I don't think there are very many of you who read this and don't view my Flickr page every now and then, but I have started processing my photographic evidence of Scotland. You can view the slideshow version here or click through the set here. I'll be adding more photos by the handful for the next week or until I get bored of it (I am not a true artiste).
Happily, I did keep a journal the entire time but am not going to blog about the trip much; fond reminisces will be attached to photos in my Flickr stream to give them more context and make them actually interesting.
Included in my obsessive planning efforts of the months preceding the holiday, I thought lots about what sort of pictures I wanted to come home with--I did not want to do a Everything I Saw In Scotland!!! thing. I tried more along the lines of Here's Some Cool Stuff From My Travels! and hope I succeeded.
28.5.09
27.5.09
feet on the ground (head still in the clouds)
As of yesterday afternoon, we are back! (not yet fully functional, but certainly present and accounted for)
Omaha exploded into green while we were Overseas (I'm totally going to insert that into as many conversations as possible because I've NEVER been overseas before). The trees in the backyard all decided to throw out their leaves and the neighbors (and their annoying floodlights) are once again hidden from view. Tiny purple flowers carpet the ground under the trees. It's very pretty, which is good, since my optic nerve got used to being continually exposed to Items of Great Beauty and/or Great Interest over the past couple weeks.
The cats are healthy and happy to see us. Paulette seems less neurotic; I guess boarding did her well. Maybe she saw how lucky she really has it?
The self-watering system I rigged worked and all my plants are alive.
We picked up a load of (mostly) very boring mail on the way home from the airport.
I got more spam than actual email, and more promotional/subscription emails than Real email from Real People (because you all knew I was Away) (I hope that's the reason). I did not miss the Interwebs.
American plumbing is a wonder I'll always treasure.
First meal back: pizza.
I woke up at 2am. I got up at 4am. It's not yet noon but I'm ready for dinner (leftover pizza)
I have 10GB of photos to sort through.
And the cupboard is bare and we are going to get groceries.
More soon--
Omaha exploded into green while we were Overseas (I'm totally going to insert that into as many conversations as possible because I've NEVER been overseas before). The trees in the backyard all decided to throw out their leaves and the neighbors (and their annoying floodlights) are once again hidden from view. Tiny purple flowers carpet the ground under the trees. It's very pretty, which is good, since my optic nerve got used to being continually exposed to Items of Great Beauty and/or Great Interest over the past couple weeks.
The cats are healthy and happy to see us. Paulette seems less neurotic; I guess boarding did her well. Maybe she saw how lucky she really has it?
The self-watering system I rigged worked and all my plants are alive.
We picked up a load of (mostly) very boring mail on the way home from the airport.
I got more spam than actual email, and more promotional/subscription emails than Real email from Real People (because you all knew I was Away) (I hope that's the reason). I did not miss the Interwebs.
American plumbing is a wonder I'll always treasure.
First meal back: pizza.
I woke up at 2am. I got up at 4am. It's not yet noon but I'm ready for dinner (leftover pizza)
I have 10GB of photos to sort through.
And the cupboard is bare and we are going to get groceries.
More soon--
9.5.09
tips
Except for our first stop, we are staying exclusively in bed and breakfasts this trip. I've never been in a B&B. Initially I was reluctant--it is someone's HOME--but in some places, they are the only type of lodging, and it will be nice to have people to ask about the area. It will force me to talk to strangers.
Okay: the only selling point I needed was all those offers of Full Scottish Breakfasts.
In looking for info about B&B's I came across this bit of advice:
Attire: When in the public areas of the B&B it is best not to wear your negligee or only your underwear, go barefooted, etc. If your room is not en-suite and you have to cross the hall to a bathroom, cover up.
The fact that such behavior has to be explained means there must have been problems, somewhere!
Thanks for all the advice about what to bring on the long flight. I loaded up a carry-on messenger bag today with the following:
Okay: the only selling point I needed was all those offers of Full Scottish Breakfasts.
In looking for info about B&B's I came across this bit of advice:
Attire: When in the public areas of the B&B it is best not to wear your negligee or only your underwear, go barefooted, etc. If your room is not en-suite and you have to cross the hall to a bathroom, cover up.
The fact that such behavior has to be explained means there must have been problems, somewhere!
Thanks for all the advice about what to bring on the long flight. I loaded up a carry-on messenger bag today with the following:
- kleenex
- hand lotion
- hand sanitizer
- chapstick
- ibuprophen
- gum
- mints
- EmergenC
- earplugs
- headphones
- iPod
- Larabars
- neck pillow (I am NOT wearing that arm thing she has on)
- books
- solid perfume
- scarf
- pens
- journal
- all the camera equipment that doesn't get more than one foot away from me in public. (This Domke insert fits my camera + lens and two extra lenses perfectly.)
5.5.09
it couldn't be any more gorgeous outside
early morning rain freshened everything up and now the sun is out, the birds are happy and it smells so green.
4.5.09
details
Things I cannot bring back from Scotland:
- All products made from sea turtles
- All ivory, both Asian and African elephant, and rhinoceros
- Furs from spotted cats
- Furs from marine mammals
- Feathers and feather products from wild birds
- Most crocodile and caiman leather
- Most coral, whether in chunks or in jewelry
- Irreplaceable family objects
- All unnecessary credit cards
- Social Security card, library card, and similar items that may be in your wallet.
3.5.09
decisions, decisions
One of the most important decisions one makes when taking a trip, journeying or going on holiday is literary in nature.
Q: What printed texts will accompany me? It has to be interesting but somewhat obscure (at least the cover), so as not to encourage nearby fliers to strike up conversations. (If it has been on Oprah's show, it is disqualifed.)
My go-to travel companion used to be (and sometimes still is) Wodehouse. (Oprah doesn't know about Wodehouse.) The old thin Penguins fit easily into carry-ons and following along on Bertie's or the Blandings Castle crew's adventures is not only entertaining, but it does not require a whole lot of focus. (I tend to be distracted on flights, fidgety and worrisome about connection times.)
I tried McSweeney's as airplane reading the single year I subscribed, but the contents were such a mixed bag (and sometimes the issues were ENORMOUS) I gave up.
And this month I'm coming up on a ten-hour flight to Scotland. What will keep me company? Yes, yes, Bruce will be sitting right beside me, but neither of us is a big plane talker--everyone around you can hear and did I mention TEN HOURS? That's time INSIDE the plane, not including transfer or wait time at the airport. I've got to have something good! I've been savoring the Decision.
I made it last night.
Two years ago, I discovered that the Paris Review is the perfect in-flight companion. (see photo above by the delightful Meera) A non-snooty literary journal, it has essays, short fiction, short nonfiction, photojournalism, poetry and author interviews. It has everything! And that everything is almost always ALL GOOD. (Weird fiction does creep in at times. There was a "short story" that was composed solely of questions, but it just didn't take off for me. I tried. Twice.) So I've saved the Spring 2009 edition For Scotland.
But a 170-page lit journal will only get one so far, like maybe to the Atlantic. For the rest of the flight I'm taking Chandler's The Long Goodbye, 379 pages of gritty hardboiled crime. That and a charged iPod should do me just fine. And maybe a Gervase Fen mystery.
FYI: Return flight reading material to be found in Edinburgh used bookshops.
QUESTIONS:
What do you read on your travels?
Should I get a neck pillow? (We're flying a red-eye.)
What food do you bring on airplanes? (I'm going to stash a couple of Larabars in my bag but need more ideas.)
How do Meera and Ross survive flights to Singapore?
2.5.09
2 May 2009
Ta-da!
May heralds the opening of ye olde farmers market downtown. I showed up around 9.30, missing out on a few things (I always mean to get there early but never can Get Out of Bed). It was packed; I parked blocks and blocks away and had a very pleasant sunny stroll into the Old Market area (which is not really like a European city, regardless of what the Omaha tourist board says).
Best Practice: I always walk the whole space first, to see who has what, who has the best, and how much they're selling it for, then go back and make purchases. It's nice to recognize certain stalls--I don't know any of the farmers firsthand, except for the people up the road we buy eggs and bacon, etc. from every weekend, but everyone generally is in the same location as last year.
[Familiarity is still novel to me, after all this moving business.]
Well, the spigariello lady was not in the same location--I asked, not remembering her stall from last year. She caught my eye as I did my slow perusal and I walked over to see what she had. She'd sold out of spinach, but I purchased her last bag of mysterious Italian greenery and she told me what they'd have later in the summer. Then I circled round to buy a pint of cherry tomatoes and added a $2.00 bunch of green garlic on the way back to the car.
I walked right past the bakery stalls. I bake bread! I've got a loaf of cinnamon raisin waiting to be sliced, lightly toasted and brushed with butter.
Not knowing what I'd find at the market, I'd thrown (gently) a couple of cookbooks in the car before leaving the house. None of my purchases were showcase items, so I chose a Sweet Potato Vichyssoise, made a list, and went to the grocery store. The green garlic will sub in for shallots. I'll use the toms and greens in salad.
And now I'm home. Bruce has been in DC and Alabama this week; I pick him up tomorrow. I'm glad it is sunny.
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