Day 22 - Saturday 21st October 2023

There were no outings this morning because the ship was sailing to reach our destination at lunchtime. So we were able to sleep in. When we opened the curtains, we were in a lock. We found out later that there are only three locks on this trip on the Saone River.

We went down to breakfast at 8:40am. As always, it was an excellent Scenic breakfast with plenty of choice and attentive friendly service. I had an omelette cooked for me by the chef.

This ship is bigger than other cruise ships we've been on and so there was plenty of room in the cafe area.

After leaving Lyon last night, we'd been sailing north on the Saone River. Perhaps the scenery wasn't as good as on our river cruises. The area was flat and the river was lined with trees. On many other cruises, there were more houses, towns, hills, mountains, . . . Maybe that will change later in the cruise.

The weather was much better than yesterday because it wasn't raining. There was plenty of blue sky with hardly a cloud to be seen. When we went up to the sundeck after breakfast, it felt cool (14C) but obviously much warmer than it had been in Iceland and Scotland.

At 10am, there was a compulsory safety talk for all passengers. Everyone had to have their name marked off as having attended.

At 10:30, there was a talk in the lounge area about the outings for the cruise. Before we boarded, we'd been asked which outings we wanted to do for the first couple of days. The talk ran through a description of the subsequent tours so we could tick the ones we wanted to go on.

There was plenty of choice and it wasn't necessary for both of us to go on the same outings. For example, this afternoon I'm going to a castle (chateau) and Suzy is going on a truffles outing.

At 12 noon, there was a demonstration of the Scenic Tailormade app on our iPhones. We were familiar with this app from our river cruise on the Duoro River in Portugal back in May. So we already had the app on our phones.

The ship was docked a small town called Tournus.

Lunch was an a la carte meal in the dining room. We sat with a young couple from the Gold Coast that we'd met earlier on deck.

My tour to the Chateau de Cormatin departed just after 2:30pm. There were 44 of us on the bus and I sat next to a man from rural Victoria. His wife was on a different outing this afternoon.

The bus took about 30 minutes to reach the castle. Along the way, we were treated to beautiful scenery - green pastures with cattle and sheep, small town with houses made of stone, churches and forests. We were lucky that it was a nice sunny day.

The castle is a very impressive building set on a large area of land surrounded  by well-maintained gardens. The castle is a national monument but is privately owned. The tourist fees help pay for the upkeep of the property.

Our tour guide showed us around the gardens first. Then we walked across a timber bridge over the moat. Apparently there was a drawbridge here originally.

She showed us through the castle room by room including the library, the marquise bedroom, the marquis bedroom. entertainment areas, etc. One of the features was an internal stone staircase.

Most rooms had paintings. Some of the people in these paintings had clothes but, as is so common in these countries, most of the people were nude. There were also nude statues.

The bus got us back to ship at about 5:40pm where were greeted once again by the captain. He seems to be everywhere.

We went down to the lounge at 6:30 for a pre-dinner drink. At 6:45, there was a presentation for all the heads of departments for the ship followed by the port talk giving information about tomorrow's outings.

This was followed by dinner in the dining room at 7:15. This was the Captain's Gala Dinner.

It was another classy meal - Scenic fine dining. We both had shrimps starter, leg of lamb main course and crepe suzette dessert all accompanied by an excellent French red wine. At our table, we sat with an Australian couple and a UK couple.

After dinner, we went back up to the lounge where the band started playing at 9:45pm. About half an hour later we retired to our room.

Day 21 - Friday 20th October 2023

Later today, we'd be starting our Scenic River Cruise on the Rhone and Saone Rivers. It starts in Lyon and finishes in Lyon.

It had been raining overnight and it was still overcast. The temperature was 14C.

We had breakfast in the hotel restaurant at about 9am. They had a device for cooking eggs that I'd never seen before but we managed to get it to work.

Originally, we'd booked to go to Jordan on the way home after we leave France. However, with all the current problems in the Middle East, we decided that this might be too risky.

Suzy has been researching alternatives to get home and last night she found a flight that would take us from Brussels to Kuala Lumpur via Dubai using Qantas Frequent Flyer points. So we booked that flight this morning.

It was disappointing to be missing out on Jordan because Suzy has wanted to go to Jordan for years - mainly to go to Petra. We'd been booked to go there in 2020 too until Covid happened.

This morning, I managed to find a pharmacy near the hotel. Google Maps on my phone was unreliable  - the blue dot kept on moving all over the place and so I was going back and forwards along various streets until I saw the green cross sign.

Suzy had gone to get her nails done and didn't get back until about noon. We had to check out by 11:30 and so I waited for her near reception.

The hotel organised a taxi at about 12:15 to take us to Quai Claude Bernard where the Scenic Sapphire ship was moored.  This is the wharf where most of the cruise ships are moored.

We got there at about 12:30 and were welcomed at the bottom of the gangplank by the captain and various other crew.

Inside the ship, there were more warm welcomes from various crew members. Our room wasn't ready yet and so we relaxed in the lounge and chatted to other passengers.

At 1pm, lunch was ready. As always with Scenic, it was an excellent lunch with a nice glass of Malbec. The desserts were especially good.

Our room was ready at 1:30pm and our butler gave us a guided tour of the room's features. We unpacked most things into the cupboards and then slid our bags under the bed - just like for the ship in Portugal back in May.

Our room has a king size bed, carpet, safe, fridge, narrow work desk. There is a narrow balcony with two chairs and a window that you can slide up or down by pressing a button. The ensuite bathroom has a walk-in shower. The Wifi speed is very slow.

This afternoon there was some blue sky and sunshine but later the light rain returned.

At 6pm, we went to the lounge for a pre-dinner drink and sat chatting to a couple of Canadian women. Two other women joined the group later. I'm getting the impression that there are quite a few single older women on the cruise (widows perhaps).

There was an introductory talk at 6:30pm from the captain, his 2i/c, the cruise director, the hotel manager and the restaurant manager.

At 7pm, we went downstairs for dinner and sat at a table with four more Canadians including two more single women. As always with Scenic, it was an excellent meal with excellent service.

Apparently the ship can accommodate almost 150 passengers plus crew but there only 98 passengers booked on this tour and so there will be plenty of spare space in the lounge etc.

Our waiter (and several other crew) were from Romania.

The Canadians were very tired after their flight today and retired at 9pm. We were tired too and we were not far behind.

The ship was due to depart from Lyon at 1:30am and sail north all night and all morning along the Saone River to get to Tournus.

Day 20 - Thursday 19th October 2023

Today we were booked to fly from Edinburgh to Lyon in France via London Heathrow with British Airways. The first flight was due to depart at 11:15am.

There was a severe weather forecast for today. They were predicting heavy rain but when we woke up it was just light drizzle. The airport terminal is about "5 minutes walk" from our hotel.

British Airways had sent a message saying flights might be delayed because of the bad weather.

We checked out of the hotel at 8:30 and set off to walk to the airport terminal. Although it was only light rain, there was a strong wind blowing. We reached the terminal at 8:45.

At the airport check-in, my bag weighed 22kg (within the 23kg limit) and Suzy's was only 21.6kg.

It was a different layout to most airports because after checking in, you need to cart your bags to the conveyor belts behind the check-in counters. Mine sat there for 5 minutes before it eventually disappeared, leaving me wondering about whether it would turn up in Lyon safely.

After going through the hassles of a crowded security, we found a cafe to sit and wait for our flight.

All passengers were on board at 11:15am but the flight didn't depart until 12:05pm. The captain said the delay was caused by the weather and delays with loading luggage onto the plane.

Although we were travelling in economy class, we had aisle seats near the front of the plane just behind business class. Luckily, there was an empty seat next to me. In fact, in quite a few rows the middle seat was empty.

The captain managed to make up some of the lost time and we landed at Heathrow Terminal 5 at 1:20pm. The plane parked on the tarmac a long way from the terminal and so we had to cart our carry-on luggage sown the stairs from the plane and then get a bus to the terminal.

The terminal was very busy and we couldn't find a table in the cafes and so we bought takeaway sandwiches from Pret a Manger.

The plane we were going to catch was running late - no doubt because of the weather. Interestingly it came from Edinburgh.

By the time we reached the departure gate, I was limping and Suzy asked a staff member whether I could board early with the people who "need special assistance". The answer was yes.

While we waited near the airbridge, I chatted to a man who was flying home to Belgium. He said all the direct flights had been cancelled because of the weather and the only way he could get there was in multiple legs via Lyon.

Once again, we had aisle seats just behind business class. This flight was very full and they'd made multiple announcements saying there wouldn't be enough room on board for everyone's carry-on luggage. They needed some people to put theirs in the checked luggage. We were OK.

The flight left half an hour late at 3:45pm and landed in Lyon just after 6pm Lyon time (5pm London time). We waited ages for our bags but they did turn up eventually.

Scenic had organised a driver to take us to our hotel. He was waiting for us when we emerged from the terminal at 6:45pm. The traffic in Lyon was very heavy and we reached our hotel, Hotel de L'Abbaye, at 7:45pm.

This hotel has lots of character and the staff were very good. It's the kind of hotel where you sit down at a reception desk when you arrive. A pretty young girl then organises all the paperwork. Most of the staff were French but one girl was English.

They'd upgraded us to a better room on the third floor. It had a king size bed, lounge, table with two chairs, safe, wardrobe.

The bathroom had a large walk-in shower which should have been safer than a shower in a bath but, when we had a shower before dinner, the floor was very slippery. Quite dangerous. Later I asked for a non-slip mat. They could find one and instead gave us two extra towels to lie on the shower floor.

For dinner, we went to the hotel restaurant which was an elegant upmarket restaurant. For main course, I ordered deer which I'd never had before. We shared a delicious chocolate dessert.

Day 19 - Wednesday 18th October 2023

Today we'd be leaving Fort William and driving back to Edinburgh. Surprisingly it was warmer this morning than it had been for a while (10C). There was no blue sky - just a uniform high grey cloud cover. It was sprinkling lightly and there was a strong gusty wind.

We left the B&B soon after 9:30am and drove down the hill to a carpark near the main street of Fort William.

There were clothes that we wanted to send back to Australia rather than carting them around for the remainder of our holiday. This included the suit I'd brought along for the wedding, Suzy's long boots and thermal underwear that we'd used in Iceland.

We'd packed them all in a box and I fronted up to the post office to send it by British Post. I was amazed find it was going to cost 115 GBP. Much more than I expected. In the end, we decided to pay it.

Suzy had planned to get her nails done but the salon said they didn't have the necessary equipment.

So we left Fort William at about 10:30. On the way to Edinburgh, the plan was to visit two places that people had recommended: the Falkirk Wheel and the Kelpies - both of which are close together and near Edinburg. So we set the satnav for the Falkirk Wheel.

Once again, we travelled on narrow windy roads. Much of the time the road followed the edge of various lochs. At other times, it went through a valley surrounded on both sides but tall rugged rocky hills. Great scenery.

At about 12:30pm, we stopped at a cafe in the middle of nowhere for lunch. It was very busy because a brightly coloured double decker bus full of tourists was already there. We set off again at about 1:30. By this time the weather had improved with plenty of sunshine and blue sky.

For some of the journey, we were travelling on highways such as the A9 or motorways such as the M9. However, to get to the Falkirk Wheel, the satnav led us through narrow suburban streets.

We were only about 3km from our destination when we came across a bingle that was blocking the road and we had to find another route. It seemed as though two cars had a head-on collision trying to go through a narrow archway that was barely wide enough for one car.

The Falkirk Wheel is described as a feat of engineering. It provides a method to transfer boats from one canal to another nearby canal at a higher level or vice versa. It does this using a huge wheel that rotates with the boats inside. They say it's the world’s only rotating boat lift.

We saw it in action and we set off again at about 3:30pm and reached the Kelpies by about 3:45pm. This attraction consists of two huge silver horsehead sculptures. It reminded me of attractions back home such as the Big Banana.

The satnav guided us successfully to the Enterprise car rental drop-off area but this was a problem because we needed to fill up with petrol before dropping the car off and we turned around to find a petrol station. 

Petrol here cast about 1.60 GBP per litre (about $A3).

We got there in the end but it was difficult navigating the roads in the area.

In the end, we delivered the car to Enterprise at about 5pm. Luckily, the Hampton by Hilton Hotel was just across the road and so we carted our bags there without having to get a taxi as we had originally planned.

Our room has a queen size bed, carpet, large work desk, safe, kettle etc, wardrobe, comfy chair, plenty of power points, Wifi about 15Mb/s in both directions. The bathroom has a large walk-in shower. I imagine most of their customers only stay for one night and this room would be quite suitable.

Suzy made the comment that she needed a stiff drink after the navigation problems we'd had but we managed to wait until about 7pm when we went downstairs to the hotel restaurant for dinner.

Day 18 - Tuesday 17th October 2023

This morning we woke to a cold day (1C), blue sky and the view of a pretty fog over the lake.

Today we were booked to go on the Jacobite Steam Train from Fort William to Mallaig. This is also known as the Hogwarts Express because it was used in the Harry Potter series.

The train was due to depart from Fort William railway station at 10:15am and we were advised to be there 20 minutes before that. So we headed off from our B&B at 9:30 and walked down the long steep path down to the main street and then along to the station.

When we got there, the train was already waiting at the platform and there were already lots of passengers on the platform and on board the train. It's a long train and we found our carriage about halfway along.

I then got off and walked all the way up to the front to take photos of the steam engine. This engine (45407) is known as the Lancashire Fusilier.

There was steam coming from the engine and there was steam billowing from carriages along the train. On the platform, there was salt which must have been used to eliminate snow.

The train left the station right on time at 10:15.

Each carriage has groups of four seats with a table in between on each side of the carriage. As it turned out, we were sitting opposite an Australian man from Canberra. We had a lot in common. He was a graduate from Sydney University (a couple of years after us) in mechanical engineering before spending most of his career in computing.

He was travelling alone because his wife does not like travel. He travels a lot and we had plenty to talk about. He was good company.

The scenery along the way was better than I had expected and so there were plenty of photo opportunities. Apart from forests and hills, we saw lakes and paddocks with sheep and cattle. Luckily we were on the right side of the carriage for the best views.

Taking photos from a train or a bus is always a challenge. You have to be quick to get a photo in the gap between trees etc. Reflection off the window glass can be a problem. Today we had the extra problem of the windows fogging up.

About 20 minutes into the journey, we crossed the famous Glenfinnan Viaduct which is more than 300m long, has 21 arches and dates back to 1898. Although the viaduct is curved, it was hard to get a photo of it from the train.

Shortly after this, we stopped at Glenfinnan Station for about 20 minutes, Apart from giving us the opportunity to stretch our legs, there was a museum at the station.

During the trip, staff on the train came through with trolleys. One was for souvenirs such as Harry Potter items and another was for drinks including whiskies.

At a table near us there was a French family including two children both of whom dressed up in Harry Potter costumes. Elsewhere other children wore costumes too such as the school uniforms.

It was interesting that many people brought their dogs on the train. Near us, there was a large dog that blocked the aisle mainly because he wanted you to pat him. It must be common because there was a sign asking people not to let their dogs onto the seats.

The train arrived at Mallaig at about 12:30pm and we set off to find somewhere for lunch. We were surprised to find that the first three or four cafes we went to only accepted cash. We didn't have any cash and so we kept moving until we reached the Bakehouse that does accept cards.

We ate our lunch on the balcony outside the Bakehouse overlooking the harbour. It's a pretty location. On the harbour, there are moored boats. Further on, there are larger vessels such as a car ferry and on the other side of the harbour, there are hills and quaint housing.

Mind you, it was still chilly (8C) with a gentle breeze - especially out of the sunshine. Then again, there was plenty of sunshine because there was hardly a cloud in the sky. We were lucky with the weather. Lots of blue sky and no rain.

The train left on time at 2:15pm for the return trip to Fort William. This time we were on the other side of the carriage so that people got to share the view. The steam engine had moved to the front of the train but, although it was pulling the train, it was facing backwards.

We reached Fort William on time just before 4pm. It was a great outing.

Suzy had booked to have her nails done tomorrow morning (whatever that means) and so she wanted to find the salon in High Street. We eventually found it because Google Maps got it wrong.

We climbed back up the long steep pathway back up the hill to our B&B. We got thee at about 4:45pm.

For dinner, we'd booked at the Garrison West Restaurant for 6:30pm. It was a very nice meal. They specialise in seafood. Suzy particularly liked the affogato dessert.

We caught a taxi back up the hill to our B&B. The driver said he only took cash which was a problem because we didn't have any. Eventually he found he had an app to accept Mastercard and it worked.

We were back in the B&B at about 8:15pm. Another great day.

Day 17 - Monday 16th October 2023

Today we'd be driving from Pitlochry to Fort William. It was yet another cold morning (3C) with some cloud and some blue sky and no rain. Breakfast was at the B&B at 8:30am.

We checked out of the B&B at 10am. Initially we wanted to go around the other side of the river to see the fish ladder near the dam but we got lost and gave up. The fish ladder is a system that allows fish to swim upstream from below the dam to the level above the dam.

Instead we went to the Blair Atholl Distillery which is close to Pitlochry. We got there just in time for the 10:30 tour. Luckily there was only one other couple on our tour. The tour buses arrived just as were finishing our tour. We picked the right time.

The entire tour took an hour. It started with a step by step journey through the various stages of manufacture.

Our guide gave us an excellent explanation of each stage as we moved from one room to the next. Some rooms were quite hot because of the processing and we had to remove our jackets. Our guide also told us not to touch certain hot surfaces.

Apparently they supply almost all their whisky to be blended with other well known brands. Only a small percentage is bottled under the Blair Athol name.

At the end of the tour, we went upstairs above the shop for a whisky tasting. This was about a third of the total tour. I didn't participate in the tasting because I was driving and so he gave me a driver's pack so I could try the various whiskies later.

The shop sells lots of different whiskies and is very nicely presented but we didn't buy anything because it would be too hard to get it home. Nevertheless the tour was well worthwhile.

Next we drove to the Pitlochry dam. Unfortunately, the visitors centre is closed on a Monday but we were still able to walk across the dam and take photos.

Upstream, the water was still and had nice reflections of the trees and hills. Downstream had gushing water and nice scenery in the distance. At the other end of the dam wall, we saw the fish ladder.

It seems that this dam was part of a wider project to provide hydro electricity to the area.

Further on, we drove into the Blair Castle property. It was a very pretty setting - a long entrance driveway lined with trees with numerous family groups going for a walk in the sunshine - mostly with dogs.

Just before the castle, there is a booth where you need to pay an entrance fee. We've seen lots of castles recently and so we just turned around and went back to the main road.

The next destination was Bruar because Suzy had been told to go to the House of Bruar which sells ladies clothes. 

To get there we travelled along narrow country roads with green paddocks and herds of sheep. Around here, many of the sheepo have black faces.

Bruar is obviously very popular and perhaps we got there at the busiest time (lunch time) because it was very hard to find a parking spot. 

At the House of Bruar, they have comfortable lounge chairs in front of an open fire for the husbands as their wives shop. They even provide a wide range of newspapers to read. It turned out that Suzy managed to resist the temptation to buy anything there but she did buy herself a cashmere jumper after lunch at the cashmere shop.

Next we walked through the food hall and then the cafe. For lunch we went to the pie shop and found a table in the outside area where we enjoyed the view and the sunshine. There was a cool breeze and the temperature was only 8C.

This town is close to a town called Perth and it seems that the local council area is also called Perth.

It seems that there weren't any more shopping centres to visit and so we set off towards Fort William which was more than 50km away.

For most of the journey, we were driving on narrow windy rural roads. In the distance, we could see small patches of snow on the top of some of the taller hills. The blue sky had clouded over and the clouds made the snow covered hill tops even more interesting.

We didn't see any rain but at times the road was wet. This made navigating the narrow windy road harder. Buses and semi-trailers coming the other way didn't help either.

Along the way, we drove along the edge of various lochs. At one stage, we stopped at a parking area near a dam that was built as part of the hydro project.

When we were within 10km of Fort William, our satnav stopped working and so Suzy turned to good old reliable Google Maps to guide us there.

We reached our B&B, Rosewood Cottage, at about 3:45pm. After we drove down into the gravel driveway, we were met by our host, Evelyn, who helped us get into the building. We had trouble getting the key out of the key box.

The cottage consists of a living room, kitchen, laundry, bedroom and bathroom. Although we are only staying for two nights, it is nicely equipped for a longer stay.

It's in a nice location up the hill from the town and so has a nice view of the water and beyond from the driveway and from the kitchen window,

The sitting room has a lounge, two comfy chairs and a side table, a circular table with two chairs, sideboard, TV, heaters and carpet.

The kitchen has a dishwasher, fridge, oven, cooktop, kettle, toaster, cutlery, crockery, etc. The laundry has a washing machine but no dryer, iron, ironing board, drying rack.

The bedroom has a queen size bed. The bathroom has a walk-in shower. There is no safe. The wifi speed is about 35Mb/s down and only about 4 up. There are plenty of power points.

We put on a couple of loads of washing and then used the drying rack in front of the heater in the sitting room.

For dinner, we went down a pathway Suzy found to the lake level. Evelyn had suggested two places for dinner  - The Tavern and The Garrison West. We booked at the latter for tomorrow night and had dinner at the Tavern tonight.

After dinner, we went to Tesco Express to buy supplies for breakfast for the next two mornings. Rather than walk back up the hill with our groceries, we caught a taxi. We were back at our B&B at about 8:15pm,

This was my opportunity to taste the whiskies from the distillery this morning (the driver's pack).

Day 16 - Sunday 15th October

Today we'd be leaving Edinburgh and driving to Pitlochry.

It was another cool morning - only 3C.

On previous mornings, I'd ventured out to buy some croissants or pastries for breakfast but this morning the coffee shops I'd been to were not open yet (being a Sunday). However, Starbucks was open and they had a good choice. I got a couple of blueberry muffins. Perhaps this is where I should have gone previously.

We left the apartment just before 11am and caught an Uber to the Enterprise car rental depot which was located in the multi-storey car park at Waverley railway station. It took a while to finalise the rental arrangement and we left the carpark at about 11:45am.

The vehicle was a black hybrid Jeep SUV. We wanted an SUV so there was plenty of room for our luggage and because I'm used to driving my Hyundai Tuscon SUV at home.

Many of the streets in Edinburgh are paved with a cobblestone surface. Many of the other streets in the city and suburbs also have rough surfaces.

Before too long, we were out in rural areas with green paddocks and herds of sheep.

Eventually, we reached the motorway which took us across the giant new Fourth Bridge. We could see the old bridge nearby on the right. The new bridge is 2.7km long and is the longest 3-tower, cable-stayed bridge in the world.

Several people had suggested that we should stop in Dunkeld on the way to Pitlochry. It was a quaint town located next to the River Tay.

We had an excellent lunch at the Taybank Hotel before heading off to explore the town.

At the pub, several people had dogs with them in the restaurant and, as we walked down the street, we saw other venues that advertised that they were pet friendly. We seemed to be just about the only people not walking a dog.

One of the highlights of the town was the Dunkeld Cathedral which is more than 800 years old.

We walked back to our car along the river taking photos of the river and the bridge. It was a great setting.

We reached our B&B, Atholl Villa, at Pitlochry at about 3:30pm. Luckily we are on the ground floor because Suzy had requested ground floor access to avoid having to carry luggage upstairs.

Our room had a king size bed, small work desk, cupboard, carpet, plenty of power points, heater but no air conditioning. No safe, no fridge. The wifi speed was about 60 Mb/s down and 16 up. The bathroom had a walk-in shower with a grab bar and non-slip mat.

The room was cool and Suzy asked the owner about the heating. It turned out that he needed to turn it on from the office. We had some control too in the room after that.

At about 6pm, we set out to explore Pitlochry. It's a pretty town. We noticed people on the footpath selling coloured lights and further on there was a long queue of people waiting for buses.

One of the pubs that our B&B recommended was the Old Mill Inn and that's where we went for dinner. It's obviously popular because it was crowded and we were told we would have to wait 20 minutes for a table.

It turned out to be less time than that. By that time, I'd bought a bottle of an Australian Shiraz. When we were allocated a table, our waitress was an Australian from the Sunshine Coast.

We both had delicious seafood main courses followed by decaff coffee. Our B&B had given us a card that entitled each of us to a free glass of wine (house red).

Heading back to our B&B, the street was lit with coloured lights and the queue for buses  had more than doubled in length. I asked one of the blokes in a fluoro vest where all these people were going. He said that they are going to the Enchanted Forest and they come from all over Scotland.

We were back in our B&B at 8pm. By this time, the room was warmer than when we left. Previously we'd thought that we might need to wear the thermal underwear we'd bought for Iceland but perhaps now that might not be necessary.

Day 15 - Saturday 14th October

The initial reason we came overseas for the second time this year was to attend the wedding here in Edinburgh for Vicky and John's daughter, Amelia. Today was the day.

The forecast for today was for a cooler day and when we woke up it was only 5C.

Suzy thought the tie I'd brought with me from home was the wrong blue and so we went back to Charles  Tyrwhitt to buy a different one. We got something for lunch as Starbucks.

At about 1:15pm, we got an Uber to take us to the wedding venue, Mansfield Traquair. This is a grand impressive building. Apparently it used to be a church and is now a function centre.

Outside the entrance, there was a Scottish bagpiper. Inside there was a large open area where people were mingling and having drinks. At the other end there was a low platform with chairs set out for the wedding ceremony. In this area, there where were strings of small lights hanging down the walls. It looked fabulous.

As we entered, someone took our heavy puffer jackets that we'd worn to keep warm on the way here.

Many of the men were wearing kilts - including the groomsmen, father of the groom and father of the bride. Some men were wearing tartan trousers - including the groom. The groom looked remarkably calm as we waited for the bride to arrive.

The ceremony started soon after 2pm. Apparently in Scotland you either need to be married in a Christian ceremony or a Humanist ceremony. This was the latter.

The marriage celebrant naturally had a Scottish accent. Unfortunately he didn't use a microphone and so I had trouble hearing much of what he said.

The ceremony lasted about 30 minutes and was followed by signing of the registry in a table on the stage. A very nice ceremony.

After the ceremony, we formed a passageway outside the church and threw confetti over the happy couple as they left to get into a wedding car. I guess they were going somewhere to take photos. It was chilly outside in the cool breeze.

Back inside, the guests had the opportunity to have a drink and a chat.

At about 4:30pm, the bride and groom returned led by a man playing the bagpipes. This was followed by the speeches - father of the bride and each of the two best men.

Dinner consisted of three delicious courses. We were seated at a circular table with other cousins. There were two tables of Australians.

The band started playing at about 8pm. Initially there was Scottish dancing which is known as Ceilidh dancing.

I was amazed by the energy of the dancing by the young people. It made me feel tired just watching them dancing vigorously for hours. These people know how to party.

At about 10pm, we were all ushered downstairs to an open courtyard where we were each supplied with a sparkler as another celebration for the bride and groom.

The music and dancing continued until about 11:45pm when everyone was invited onto the dance floor to form a circle and sing Auld Lang Syne.

I've participated in many weddings for the Auld Lang Syne finale but this was very different. Normally the bride and groom go around the circle to say goodbye to everyone. Perhaps the guests form a tunnel as they leave.

Not this time. A group of blokes grabbed the groom and hoisted him up onto their shoulders with much cheering. Then they started throwing him up in the air multiple times.

That wasn't all. Other people picked up the bride and started throwing her up into the air multiple times. I was nervous that this could end badly but it was OK.

I've never seen anything like it before and I doubt if I ever will. Not just because of seeing them being thrown up in the air, but also the energy enthusiasm and cheering for the bride and groom. It was quite a spectacle.

As I said before, these people know how to party.

It was a wonderful amazing extraordinary wedding in a fabulous venue. Well worth travelling from the other side of the world to be part of the excitement.

At about midnight, we caught an Uber back to our apartment. We were in bed by about 12:30am at the end of a very memorable day.

Day 14 - Friday 13th October 2023

This morning it was cloudy again with occasional sunshine and a temperature of 8C.

At about 10am, we went to an outdoor clothing shop nearby to buy me a new pair of pants to replace the ones that fell apart in Vik.

Soon after 11am, we set off to catch the hop on hop off bus that did a city tour of Edinburgh. The only place where we hopped off was at Edinburgh Castle.

This was a busy spot. The cobblestone street led up to a large plaza in front of the castle.

Along the road, there were various buskers including three people displaying unusual birds. Naturally, there was a man playing the bagpipes too.

We took a few photos of the outside of the castle and headed back to the bus stop to get back on the hop on hop off bus for the remainder of the tour.

Although the temperature was 10C, it felt much colder than that in the breeze.

We finished the tour in Princes Street. Suzy wanted to go back to Marks and Spencer to buy a leather jacket she'd seen there yesterday.

We had lunch at a cafe on the way back to our apartment.

Suzy decided that some of my shirts needed to be thrown out and so we went to the Charles Tyrwhitt shop nearby to buy some more shirts.

At 6pm, we went to the  Cambridge Bar for a pre-wedding event. This pub is, once again, close to our apartment. It was in the same street as the Oxford Bar where we went last night - just a block further on. Once again, proving that Suzy did a great job (as always) in finding the ideal place to stay on our holidays.

As you would expect, there were lots of friends and relatives there including the bride and groom (Amelia and David) and David's parents and relatives. Maybe I could draw a family tree but maybe it would be too complicated.

The arrangement was that we buy our own drinks and they would provide finger food. It was a great evening proving yet again that Suzy's cousins are all friendly inclusive people. They go out of their way to make you feel welcome. They are perfect hosts. What a great night.

We left at about 9:20pm to head back to our apartment. This was another great day and we are looking forward to an even better event tomorrow.

Day 13 - Thursday 12th October 2023

Thankfully we were able to sleep in this morning. An 8am start here in Edinburgh was much more civilised that the 4:30am start yesterday in Iceland.

When we woke up, it was a chilly 6C outside and there were dark grey clouds and some blue sky and sunshine. It wasn't raining.

At about 9am, I went out to get some pastries for breakfast from a coffee shop around the corner in Thistle Street that we'd noticed last night on the way to the pub.

Suzy had organised to catch up with Vicky (one of the Suzy's cousins and the mother of the bride) and her husband John (father of the bride) at 10am in a different nearby coffee shop.

It was good to catch up with them - the last time we'd seen them was about four years ago when they were living in Perth. The time before that was when we stayed overnight at their house when they were living near Aberdeen in Scotland and we were travelling throughout the UK.

Just before noon, the four of us walked up a couple of blocks to a park outside the National Gallery where we met up with Julie (another cousin of Suzy) and her husband Drew and Lynette (who is a cousin of Vicky). Julie and Drew live in Sydney and had come to Scotland too for the wedding on Saturday.

It was a great location. We could see the castle on the hill beyond the National Gallery building. There were impressive old buildings on the other side of the park. In the courtyard, there was a man in Scottish kilt playing the bagpipes.

Suzy and I then went across the road to the Marks and Spencer department store to get some supplies for our apartment such as fruit and coffee.

Suzy had organised for us meet Bobbie and Allan at The Dome which is a few blocks away from our apartment. Bobbie is the sister of (another) Allan who is married to my sister, Annie. The Allan we met today is Bobbie's husband.

Bobbie and Allan live in Scotland. Although they've been to Australia, we'd never met them before. Annie's Allan is delightful and so we expected his sister to be delightful too and this proved to be correct.

We spent a most enjoyable afternoon with Bobbie and Allan. They are very nice people.

The Dome was a great place to spend the afternoon. It's a grand building. Apparently it used to be a bank back in the days when banks had impressive premises (like the Commonwealth Bank in Martin Place in Sydney).

At about 5pm, we said goodbye to Bobbie and Allan and headed to the Oxford Bar where Suzy's relatives were getting together for a drink. This pub is also only a couple of blocks from our apartment but in the opposite direction from the Dome.

Apart from Vicky, John and Lynette, there was Jim (another of Suzy's cousins) and his wife Sue, Andrew (another cousin) and with his son (tall) Paul and daughter Laura, Drew and Julie's daughter Annie and her boyfriend Dan.

Some of them we haven't seen for a while and some (the sons and daughters) we'd never met before. It was a great opportunity to catch up and chat.

At about 7pm, Suzy and I headed back to our apartment. On the way, we bought take-away Thai food from a restaurant in Thistle Street.

Day 12 - Wednesday 11th October 2023

Today we'd be leaving Iceland and flying to Edinburgh in Scotland with EasyJet because they were only airline we found who goes from Reykjavik directly to Edinburgh. The flight was due to depart at 9:20am from Keflavik airport.

Nordic Visitor had organised our airport transfer and would pick us up from the hotel at 6am. This had seemed a little early but they had confirmed the time. So we'd organised with the hotel to have a light breakfast at 5:30am. I set my alarm for 4:30am.

The light breakfast consisted of croissants and coffee. Today was not as windy as yesterday and the temperature was a cool 3C. We had been worried about whether the plane could fly out if the winds were still as bad as yesterday.

We reached the airport soon after 6:30am. The EasyJet counter wasn't due to open until 6:50am. 

EasyJet is very strict about the weight of your checked luggage and so we'd been concerned about keeping our luggage below the 23kg limit. Suzy's bag weighed only 20kg again and mine was only 21.2kg - primarily because I'd put all the cables, plugs and adapters in my carry-on baggage instead of the checked baggage. I'd also thrown out my warm long-johns (which I never wanted to wear again) and a pair of pants that fell apart when we were in Vik.

Apparently there was no weight limit for carry-on baggage - only a size limitation.

We were told that the flight had been delayed - initially until 11:20am and then 12:05 because of a fire overnight at Luton airport. As compensation, they gave both of us a voucher for 4.50 Euros to spend at the airport. That would probably pay for a bottle of water but not much more.

Later we found out the fire started from a vehicle in the carpark and spread to hundreds of other vehicles - destroying them too - before the parking station collapsed.

At security, they needed to do a manual check for our bags after they passed through the scanner and so this took a while. At the end, when we were checking that we had everything off the conveyor, Suzy realised her Apple Watch was missing. Not to worry because security had put it aside on their counter.

We needed to go to departure gate area D (for international departures) which was a 20 minute walk. There we went through customs before looking for a comfortable place to sit to wait for our flight. Since it was an economy flight, we didn't have access to a business class lounge.

We bought chicken wraps for our breakfast. The most time-consuming part was for the staff and the manager to work out how to deduct 4.50 Euros from the cost in Icelandic Kronas.

The plane arrived at about 11:15am. Surprisingly, they invited us to board straight away even though the incoming passengers had only just started to leave the plane. Once they'd disembarked, they reversed the escalator so we could ride up to the air bridge to board the plane.

Luckily, we managed to find space in the overhead compartment for our carry-on bags. We were also lucky with our seats because we both had aisle seats on opposite sides of the aisle. It seemed to be a full flight. The plane departed at about 12 noon.

Since were in row 3, we were first to get food and drink from the trolley. Even so, they only had one chicken wrap onboard. Suzy had Pringles instead. They did have red wine and G&T.

The plane landed in Edinburgh at 3pm (2pm Iceland time).

We got a taxi at about 3:40pm and gave the driver the address: 23 Thistle Street. However, when we got there, it didn't look right and Suzy rang the office for the booking agent.

Street addresses here are confusing. The address we were given had "23 Thistle Street" on one line and "SW Lane" underneath. It turned out that the apartment was in a lane parallel to Thistle Street. The lane has its own numbering.

Luckily the taxi driver had waiting while we sorted it out and he drove us to 28 Thistle Street which is where the office was. This wasn't easy because that part of Thistle Street is one way in the opposite direction.

A member of staff then helped us with our bags around the corner into the lane. This wasn't easy on a cobblestone street.

Access to the building and our apartment is via a security code rather than keys. Once inside the building we had to cart our bags down a short flight of steps and then up another short flight before we could get to the small slow lift to take us to level 5.

Inside the apartment, there was a small entry area with four closed doors - one for each of the bathroom, bedroom, living room and utility room.

The bedroom was quite spacious with a queen size bed, wardrobe, safe, carpet and a work desk or dressing table. Wifi was about 45Mb/s in both directions.

The bathroom had a shower in a bath.

The living area was spacious with a kitchen, lounge, table with two seats. There was a fridge, dishwasher, washing machine/dryer, coffee machine, oven, microwave, cooktop, floorboards and some basic supplies.

Having finally got here, it looked like a good place to stay for the next four days.

For dinner we decided to go to a nearby pub, the Queens Arms, at about 6pm. Obviously a popular pub because it was crowded. We were lucky to get a table.

However our challenges weren't over. They were running out of red wine and so I had a large glass of red wine and Suzy had a G&T.

Their special for the night was a share pie with chicken and chick peas. After about an hour, I asked the waitress if our meal was on its way. She looked embarrassed and came back to tell us that our order had been lost.

A few minutes later, the manager came and apologised profusely. She said we wouldn't be charged for the food. When it did eventually arrive, it was delicious (and free).

What a day! It was good to get into bed.

Day 11 - Tuesday 10th October 2023

Our tour with Nordic Visitor finished yesterday and we had a full day to ourselves today in Reykjavik before we fly out of Iceland tomorrow morning to Scotland. 

Snorri suggested yesterday that we go to the Perlan Museum today in Reykjavik. So we booked to go there at 11am.

It seemed as though the severe weather had arrived because it was very windy this morning. It was only 2C and the forecast maximum temperature today was 5C. It had been raining overnight and more rain was forecast. In fact they were forecasting snow.

We went down to the hotel restaurant for breakfast at about 8:15am. Perhaps we should have come earlier (or later) because it was very busy. It was hard to find a table.

Just after 10:30am, we caught a taxi to the Perlan Museum. It was surprising how strong the wind was. It took all my strength to keep the taxi's door open while I tried to climb in. The strong wind also made it feel very cold. At least it wasn't raining.

The museum is only ten minutes away on a hill overlooking the city. We reached the museum just in time for the 11am show about the northern lights. The show started with a five minute video on a large screen just outside the main auditorium. It showed spectacular scenery from all over Iceland. We recognised some places we'd visited on our tour.

The inside of the auditorium was amazing. The screen consisted of a huge dome above the seats in the auditorium.

Most of the action in the film was in front of us but the seats had headrests so you could sit back and see the rest of the video above you.

The film explained the northern lights - not just for Iceland - but also for other countries. It even put it into perspective for other planets that receive light radiated from the sun. The presentation lasted about 30 minutes.

At 12 noon, we watched a short film about volcanoes in the Volcanic Theatre on the basement level. From there, we worked our way up from one floor to the next.

The Wonders of Iceland exhibit had a short video that you watched while sitting on a replica of a block of ice which vibrated at particular times during the film.

Many of the exhibits had display boards with photos and explanations of geology, history, animals, bird life, etc.

One of the exhibits was an ice cave. You needed to rug up before entering because the temperature inside was -15C. It took you through tunnels of ice. In one tunnel, there was a chair (perhaps a throne) made of ice.

The glacier exhibit concentrated on showing the way glaciers are receding because of global warming and are likely recede even further over the decades.

For lunch we went up to the restaurant on the top level where we shared a pizza. This floor has a huge glass dome and gives fabulous views of the city, snow-capped mountains and lakes.

It was an excellent museum. Well worth visiting. I could see why some people spend three or four hours there.

Our taxi got us back to the hotel at about 2:30pm.

There were tour groups who'd booked the hotel restaurant from 7pm and so we booked dinner for 6pm.

This turned out to be good timing because happy hour finished at 6pm and so we were able to get drinks at a lower price before dinner.

Nothing here is cheap. At least the happy hour drinks are less expensive.

Day 10 - Monday 9th October 2023

Today we'd be leaving Vik to travel inland to the Golden Circle on our way back to Reykjavik.

When we woke up, it was 8C and raining. Yesterday, Snorri had told us that not only was rain forecast for today but also there was a severe weather alert. They have three levels for these alerts - yellow, orange and red. Mostly they are warnings for road users and for rivers.

Yellow is the lowest warning level and indicates you need to take special care. At the orange level, it is dangerous for buses and vans but still OK for four-wheel-drive vehicles like the one we were travelling in. For red warnings, you should stay at home.

I wasn't convinced that the severe weather had arrived because the weather app was warning of  severe weather at 3am tomorrow morning. However it was raining steadily today and the rain was heavy at times.

We checked out of the hotel by 9am and packed all our gear into the Land Cruiser. It was stacked high with our luggage and heavy coats, puffer jackets, etc.

Yesterday we could see the mountains and the sea. Today visibility was very poor. We couldn't see the mountains.

The road was busy. It was only one lane in each direction. Snorri said most of the traffic would have been tourists doing a self-drive tour of Iceland.

Hopefully one day they will widen it or duplicate it.

At about 11am, we stopped at a farm, Fridheimar, that grows tomatoes in greenhouses. They also have a cafe and so we took the opportunity to have a cup of coffee out of the rain.

Apparently they also breed horses.

Snorri said he worked here during Covid when there were no tourists coming to Iceland and so he was unable to work as a tour guide.

Next we stopped at Gullfoss waterfall which is probably the most famous waterfall in Iceland. Although it isn't a tall drop waterfall, it is wider that other waterfalls we'd seen. There are viewing platforms at different levels.

I thought it was only going to be a short stop to take a few photos and so I was only wearing my puffer jacket. This was a bad idea because it was only 8C and, with the strong wind, it felt much colder. Freezing cold and driving rain. Not very pleasant.

Suzy had the right idea because she was wearing the heavy coat that we'd hired in Reykjavik.

I'm sure this would be a great place to spend some time on a fine sunny day to enjoy the view.

The next stop was the Strokkur geyser. This is a reliable geyser that shoots into the air every six to ten minutes. Snorri said that "geyser" in an Icelandic word which was first used to describe this geyser and is now used in various languages throughout the world to describe this phenomenon.

Because of the weather, Snorri planned the visit carefully. He said it would be best to approach the geyser from the lower side because this was downwind from the geyser. On the upper side, we might be hit by the hot water from the geyser.

Normally people park in one of the carparks - either at the top or bottom - and then walk to the geyser and back again. Instead he dropped us at the lower carpark so we would be walking with the wind. So the wind and rain would be hitting our backs rather than hitting our faces. He then picked us up at the top carpark.

We were both wearing the heavy jackets we'd hired plus the water proof pants and boots. Normally I would have been wearing my ski gloves too but that wouldn't have let me use my camera. My hands were very cold.

Travel guides suggest that you spend time here to see repeated bursts of activity. We saw one explosion and we were out of there to escape back to protection of the car. Nobody else seemed to be hanging around either.

Now it was time for lunch in the restaurant and cafeteria near the lower carpark. Everyone else was there too. It was very crowded. Quite chaotic. Luckily, Suzy managed to find a table.

There were two unrelated reasons to stop at the next location. Firstly, this was the original location of the Icelandic parliament that was established way back in 930AD which means that Iceland was one of the first parliamentary democracies.

The second reason was to do with geology. Iceland sits on two tectonic plates which are moving apart. There are chasms here as a result of this movement. The plates are moving about 1cm every year. So Iceland gets bigger every year (as do the chasms).

The island is also growing because of the volcanic eruptions over the centuries which deposit lava into the sea along the coastline.

Normally this visit would involve a fifteen minute walk in and then fifteen minutes out. There was no way we were going to do any such walk today. Instead we made a very brief visit to a viewing platform to take a few photos.

We were back in the hotel soon after 4:30pm. Snorri helped move all our luggage out of his vehicle into the foyer where we thanked him for taking us on our adventure for the last few days.

After the problems we'd had a few days ago at the Center Hotel in Reykjavik, they had organised a room away from street noise. It was on the fifth level.

This room was similar to the previous toom in many ways. However it was smaller and had a queen size bed instead of king size. On the other hand, it had a walk-in shower rather than a shower in the bath. We noticed that when we arrived the window was open.

We had dinner in the hotel restaurant again. It was interesting to find that the wine in the mini bar in our room was about the same price as a glass of wine in the restaurant (except during happy hour). Normally the mini bar is much more expensive in most hotels.