nnylanna AND piberg: September 2012

*those written in bold letters are from Nnylanna’s notes and i (Piberg) wrote the rest.

*those written in italic letters are non-english words.

11 October 2011
DAY 5

Another early start today. Had brekkie with the two “Titas” and have been officially introduced to Joy and Josie, Filipino Canadians from Toronto. Spotted Sue and have asked her to join us. This will become our core group on this tour, The Gang^^
We met Joy and Josie at the lobby of the hotel while waiting for our buffet breakfast to open for the tour group. These two ladies are friends and travel buddies who like Titas Angie and Dors have big personalities and lots and lots of funny and interesting stories to tell. Here’s a photo of our new friends ^^

Joy, Nnylanna and Josie

Left Leeds at 8:30am. Passed by Northumberland National Park on our way to Scotland. The countryside was very scenic with miles and miles of green and lush pasture land everywhere. The guide told us that they have started reforestation in the Highlands. I’ve been to countries where scenery is so boring that I honestly don’t expect much in most cases. Having said that, being a fan of 18th/19th century English literature, I would often read about the charm of the British countryside and in my head I would have this enchanting picture and I must say that my imagination of the actual place was nothing compared to the beauty that I saw with my very own eyes. While the English terrain has this wholesome rural quality in them, the Scottish terrain is excitingly rough and beautiful with its mountains, volcanic remnants and moorland plateau with valleys … The Highlands and The Lowlands. i saw a mighty fine display of the beauty of earth colors in Scotland…no exagg, really, just look at how sharp the colors are! ganda di ba? *sighsss*

1st Stop: HADRIAN’S WALL. It was built by the Romans as a defence against the northern tribes. Nothing to rave about compared to the other “Great” wall. Had a few minutes stopover for photoshoot. Cmon sis… *my sister is referring to The Great Wall of China which we visited in 2008*
As one would expect, our tour director Bill, in his place at the front of the coach, would rattle up stories and even the history of these places we were passing through, paying special attention to places where we would make stops. Hadrian’s Wall is quite famous in this part of the world and rightly so because of the part it played in its history. So, when Bill said, “do not expect the Great Wall of China”, I knew he really means, “don’t expect much!”. Well… Bill’s not joking… not much of it left. But hey, it is believed to be constructed around 122AD so give Hadrian’s Wall a break you guys …hehehe ^^ *Piberg quietly grumbling… mumbling… the Great Wall was first built in 7th century BC and those parts that are not restored yet is better than this. So, I therefore conclude that… Asians are better builders than Europeans… ehem, ehemmm^^* moving on… waaaah!!! ^^

As you can see from the photo directly above this, I have this “bored look” on my face …the ruins are not exactly picturesque, SO… I decided to entertain myself… took the disposable umbrella that we bought in a flea market in York, used it as props on some of the pics and… strike a pose. *well, In japan those umbrellas are like… disposable* …I saw some of our Caucasian tour mates amusedly eyeing me probably thinking “what is this crazy asian girl doing” ^^

2nd Stop: BORDER OF ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND. Kodak moments.
Methinks Nnylanna and Piberg overdid the photo session with ALL THE AVAILABLE BORDER SIGN ON SIGHT… hehe ^^ well, it was a looong journey to get here so you have to excuse us if were a "little" excited ^^ if you look closely at the people in these pictures… EVERYBODY WAS IN LONG SLEEVES at the very least… well… except for one. How do you do it sis… even the white people are fully covered up and youre like, wala lang… I just feel like wearing a freaking summer blouse in mid October!

3rd Stop: JEDBURGH. I have heard all about this old English and Scottish countryside villages from friends who have been here and just like them, I’ve also succumbed to their charm. Saw the house where Mary Queen of Scot once lived and the ruined church. According to our guide, this was one of the few churches that was destroyed during the war between Scotland and England.

Jedburgh Abbey Ruins

Our lesson for today ^^ is the word, “burgh”. i hear this common mistake that people make often enough*me included* and understandably so... the word "burgh" should be pronounced as “bar-rah” *in American English accent*… so, Jedbugh is pronounced as “Jedbarrah” and the Scottish capital Edinburgh is pronounced as “Edinbarrah”. Burgh means a chartered town in Scotland. Simply put, they hold some sort of autonomy by having their own laws to govern their area. This was instituted during the 12th century but im not sure if that is still the setup to this day, though, the name is still widely used.
That's all for now class ^^

4th Stop: MELROSE. Main attraction here was the ruins of a 12th century abbey where Robert the Bruce’s heart was buried(remember the movie Braveheart, I think that was him)*im afraid i may have to correct you sis... although Robert The Bruce also figured prominently in that movie, him being a widely revered Scot after all, Mel Gibson's character is actually another famous Scot, William Wallace, a knight and a warrior but not a former king.* Very picturesque. *I should have bought cashmere at the place where we had lunch as later on I have found out that it was cheaper here.*

Fruckkk! we forgot to take pics of that place where we had lunch. It’s a charming little place where there is a resto/café on the 2nd floor and shop on the first floor. I think “The Gang” all had this thick soup and I had mine with what for us non-brits is called scones… for the rest of the world, that’s just a fancy name for a kind of bread ^^ I had mine with marmalade and butter and its pretty good. Is it as good as our pandesal na may mantikilya, kesong puti o chizwhiz? Hmmmmmmm… I say… NO! hehe... biased much^^

Melrose Abbey, built in the 1100’s… the vibe I’m getting from this place is that there is a definite mystical charm present. For some reason, despite it being just mere ruins of the original, I was drawn to Melrose Abbey that it created quite an impression on me. In fact, it became one of my favorite stops on this tour and one of the many reasons why I think Scotland is amazingly… beautiful! I guess it managed to retain just enough charm to tickle the imagination of its visitors and you all know, when you talk --> imagination of the wildest kind… I certainly have more than enough of that ^^ it was such a blessing that when we entered the place it was sooo quiet, there were just a handful of people inside *aside from us and Tita’s Angie and Dors* that I was able to fully absorb its mystique… looking at this manificent gothic style abbey… imagining what it must be like in all its glory… monks hard at work or scrambling all over the place at night with their lamps while being bombarded by cannons when Scotland is at war… or maybe, around the time of Henry Vlll’s “Dissolution of the Monasteries” or the "Protestant Reformation"… haaay… if it was at all possible, I could have stayed there and happily daydream all day… really ^^…

… walking inside, gazing at those imposing columns, arches and ceilings, with visible signs of damage from ancient ammunition… imagining the monks in total disarray and chaos… ahhh, me and my wild imaginings... what a joyful exercise ^^…

…here’s my video clip of Melrose Abbey. The star of this vid is of course the ruins and in their supporting roles are Nnylanna, Titas Angie and Dors^^…

…you can reach the rooftop by climbing this very narrow and very dark circular stairway and it was quite scary I tell you ^^…

…here are some pics from the rooftop…

…here’s my video clip from the rooftop *the noise is from the strong gusts of wind and again, this vid stars Nnylnna, Titas Angie and Dors, and a lady from our tour group^^…

…looking at our rooftop photos… I must say… Sis, we're looking pretty happy... I guess we must be feeling so blessed to be there ^^ waaaaaaaaa... for a person who can only tolerate cheesiness in very small doses... methinks, im beginning to sound too cheesy for my own comfort ^^ BUT hey, its true ^^ God is Good, indeed!^^

There is this charming little garden in front of the Abbey… right across the street actually, and OF COURSE, we just had to pose for pictures there ^^

As much as I have totally enjoyed and will forever thank the heavens for the opportunity to be able to visit this abbey… there is a bit of a sour note… Nnylanna and Piberg missed the chance to see the actual marker where the heart of Robert The Bruce was buried. He was King of Scots from 25 March 1306, until his death in 1329. The whole legend of how his heart ended up here in Melrose Abbey and how it was found and re-buried was absolutely fascinating. Now can you blame me if to this day I am STILL full of regret, when I think about how I didn’t see it with my very own eyes when I had the chance to and considering I have travelled this far? And the fact that our companions, the 2 Titas told us they found it and had authentication shots*photos* of the thing made me feel even worse. Haaay… why oh why did we forget about it??? welll… at some point, there is this SOMEBODY nagging me that we have to leave ‘coz we still have to go back to that place where we had our lunch ‘coz she wants to buy cashmere in their 1^st floor souvenir shop! I’ll let you take a guess who this SOMEBODY is… 1^st clue: her name*pseudonym* starts with an N and ends with an A… 2^nd clue: the first thing this SOMEBODY looks for in every tour stop are the souvenir shops! Hehehe ^^ since we don’t have pics of the said marker, here’s what I found in the web…

5th Stop: EDINBURGH. The coach took us around the city before heading off to Novotel Hotel. Can’t wait to explore it tomorrow.
I borrowed some pics from the web ‘coz I forgot to take pics of the hotel. Here’s Novotel Edinburgh Park *credit as tagged* …

…this is where we have our buffet breakfast…

Photos of Novotel Edinburgh Park, Edinburgh

This photo of Novotel Edinburgh Park is courtesy of TripAdvisor

…this is the bathroom/shower that i like, the shower controls in particular is a personal favorite of mine on this tour...

This photo of Novotel Edinburgh Park is courtesy of TripAdvisor

...here's a short video that i took of our hotel room...

So, Bill gave us a few minutes to freshen-up at the hotel before heading off for our Scottish Night in town. What-to-wear became an issue ‘coz I was just planning to wear a simple blouse with jeans and Nnylanna was saying that I should be wearing something a bit more formal. But, stubborn Piberg ignored the suggestion and guess what… the others were not wearing their usual day clothes. FruckMyLife! *hehehe... sanitized version of the actual trans of FML!* Lesson of the story… “always listen and follow the recommendation of your stylist!” Tonight we attended a dinner and show in the city. Another disappointment, as last year Cosmos was offering the Military Tattoo(military show in front of the castle) instead of this but for some reason, they took it out this year. The Gang were seated together(Dors, Angie, Joy, Josie and Sue)… thanks to our 2 Titas who's always "quick to the draw", we had great seats that night... front and center for our little group ^^

The Gang is complete!!!

doing our "korean moment"...*typical korean pose with the peace/V sign*

Even tasted Scotland’s famous delicacy, “the Hagis”. It was edible but wont have it again. GREAT NIGHT… the famous or is it the infamous Hagis was served and I surprisingly didn’t need to dig too deeply for my “stock of courage” to give this delicacy a try 'coz its really not that bad. I think The Haggis’ infamy is thanks in part to its main ingredients ---> sheep's heart, liver and lungs, minced with onion, oatmeal, suet(beef fat around the kidneys), traditionally encased in the animal's stomach <--- Thank goodness it didn’t smell and taste too weird or too bad, otherwise, as one of my personal mantra states… “anything that can’t get pass my nose isn’t getting inside my mouth” O__o ^^

The Hagis

Here are some very short video clips that I put together of our Scottish Night. Pls pay special attention to the lady that played the violin… her style is quite unique don’t you think^^… one of The Gang *hehe… i’m not saying who* was saying that the lady violinist probably had a stiff neck after that performance… hehehe, seriously, with ALL DUE RESPECT to those who are afflicted with this condition, it is not my intention to make fun of you. i will only say this... for what it is... its just that... its hard to ignore the way she was doing that rapid head movement for an extended period of time, it’s like a “tic/s” related disorder ^^

...and because my video clip about the Haggis was cut short, if youre interested to see the whole thing, I looked and found another vid in youtube. Unfortunately, its also not complete but its longer than mine... and what do you know… it’s the same show in the same venue, performed by the same people. This one
was taken in 2009...

*credit to the uploader: dwieselmacallister*

...and here are some of the performers of the night.

OK... Mea culpa... i'm guilty of over spazzing over a freaking building AGAIN and they're only ruins at that... i'm sorry*Orz*...can you really blame me... you guys have seen the pics and vid of Melrose Abbey, it is spazz worthy isn't it? or am i the only one who sees immense beauty underneath what i suspect was once a very grand edifice which to some of you may be nothing but mere ruins now? Anyway, it was a fun night in town but i guess that’s all for now… a whole day tour of the Scottish capital EDINBURGH awaits in my next blog entry… a visit to the ROYAL YATCH BRITANNIA later in the afternoon and a nice birthday dinner for me^^

Saturday, September 8, 2012

Travel Blog 15 : NORTHUMBERLAND, JEDBURGH, MELROSE & EDINBURGH