by the hostel fire with a few other hostel guests, enjoying the warmth of the flames and the conversation amongst us. After chatting a bit, we decided to go out on the town and grab some drinks at a local pub that featured some live music. We stayed there until 1 a.m. and closed it down! It felt safe going out with girls I knew from the hostel, and I was thankful to experience the nightlight of the city with them. It was so much fun to hang out together and people watch– one of my favorite things to do in new cities. It was definitely a memorable Scotland night!

On Sunday morning, I went to a local cathedral. It felt like a normal weekend– Saturday night out with the girls, going to church on Sunday, doing a few errands, and catching up with friends. I really felt like I was settling into Scotland, and I enjoyed the normalcy of enjoying time with friends and tackling typical weekend tasks without an agenda of things to see. I’d been passing a store front by the bus station that was accepting goods for Ukrainian refugees, and while I was packing everything up, I realized that I had an extra heavy hat and gloves that I only needed up in Cairngorms. I won’t be needing them in Edinburgh, so I donated them to the cause. There are 400 people– mothers and children– that were housed in Inverness last year. The woman at the center was so appreciative, and she even gave me a yellow/blue ribbon for my donation. I was so happy to be able to give back with the little I had on my person! After getting lunch at Wetherspoons days ago, I’ve become something of a regular there. So, I ate a final lunch there, and then took one last walk to Ness Islands as the sun was setting. I even found the Nessie creature! I spent the evening hanging out by the fireplace with Tess, Hannah, Elena, and Bo. We shared travel stories, and Tess even saw snow flurries for the very first time! Seeing something through someone else’s eyes for the first time really brought back the euphoric feeling of experiencing something for the first time. It felt childlike, wondrous, and filled my soul with warmth. I was so happy to be a part of her experience! It was a chill day all around– meeting really nice, like-minded people is one of the best things about traveling solo and staying in hostels. There’s an openness that isn’t experienced otherwise, and the camaraderie found in sharing spaces and cooking meals together is unparalleled. I can also report that packing up my backpack was not very difficult this time around. I knew exactly where everything belonged! It was straightforward to have just what I needed for a travel day in my 26 liter bag and everything else in the big bag. I’ve been checking my Scot Rail ticket, and so far, it’s on time. There are currently some rail strikes going on in the UK, but so far, I haven’t been affected. If that changes tomorrow, then I’ll deal with it then! For now, I’m thankful for a plan. Although I’m sad to leave Inverness, and the small city feel with very friendly people, I’m excited to explore Edinburgh. Everyone I’ve spoken to has said that I’m going to love it! So, without even knowing it when I planned it, it seems that I’ve saved the best of Scotland for the end.

After a nice final breakfast at the BazPackers Hostel, I said my goodbyes on Monday and caught a train to Edinburgh. It was a beautiful and easy 4 hour ride, and I really enjoyed the views from my window seat. There was plenty of snowy scenery, complete with animals galavanting in the snow covered pastures. We even rode by Cairngorms National Park, which I got to see from a whole new perspective as a big snow fall came down since I was last there. The Scottish countryside is truly so beautiful in the wintertime! I’m glad that I scheduled this part of my trip for this time of year! Once I arrived in Edinburgh, I checked into my new hostel. It’s got a really cool vibe– and it used to be a prison, placed right next door to the current court house! It’s a very modern hostel located in the heart of the city, making it an easy hub for tourists to see all of the local and popular attractions, as well as stores and food establishments. It feels a little strange sleeping in a place that used to house criminals, but it’s a novel experience nonetheless! After I got familiar with the hostel, I put away my things and went out to explore a bit of the new city. I was grateful to find an open Apple Store just a few blocks away. Ever since I updated my phone OS, my Jabra Bluetooth headphones haven’t been working. Everytime I try to use them, they just go straight to mute. I researched the issue on the train but couldn’t find a suitable solution to the problem. Of course, the Apple employee said that it’s a Jabra problem, so I bought an adapter to use old school wired headphones for the time being. I’ll keep troubleshooting the issue, but I needed something for the evening when I’m relaxing in my “cell pod”– which will be a much different experience from hanging out by the fire at my last hostel with my Inverness friends. Edinburgh is so different from Inverness. It’s so much bigger, and I was greeted with cold and rain, which wasn’t ideal. I’ve realized that I do well in small cities, or big towns, when it comes to arriving and getting accustomed to my surroundings. I love big cities, and I’m sure I’m going to love Edinburgh, but it was such a culture shock upon arrival. I’m not in the Scottish highlands anymore! I miss Inverness already, but it’s all part of the journey. Missing places means that I really connected and enjoyed my time there, and for that, I am thankful! One thing I’ve embraced is that each new location has its own charm, and it only takes a day or so to find them, or decide that it’s time to move on. Traveling solo with some unplanned days gives me that freedom, and I really like that. So, for tonight, I’ll curl up in my “cell pod”, and wait for the rain to pass!

Tuesday closed out week 13 of RTW ’23! It was well spent on a tour of Edinburgh. Emma, the tour guide, was a plethora of knowledge on the city, and of Scottish history as a whole. Interestingly, she is from Ithaca, NY! She had so many stories to share about Edinburgh, and I felt very welcomed in her group. I had a better sense of how to spend the next 5 days, from going to some unique free museums, to hiking up Arthur’s Step (photo from afar below), to getting lost in the many closes (alleys along the Royal Mile that are enclosed). I even plan on doing some shopping to purchase a Scottish sweater! I found a hidden gem in Edinburgh today– Jamie’s print shop, where he and Claire were reunited in the Outlander series. I fondly remember this episode, and it filled my heart with joy to be in the place where their love was reignited. As I walked through the alley, I could picture Claire, heart thumping, looking for Jamie once again. It was so cool to see the shop in real life and touch the storefront with my hands. In the evening, I checked out the Christmas market. It was decorated for the holidays, and people were bustling through the streets. It felt very festive! I strolled around the market for awhile, looking at the decorations and people watching, and then went back to the hostel for the night. The hostel price is so much higher on the weekends here, so I did some research and found an airbnb that was cheaper. It’s unclear if it has heat or not, so I’m waiting to hear back from them before I decide what to do moving forward. Paying $140 per night to sleep in a “cell pod” seems a little crazy to me! I’ll be in Edinburgh until next Monday, but I’ll leave you guessing if I stay in the converted prison hostel dorm bed pod, or if I find a bed somewhere cheaper!

I can see why everyone has told me that I saved the best of Scotland for last in Edinburgh. While my heart is still in the wilderness of the highlands, this city holds all of the aspects of Scottish culture that I wanted to experience. I can see bagpipers, castles, thousands of years of history, many haggis and whiskey pubs, and little alleys that take me into the Outlander world. I’ve even been able to see the homes of some writers! I’m so glad to spend these next days soaking it all up before going back to the EU next week. My time in Northern Ireland and Scotland has really connected me to my ancestry, wild roots, and the things that fill my heart the most: family, nature, wilderness, history and women’s stories. I’ve found all of those things and so much more in these northern isles, and I am so thankful for each and every moment. Until next time, dear friends: stay safe, stay healthy, and always remember to make space for what brings you joy.

Scotland is a place where the heart is always at home
and the soul is never far from the sky.
-Unknown