Yarns from the Lake

Scotland Part 3 – Edinburgh

This post is the third in a series about our trip to Scotland in July, which came about because my husband got four tickets to the final round of the British Open golf tournament at Troon. It seems like ages ago already, good thing I took notes about what we did each day. My first Scotland trip blog post, about our time in Glasgow at the beginning of the trip, can be accessed here. The second Scotland trip blog post, about our tour of Outlander filming sites, can be accessed here.

On our last day in Glasgow, my husband Wayne and our son James used a rental car to go golfing. They returned the rental car in Edinburgh, after dropping off all of the luggage at our lodging there. Wayne’s friend Keith went back home after the golf tournament and other activities in Glasgow. I took the train from Glasgow to Edinburgh with Ingrid, our Swedish friend and former au pair, and my daughter-in-law Kelsey with our granddaughter Blair.

We all had positive experiences using trains and buses to get around on this trip, only using rental cars a couple of times. However, there was a little mix up when buying the train tickets out of a machine in the Glasgow train station for the ride to Edinburgh. We thought we were buying three adult one way tickets. As they started coming out of the machine we grabbed three, not knowing that our purchase included six tickets, with a return ticket for each of us that we did not need. When the conductor (is that what they are called?) came around on the train to punch our tickets, he said that mine was not valid. At first we thought he was joking, and then we explained and protested, but he made me buy another ticket. We finally figured out that one of the three tickets we had taken from the machine was a return ticket. Oh well, we got to our destination, and it could have been worse.

Our Airbnb was a 10 minute walk from the train station, conveniently located less than two blocks from the Royal Mile, the main drag in Old Town Edinburgh. It was a small two bedroom apartment that came with a porta crib and highchair. Being on the third floor with no elevator, we got our exercise climbing up and down the stairs, in addition to a lot of walking around sightseeing.

The first afternoon in Edinburgh we scoped out the area. Following are a couple of random photos.

On our second day in Edinburgh some of us did a Harry Potter walking tour. I am one of a few people who have not read the Harry Potter books. I have seen a couple of the movies, so I know what the general story is and who the main characters are. The tour included information on the author, J.K. Rowling, sites in Edinburgh that are related to the books, and about Edinburgh in general.

I don’t remember everything from the tour, and some of the details about the book went over my head. I do remember that J.K. Rowling had split from her abusive husband and had a restraining order against him. She went to Edinburgh with her infant daughter to start fresh. She would walk around with the baby in a stroller, and when the baby fell asleep she would go in whatever coffee shop was nearby and work on her writing. It was a tough time for her. When the manuscript was finished it was rejected by 12 publishers before finally one bought it. They encouraged her to use her first initial instead of her first name, because they thought that the expected audience of young boys would not buy a book written by a woman.

The Elephant House, one of the coffee shops where J.K. Rowling spent time writing, while sitting in the back looking out over Edinburgh Castle, is sometimes considered the birthplace of the Harry Potter series. Actually, she had already started writing the first book before she came to Edinburgh. The original location had a fire and is under renovation. We walked past the current location on Victoria Street.

Kelsey and Blair in front of the Elephant House cafe

Victoria street is a picturesque winding street off the Royal Mile that became the inspiration for Diagon Alley in Harry Potter. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Victoria Street, the inspiration for Diagon Alley in Harry Potter

There was a lot of fun art inside the Elephant House cafe, including this painting that gives a better image of Victoria Street than my photo.

Artwork of Victoria Street inside the Elephant House Cafe

The next photo was taken while we were waiting for the Harry Potter tour to begin. Blair wanted to have whatever beverage the adults had, so occasionally she was holding an unopened can of something (possibly even beer), or an empty paper coffee cup. She also waved at every statue we passed on the streets.

We spent quite a bit of time on the tour at Greyfriars Kirkyard. Some of the Harry Potter characters were inspired by names on the gravestones.

It is said that George Heriot School, which can be seen from Greyfriars Kirkyard, was the inspiration for Hogwarts, but J.K. Rowling has said this is not true.

George Heriot School behind Greyfriars Kirkyard

J.K. Rowling’s handprints are in the sidewalk at the Edinburgh City Chambers.

J.K. Rowling’s handprints in the pavement

The Harry Potter tour included information on the Grassmarket, an area of shops and restaurants in the Old Town. It has been one of the main marketplaces in Edinburgh since 1477 (according to this Wikipedia article). At that time it was a livestock market with a pasture at one end where horses and cattle grazed.

The tour guide told us about “Half Hangit Maggie”. In 1742 Maggie Dickson worked at an Inn after her husband had left her. There are various stories about where he went and how the rest of the story played out. Anyway, she was tried for hiding the fact that she had a baby, possibly with the son of the Inn keeper. She was hanged for her crime at the Grassmarket. However she was not actually dead and woke up inside the coffin on the way to the graveyard. Having been hanged she could not be tried again, so Maggie was now a free woman. After this the law was changed so that a person must be hanged “until they are dead”. Maggie lived for another 40 years. I found an interesting article with more details and versions of this story and life in Edinburgh at that time. Click here if you want to learn more.

I had a hard time getting a good photo of the Grassmarket. I found an image online of a beautiful watercolor painting by Henry G. Duguid, currently at the National Gallery of Scotland, that shows what the area would have looked like in 1850, with Edinburgh Castle in the background.

Watercolor of the Grassmarket by Henry G. Duguid, 1850

That afternoon we all paid for entrance to Edinburgh Castle, which is on a hill at one end of the Royal Mile overlooking the city. It is quite impressive

There was a painting displayed inside the castle from 1750, which again gives a better representation of the whole thing than my photos.

A painting of Edinburgh Castle from 1750

St. Margaret’s Chapel, built in 1150 and named for Queen Margaret, is the oldest building in Edinburgh Castle. It was small with pretty stained glass windows. My name is Margaret so I had to include some photos.

Stained glass window in St. Margaret’s Chapel

That evening we had dinner at Edinburgh Street Food, an upscale food court. According to their website they are “a bold and eclectic foodies paradise filled with the best independent traders in Scotland”. It worked well for us to each order the type of food we wanted, and to sit outside where birds could eat the food Blair tossed off her placemat.

The next day Wayne took the train by himself to St. Andrews, the birthplace of golf. James would have enjoyed going, but he was a good husband and dad, and stayed back with Kelsey and Blair. Wayne was amazed to find out that the famous golf course at St Andrews is open to the public, and even has a walking path that follows the entire course. The next photos are a very scenic photo he took on one of the holes, and his beverage in the clubhouse after walking the entire course.

One of the holes at the St Andrews golf course

Wayne’s beer in the clubhouse at St Andrews

While Wayne was on his outing, the rest of us went for a walk to a playground in Edinburgh. On the way we passed the Palace of Holyroodhouse at the other end of the Royal Mile. The British Royal family stays there when in town, but if they are not in residence it is open for tours. We saw the outside but did not do a tour. We thought we were going to end up near Dean Village, a neighborhood with picturesque architecture and an interesting history of water mills. Somehow that was a different direction and soon it was time to get back for Blair’s morning nap.

While Blair was napping I did some shopping. All along the Royal Mile there were dozens of stores selling stacks and stacks of Harris Tweed products (scarves, bags, gloves, blankets, throws, shawls, etc). Harris Tweed wool fabric is spun, dyed and hand woven in the Outer Hebrides in the north of Scotland. I had read about a place near the castle that was supposed to have looms weaving fabric in the lower level with a viewing area. Wayne and I went in there before the castle tour, but it was very touristy and the weaving on the lower level had been discontinued. I had scoped out two shops near our Airbnb that had really nice textile products, so I bought a couple of items from them. I bought a skein of yarn from one of the shops that matched a throw blanket on the sofa in the Airbnb.

The other shop where I bought several things was called Scottish Textiles Showcase. They had products from some specific makers around Scotland. Note the green wool coat in the lower right of the following photo.

The next photo shows the items I bought at the Scottish Textiles Showcase, including a another skein of yarn, of course. I also bought three small bags made by the shop owners out of Borders Tweed fabric woven in Langholm, Scotland.

My souvenirs from the Scottish Textile Showcase

Kelsey, Blair and I had been in this shop together earlier. Blair modeled a wool headband.

After I was done with my shopping, Kelsey went out on her own while Blair was still sleeping. She came back with a wool coat. The same one that you can see in the window in my photo above!

After Blair’s nap was over we walked to the National Museum of Scotland where there were two different interactive play areas for children, along with many other typical museum displays. While James and Kelsey were busy with Blair, Ingrid and I saw Dolly the Sheep, the first mammal cloned in 1996 in Scotland. I assume this display is the actual sheep, which seems a little creepy to me.

We went through an exhibit on life in 18th Century Scotland. That time period is when Outlander takes place, so Ingrid and I thought it was especially interesting. I enjoyed seeing the following weaving loom and spinning wheel.

There was another fun exhibit of clothing throughout the years, another one of my interests. We all needed a dress like this for social distancing during covid.

For our last dinner in Edinburgh James and Kelsey had a date night, while Ingrid and Wayne and I stayed with Blair.

After James and Kelsey left for dinner, Ingrid and I went out in search of some take out food to bring back to the Airbnb. We thought it would be appropriate to get dinner at the World’s End Pub, which in the 16th Century was just on the inside of what was then a walled city. Being mentioned in Outlander, I have a photo of it from the outside in my Outlander Tour post. It turned out that they do not offer take out, and also it was very crowded.

After poking our heads inside a couple of other restaurants, we found the Nether Bow Port Cafe & Bistro on the Royal Mile. It was not crowded, they were happy to package our order for take out, the price was reasonable, and it did not take very long.

We enjoyed our traditional Scottish fish and chips dinner in the Airbnb while Blair was sleeping. The meal came with hummus and pita bread. I don’t know why that was paired with this entree, but it was also good.

On our last day in Edinburgh Ingrid went back to Sweden, with invitations for all of us to come and visit her there. I hope she was serious because we will likely take her up on the offer at some point. James and Kelsey moved to a hotel near the airport for their trip back home the following day. That again involved James taking all their stuff in an uber, and Kelsey and Blair taking the train (since they did not have a car seat for Blair to ride in an uber). Wayne and I took the train to London.

I really liked Scotland, especially the countryside and small villages we saw. I wish we had had more time to explore the Highlands, the islands to the far north, and some of the wool, weaving and textile related destinations. Maybe some day.

Wayne observed that in all our travels in foreign countries we have had the most trouble with the language in Scotland, where they speak English. There were times when we could barely understand what was being said. Watch for my next post about our day and a half in London and getting back home.

Scotland Part 2 – Outlander Tour & Sites

I am a big fan of the Outlander books by Diana Gabaldon, as well as the TV series adapted from the books. It is a saga involving romance, action, drama, history, and time travel, with a strong female character. The basic premise is that Claire, a British WWII combat nurse who is on vacation with her husband in Scotland, accidentally travels back in time 200 years to the same location. She falls in love with 18th century highlander Jamie Fraser, and many adventures ensue. Some people are turned off of the TV show by the graphic violence and sex. Personally I don’t like that either, and sometimes have to close my eyes or fast forward. The books are a completely different experience, being long and with more every day happenings in between all the drama. Also, the way you imagine the intense scenes when you are reading is quite a bit different than what you see on TV.

While planning our trip to Scotland this summer, I was excited about the prospect of seeing some Outlander filming sites. We signed up for a one day Rabbie’s Outlander Tour originating in Glasgow. I picked one of several tour options that worked out logistically, and that included three castles and two towns used as filming locations for the TV show. The sites included in the tour are places that would be interesting for anyone who likes history, even if you are not an Outlander fan. Click here for a map of the stops on the tour. In addition, I saw a few other sites in Glasgow and Edinburgh that were not part of the Rabbie’s Tour.

I published a blog post in July 2020 about a tie shawl I knit that is similar to shawls worn by Claire in the TV show (click here for the link) . That post has gotten the most views of all my blog posts by a very large margin. I assume this is due to having Outlander in the title and also including Outlander tags on the post. As of today, the all time number of views of the “Outlander Inspired Tie Shawl” post is 12,393. I have a few posts that have around 2,400 views, and a few with 500 or 600. Most posts have closer to 70 or fewer. It will be interesting to see what happens with this post.

Spoiler alert if you have not watched all of the TV episodes or read the books, as specific events and scenes will be mentioned. I am going to assume that readers are familiar with the characters and locations in the story. If you are not, there is a detailed summary on Wikipedia here.

The first stop on the Rabbie’s tour was Doune Castle, which was used for Castle Leoch in the TV series. Castle Leoch is the home of Colum and Dougal MacKenzie, Jamie Fraser’s uncles. Jamie and Claire arrive there on horseback when we first see it in Episode 1, after Claire has accidentally time traveled through some standing stones from 1945 to 1743. On the show there are many scenes of daily life in the castle.

This castle was also used for filming scenes in Monty Python and the Holy Grail, and Game of Thrones.

In the courtyard at Doune Castle / Castle Leoch

The kitchen at Doune Castle was recreated exactly in the studio for filming. There was a massive fireplace.

Wayne and Ingrid in front of the kitchen fireplace at Doune Castle / Castle Leoch

The next stop on the tour was the town of Falkland, used as the filming site for 1940’s Inverness. The real city of Inverness is farther to the north. This is where Claire and Frank are having a second honeymoon after WWII is over. Frank is doing genealogy research on his ancestor from the 1700’s, Black Jack Randall. There is a well known scene that takes place here where the (presumed) ghost of Jamie is standing in the square looking up at Claire in the window of the bed and breakfast where she and Frank are staying. We got a photo of Wayne standing in the same spot where Jamie is standing in the TV episode.

The famous spot where the presumed ghost of Jamie stands

In the story, Claire and Frank are staying at Mrs. Baird’s Bed and Breakfast. The building used for filming is called the Covenanter Hotel. We had a lovely lunch there.

Lunch at the Covenanter Hotel with our travel companions, Ingrid, and Keith

The Covenanter Hotel, used for Mrs. Baird’s B and B

The sign for the Bed and Breakfast used for filming is hanging inside the building.

The Bed and Breakfast sign from filming is inside

Following is another view from the village square. The shop with the green door is where Claire looks at a vase in the window.

Fayre Earth Gift-shop with the green awning is used as Farrell’s Hardware and Furniture Store, where Claire looks at a vase in the window

The third stop on the tour was Midhope Castle, the filming site for Lallybroch, Jamie’s family home. There was a fire at Midhope Castle, so the interior is not accessible. A big board with photos taken during filming was set up outside. The following photo from the display shows Claire and Jamie riding away from Lallybroch.

A photo taken during filming at Midhope Castle / Lallybroch

And here is a photo I took of the same view, but closer to the gate.

Filming for Outlander season eight was recently completed, and also a prequel about Jamie’s parents and Claire’s parents is underway. I had been thinking that it would be fun to see some actual filming. In reality, if that had been going on during the dates we were in Scotland the sites would not have been open for tourists.

Wayne walking through the gate towards Midhope Castle / Lallybroch

Standing on the steps of Midhope Castle / Lallybroch

I read online that a plan was approved in 2022 to turn the Midhope Castle site into a Distillery with meeting rooms and accommodations. That would be amazing and popular, but we did not see any evidence of construction or improvements.

The forth stop on the tour was Blackness Castle, used as the filming site for Fort William in the show. There is a real Fort William farther to the north. Fort William is where Jamie gets flogged, and where he has to rescue Claire from Black Jack Randall.

There was a tour guide in costume talking about life in the castle and Outlander scenes filmed there. For the scene where Jamie has to rescue Claire, he climbs up the outside of the building and into the room where Black Jack Randall is keeping Claire. Some creative license is used during filming, because the room is not actually at the location where Jamie climbs up the wall. There was also some running up of stairs that did not line up with where Jamie ends up after that on the show. After Jamie gets Claire, they make their escape by jumping off an outside wall into the water. In actuality there is not any water there.

Following is a photo taken inside the courtyard where Jamie gets flogged.

The courtyard where Jamie gets flogged by Black Jack Randall

While watching the TV scene where Jamie gets flogged, you can see the copper color streaks on the wall

The fifth and last stop on the Outlander tour was the picturesque town of Culross. This location was used as the filming site for the village of Cranesmuir in the TV series due to the many preserved 17th and 18th century buildings. Cranesmuir is the village near Castle Leoch where Geillis Duncan and her husband live at the beginning of the series. Claire frequents the town regularly for supplies, and to visit with Geillis. The witchcraft trial takes place in this town.

The ochre colored Culross Palace in Culross was built around 1600. The yellow paint was too expensive for commoners, so was considered a sign of opulence.

Keith, Wayne and I standing in front of Culross Palace

A couple of Outlander scenes take place at the square in the following photo, including one where a boy has his ear nailed to a post.

For filming the buildings were all painted gray to make the location less recognizable. After filming was complete the buildings were repainted in the original colors.

The garden behind the palace was used as the filming site for Claire’s herb garden at Castle Leoch.

There was a great view of Culross from behind the palace.

While in Glasgow and Edinburgh, I saw a few more filming sites that were not part of the Rabbie’s tour. The cloisters area of the University of Glasgow campus was used as a filming site for Harvard University, when Clair and Frank live in Boston in the 20th century. Harvard does not actually look like this, not sure why they used it for filming.

There is another Outlander filming site in Glasgow that I did not get to see. The Glasgow Cathedral was used for the scenes in France when Claire volunteers at the L’Hopital des Anges.

I saw a couple of Outlander filming sites in Edinburgh. Jamie has to rescue Mr. Willowby at the World’s End Pub on the Royal mile. Back when Edinburgh was a walled city, this 16th century pub was just inside the wall, thus the end of the world as known by many of the inhabitants. It was very close to our lodging and still a busy pub.

When Claire goes back to the 18th century after she finds out that Jamie is not dead, he has a print shop in Edinburgh. The filming location is on Bakehouse Close, a side street (a “close”) off the Royal Mile.

Bakehouse Close, where Jamie’s printshop is located

In the TV episode Claire walks up the steps to Jamie’s Print shop.

Wayne on the steps to Jamie’s print shop

Looking back out toward the Royal Mile from Bakehouse Close

The Palace of Holyroodhouse, at the lower end of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, is where Claire and Jamie meet with Bonnie Prince Charlie in the series. The British Royal family stays in this palace when visiting Edinburgh. If they are not in residence, it is open for tours. I saw the outside, but did not have time for a tour.

There are more Outlander filming sites that I did not have time to see, and/or that were too far away. People always ask me if we got to see the stone circle at Craigh na Dun, near Inverness, that are the time travel portal. The location used for filming is on someone’s private property, and the stones used for filming were made out of foam painted to look like stone. There are other actual stone circles in Scotland, but they were all too far away. We did not see any standing stones on this trip.

I tried to check my facts and information about the locations I saw, but it is possible I got something wrong or read information on another site that was not correct.

It was very exciting to see so many Outlander related locations, which are also cool places in their own right. I am going to have to watch some Outlander episodes again now that I have seen the actual places where filming happened.

Watch for two more blog posts about our Scotland trip. The next one will be about time in Edinburgh, and lastly about the end of the trip in London and getting back home. I posted about the beginning of the trip in Glasgow earlier, you can read that here.

Scotland Part 1 – Glasgow

Three weeks after returning from a Danube River cruise trip this summer, we set off for Scotland. It is unheard of for us to go on two big trips back to back. We did not intend for this to happen, but sometimes you have to say Yes.

The river cruise trip had already been planned and paid for when Wayne was offered four tickets to the final round of the British Open golf tournament in Troon, Scotland. Wayne is a big golfer, so this was a bucket list opportunity not to be turned down. The way to get tickets is to put your name in a lottery for years on end and hope you eventually get selected. This year Wayne knew we were going on the other trip so he did not really want to get the tickets, but he felt that he needed to apply in order to keep his name active in the system. He thought that asking for four tickets to the final round would assure that he did not get them, and he almost missed the email informing him that he was being offered the tickets.

Wayne went to the Master’s golf tournament in Augusta, Georgia, a couple of years ago. I am not a golfer and did not go on that trip. In this case I was very excited about going along on a trip to Scotland. Our son James is also a big golfer and had gone with Wayne on the other golf trip, so it was natural to invite him and his wife Kelsey on this trip to use two of the tickets. They came and brought their one year old daughter, Blair. Wayne’s work/golf/fishing friend Keith also met us in Scotland to use the forth ticket.

It was a different trip with a one year old than it would have been otherwise. The logistics were more complicated, they had to be flexible and sometimes make last minute changes to plans.

When James was a baby we had a Swedish au pair for about six months. Ingrid was a neighbor of my relatives there. She had just finished high school so it was a good opportunity for her and a big help for us. We had not seen Ingrid since then but had been keeping in touch all this time. Ingrid also met us in Scotland. We joked that she was the Granny Nanny, since she would be able to help care for Blair while on the trip. The next photo is Ingrid holding James in the summer of 1990.

Ingrid holding James in the summer of 1990

Preparing for the trip was easy as I used the detailed packing list I had made for the Danube River cruise trip, with some clothes swapped out for the cooler, wetter weather in Scotland.

Packing included picking out a knitting project for the trip. I have to have something to keep my hands busy in the airport, on the plane, and during down times. I decided to make another Sophie Scarf, using Baby Alpaca/Merino Wool/ Silk yarn I bought in Juneau, Alaska, years ago.

Blair ate snacks and was dressed for comfort at MSP airport while we waited for our flight to Glasgow, that included a connection in Amsterdam.

Blair looking comfortable at MSP airport

There was a lot of time for knitting on the long overseas flight.

We took the train from the Glasgow airport to the city center, and then walked for 20 minutes to our hotel. Kelsey had booked rooms at a conveniently located hotel using reward points, but at the last minute the hotel rebooked us to a different one that was farther away from where we wanted to be. It also had a weird young people party vibe. We realized that hotel rooms were scarce and expensive due to the golf tournament, so despite the location and strange atmosphere, we were grateful that Kelsey was generous with her stash of rewards points from work travel. Following is a photo of James and Kelsey walking through the streets of Glasgow on the way from the train station to the hotel.

Our son and daughter-in-law walking from the train station to the hotel

The first evening there Ingrid met up with us at our hotel, our first time seeing her in 34 years. It did not seem like any time had passed at all, except that James was a little taller haha.

Seeing Ingrid for the first time in 34 years

It was quite a ways from our hotel to Buchanan Street, the main tourist street in Glasgow, which was near the train and bus station and other touristy sights.

After we were all settled in our hotels and taken a rest, Wayne wanted to check out some pubs with Keith while the rest of us found a child friendly restaurant for dinner. We found one that had a high chair, but did not allow children after eight o’clock. That seemed odd but worked for us as we were all pretty tired.

The next day Keith, Ingrid, Wayne and I went on a Rabbie’s Outlander Tour that we had booked ahead of time. There will be a separate blog post about the amazing day we had touring filming sites for the Outlander TV series. James and Kelsey spent the day on their own in Glasgow with Blair.

For our second full day in Glasgow, the entire group went on an outing to some Highland Games at Lochearnhead, and to Loch Lomond National Park. This involved rental cars which was an adventure in itself. Renting two rental cars were not more expensive than one bigger vehicle, but gave us more flexibility and a smaller car was easier to drive on narrow roads. James, Wayne and I took an uber to the airport rental car location. James rented a car with a car seat and drove back to the hotel to get Kelsey and Blair. Wayne and I waited at the rental car place for Keith and Ingrid to arrive by train, each from their respective hotels (which were a lot closer to the train station). Keith drove the second rental car with Ingrid, Wayne, and I. Due to starting out from different locations and times, we agreed to meet in Callander, a town on the way to the Highland Games. While waiting for James and Kelsey there we had time to check out a shop with Scottish products, including a size 12 months kilt. It would have looked adorable on Blair, but No, I did not buy it.

We found a cute cafe with a big assortment of pastries and savory sandwiches and pies.

I ordered a traditional Scottish “steak pie”. It was good and tasted like pot roast in a crust.

James, Kelsey, and Blair found us at the cafe and also ordered some breakfast. I would have enjoyed spending more time in Callander, but after finishing our food we left for the Highland Games event.

Driving in Scotland was pretty wild. They drive on the “wrong” side of the road (assuming you live in most any other place). James drove a manual transmission rental car, so he also had to manage the “stick” with his left hand. The roads in the countryside were one narrow lane in each direction with no shoulder. The roundabouts were going the wrong way. So confusing! Keith and James both did a great job driving and Keith later said it he thought it was fun. We saw many fields with big flocks of sheep while driving in the countryside.

The highlands part of northern Scotland is separated from the lowlands area by a fault line. Callander and Lochearnhead are at the southern edge of the highlands, about an hour and a half from Glasgow. The country is not very big compared to what we are used to in America. The vast majority of the population is in the central area including Glasgow and Edinburgh, which are only about 45 miles apart. It is about 300 miles from Glasgow to the Orkney Islands on the far north side. I would have loved driving to the far north, but alas there was not enough time to do everything.

We were lucky that there was a Highland Games event that was not too far away and on one of the days we could attend. This fair like set up with athletic competitions, dancing, food, and music was a great way to experience Scottish culture.

Wayne pretended to dead lift this giant rock. We actually saw someone get it off the ground.

There was a field and lake off to the side with a beautiful view of the mountains.

Earlier in the summer in Munich we saw hoards of Scottish people in their kilts. Now here at the Highland Games we saw a vendor selling German food.

A vendor selling German good at the Highland Games in Scotland

There was a parade with people representing their clans marching around the field.

Scottish dancers ranging in age from about 5 to teenagers were getting ready to compete. I saw a little girl who looked adorable practicing her routine. She gave me permission when I asked if I could take her photo. She put the rest of her costume on and then posed for me.

James and Kelsey bought a blanket so they could sit down with Blair and watch the festivities.

Wayne would have liked to stay longer at the Highland Games, but Blair was starting to get fussy and we also wanted to see Loch Lomond National Park that was a short drive from where we were.

We had planned on hiking at the national park. Unfortunately it started raining. Between the rain and Blair needing a nap it turned out to be a short hike, but it made for a memorable experience. Following is a map at the park showing all the hiking trails.

After the short hike James and Kelsey wanted to get back to their lodging. The rest of us stopped for dinner at Lock Lomond Arms, a classic looking Inn near Lock Lomond, a big lake. Ingrid and I both ordered salmon. It was probably the best meal we had on the entire trip.

Wayne ordered Haggis, the very Scottish meatloaf type of recipe that you do not want to know what is in it. He thought it was quite good.

Scotland is one of few places where Coke is not the most popular soft drink. Instead the locals prefer something called Irn Bru that I am told has a very unique hard to describe flavor with hints of cream soda, bubble gum, ginger and rhubarb. I am not much of a soda drinker, but Wayne and James were buying cans of it. It does not sound appealing to me, but I regret not even tasting it.

Irn Bru, the most popular soft drink in Scotland

While Wayne, James, Kelsey, and Keith were at the golf tournament for most of the third full day, Ingrid and I took care of Blair. That consisted of walking around Glasgow with Blair in the stroller, meals, and naps at the hotel. There was a coffee shop in a big city park that also had a playground.

The University of Glasgow had some beautiful architecture.

Wayne, James, Kelsey, and Keith had a great experience in Troon watching the final round of the British Open golf tournament.

On our last day in Glasgow, Wayne and James played a round of golf, using a rental car to get there.

While Wayne and James went golfing, Kelsey, Blair and I had breakfast in a cute coffee shop, while Ingrid rested at her hotel .

Wayne and James had taken most of our luggage with them in the rental car when they went golfing. After they were done, they drove the rental car to Edinburgh, dropped off the bags, and returned the rental car there. Ingrid, Kelsey, Blair and I took the train from Glasgow to Edinburgh after Blair’s morning nap.

Taking the train from Glasgow to Edinburgh

Watch for my next blog post about our day touring Outlander filming sites. After that there will be posts about our time in Edinburgh, and wrapping up the trip with a day and a half in London.

Sophie Scarf

After we got back from our Danube River cruise trip, I was looking for a one skein pattern to knit using the orangish yarn I bought in Germany.

I decided to try the Sophie Scarf pattern which has been popular lately. This is a shallow triangle shaped scarf with I-cord on the sides that is just long enough to tie around the neck. There is a shorter and longer version for once or twice around the neck. When I first looked at the pattern I balked at the price. I thought it was $30.00, but it was Danish kroners, which converts to around $5.00. I was happy to pay that amount. Click here for the pattern on the designer web page, Petite Knit. It is also available on Ravelry.

My 50 gram ball of yarn Cashmere Queen yarn from Germany is a blend of 45% wool, 35% cashmere, and 20% silk. It is very soft and suitable for something next to the skin.

The pattern is all straight knitting with some slipped stitches to form the I-cord edges, and increases on one side. The scarf gradually increases until you get half way, and then decreases to make a long narrow triangle shape. The pattern includes a suggestion to weigh your yarn, and to finish increasing when you have exactly half of the yarn left.

I like this pattern a lot. It is easy to follow, and once you get going it is not necessary to look at the pattern. I used my Twice Sheared Sheep row counter to keep track of when to do the increase and decrease rows.

Based on the pattern requirements and the size of my ball of yarn, I thought I had enough for the scarf. When I got around half way I would have weighed the remaining yarn, but I was not at home where I have a scale. I kept knitting, assuming it would be OK. Later when I was almost done, it was clear I was going to run out of yarn before I got to the end of the scarf. Darn.

I was still working on the project when we left for our second big trip of the summer. Watch for details in my next post about how this second big vacation in a row came about. In the car on the way from our home to the Twin Cities I un-knit a bunch of rows so I could adapt the pattern in order to finish with the amount of yarn available. I worked on and finished the scarf on the airplane.

Slipping three stitches at the end of every row for the I-cord edge

The scarf had also been getting wider than I wanted, so in order to keep it narrower and also conserve yarn, I stopped increasing and knit even for a number of inches before decreasing for the second half. I also started doing the decrease row more often. I kept knitting this way until I get very close to the end. I was so hopeful this was going to work that I kept on knitting until I used up every inch of yarn…before I got to the end of the scarf. I had to un-knit some rows again and make a sharper angle of decreases. Even with that I barely had enough yarn to finish the last stitch.

The end did not match the beginning and I was not very happy with the way it looked. In order to make a symmetrical scarf I would have to rip it back almost all the way and start over (and use my scale to determine when to start the second half). I concluded it was not worth it and no one would notice, or else it would just be a unique looking scarf. In the next photo you can see that there were only a couple of inches of yarn left at the end.

The end of the scarf with only a few inches of yarn left

In the following photo you can see the beginning and the end, highlighting the different shapes.

The end of the scarf has a sharper angle than the beginning

On the Ravelry page for the pattern there are over 19,000 people who have posted their photos of this scarf. A common way to photograph the completed pattern is in a roll like a crescent.

I used to wear fashion scarves to work regularly. Since I retired, we moved to the lake, and we have been spending three months of the winter in Arizona, I have not been wearing scarves. It is cold in the evenings in January and February in Phoenix, so I plan to bring my Sophie Scarf with me and will wear it there for both fashion and warmth.

Danube River Cruise Vacation Part 6: Budapest and Getting Home

This post is the sixth, and last, in a series about the Danube River Cruise vacation we recently went on with Wayne’s two sisters and their husbands. Click here for the link to Part 1: Planning and Getting to Munich. Click here for the link to Part 2: Our Day in Munich. Click here for the link to Part 3: Harburg Castle, Rothenburg, Getting to Passau. Click here for the link to Part 4: Passau, Linz and Krems. Click here for the link to Part 5: Vienna and Bratislava.

We got back from this trip near the end of June, and it is already hard to remember the details. On day six of the cruise, the ship left Bratislava, sailing all afternoon and evening. The following photo was taken with Marlene’s phone at the beginning of the cruise, but we can pretend it was on the way to Budapest. There were a few times when the top deck was a little crowded, but many times hardly anyone was there.

The ship sailed into Budapest at 10:00 pm in order to view all the bridges and buildings lit up spectacularly, while the cruise director provided commentary on the sights. The free bus and walking tour was the next morning, with time on our own in the afternoon. After a full day in Budapest and a second night on the ship there, it was time to disembark and head to the airport for home.

The next two photos were taken as we sailed into Budapest. Wayne took the first one.

Budapest is made up of two cities, one on each side of the Danube River. The Buda side is hilly, the Pest side is flat and more urban. There are a series of bridges spanning the river, each with its own unique architecture and story. There was a settlement here as early as the fourth century BC. The Romans were here around AD 100. The Kingdom of Hungary was established in the 11th Century.

The following photo is the view looking toward shore from our ship.

We had prepared for rain on this trip, but we lucked out and most of the time it was dry. It was raining when we went on the bus tour of Budapest. I have included a few photos taken through the bus window in the rain. Apologies for reflections and streaks of water.

Another river cruise boat after passing under one of the bridges

Palace of Exhibitions (modern day art and culture)

The bus tour took us around on the Pest side of the city, and then across the river to the Buda side. We must have driven by Buda Castle, but I don’t have any photos. The bus dropped us off at Trinity Square, the central plaza of the “Castle Hill” district at the top of the hill, near the castle.

A must see in the Castle Hill area is Mathias Church. By this time at the end of the cruise and after seeing so many cathedrals and churches, most of the passengers were not psyched to go into another one. Trust me, this one is unique. There was a structure built here in the year 1015. The current structure was built in the 2nd half of the 14th century, and there were extensive restorations in the late 19th century. It has changed hands many times and been used for different religions and purposes. During WWII the crypt was used by the Germans as a camp kitchen, and then the Soviets used the sanctuary as a stable for their horses.

The inside of Mathias Church is different than any other church we saw.

Behind Mathias Church overlooking the river is a plaza and Fisherman’s Bastion. In the middle ages there was a castle wall here. It is said that the Fisherman’s Guild at the time provided protection for the area. Today there is a structure with seven turrets overlooking the river.

There is an excellent view across the river to the Pest side and the Parliament building from Fisherman’s Bastion.

After allowing for time at Mathias Church and Fisherman’s Bastion, the bus took us back to the ship for lunch. We walked around on our own in the afternoon. A few blocks from our ship was Central Market, a big building with two levels of vendor stalls. It looked like a repurposed old train station, but it was built for the purpose in 1897.

It was very crowded with food stalls and everything Hungarian for sale. It reminded me a little of a fancier version of the Swap Meet in Mesa, Arizona.

We saw rubber duckies for sale all over. I should have bought one for our granddaughter.

Traditional costumes for sale at the Central Market

A local sweet treat in Budapest are called Chimney Cakes. There were many shops selling them in different varieties, plain and with fillings and toppings. We bought one to share at the Central Market. It was a little softer and doughier than I was expecting.

After checking out Central Market, we walked along the river on the Danube Promenade towards the Parliament building. It was a longer walk then we were led to believe, but at least the rain had cleared up by then.

Near the Parliament building is the Shoes on the Danube Bank memorial. Sixty pairs of bronzed 1940’s men’s, women’s and children’s shoes are scattered along the edge of the river to commemorate a horrific event near the end of WWII, when Hungarian Jews were made to remove their shoes, and were then shot into the river. It is difficult to see but necessary that we do not forget.

After paying our respects at the shoe memorial, we walked over to the Parliament building where there is a plaza and gardens.

I would have liked to experience the famous thermal baths of Budapest, but with only one day there there was not enough time to see everything. That is the reality with cruises.

Back at the boat I took a photo showing three Viking long ships double parked side by side. Our ship, the Embla, was the closest to the shore. People in the other two ships had to walk through the lobby of the Embla to get to their ship.

Three Viking long ships double parked in Budapest

The next picture was taken by one of the waiters in the dining room on Marlene’s phone near the beginning of the cruise, but it works for a last dinner of the cruise photo also.

On the last night we spent the evening packing up our luggage. Since we were going directly home, Viking Cruise line provided transportation to the airport. Based on our flight time, we were to put our luggage outside of our state room for staff to pick up first thing in the morning. We got everything ready to go and in the hallway before we went to bed, using our backpacks for toothbrushes and other last minute items.

A couple of different times we were told by Viking staff that there would be a Viking representative at the airport to guide is through the airline check in process. Instead of spending time checking in and printing boarding passes, they encouraged us to enjoy our last evening. I had looked at the Delta app on my phone where I could have checked us in, but based on their advice I did not do it. We did not need a paper boarding pass ahead of time, but we thought the part about not checking in to our flight was odd. Later we regretted not doing so.

We had breakfast on the boat before leaving for the airport. Wayne’s sister and brother-in-law, Marlene and Steve, were on the same itinerary as us flying from Budapest to Minneapolis, with a connection in Amsterdam. Wayne’s other sister and brother-in-law had a ride to the airport at 3:00 am for their flight to the Bay Area of California. Ugg.

When we got to the airport it looked like chaos. As always seems to be the case, the biggest stress was trying to figure out which line to get in, and where was the end of said line. We had three hours before flight time so were not worried at this point. We stood there for a couple of moments when we happened to see a young man in a Viking shirt walk by. We flagged him down to ask about checking in, and he pointed to the place where we should get in line. Sadly, that was the extent of the Viking guidance during check in. If anyone else has had a different experience with cruise line transfer to the airport, I would be interested in hearing about it.

We got in the line and were not too far back. There were no staff at the Delta/KLM counter. It was about 40 minutes before the line started moving, during which time the line got a lot longer behind us. My phone was still on airplane mode, but Wayne got an email from Delta saying that the second leg of our flight was cancelled. It said we were rebooked, but the alternate flight looked like the same as the original. It was very confusing, so we figured it would get sorted out when we got up to the counter.

When it was finally our turn at the check in counter, the staff seemed to be very confused too. We were there for a long time until they finally got the cancelled flight rebooked from Amsterdam to Minneapolis via Salt Lake City, getting us home around midnight, about five hours later than the original itinerary. We checked our bags and headed for the security line. Marlene and Steve were the next to be served, so we told them we would meet them at the gate.

Apparently there were no more seats on flights to Amsterdam anytime in the near future. Marlene and Steve had to stay overnight in Budapest in order to get on a flight to Paris the next day. The next day they flew from Paris to Boston, but missed their connection to Minneapolis. They had to stay overnight in Boston, arriving home two days late. Delta paid for their hotels and meals due to the delays. After hearing about this, we did not complain about getting home five hours late.

Delta gave all four of us 10,000 sky miles points for our troubles. Later Wayne and I received $640 each for the cancelled flight. I don’t know how they came up with that amount. We had paid Viking an amount for our airfare that was not related to any specific flights.

Marlene and Steve were told that they did not qualify for the reimbursement because they did not check in for the flight at least two hours ahead of time (based on the instructions from Viking). We did not check in either. All we can figure is that when we got up to the counter at the airport it was more than two hours before check in, and by the time it was their turn, it was less than two hours. They complained about this to both Viking and Delta, and eventually got their reimbursement too. We are all wondering if the situation would have played out differently if we had checked in to our flights the night before.

After we got home, we had about three weeks until the next big trip. During that time there were a couple of reservations at the family cabin that we were involved in, a trip to St. Paul for our granddaughter’s first birthday party, and our annual family reunion at the cabin. The reunion was less stressful this year, being smaller and involving less work for me than the 100 year anniversary celebration of the cabin last year.

Back at home I finished the bandana / cowl that I started knitting at the airport in Minneapolis at the beginning of the trip.

It is very soft and I like it a lot. It does not match my winter jacket, which happens to be 17 years old. I remember that because I bought it the year we had a foreign exchange student from Norway. I think my boots are that old too. Where does the time go.

We left in the middle of the family reunion for our second big trip of the summer. Watch for upcoming posts about that, and how it happened so soon after the other vacation.

Danube River Cruise Vacation Part 5: Vienna and Bratislava

My husband and I have been on two big vacations this summer, which is highly unusual. Now that we are back from the second trip, I am able to continue writing about the first trip. I have a lot of catching up to do, so not spending as much time on editing as I normally would.

This post is the fifth in a series about the Danube River Cruise vacation we went on with Wayne’s two sisters and their husbands in June 2024. Click here for the link to Part 1: Planning and Getting to Munich. Click here for the link to Part 2: Our Day in Munich. Click here for the link to Part 3: Harburg Castle, Rothenburg, Getting to Passau. Click here for the link to Part 4: Passau, Linz and Krems.

This post will be about time spent in the ports of Vienna and Bratislava, with more commentary about our cruise experience.

The free tour provided by Viking Cruise lines for Vienna was an overview bus tour, ending at St. Stephens Cathedral. After that we walked around all afternoon on our own. The photos I took through the bus window had reflections, poor composition and too many people and distractions, so I have not included any of those.

Following is a photo inside St. Stephens Cathedral. All the cathedrals start to be a blur and it seems like more than one are called St. Stephens. This one has origins in the 12th century, but the current version of it took shape in the 14th century.

The next two random photos were taken as we were walking around in Vienna.

There is a big central square in Vienna called Maria Theresin Platz (Maria Theresa Plaza). In that area was the natural history museum, as well as the art and artifact museum, and the Hofburg Palace.

The Kunst Historisches Musuem (the art and artifact museum)

In the square is a prominent statue of Maria Theresa, a badass woman from the 18th century. She was a capable, effective Habsburg ruler for 40 years, while also giving birth to 16 children in 19 years.

Our group in front of Maria Theresa Monument

There was a street market in the Maria Theresa Plaza area. I found it amusing that in addition to traditional leather lederhosen for sale, there was a stall with “cargo” style lederhosen made out of twill fabric.

My sister-in-law, Marlene, is an art teacher and artist, so she was keen on going inside Kunst Historisches Museum. The rest of us were game and it was free to enter.

Historisches Museum (art and artifact museum)

This art and artifact museum is a huge place. Without a specific agenda and without a lot of time, we followed Marlene around through many rooms of religious themed paintings by old masters. There was a large collection of paintings by Pieter Bruegel the Elder, with scenes of daily life in the 1500’s. Following are two that I especially liked, titled “Children’s Games” and “Peasant Wedding”.

“Children’s Games” by Pieter Bruegel the Elder

“Peasant Wedding” by Pieter Bruegel the Elder

After doing the museum we had an excellent lunch at a place called Speiseplan. After completing our meal we realized it was highly rated on a short list of recommended restaurants. More walking around brought us to Volksgarten, near the Hofburg palace complex and known as the “People’s Garden”.

Vienna is known for it’s culture of hanging out at coffee houses. By the end of the afternoon we were ready to sit down at Landtmann, one of the most well known local coffee houses that has been in business since 1873. The inside was very elegant, but we decided to sit in the large outside patio area.

I was missing my daily mocha on this trip. I had heard about the 24 hour a day coffee station on the ship. You could select from various options such as espresso, cappuccino, latte, regular coffee, and hot chocolate. However, when we got there I was disappointed to see there was not a button for mocha. You could make one by hitting the espresso button, and then hitting the hot chocolate button, but it was not the same. Throughout the entire trip in Germany, Austria and Hungary, no coffee shop had mocha on the menu. I guess that is not a thing there. I resorted to having a daily cappuccino. OK so sometimes I had two.

It was warm out, so at Landtmann I ordered a cold coffee drink instead of a dessert. Wayne ordered Sacher Torte, the signature chocolate cake dessert in Vienna. Coming from a family who are connoisseurs of chocolate and desserts, he was not impressed. It was a little of dry. Later back at home, someone brought a chocolate cake from Costco to a potluck meal. I was surprised at how delicious it was, much better than Wayne’s Sacher Torte. Sorry Vienna.

Someone else in our group ordered a yummy looking apple strudel.

The next photo is a case of desserts for sale inside the Landtmann’s.

There were a couple of expensive shore excursions offered in Vienna, in addition to the free panoramic bus tour. One was a behind the scenes visit to the famous Spanish Lipizzan horses and riding school. Luckily we got to see a few of the horses for free when we happened to walk by where they were stabled in the middle of Vienna.

We took the subway back to the ship in time for dinner. The Embla was the third ship double parked out from shore. There was a forth ship double parked on the other side of the Embla.

The next day we were in Bratislava, Slovakia, where we had a walking tour of the old town. I did not know anything about Slovakia except that it used to be half of Czechoslovakia. I found out that it was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire before World War I. Czechoslovakia was formed after that. In 1993 Czechoslovakia separated peacefully into the Czech Republic and Slovakia (the Slovic Republic). Today it is considered a “high income economy“.

The next photo was taken inside St Martins Cathedral. All the Cathedrals are impressive and beautiful and unique, but it is hard to remember the details later.

Following are several photos taken while walking around in Old Town Bratislava.

There is a famous street sculpture in Bratislava of a sewer worker called “Man at Work”. There is controversy as to whether he is a celebration of working people, or a creepy guy looking up under women’s skirts.

There were many tempting colorful toys and textile items for sale. I bought a horse hand puppet for our granddaughter, but I did not get a photo.

We walked around on our own after the tour until time for lunch on the ship. There was a lovely shady street as we headed back to the boat.

The ship set sail for Budapest after lunch. The temperature outside was very warm, but it was comfortable with a breeze on the top deck under a canopy. We sat up there watching the scenery along the river as the ship sailed down stream. In the middle of the afternoon there was a special High Tea with tiny sandwiches and tiny pastries. Later there might have been some napping.

The reason for leaving Bratislava after only half a day was to make sure there was enough time to get to Budapest by about 10:00 pm, when all the buildings would be lit up.

The next and last post about our Danube River Cruise vacation will be about our time in Budapest and the journey home.

Danube River Cruise Vacation Part 4: Passau, Linz, and Krems

This post is the forth in a series about our Danube River Cruise vacation that happened this June 2024. Click here for the link to Part 1: Planning and Getting to Munich. Click here for the link to Part 2: Our Day in Munich. Click here for the link to Part 3: Harburg Castle, Rothenburg, Getting to Passau. This post will be about some of our cruise experiences, including the ports of Passau, Linz and Krems.

After spending our first night on the Viking Ship Embla, it was time for the walking tour of Passau. Since the ship had moved up the river to the docks right at the old town, it was easy to get off the ship and assemble for the tour. We had already walked around the day before, but now we got the information about landmarks and history of the area from the tour guide. For all the free tours we were provided with a walkie talkie and earbuds, so it was easy to hear everything the tour guide said.

Passau is a medieval town known as the “City of Three Rivers”. The Inn, Danube and Ilz rivers all join at this location, which had a settlement as early as the year 739. In the past it was an important location for trade of salt, knives and sword blades. Not surprisingly, flooding happens here. The dates and high water levels of major floods are marked on a wall in Passau. A couple of weeks before we arrived the water was a little higher than the marker for 2002 in the next photo, above Wayne’s head. We are lucky the water receded dramatically by the time of our cruise.

Following are a couple of random photos I took while walking around.

The next photo shows a door that is a couple of feet up off the ground. That is so that the rich owner could get off his horse and step directly into the building.

There were quite a few medieval looking doors and windows.

We took a bus to the top of a hill on the other side of the river from the old town area. The Veste Oberhaus fortress there offers tours and an excellent view for a fee. We did not have enough time so we got what view we could without entering the fortress. There is a museum, youth hostel and restaurant at the site. Following is a photo of the fortress from the old town side of the river. I can’t remember much about it except that most of the yellow windows on the squarish building are fake. That is due to running out of money, and also for better protection from enemies.

View of the Veste Oberhuas from the other side of the river

The next photo is a view of Passau looking down from the fortress. The old town is on the land area where the Danube and Inn rivers join together. The water in the rivers are different colors. The Danube is blue. The Inn water is green, coming from the Alps. The Ilz is black, from a moorland. We could see the blue and green water separately as it merged.

Old Town Passau as viewed from the castle on the hill across the river

The cruise ship left the port of Passau after lunch, heading for Linz, Austria. We had some time to relax and watch the scenery on the top deck of the boat as it sailed down the river in the afternoon. There is a putting green and herb garden on the top deck, in addition to a walking track, some tables and chairs, and lounge chairs.

Putting green and herb garden on the top deck

I worked on my knitting a little, but I did not want to miss the scenery.

Knitting on the top deck while cruising between Passau and Linz

In our cabin, starting to look like a cowl

We arrived in Linz, Austria, in the evening. Our ship was parallel parked next to another Viking ship. In the following photo you can see the top decks of the two identical ships parked next to each other. The people in the ship on the outside have to walk through the lobby of the ship on the inside to get off on to land. Sometimes the ships park three deep.

Our ship parallel parked next to another Viking ship

Following is a photo of our “French balcony” cabin. There was a sliding door that opened to a glass panel that went part way up. At this port, the view out the sliding glass door was the cabin on another ship parallel parked one foot away. There were other times when we had a great view of the river.

The next morning was the walking tour of Linz.

Balcony where Hitler addressed a large crowd

Before the trip when we mentioned to my aunt that we would be going to Linz, she wondered if Linzer Torte is from there. Yes, it is. We saw references to this local dessert, and thought it might be served on the ship. Instead we were served another specialty of the area, Apricot Dumplings. We never actually ate any Linzer Torte.

Following are more random photos taken in Linz, Austria.

After dinner in the lounge on the ship there was entertainment of live classical music. We cast off at 11:00 pm for the next port of Krems, Austria.

Evening entertainment on the ship, before casting off for Krems, Austria

The next morning we sailed for a couple of hours through the Wachau Valley, an especially scenic section of the Danube River with quite a few cool castles and picturesque towns.

We arrived in Krems, Austria, later that morning. Instead of a walking tour, we took a bus to Gottwieg Abbey. This place is from the 11th century, and is currently known for its library and also special apricot wine and juice. Samples were given out at the beginning of the tour.

The grounds at the Abbey were beautiful. The sign in the next photo included direction to a walking path that joins with or is part of the Camino de Santiago in Spain.

We had time to walk around on our own in the afternoon.

The ship left Krems late that evening for the next port of Vienna, Austria.

I might have broken this post up into two parts, and/or spent more time on it, but I have had a very busy last couple of weeks since we got home from the river cruise. We had our annual family reunion at our family cabin, which meant house guests and a bunch of activities. Now we are leaving on another vacation tomorrow, so this is going to have to do. It will be several more weeks until I am able to compose the final post(s) about the rest of our Viking River Cruise vacation, including the ports of Vienna, Bratislava, and Budapest, and getting back home. Pardon any typos (or better, tell me so I can fix them later).

Danube River Cruise Vacation Part 3: Harburg Castle, Rothenburg, Getting to Passau

This post is the third in a series about our Danube River Cruise vacation that happened this June 2024. Click here for the link to Part 1: Planning and Getting to Munich. Click here for the link to Part 2: Our Day in Munich. This third post is about our day trip to Harburg Castle and Rothenburg, and making our way to the ship in Passau.

Our second full day in Munich was the bus tour we had paid for months earlier, Romantic Road, Rothenburg, and Harburg Day Tour. We had been provided an address for the bus station, where we were supposed to meet for the tour first thing in the morning. We spent more time than necessary stressing about where exactly the bus station was and how we would find the right bus was once we got there. We allowed extra time in case it was not clear. As we approached the location, there were big coach busses lined up on the street that could not have been easier to identify.

The tour started with a two hour long drive through the Bavarian countryside on the way to Harburg Castle, with ongoing commentary about the history of Germany, Munich, and the surrounding area. We were on the Autobahn for part of the way. The tour guide explained that while there is no speed limit for cars in most areas, there is for busses and trucks. There was not a ton of traffic and we did not see anyone going 100 miles per hour! We passed the exit for Dachau concentration camp. The tour guide talked about that for a bit, noting that although it is horrific, it needs to be talked about as part of history. We have our dark history in the United States too with slavery and treatment of native Americans.

We had considered doing a day trip to the popular Neuschwanstein Castle, the inspiration for Disney’s Cinderella Castle. The tour we selected instead went to Harburg Castle and also included time in Rothenburg, a picturesque medieval village. Neuschwanstein Castle was built in the 1800’s, while Harburg Castle dates back to around 1100. It is very well preserved and was unaffected by wars, unlike many other castles that have only parts of them left or have been rebuilt. Following is a painting of Harburg Castle in the 17th Century, artist unknown. We enjoyed the tour of Harburg Castle and learned a lot about life there in medieval times.

Painting of Harburg Castle from the 17th Century, artist unknown

After touring Harburg Castle, we spent the rest of the afternoon in Rothenburg. Walt Disney visited this fairytale town which became the inspiration for the village in the movie Pinocchio.

We had to try the local sweet specialty in Rothenburg, “Snowballs”, a kind of wadded up ball of shortbread with frosting.

While wandering the narrow streets we found a shop with yarn. Even though the German brands of yarn for sale can be found at home, I bought two skeins as souvenirs.

The next day, Day 5 since had left home, was the day of embarkation for the river cruise. We had purchased train tickets from Munich to Passau ahead of time, although we probably could have bought them at the last minute. The train goes to Osterhofen, where we had to change to a bus for the rest of the way. The amount of time allowed for the transfer was six minutes. That did not seem like enough time, but we figured that the worst case scenario if we missed the transfer was that we could get on the next train which ran every hour. The train was very clean and nice, and left right on time. When we got to Osterhofen, the end of the line, a group of passengers all got off and were all going to Passau. We were directed to walk literally a few steps to a road where the bus came by moments later. Easy peasy and did not even need six minutes.

There are two different places in Passau where our Viking Ship, the Embla, could have been docked. One is right in the heart of Passau within walking distance of the bus/train station. The other location, called Lindau, is a couple of miles away. They don’t tell you the location ahead of time because river conditions are constantly changing, and decisions are made day by day, sometimes hour by hour, as to exactly where the ship will be located. Viking had given us a phone number to call to get the location of the ship in Passau when we arrived. While we were still on the bus, Wayne called the Viking number and was told that the ship was at the Lindau location.

It was around 11:30 am when we arrived in Passau. Lunch was being served on the ship, so it made sense to check in, eat lunch, and then walk around on our own in Passau in the afternoon. There were several taxis waiting outside the bus station available to take us to Lindau, so we picked one and started putting our bags in the trunk. As soon as we told the taxi driver where we were going, she said (in English) “Ummm I was just at Lindau and your ship is not there”. Meanwhile Wayne was on the phone with our brother-in-law Gayle, who was waiting at the airport in Munich with his wife, Wayne’s sister Yvonne, for their ride to the ship provided by Viking. They were told that the ship was in a location about an hour down the river. Okaaayyyy. The taxi driver made a call to confirm her information, and Wayne called the Viking number again. This time Wayne was given an address that was consistent with what Gayle was being told. Viking apologized and told us they would pay for the long taxi ride to get to the ship. That was not normally included for us since we had arrived in Munich early, but I guess they felt bad for giving us the wrong information at first.

We did not think there was anything to do at the location of the ship, so we decided to put our bags in a locker and spend a few hours in Passau. Note to self: make sure you know where you are when you put your bags in a locker. More about Passau later in the next post, but it is a charming medieval town at the confluence of three rivers. We enjoyed meandering about the cobblestone streets of the old town, and found a place to eat lunch. By around 4:00 we thought it was time to go back to the bus station, get our bags, and catch a taxi to the ship in order to have a little time to settle in before dinner. We had a map of old town Passau, but we were confused about where the bus had dropped us off. We walked and walked, first being turned around and having trouble finding where we thought the bus station was, and then after finally finding that location, realizing that was NOT where the bus had dropped us off. We finally figured it out and were very relieved and exhausted when we arrived at the right place and got our bags out of the locker. We found another taxi but this driver did not speak English. We showed him the address provided by Viking and we were on our way.

When we arrived at the Viking ship Embla, the staff were expecting us, and immediately offered us a cash refund (in Euros) for the cost of the taxi. Yvonne and Gayle had just recently arrived at the ship. Marlene and Steve, Wayne’s other sister and brother-in-law, also arrived shortly. We all enjoyed a lovely first dinner together onboard.

Our travel group on the top deck of the ship

After dinner the ship captain explained that the reason for docking in the remote location was related to the recent flooding. Sometimes the water is so high that the long ships cannot fit under bridges. In this case there was a lock that the ship had to go through to get to Passau. The flooding had caused mud and debris to accumulate in the lock, so it was in the process of getting cleaned out. Luckily, the lock was back in order for use that evening and the ship moved up the river to Passau for the night. All the passengers enjoyed kicking off the week by sitting on the open top deck watching as the ship went through the lock and proceeded to sail into Passau.

People have strong opinions about cruising. Some people say they will never go on a cruise. However a river cruise is very different from an ocean cruise, a river cruise long ship is very different from a big ocean cruise ship. River cruise long ships are much smaller and all similar with a capacity for about 190 passengers. The focus is on education rather than entertainment. There is no pool, no casino, no theater. There are no kids, and hardly any people under age 50. Viking River cruises include a free walking tour or overview bus tour at each port, depending on the size of the town. There are a few other options for shore excursions instead of, or in addition to, the free tour. Our travel group of six people only did the free tours, and at some of the ports we had time to explore more on our own.

One of the reasons we liked the Passau to Budapest itinerary is that the ship stayed in Passau overnight at the beginning, and it stayed overnight in Budapest at the end. That allowed time to see those cities without spending extra time there before or after the cruise. Following our first night on board, we were ready for the walking tour of Passau in the morning. More about our cruise experience and some of the ports in the next post.

Danube River Cruise Vacation Part 2: Our day in Munich

This post is the second in a series about our Danube River Cruise vacation that happened this June 2024. Click here for the link to Part 1: Planning and Getting to Munich. Part 2 is about our day in old town Munich.

Our trip included two full days in Munich before the cruise (which meant that we were not eligible for the free transfer to the ship). The first day we walked around Old Town Munich on our own, taking in the sights and getting in 20,000 steps. The second day we had purchased a tour ahead of time to see a castle and a medieval town. The morning after that we made our way to the ship via train, bus and taxi, which turned out to be a bit more of an adventure than we had expected.

Our cell phone company, AT&T, has a couple of options for international phone service. Wayne used the $12 per day International Day Pass plan. We used his phone for navigating, phone calls to our travel companions, looking up information, etc. I had my phone on airplane mode the entire trip, but with the option to make calls or texts for emergencies with a reasonable per use fee. When we got to the ship later there was free (sketchy) wifi, but at least I could send and receive emails and texts. I tried to stay off my phone as much as possible, but I did not want to have 1000 emails when I got home.

We thought it might be raining in Munich, but fortunately the very wet period of weather was over by the time we got there. Even though it was dry, I was glad I brought my hiking shoes as they are very comfortable for extensive walking. The temperatures were a little cool but good for sight seeing. As we walked around Munich there were so many interesting things to notice, in addition to seeking out the typical tourist sites.

Our number one observation in Munich was that the Euro2024 soccer tournament was a huge deal. It was really fun to get in on the mania. There were thousands of soccer fans everywhere, including many from Scotland decked out in kilts and team shirts. Our son went to the University of Wisconsin at Madison, which is known for challenging academics as well as hard partying. One time when we visited campus on a football game weekend, many people were out drinking and being crazy starting at 10:00 in the morning. Munich on this Friday at the beginning of the soccer tournament was like Madison on game day, times 10.

Soccer fans from Scotland wearing kilts were out in droves

There were many options for public transportation to get around the city. Munich was also extremely bike friendly. Many of the streets we walked along had dedicated bike lanes that were designed as part of the sidewalk, rather than a marked off area in the street. In addition to many bike commuters, we saw a mini UPS delivery trailer towed by a bike, and several variations of cargo style bikes, some with a built in enclosed child carrier. We also saw a two decker bike storage rack.

It is impossible to include enough photos or information to get a complete idea of all that we saw and did. I have included a few photos here that I took while we walked around all day in the old town area of Munich.

We made sure to be at Marienplatz, the main central plaza since the middle ages, at the right time to see and hear the famous Glockenspiel Clock.

The following photo is zoomed in a little closer to the life size characters on the Glockenspiel Clock on the tower that move and tell stories of Munich’s history several times a day.

Some musicians in their Scottish gear were performing in the square.

Every city we went to has a big Cathedral. Frauen Church in Munich is late Gothic style from the 15th century.

Frauen Church has two big towers that are landmarks in the city. You can go up inside one of the towers for an excellent view of the city. We did that, and following is a photo looking out from there to the other tower. We could see the Marienplatz square from above, which at this time was closed off for an event related to the soccer tournament. It was wall to wall people, so we were glad we had visited the square earlier.

We had lunch at Hofbrau Haus, Germany’s most famous beer hall.

Me outside Hofbrau Haus, Munich’s most famous beer hall

Following are a couple of photos from Residence, a huge ornate government building and Royal Palace complex used from 1508 to 1918.

The next photo is Theatinerkirche St. Kajetan, known as “the yellow church”.

The English Garden is an urban park in Munich, even larger than Central Park in New York City. It is a beautiful green space with gardens and paths for walking and biking. We saw only a fraction of the place. One of the more unusual things there was a rapids area of the Eisbach river that is popular for surfing.

We happened upon a restaurant for dinner with access from inside a courtyard. It was pretty empty, which seemed unusual for a Friday evening. It turned out that all the customers that might have been there were either at the Scotland vs Germany soccer game, or watching it somewhere. There were big screen TVs set up in many locations for watch parties. Lucky for us, as we were able to have a quiet dinner with personal attention and conversation with the staff. At this restaurant and a couple of others later the staff apparently thought we were locals. I guess that is a good thing. Once they realized we were Americans they brought us menus in English.

That night at the hotel there were soccer fans partying loudly until the wee hours. Normally I would be unhappy about that, but it was all part of the soccer experience we did not even know we were going to have. We had to get up first thing the next morning for our tour to Harburg Castle and the town of Rothenburg. The tour, as well as getting from Munich to where the cruise started in Passau, is featured in the next post, Part 3.

Danube River Cruise Vacation Part 1: Planning and Getting to Munich

Over a year ago we made plans with Wayne’s two sisters and their husbands to go on a Viking River Cruise to celebrate our 40th Wedding Anniversary. I had been wanting to do this for a long time after seeing the advertisements on PBS, and hearing from other people who had been on a river cruise. This vacation finally happened in June 2024. It was a big trip with too much to write about for one post. In this first post I will write about planning for the trip, and getting to Munich a couple of days before the cruise started.

Once the group decided on a time frame (June), length (a week), and cruise company (Viking) for the trip, there were three options of itineraries. One was a cruise on the Rhine River starting in Amsterdam, and two were similar itineraries on the Danube starting in Germany. We easily picked the Danube itinerary starting in Passau, Germany, and ending in Budapest, Hungary. I have to confess I had never heard of Passau, and I knew hardly anything about most of the other ports. The itinerary included stops along the way at three cities in Austria (Linz, Krems, and Vienna) and in Bratislava, Slovakia. Interestingly, when sharing our plans with friends later, two different people said they had just recently been to Passau on a biking vacation. Following is a map of our itinerary from the Viking web site.

We had heard about the possibility of low water levels on the Danube which can affect the ability of ships to navigate the river. This seemed to be more of an issue later in the summer, so it was a factor in deciding to book for June. What we did not think of was that high water levels also present problems. We started to get worried a few weeks before our departure date after seeing weather reports with tons of rain and flooding in the areas where we were going. Oh no. More on that later.

Another planning decision was whether to purchase airfare from the cruise line or buy that on our own. The fare offered by the cruise line was a good deal, and we would be able to cancel it if we changed our mind up to a certain date. Airfare includes transportation to and from the ship if you are going directly there and home. There is limited ability to make adjustments to whatever itinerary they assign you. We all paid for the cruise line airfare which I am sure was the best deal. Because Wayne and I decided to fly into Munich a few days early, we were not eligible for the free transfer to the ship about two hours away. We were comfortable with getting there on our own. At the end of the cruise, we all took advantage of the cruise line transfers and went directly home from Budapest (at least that was the plan).

After we made these decisions and paid our deposit, there was not any other preparation needed for a long time until the final payment was due. When it finally came time for the vacation, it seemed like it was free since we had paid for it a long time ago. Haha.

I was planning what clothing and other items to bring for months ahead of time, with a list that I added notes to here and there as I thought of things. On the other hand, Wayne suddenly realized he could use a couple of new clothing items about 2 weeks before the cruise. We wanted to travel with one carryon size rollaway bag and backpack each, since we knew we would be dragging them around on our own in Munich and getting to the ship. In the end we changed out one of the carryon bags for a slightly larger rollaway bag that might have been considered a carryon bag years ago. We were able to easily fit everything we wanted to bring in this amount of luggage, including at the last minute deciding to bring hiking shoes and rain gear due to wet conditions in the weather reports.

Suitcases at our son’s house ready to go to the airport

We have been on several ocean cruises in the past. Ocean cruises have changed over the years, and river cruises are a different thing all together. Luggage for our first ocean cruise over 20 years ago included giant suitcases and clothes for “formal night” (a long gown and appropriate shoes and accessories for me) and “theme night” (Wayne brought cowboy boots)! Since then ocean cruises have become less formal with more options for casual meals and skipping the formal night if you are not into that. More about how river cruises are different in a later post.

I had a pair of denim capris for many years that fit perfectly and that I wore often, but they were stained and the fabric was wearing out. I tried to find a replacement pair for this trip. In the search process I found out that capris were coming back into style. What? I did not know they went out of style. I bought and returned several pairs but none of them matched the fit and comfort of the old pair. I gave up looking and instead took a pair of ankle pant jeans I already owned that fit but never seemed to be the right length, and cut them off into capris. I also added panels to make them flair a bit at the bottom. I bought a new pair of very stretchy denim like pants that would be comfortable for the long plane flight and for sightseeing in cooler weather, and a few other clothing items.

I needed a knitting project to bring on the Viking River Cruise trip. A friend suggested that this trip could be a time to disconnect and take a break from my normal life, including knitting. Maybe. Sometimes if I am knitting I am so focused on the project that I am oblivious to what is going on around me. On this trip I did not want to miss any scenery or anything else going on. However there was also a very long plane ride, and probably down times when I wouldn’t miss anything if I was knitting.

I decided on a cowl / bandana pattern that could be knit up with one skein of yarn from my stash. The free pattern is Bandana Cowl from Purl Soho. I found some yarn I bought while on a friend’s trip to the Traverse City area of Michigan in the summer of 2022. I wrote about that trip here. The yarn is Araucania, hand dyed in Chile. It is 30% alpaca / 45% merino wool / 15% silk / 10% donegal. I have not heard of donegal, but determined it is merino tweed from Ireland. This yarn is super soft, which is good for a cowl that will be up against the face. The green color does not go with my jacket, so it will be a gift for someone TBD. Or maybe it is time for me to buy a new jacket!

Yarn for bandana / cowl knitting project

The time for the trip finally arrived after a long period of anticipation and planning. Since we live in West Central Minnesota, we had to drive to the Twin Cities to catch our flight. Most of the flights to Europe are red-eye flights that leave later in the day and fly overnight. Our flight did not leave until 7:50pm, so we could have driven the three hours down to the Cities that morning. However we wanted to see our son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter, so we drove down the day before.

Once we were finally at the airport it was real! We checked the larger bag and carried on the smaller bag, with clothing for each of us in the one carry on in case the checked bag got delayed. While waiting at the gate for boarding, I cast on the cowl knitting project.

The long flight to Paris on Air France was uneventful. I knitted some and read a book on my kindle, and tried to sleep. We were served several meals, including the cucumber and cream cheese sandwich in the next photo. A packet of celery salt came with the tomato juice I ordered. I guess you were supposed to put it in the tomato juice, but it was good sprinkled on the sandwich.

At the airport in Paris it was the next morning. We had to walk a long way to another terminal, get our checked bag, go through customs, and go through security again before finding our gate for the second leg of the journey from Paris to Munich. I can understand why my mom said she was done with air travel by her late seventies.

At the gate for our flight to Munich we thought it was unusual to see a guy in a kilt. Soon we saw another guy in a kilt. Then a bunch more. Wayne started googling and determined there was a big soccer tournament in Munich over the weekend, including a game with Scotland vs Munich. As the flight took off, the pilot welcomed all the soccer fans, which resulted in loud cheering, chanting and signing of team songs.

Wayne has never been to Paris, so we had considered spending a few days in Paris before the cruise, but ended up deciding that was too much for this trip. As we took off from Paris, Wayne could see the Eiffel Towel from the airplane window. We joked that now we do not need to come back to Paris. Haha. The flight from Paris to Munich was relatively short and before long we already landing.

I do not know any German. Wayne had taken German in high school but that was pretty useless. Virtually everyone we interacted with on this entire trip spoke English. Wayne had selected a hotel in the city that was accessible from the airport by train, and about a 15 minute walk to the Munich old town area. It was not too hard to follow the signage in the airport to get our one checked bag, get from there to the airport train stop, buy a train ticket from a machine, and find the right train to the city center. By the time we checked in to our hotel, it was mid to late afternoon local time on our second day of travel, but our body clocks were at close to midnight. We were ready for a nap.

The hotel looked like it had been recently remodeled. The bedding was typical for Europe with individual duvets, no top sheets.

European style bedding in our Munich hotel

Wayne enjoyed a coffee on the small balcony that overlooked a courtyard.

After napping, we walked to Paulaner Brauhaus, a popular local brewhouse, for a German dinner.

We both had very German meals. If you are trying for a lighter Mediterranean diet, this is not the place.

Braumeisterschnitzel
Hällischer Schweinerücken vom Grill, pikante Obatzda-Braumalzkruste,
saftig geschmortes Wurzelgemüse, Kartoffelnockerl, frische Kräuter 18,00
brewmaster Schnitzel, pork loin, spicy crust of cream cheese & brewers malt, juicy root vegetables,
gnocchi, fresh herbs

We saw posters for the soccer tournament all over. Many folks out and about were clearly in town the event.

By the time we were done with dinner, it was late evening local time and seven hours later our time. After getting a decent nights sleep at the hotel, we were ready to tackle old town Munich, already day three of the trip. Sightseeing in Munich, a bus tour to Harburg Castle and the medieval town of Rothenburg, and getting to the ship in Passau will be featured in the next post.