We arrived at the airport and got the boarding passes for the three flights and Jay and I each checked a bag.  We then went through security.  They did not make you take anything out of your bags such as liquids, laptops, etc.  After security we made our way to our gate.  Our flight was on Aer Lingus and was due to leave at 11:15 and arrive in Heathrow at 12:40 which would give us 2 1/2 hours layover to make it from one terminal to the next and go back through security.  But things did not go as planned.  Our Dublin flight was delayed, it was only supposed to be 20 or 30 minutes, but it ended up being 2 hours.  And they changed the gate 2 times.  Finally, a little after 1:00 we started boarding.  You have to walk down a flight of stairs to get to the jetway to the plane.  They did not seem to have any order to how you were boarding.  We had not been able to select our seats, so Jay ended up by the window and I was in the middle seat.  We were not even offered anything to drink on the flight.  I don’t know why, but the flight attendants completely skipped our row.  the plane landed in Heathrow at 2:45 PM.  We took off walking as fast as we could to get from Terminal 3 to Terminal 2.  We did have to get on a bus.  There was six of us that was trying to make the Charlotte flight.  The ticket agents said they couldn’t help, and we had to go back to Terminal 3 to the Aer Lingus ticket agents.  So back the 6 of us went, we got on the bus back to Terminal 3, which meant we had to go through security again.  By this time the other four had their tickets booked and was on the run to their gates.  We were going to Tallahassee and Aer Lingus ticket agent was having trouble finding us a flight.  She eventually said I could have a seat, and she would let me know when she had it worked out.   After a while, she said we had to go back through baggage claims and then go to the Aer Lingus ticket agent in departures.  That they were expecting us.  But it looked like we would be spending the night in London.  We eventually found our way to the Aer Lingus ticket counter, and she booked us on a Delta flight for in the morning.  It would take us to Atlanta where we would spend almost 7 hours before flying on to Tallahassee where we would arrive about midnight.  She also sent us to a hotel and gave us vouchers for dinner and breakfast.  She also gave us vouchers for the Hotel bus.  The hotel, Radisson Blu is nice, but the dinner vouchers can only be used in this one restaurant which was self-serve, and the food was a beef stew, some kind of pasta (maybe lasagna) that was covered in cheese, buttery mashed potatoes.  They did not even have decent fixings for a salad and the only drink you were offered was water.  It was very disappointing.

Jay was walking to a convenience store after dinner and he discovered a McDonalds on the way, so he bought a sandwich and me French fries.  Hopefully tomorrow will be better.

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Once back at our hotel, Jay took a shower, and I read my kindle.    After Jay’s shower, he selected a restaurant for dinner using the app Open Table.  It was a steakhouse and we decided to take a taxi.  We ate dinner and then walked around a bit before taking a taxi back to our hotel.  Jay then walked to go get snacks while I went up to our room.  This is our last night here.  We have to get up early and leave for the airport at 7:40 in the morning, so we will need to pack what we can before we go to bed tonight.  Tomorrow will be a long travel day.

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We walked around a bit before we headed back to our hotel to order lunch with Uber Eats.  Jay and I both ordered hamburgers.  We then rested, Jay looked at his phone and I took a nap until it was time for dinner.  Using the app, Open Table, we made dinner reservations.  It was a 25-minute walk to the restaurant.  We were seated immediately when we arrived.  Jay ordered the chicken, and I had the linguini with prawns and mussels.  After dinner, I decided it was too far for me to walk, so I called a taxi using the app, Free Now.  It only took a few minutes for it to arrive.  When we were dropped off at the hotel, Jay went to buy some snacks, and I went upstairs to our room.  Then we decided to call it a night.

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We got us and ate breakfast around 10.  Then I went back to the room to read, and Jay went for a walk.  He came back about 1 so we could go eat lunch.  After lunch we walked to Aviva Stadium, where the game is to be played.  The stadium opens 1 1/2 before the game is scheduled to start.  So, the stadium opened at 3:30 and the game starts at 5:00.  It was about a 24-minute walk to the stadium, so we had to wait about 15 minutes for the stadium to open.  We then entered and found our seats.  We were sitting in the end zone, but not directly behind the gold posts.  We were off to the side.  We watched the Georgia Tech team warm up and practice kicking footballs through the goal posts.  There was not a net to catch the footballs, so you had to pay attention so you would not get hit by a football.

It did sprinkle a little during the game.  FSU ended up losing to GT 24 – 21.  GT made a field goal with 5 seconds left in the game to break the tie.  After the game we had to walk the 25 minutes back to our hotel.

Once in our hotel, we ordered room service because we had not eaten anything at the game.  Then it was time to relax for the night.

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When it was time to board the plane, they checked our passports, and I had digital boarding passes on my phone.   On the walk to the plane, we had to go down a few steps and then walk out on the tarmac to the plane where we had to go up about 4 steps to get on the plane.  It was a smaller regional jet with propellers.  The seat configuration was 2 across on each side of the aisle.  The flight was only 1 hour and 30 minutes.  We landed and had to walk down about 8 steps to get off the plane.  Then we walked and got on a bus which took us to the terminal.   Going through immigration was not much of a line and we were through in no time.  We then had to wait on out luggage.  I had a car and driver waiting for us to take us to the airport.

It was about a 40-minute drive to the hotel.  We were able to get checked into our room where we rested before going out for dinner.  Then back to the hotel.

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We took a taxi to our hotel where we are spending one night.  When we arrived, our room was ready, so we were able to go directly to our room.   After dropping off our luggage in our room, we needed to walk back to the hotel we had stayed in before in Glasgow.  I had left my Kindle e-reader in the hotel room that we previously stayed in.  I had called the hotel, and it had been turned in by housekeeping.  I asked them to please keep it until we came back to Glasgow.  It was a 22-minute walk mostly downhill to the hotel.  They did have the Kindle, and I was able to get it back.  Then it was a 22-minute walk back up the hill to our hotel we were staying in this time.  We did stop for lunch on the way.  Jay went to the gym at the hotel to work out and I went back to our room to read my kindle.  Then a few hours later we went out for dinner and then back to the hotel to relax again and call it a night.

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Pitlochry – Post office for Jay to mail his postcards

Blair Castle

The Hermitage

Doune Castle

National Wallace Monument

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We then drove to Cawdor Castle.  I had pre-booked our tickets.  We toured the castle and the gardens

I had decided to visit the Walker Factory store to get some more shortbread cookies including some to take to Carl.  Unfortunately, I chose the wrong store when I selected it in the GPS.  This caused to backtrack for about an hour, which put us farther behind schedule.  We also decided to eat lunch in the town the store was located.

After lunch we decided to drive to Huntley Castle, but it was over an hour away and we would arrive around 4:15 and it closed at 4:30.  So we changed our minds and drove to Kildrummy Castle.  It is a ruined castle, and it was also closed when we arrived.  When we plugged our hotel into the GPS it said we were over 2 hours away and would arrive at 6:48 PM. We had dinner reservations for 7.   I drove as fast as I dared, but the roads were narrow, hilly and curvy so I could not drive too fast.  We checked into the hotel and immediately left to walk to the restaurant.  It was about a 10-minute walk.  We arrived at the restaurant and had dinner.  While we were eating it started to rain and was still raining when we finished dinner and started the walk back to the hotel.  We stopped at a grocery store on the way to pick up some drinks and water, then continue our walk in the rain.  I was wearing my new raincoat I bought just for this trip, and I think I have had to use it every day.  When we got back to the hotel we got dried off and called it a night.

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Jay decided he was hungry, so he found a McDonalds back in Inverness and had us drive to it only to find out it did not have a drive thru.  So, we turned around and drove to Urquhart Castle.  When we arrived, there was a sign saying the parking lot was full, but I pulled up anyways.  The attendant asked if we had booked tickets and I said yes, so he let us through.  We were able to find a parking space with no problem.  After parking the car, we walked toward the ticket counter.  There was a long line, I asked the attendant if we had to stand in line and she said no because we had pre-booked our tickets we could go ahead to the ticket counter.  When you enter the visitor center, you have to walk down steps for several floors to get to the gift shop and the entrance to head outside to the castle.  The castle is a long walk downhill.  It is just ruins now, but it sits right next to the Loch.  While we were down at the castle, it started raining, not hard.  We looked around and then started the walk back uphill.  The walkway was gently sloped so it wasn’t too bad.

Next, Jay wanted to go to the local soccer stadium, so he put the directions into the GPS and off we went.  The club store was closed when we arrived.  Jay still took pictures of the outside of the stadium.  Afterwards, we headed back to hotel.  Jay went the fitness center to work out and I took a nap.  When he came back it was time to go to dinner.  We happened to be a couple of blocks from a nice pedestrian area with a lot of shops and restaurants.  Jay picked one and we ate dinner.  After dinner, we walked around the area and shopped for souvenirs  Then headed back to the hotel..

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Castle Mey was bought by the Queen Mother in 1952.  She renovated and restored the castle and its gardens.  The Queen Mother opened the gardens on 3 days each year, a tradition the trustees have continued.  The Queen Mother would spend 3 weeks in August and the 10 days in October every year.  When the Queen Mother purchased the property, it was only about 30 acres.  In 1958, a nearby farm was put on the market and the Queen Mother purchased it.   We toured the castle and then walked through the gardens.

Our next stop was Badbea Historical Village.  The small village was built along a hillside beside steep cliffs.  You an see the remains of 16 buildings.  Each family had a few acres of land for growing vegetables and keeping livestock.  It was also known for illegal whisky stills and smuggling.  The village was abandoned in 1911.  There is a path from the car park to the village.

Our next stop was DunRobin Castle.  This castle is the largest in the Northern Highlands with 189 rooms.  It has been continuously inhabited by the Earls and later the Dukes of Suntherland since the 1300’s.  There gardens were beautiful.  After touring the castle, we headed for our hotel in Inverness.

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