Almost Over.....

I'm having a hard time finishing this blog.  Somehow, it ends my big adventure all over again.....  

Stirling Castle

Outskirts of Fort William

Meg, the Macaskill's sweet collie, comes in to greet us and nudges us to get up again on our second morning in Skye.  So sweet!  We're greeted by beautiful blue skies and warm weather again today. Danny Facebooked me when I got home and said it's rare to have weather like that in Skye, but in my mind, Skye will always be sunny and blue!  Anne's porridge and toast & marmalade is welcome again today.  She makes us salmon sandwiches for the road trip back through the Highlands to Edinburgh.  The Scots I've encountered are so kind and generous.  The Macaskills have been so hospitable - taking us into their home and treating us like family.  Just lovely.  We say our goodbyes and hit the road.  I do a bit better keeping within the lines and staying on my side of the road.  We stop for gas somewhere about 20 or 30 miles away, then get coffee a bit farther along in Kyle of Lochalsh.  The next major town we encounter is Fort William,a nice town situated along a waterway.  We share our sandwiches and an apple in a little park with a view of the water.  We go to Tesco and buy some candy and yogurt for the rest of our trip.  We visit several shops and I get a few souvenirs to take home.  Back on the road again, we pass Ben Nevis, the highest point in the British Isles.  We run into some road construction.  We've encountered quite a bit of road work on our trip, this is the longest delay so far.  Soon we head onwards to Stirling.  The amazing castle here was used in the movie Braveheart, which I watched before my trip. I want to watch it again now to look for familiar sights.   

Dinner at Foodies

Stirling is crowded, lots of traffic, limited parking.  We want to make a pit stop here, but can't find parking downtown.  We drive up to the castle and take some pix.  There are horses and cattle grazing in a pasture below the cliff holding the castle.  Picture perfect.  We're only about an hour from Edinburgh, so we press on.  We hit rush hour traffic and Ariana gets stressed because she doesn't know her way around by car.  Very few of her friends have cars - they get around on foot, by bus and taxi most all the time.  She's trying to map our route on her iPhone and her battery is quickly running out.  We want to go to Foodies at Holyrood.  She's been telling me about their yummy poppyseed cake for months and tonight is our last meal in the 'burgh, so it's now or never for me.  Foodies closes at 6:00 and it's after 5:00.  With a bit of luck, we make it just as they're closing up but they graciously let us in. I order a smoked salmon plate and Ariana has a curried chicken sandwich.  Both delicious.  We order the cake to take away to eat later.   


We go back to her flat to drop off our luggage and plan the rest of our last evening together. Since we have the rental car until we return it tomorrow at the airport, we decide to go to the large Tesco grocery store so Ariana can load up on necessities which she won't have to lug home like she usually does.  We drive down to see the beach area - we're trying to use up the gas in the rental car.  We go past a second castle in Edinburgh, smaller than the more well known castle that defines the skyline of the city.  Once we make it to the big Tesco, we have fun perusing the aisles and must spend an hour there.  I find a few things to bring home and Ariana buys groceries to stock her pantry.   


Since dinner at Foodie's, I've been fighting back tears thinking about leaving in the morning and saying goodbye to my wonderful kid.  I refused to think about it while here so I wouldn't spoil the time we had together, and now it hits me hard.  I didn't think it would be this tough.  We go back to her flat and eat the delicious poppyseed cake and pack and get ready for bed.  We have to pick up Lauren, a friend of Ariana's originally from Kansas, at 8:30 - she's going to the airport with us.  They scheduled a trip to Portugal for the weekend and are flying out about an hour after I do, on Ryan Air.  We arrive at the airport in plenty of time, so Ariana gets us porridge and coffee at Eats. a neat cafe chain we've eaten at a couple times.  The porridge is delicious, but by now, I am sobbing and can barely eat.   My stomach feels like it's being sliced open from the inside and I feel like I'm going to pass out.  Parenthood.  Such a wild ride.  I say a final goodbye to the girls and head down the jetway.  The flight to London is not crowded and takes less than an hour, my seat-mate is not a talker, so I listen to music until we land in London.  

I expect to go though security again like the first time I flew though, but they release us right out into the airport, thankfully - they didn't even swab my hands for explosives!  I want to go to Wagamama, a popular UK noodle house, for some lunch since I have 3 hours before I board. As I approach the restaurant, the very friendly manager tells me they have a problem and will be closed for about 20 minutes.  I go across the way and blog for about 45 minutes and head back over when my stomach begins to growl.  I expected to order at a counter and pick up my food, but they seat me at one of the long community tables and a server takes my order.  A very nice woman across the table talks to me.  She's originally from the US but has lived in England for many years.  Her husband has been in Newport for business and she has three college-aged kids, so we chat away until she's finished and leaves.  I order a seafood soba (buckwheat) noodle dish which is delicious but loaded with garlic.  I feel sorry for whomever ends up beside me the entire way across the Atlantic.  


I head to the gate.  It takes an ETERNITY to board the 747. I always wait until the very end - don't really want to sit in there any longer than I have to, especially given that it's an 11 hour flight.  Once aboard, I find my seat.  Ariana selected it in the car on a mobile app the day before on the road.  She did a great job - it's by the exit, so has more legroom than anyone (except maybe Angus Macaskill!) could possibly need.  I should interject here, that she did a fantastic job orchestrating the entire trip. Her choices of restaurants and things to do and see while there were amazing.  It's so wonderful to see how much she has grown as an individual.  She's a much more adventurous eater nowadays.  She is kind and polite and thoughtful in her dealings with other people.  She's intelligent and wise in the decisions she makes for her future.  She's the best daughter any mom could possible ask for.  No wonder it's so hard to leave her!


Back on the 747, there are only two seats in my row.  My seat-mate is a moody Israeli woman.  Our exchange is brief.  I ask where she's from, she says Israel, I say I understand it's beautiful, and she says, "You should go," and wraps herself up in her blanket and curls up into a fetal position.  She only peeks out for beverages and meals and as far as I know never left her seat the entire trip!  I needn't have worried about my breath. The captain comes on to make announcements and it's a woman.  I'm a bit unnerved at first, then reason that there's no brawn needed to pilot a plane, she must be well-trained and talented.  As we wait to get towed out of the gate, I make small talk with a nearby steward and mention that we have a female pilot. He says it's unusual and that "Things will be a bit different up there today."  I ask what he means.  He replies that it's a bit crowded in the cockpit and on long flights like this, the pilots sometimes take off their trousers and fly in only their "underpants."  He says, "I guess there won't be any of that up there today."  Hysterical!   She tells us we should be in LA in 10.5 hours, which is great.   I watch three movies.  The first, "J Edgar,"  is just okay - TMI really - more than I ever wanted to know about the guy.  Dicaprio did a great job, but I'm glad I didn't pay money to see it.   Also "My Week with Marilyn" - not thrilled about that one either, the actor who played the main character is totally unlikeable and Michelle Williams overdid it a bit as Marilyn.   War Horse is terrible and I've seen pretty much every horse movie ever made.  It's so violent and too sad.  Maybe that's why they're all available as airplane movies.  Anyway, they help kill the time because we end up being half an hour late getting in to LA.  We hit lots of turbulence and strong headwinds, especially over the midwest.  The approach over LA is beautiful, just after sunset.  I see the USA Bank Bldg and AON, which I've climbed multiple times, and the bell tower at the Chapel on LMU's campus, Ariana's alma mater.


I'm so happy to be back on the ground, to be heading home to my pups and warm, dry weather.  I truly had the time of my life.  


I've had fresh flowers on my table every day since my return.  Just geraniums clipped from my yard, but influenced by our time in Paris.  I pulled out some fabric from the closet and have it draped over coffee tables to add a bit of color to the house.  Everything was so colorful and fun there.  


I'm allowing myself a few more treats these days.  I've had a slice of pizza and more desserts since I've been back.  We ate like piggies for 14 days and barely gained weight since we walked so much.  It won't kill me to indulge every once in a while as long as I keep moving - there are so many wonderful things out there to try!


I also need to remember not to let myself get into a rut.  I told Billy Ocean that I'd rather be sitting on my couch with my dogs chilling out because I'm so comfortable, but God forces me to get out of my comfort zone and when I do I really enjoy myself.  I don't think I would've ever gone to all the trouble and expense to go to Europe if Ariana wasn't there.   Now, I'd do it again in a heartbeat.


Good thing, 'cause the kid told me today she's applying to school in Italy for next year.   :0)   Arrivederci!!!