Geo: 58.637, -3.06304July 6, 20106a.m.-9p.m.Awoke at the 6 a.m. wake up call and tried to sleep in, but due to the noise through the walls and hallways, I couldn't. The bed was interesting in that the comforter was nice and thick and the pillows nice, but the mattress was covered in plastic. So every time you moved, you made the mattress make a crackling sound. The hotel offered a laundry service where you can have a bag of laundry cleaned, so I left a bag to be picked up when we return to the hotel. We had breakfast at 7 where you could order what you wanted. They had waffles for the first time since leaving London so I ordered waffles and scrambled eggs. The ladies at my table started to laugh when they brought out ... read more

Geo: 57.4767, -4.23145July 5, 2010Laggan, Scotland5:30-8:00 a.m.I slept so well last night that I woke up at 5:30 a.m. in exactly the same position that I fell asleep in! I kept the windows open last night, but closed the drapes so the midges (biting insects) wouldn't get into the room. I dressed very warm today by wearing my thick blue jeans and socks. I made sure I had my rain poncho available in my carry-on bag. We had the normal English breakfast. The scrambled eggs were runny so I had a larger helping of it. After boarding the bus we headed off to our next stop, the Clava Cairns.8:00-10:45 a.m.Croy, ScotlandWe passed over the River Spey and Newtonmore, where we were supposed to have a Drambuie toast to Bonnie Prince Charlie and hear some pipes in ... read more

Geo: 55.9503, -3.18761July 3, 2010I woke up about 6:30 a.m. The room became cool during the night, but she had turned the fan to low sometime, and I woke up warm. The noise outside wasn't too bad, but my roommate must be coming down with a cold due to all the sneezing and sniffling she was doing after 3 a.m. I got out of the room as soon as possible and headed down to breakfast. I ate my normal fair and sat with two people who each had single rooms. They ask how things have been going with her. After I told them a few things, they informed me that they are surprised I lasted this long. Apparently Cherry has spoken to both of them in detail about her dead mother and husband, the various illnesses ... read more

Geo: 55.0058, -3.06223Gretna Green, Scotland2:15-5:15 p.m.The scenery hadn't changed much. Rolling hills, sheep, cows, sheep, dry stone walls (stone walls that are stones stacked so tightly and securely that no mortar is used), and of course sheep. We also went past the location of the Lockerbie plane crash which was next to the freeway. As for the weather, the sun played peek-a-boo all day and the wind was blowing. Gretna Green is a tiny town that is famous for runaway weddings in days of old. English couples on the run from fathers could get married by the blacksmith. People could still get married by the blacksmith up until the 1950's. I have always read about it in the Barbara Cartland romances. They had a sign in book for visitors, I wrote: Finally made it here….alas came ... read more

Geo: 53.9577, -1.08229July 1, 2010Stratford upon Avon6:00-8:15 a.m.Slept pretty good last night even though I was woken up at 3 am by a phone call from Christine. I didn't answer and turned off my phone. The room was hot due to the air conditioning automatically turning off sometime I the middle of the night. I got up and turned it back on. The wake up call was at 6 with breakfast at 7. I was able to order my breakfast this time and finally got the scrambled eggs made correctly! The day was overcast with a chance of rain later. We boarded the bus for a short ride to Anne Hathaway's cottage for a 5 minute photo op. It was a beautiful thatch roof cottage with one of the best gardens I have ever seen. Although ... read more