Our last days in Scotland then home again

Monday September 19th and Tuesday the  20th

Back to Tweedbank by bus, then by train to Edinburgh, then on to Glasgow:  all smooth. [I really can't say enough great things about the train and bus systems in Scotland.]

Once in Glasgow we found road construction all around the train station. We walked uphill [of course] and eventually (despite or because of directions from various people), we found the Buchanan Bus Station.

The airport bus was there waiting. The driver said we should have had our dual return ticket stamped when we arrived, but he let us on anyway, thank goodness. We had the remains of the previous ticket but not the one to return.  

At the Glasgow airport, there was a lot of road construction and not one, but two, Holiday Inns. The easy one to reach was just across the street from the bus stop. It wasn't ours...We found this out trying to check in and finding no reservation. 

Our hotel was the Holiday Inn Express which we could see but could not get to because of the barricades and the total lack of adequate signage. It was an Alice through the Looking Glass experience. We finally gave up and cut through a parking garage.

Easy when you know how!

Nice room: red and grey, refurbished recently. 

Source: Holiday Inn Express

The bathroom had a grab bar in the shower [the only one in any of our accommodations in the whole trip]. The door to the bathroom also closed the toilet area, which I though was very clever design.

Nice not to have to grab the scalding hot water faucet ...

We went back to the airport to familiarize ourselves with its layout. We had a late lunch at a pub restaurant. I had chili and rice, which was surprisingly good as it spiced up more than usual. I also had a light beer! So far no serious bowel repercussions.

Then we went to the Tesco store and got a banana, an orange, some Babybels,"oaty" biscuits, and mixed nuts and cranberries for a dinner time snack.

Back to the hotel, checked the email:  the WiFi worked!! 

To bed at 10:23 pm, still awake at 11:30, woke up at 5:00 am, got up at 5:31. 

***

Tuesday September 20, 2017

Checked out of our hotel after a light breakfast (way too many calories yesterday). We followed the crowd back to the terminal: took a long way around, but it was apparently the intended route.

Checked in at the airport: all went smoothly. Now we are sitting in the departure lounge. We don't sit by the gate we leave by. The gate number pops up on a screen in the general lounge just before boarding time ,and then we head to where we board.

A six-hour and 13-minute flight awaits. Glad I had the banana for breakfast. The potassium may help my twitchy legs.  

It will be light out, so I will read Dr. Thorne. We have seats together at the exit seats.

***

To the best of my recollection writing today eight months later, the flight went well. I received my pre-ordered Thai chicken wrap, which was tasty. I don't know why more people don't do this.

I enjoyed my book and even more, the fact I was finally feeling better!

We were early approaching Nova Scotia. However, when we got to Halifax, there was so much fog we couldn't see anything, and landing seemed problematic. In any event, the pilot came on the loud speaker and said we would be circling the airport to try a different approach. He added that we had plenty of fuel, something I hadn't actually considered until that precise moment. We eventually landed in fog like cotton batten. I saw the runway speeding below us about three seconds before we landed on it.

Customs was no problem and the shuttle to the parking lot was waiting; we were the only ones on it. Our driver fulminated over the American election and praised Donald Trump. I wonder how he feels about him now (likely the same). We found our car exactly as we had left it and headed for the ferry at Caribou.

No reservations needed this time.

It was nice to see the Canadian flag on the mast of the ferry and truly feel we were home again.

Here are some shots  I took of the harbour at Caribou while we waited to "sail" across to PEI:

The  lobster boats are ready for the fall lobster season.

After the crossing, we headed to Montague and a comfort-food supper at Pizza Delight. It still seems amazing to me that you can eat breakfast in Glasgow and  have dinner in North America. We were glad to be home, but over the ensuing months, I feel sorry that we can't just hop in the car and go back to the Orkneys, revisit Nairn, or go on another walk around the Eildon hills.  It was in retrospect (and now with completely normally functioning innards) a wonderful trip.