Blogs from Linlithgow, West Lothian, Scotland, United Kingdom, Europe

Now, where might you say is Linlithgow? Well, initially we had the same thought as we had difficulty finding it on the atlas as it is amidst a jumble of other towns between Edinburgh and Glasgow. Actually it is a quiet town just off the M9 and closer to Edinburgh than Glasgow. It is also the home to Linlithgow Castle where Mary Queen of Scots was born. So the town has a very strong Scottish heritage. The weather this morning actually looks reasonably promising with scattered clouds and peeks of sunshine although the temperature is still not going to get above the mid teens .Even with the drop in temperatures since we arrived in the UK we have found that the places we have stayed in have been well insulated and warm. As promised we got ... read more

The new house has reached a stage where it has all the necessary facilities and is comfortable to live in. In a couple of months, the floors will be sanded and sealed and then we can move our furniture. At that point, there will be no excuse for keeping the old house and it'll have to go. So if you know of anyone who wants a house that meets the following description, ask them to get in touch. It’s a brick-built ex-shale miner’s mid-terraced cottage built about 100 years ago, with a first floor attic conversion, which has fairly ugly dormer windows at roof level. It’s about half-way between Linlithgow and Kirkliston on a main bus route between Edinburgh, Linlithgow, Falkirk & Stirling, is well located for J2 of the M9 to Stirling and is surrounded ... read more

(by Terri) I think I shall remember the twilight full-moon walk with Becky for the rest of me life! The Scottish tree-lined street paralleled the Sea at a distance. It was winding and narrow. The Ambiance was magickal in every sense of the word. Nothing could have been more perfect. Our noses were cold as the sun set rapidly and the splendor of the full moon emerged on a blue-black horizon. The trees canopied overhead, and at times gave way to vast open fields giving us glimpses of the sparkling village lights in the far distance. It was upon this road that we found our next Sacred Spot. The energetic qualities of Scotland, as a whole, felt masculine to me. I actually had an experience of The Sacred Masculine at this site here in Linlithgow, ... read more

A Palace and a Loch I took one look at the weather outside and decided that it was a good day to take a trip out to Linlithgow, about a 20 minute train ride from Edinburgh. It was sunny and relatively warm in the sun (as opposed to the shade, where it was a bit chilly). As Linlithgow ended up being fairly small, I only spend about half a day there, mostly at the palace and the surrounding loch and peel (park). Linlithgow Palace After wandering along High Street between the train station and the palace, taking a few pictures along the way, I decided to enter the palace. Many of the Stuart (Stewart) kings lived here, and the palace was the birthplace of James V and Mary, Queen of Scots. However, now all that really ... read more

Only a little European jaunt this time: we'll travel through England, Nertherlands, Belgium (perhaps), Germany, France, Switzerland and Italy in about the same time that it took to drive from Katoomba to Melbourne. We're off to Florence... well we're on our way. Had an uneventful ferry trip, then down to the Dutch border where we stayed in a nice hotel in nice walking country deciduous woods and rolling hills. We had a really good meal with some Trappist monk beer, Grimbergen, with a 6% alcohol count. Thence via Belgium Germany Luxemburg Germany again, into France and a slightly run down hotel in the Vosges that did really cheap very good gourmet food (£25 for 3 courses plus wine). Then things started getting exciting. We got stuck in a traffic jam on the motorway in Basel for ... read more