The day started at about 3:30am with B-Koog gently waking me because he had some pain in his legs. I asked him what kind of pain and he said they felt like they were on fire, as did his eyes. At first, not keenly awake yet, I was worried. He then explained that he used approximately 3 gallons of Tiger Balm on his legs and, forgetting to wash his hands, he touched his eyes. I did something similar once with Zostrix. It’s made from capsaicin pepper. I didn’t know this when I slathered it all over my legs, feet and because I was not thinking, my face and eyes. My entire body felt like I was on fire. My poor guy had the same thing last night. His legs and eyes were bright red and he probably would have cried if he had any moisture in his eyes for tears! I hosed him down in a cool shower, eyes and all. He felt better and we quickly fell back to sleep.
We had a more proper wake up around 8:30 when my bagpipe music phone alarm rang. Each of us got up easily and ran to the balcony to see the beautiful shoreline of Greenock, Scotland. Dressing quickly we enjoyed a hearty breakfast and talked about how excited we were to finally see the Falkirk Wheel with our own eyes!
After breakfast we grabbed our stuff and headed down to the meeting place for the excursions. Today was complete bedlam. A complete contrast to yesterday’s order and discipline. I absolutely do not fault the Carnival staff at all, this was the unruly passengers unwilling to wait their turn. The amount of line cutting felt like an elementary school cafeteria on pizza day. As the boys and I were the next up, a middle aged woman, certainly old enough to know better just stepped in front of us and said to the crew member manning the check-in table “I’ve waited long enough!” The crew member, much more polite than I would have been, said, “I understand, please speak to my colleague.” Her colleague was the cruise director and he politely but firmly explained how to find the end of the line.
The drama left and we got checked-in for bus 16. The next bus that was called was bus 2, so we had a bit of a wait! We found a place to stand that was close to where we would exit but out of the way of the marching herd when my phone rang and Mrs. Koog was on the line! It was good for us to hear her voice after a few days! We didn’t chat long as we didn’t want to miss our announcement. Hopefully our respective positions will be more cell-friendly over the next few days.
It was about 45 minutes before we heard the magic words “bus 16” being called over the PA system. They had a specific gangway for the excursion folk which required a trek from the front to the back of the ship, through the corridors of staterooms and whatnot. It was like a murmuring parade of the complaining privileged. I mean, was it annoying to be queued and marched through the ship, yes. But, we are all on a cruise vacation for 10 days in the UK. Let’s take a breath and count our blessings. If there is one thing this holiday has taught me, it’s patience. That’s not my finest virtue in many aspects of my life, but I don’t like the ugliness when I’m on vacation!
We made it to our bus and found a seat. Today, we were not the target as we were from the rude lady yesterday, it was a Mom with a son on the spectrum. The 2 front seats on both sides of the aisle were reserved today. The boys got on and sat in the second row. I asked the woman in the row across the aisle if the end seat was taken so I could sit next to the boys. Her response was outlandish and quite loud, “If I wanted to be next to someone I would not be traveling alone! I will just move?” Um, ok. I didn’t ask her to move as I would have taken a different seat a few rows back. Go ahead and move sweetie, and I’m not surprised you are traveling alone with that attitude.
Just as we got sorted and crazy pants found a different seat, the mom and her son came in and asked the bus driver if they could sit in the front. She explained that he was on the spectrum and she had a knee issue. The driver was super polite and opened the seat. As the son was trying to get his seatbelt untangled with his mom’s help, another wild boar like lady with the cackle of satan made some snide comment about the mom trying to help her son with the seatbelt. I didn’t hear the entire exchange, but it was something about the son being a man and not depending on mommy. It was gutting. The mom shot back and the woman was embarrassed. Both Mom and Son ended up moving behind the boys, (my Sweetie had to move again) because the seatbelt was unfixable. When we all returned to the bus after the first stop at Falkirk Wheel, Mrs. Cackle of Satan apologized to mom. I think it was too little, too late.
Anyway…
The ride itself was quite beautiful and familiar since we had made almost the exact ride in a few sections going to and from Clackmannan to Edinburgh. We passed the Kelpies, which are impressive metal sculptures of the mythical ponies that supposedly come to rescue swimmers by offering their backs when the swimmer is in danger. Unfortunately for the swimmer, the back of the Kelpie is some gorilla adhesive and they are now stuck on the Kelpie as they dive into the water and eat the swimmer. The Scots have some interesting tales…
We arrived at the Falkirk Wheel and it’s quite something! Just a beautiful piece of human engineering. Back in the 1800’s a canal was needed from Glasgow to Edinburgh. The Glasgow engineers built a lock system while the Edinburgh engineers built around the contours of the landscape. When the two sides met in Falkirk, the Edinburgh side was 110 feet above the Glasgow side! Back in the day, they had a workaround of about a mile, today we have the Falkirk Wheel. Use the Google and watch a video, it’s impressive.
The boat we boarded was the Archimedes, named for the dude that had the theory of water displacement that is the basis of the wheel’s engineering. It reminded me of a cruise ship tender boat but with windows and no lifesaving supplies. We entered the bottom gondola and started to slowly and smoothly be lifted 110 feet to the top canal. Once up there, we went through a tunnel, turned around and were back in the gondola for the trip down. What a spectacular view! Both boys and I are not fans of heights but this for some reason didn’t bother us at all. It was so smooth and slow and controlled. I wish Mrs. Koog was with us for this as I think our mariner would have loved it!
Back on the bus for the ride to Stirling. Our original plan was to hike up to Stirling Castle and explore then hike back down to the town center to eat, shop and meet the bus. E-Koog, with almost a tear in his eyes, begged me to not climb the hill! B-Koog, still dealing with the effects of the Tiger Balm incident, also begged to not make the steep incline hike. I didn’t have the heart to force them, so we stayed in the city center and slowly walked around.
We found a place to eat that was lovely, Cronies Bar and Restaurant at the Golden Lion Hotel. It was now 3pm and we were all starving! They boys saw Steak Pie and they were sold. I saw broiled chicken with haggis bonbons and I was all in. I have been dying to try haggis since we got to Scotland. Mrs. Koog had no desire to see, smell or taste haggis because of the unusual ingredients (use the Google machine). The bonbons looked like east coast hush puppies stuffed with ground meat. The seasoning was delicious. I’m a haggis fan now!
After lunch, we went across the street to the Boots pharmacy to get some Voltaren ointment that will not set B-Koog’s legs aflame. We found a cool store that was super tiny but only sold Christmas ornaments (got a cool one of a Highland Cow) and another place that sold underwear with the Scotland Tartan and the Scotland Football crest. Yes, I got them and yes, Mrs. Koog is the luckiest lady alive!
Both boys had to use the bathroom, so we ducked into this small cafe that sold homemade ice cream. I had a small cup of Scottish Tablet. Never heard off the stuff before, but whoa nelly, it’s fantastic. It’s a variety of creams and some sort of sugar and it is amazing. As we were leaving the ice cream place, we were treated with the beautiful sound Scotland is known for, bagpipes.
In the middle of a roundabout in the town center was an older gentleman in full piper kilt playing beautiful music. Stirling is a very picturesque place and as I looked around at the beauty with the textured sounds of the bagpipes, I caught myself tearing up. How lucky were we to be treated to this sunny day in beautiful Stirling with the soundtrack of a bagpiper. I felt lucky to witness it, but even luckier to be able to witness it with my boys.
We stood there for several minutes, the three of us just taking it all in as I looked at my watch. It was time to go toward our bus back to the ship. All of us were grateful for the day and the music. I asked them if they regretted not seeing the castle but they didn’t. E-Koog said the lunch, the stores and the bagpipes were better than the castle because they just “happened” to us. Right-on, kid.
I stole a nap for part of the way back, trying to catch up on sleep after last night's leg fire, waking up to realize we were still on the bus at 6:20 and I had a massage scheduled for 7. First world problems, I know. We made it back and I arrived at the spa at 6:59. I’m sure you are thinking this is over indulging, but it was needed after the unsleepable posh flat in London and the small loveseat for 5 days. The massage was glorious and I’m feeling better. As is B-Koog after I used the appropriate amount of Voltaren on his neck and legs.
It’s 11:42 and both boys are sleeping soundly as I write. I’m heading to dreamland myself.
We had a more proper wake up around 8:30 when my bagpipe music phone alarm rang. Each of us got up easily and ran to the balcony to see the beautiful shoreline of Greenock, Scotland. Dressing quickly we enjoyed a hearty breakfast and talked about how excited we were to finally see the Falkirk Wheel with our own eyes!
After breakfast we grabbed our stuff and headed down to the meeting place for the excursions. Today was complete bedlam. A complete contrast to yesterday’s order and discipline. I absolutely do not fault the Carnival staff at all, this was the unruly passengers unwilling to wait their turn. The amount of line cutting felt like an elementary school cafeteria on pizza day. As the boys and I were the next up, a middle aged woman, certainly old enough to know better just stepped in front of us and said to the crew member manning the check-in table “I’ve waited long enough!” The crew member, much more polite than I would have been, said, “I understand, please speak to my colleague.” Her colleague was the cruise director and he politely but firmly explained how to find the end of the line.
The drama left and we got checked-in for bus 16. The next bus that was called was bus 2, so we had a bit of a wait! We found a place to stand that was close to where we would exit but out of the way of the marching herd when my phone rang and Mrs. Koog was on the line! It was good for us to hear her voice after a few days! We didn’t chat long as we didn’t want to miss our announcement. Hopefully our respective positions will be more cell-friendly over the next few days.
It was about 45 minutes before we heard the magic words “bus 16” being called over the PA system. They had a specific gangway for the excursion folk which required a trek from the front to the back of the ship, through the corridors of staterooms and whatnot. It was like a murmuring parade of the complaining privileged. I mean, was it annoying to be queued and marched through the ship, yes. But, we are all on a cruise vacation for 10 days in the UK. Let’s take a breath and count our blessings. If there is one thing this holiday has taught me, it’s patience. That’s not my finest virtue in many aspects of my life, but I don’t like the ugliness when I’m on vacation!
We made it to our bus and found a seat. Today, we were not the target as we were from the rude lady yesterday, it was a Mom with a son on the spectrum. The 2 front seats on both sides of the aisle were reserved today. The boys got on and sat in the second row. I asked the woman in the row across the aisle if the end seat was taken so I could sit next to the boys. Her response was outlandish and quite loud, “If I wanted to be next to someone I would not be traveling alone! I will just move?” Um, ok. I didn’t ask her to move as I would have taken a different seat a few rows back. Go ahead and move sweetie, and I’m not surprised you are traveling alone with that attitude.
Just as we got sorted and crazy pants found a different seat, the mom and her son came in and asked the bus driver if they could sit in the front. She explained that he was on the spectrum and she had a knee issue. The driver was super polite and opened the seat. As the son was trying to get his seatbelt untangled with his mom’s help, another wild boar like lady with the cackle of satan made some snide comment about the mom trying to help her son with the seatbelt. I didn’t hear the entire exchange, but it was something about the son being a man and not depending on mommy. It was gutting. The mom shot back and the woman was embarrassed. Both Mom and Son ended up moving behind the boys, (my Sweetie had to move again) because the seatbelt was unfixable. When we all returned to the bus after the first stop at Falkirk Wheel, Mrs. Cackle of Satan apologized to mom. I think it was too little, too late.
Anyway…
The ride itself was quite beautiful and familiar since we had made almost the exact ride in a few sections going to and from Clackmannan to Edinburgh. We passed the Kelpies, which are impressive metal sculptures of the mythical ponies that supposedly come to rescue swimmers by offering their backs when the swimmer is in danger. Unfortunately for the swimmer, the back of the Kelpie is some gorilla adhesive and they are now stuck on the Kelpie as they dive into the water and eat the swimmer. The Scots have some interesting tales…
We arrived at the Falkirk Wheel and it’s quite something! Just a beautiful piece of human engineering. Back in the 1800’s a canal was needed from Glasgow to Edinburgh. The Glasgow engineers built a lock system while the Edinburgh engineers built around the contours of the landscape. When the two sides met in Falkirk, the Edinburgh side was 110 feet above the Glasgow side! Back in the day, they had a workaround of about a mile, today we have the Falkirk Wheel. Use the Google and watch a video, it’s impressive.
The boat we boarded was the Archimedes, named for the dude that had the theory of water displacement that is the basis of the wheel’s engineering. It reminded me of a cruise ship tender boat but with windows and no lifesaving supplies. We entered the bottom gondola and started to slowly and smoothly be lifted 110 feet to the top canal. Once up there, we went through a tunnel, turned around and were back in the gondola for the trip down. What a spectacular view! Both boys and I are not fans of heights but this for some reason didn’t bother us at all. It was so smooth and slow and controlled. I wish Mrs. Koog was with us for this as I think our mariner would have loved it!
Back on the bus for the ride to Stirling. Our original plan was to hike up to Stirling Castle and explore then hike back down to the town center to eat, shop and meet the bus. E-Koog, with almost a tear in his eyes, begged me to not climb the hill! B-Koog, still dealing with the effects of the Tiger Balm incident, also begged to not make the steep incline hike. I didn’t have the heart to force them, so we stayed in the city center and slowly walked around.
We found a place to eat that was lovely, Cronies Bar and Restaurant at the Golden Lion Hotel. It was now 3pm and we were all starving! They boys saw Steak Pie and they were sold. I saw broiled chicken with haggis bonbons and I was all in. I have been dying to try haggis since we got to Scotland. Mrs. Koog had no desire to see, smell or taste haggis because of the unusual ingredients (use the Google machine). The bonbons looked like east coast hush puppies stuffed with ground meat. The seasoning was delicious. I’m a haggis fan now!
After lunch, we went across the street to the Boots pharmacy to get some Voltaren ointment that will not set B-Koog’s legs aflame. We found a cool store that was super tiny but only sold Christmas ornaments (got a cool one of a Highland Cow) and another place that sold underwear with the Scotland Tartan and the Scotland Football crest. Yes, I got them and yes, Mrs. Koog is the luckiest lady alive!
Both boys had to use the bathroom, so we ducked into this small cafe that sold homemade ice cream. I had a small cup of Scottish Tablet. Never heard off the stuff before, but whoa nelly, it’s fantastic. It’s a variety of creams and some sort of sugar and it is amazing. As we were leaving the ice cream place, we were treated with the beautiful sound Scotland is known for, bagpipes.
In the middle of a roundabout in the town center was an older gentleman in full piper kilt playing beautiful music. Stirling is a very picturesque place and as I looked around at the beauty with the textured sounds of the bagpipes, I caught myself tearing up. How lucky were we to be treated to this sunny day in beautiful Stirling with the soundtrack of a bagpiper. I felt lucky to witness it, but even luckier to be able to witness it with my boys.
We stood there for several minutes, the three of us just taking it all in as I looked at my watch. It was time to go toward our bus back to the ship. All of us were grateful for the day and the music. I asked them if they regretted not seeing the castle but they didn’t. E-Koog said the lunch, the stores and the bagpipes were better than the castle because they just “happened” to us. Right-on, kid.
I stole a nap for part of the way back, trying to catch up on sleep after last night's leg fire, waking up to realize we were still on the bus at 6:20 and I had a massage scheduled for 7. First world problems, I know. We made it back and I arrived at the spa at 6:59. I’m sure you are thinking this is over indulging, but it was needed after the unsleepable posh flat in London and the small loveseat for 5 days. The massage was glorious and I’m feeling better. As is B-Koog after I used the appropriate amount of Voltaren on his neck and legs.
It’s 11:42 and both boys are sleeping soundly as I write. I’m heading to dreamland myself.
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