Birdsong's Trip to the UK

Wed. Oct. 19 Edinburgh, Lazy Day

Raining! Wheeled laundry in a suitcase down the street. Walked through a huge park to the Royal Botanical Gardens. There were plants from all over the world.

Had soup and sandwiches at a deli on Raeburn Street. Caught up on this journal. Took a taxi to the Museum of Scotland. Naps. Dinner again at San Marco. Had wine Villa Tucci, Vino de Tavola Rosso, Italy.

Thurs. Oct. 20 - On to Haltwhistle, England

(Goodbye, Scotland!) Took the Waverly station train to Carlisle, where we changed trains. There was no station pub, so we had lunch just outside at Pancho's and shared a huge chicken taco plate.

The train to Haltwhistle was the oldest we had been on: two cars, rickety, worn and dirty, and nearly empty. I took a photo, but it looks fine, not worn and dingy.

The countryside as seen from the train: stone walls or hedge rows, hills and streams. Green, green, green! Some cows, and sheep, sheep, sheep! Too many clouds for good photos from the train.

The name Haltwhistle comes from Old English Haute Twistle, meaning a high cross roads. The town claims to be the "heart of Britain," the center.

An older gentleman was standing outside the train station. The station was too small to have a ticket office, so there was no one to ask questions of. You paid for tickets on the train.

This gentleman was intent on giving us precise directions to our B&B. We knew from our GPS exactly where it was. He was just trying to be helpful.

Walked to Ashcroft Guest House, which was very charming with a beautiful garden. Walked to town (three blocks!) and found free Internet access. We were worried about Di, who had just moved to Florida, but had no email news.

Since the Ashcroft had room for us for only one night, we booked the next night at the Centre of Britain Hotel on the main street. Then we stopped in at the Working Man's Club, not sure if it was a public pub.

James came over and warmly greeted us and said we were welcome any time. Everyone was watching horse racing on the big screen TV, and people kept running out somewhere to place their bets.

Ate dinner at a pub that a lady from the Working Man's recommended, The Black Bull. We had not noticed it, as it was partially obscured down a little path behind another building on the main street.

Adorable pub, 400 years old, and they said the foundation was even older. Low ceiling, beams irregularly cut and decorated with round medallions they said adorned horses and wagons. I took a photo, but for some reason it came out blurry.

We had the best meal there: duck for me and venison for Larry, prepared by the young wife of the young proprietor. We ate there the second night, too, and both had pheasant.

After dinner we spent a few hours talking to local residents and several insisted on buying Larry "real ale", since this is his favorite beer. We had a lot of drinks, but the bill was low from all the locals buying for us.

The Centre of Britain Hotel, our hotel for the second night in Haltwhistle, has one section in the front dating from Medieval times, but was quite modern looking.

Our rooms were in back, not in the main hotel. Our room was funky: Sitting room and bath downstairs, bed upstairs in a windowless loft. Claustrophobic but clean and new.

At breakfast in the Centre of Britain, we visited with the friendly proprietor and a visitor from Lexington, KY, a mortuary owner.

Ashcroft B&B, Haltwhistle