On the road again! This morning was a sprint, at least for me. Mrs. Koog, knowing I have not been sleeping well, let me sleep in until 9. I slept like I was dead due to the Harris Teeter brand of Nyquil I took to get that dead like sleep. It worked, but the checkout at the stone cottage was at 11 and we had a lot to pack up! We got it all done, team work makes the dream work, and headed out of Aberdeen toward Clackmannan.
Driving out of the city looking at the North Sea we realized we forgot to leave the parking permit at the stone cottage. Ugh!. We drove back. Sounds easy enough but Aberdeen has the least intuitive roads we've seen yet. They are narrow but we're used to that, its that they turn into non-roads with no signs or signals. BAM, there is a bus heading toward you and you are not the wrong way on a one way street! Anyway, we safely navigated back to the stone cottage, left the parking permit and headed for Clackmannan for good.
Dunnottar Castle
On the way, we stopped at Dunnottar Castle. Certainly the most grand of the castles we've seen to date. On a big hunk of rock jutting into the North Sea and surrounded by green cliffs, the views were just wow. So was the wind! The Castle is in ruins since it's more than 1000 years old. Some famous Scots have been there like William Wallace and Mary Queen of Scots. It was also the home at one time of the Scottish Crown Jewels. To get to the Castle, there were like 10000 steps up and down. Not hard, just A LOT. We paid our entry, no CADW discount this time, darn it! Immediately, the castle is impressive. The kitchen, complete with its own cell, was in great condition considering it was more than 1000 years old. It makes me think of a remodel since we do not have a cell in our kitchen. After a windy but beautiful walk among the ruins and the castle we headed to the small concession stand for take away lunch and got back on the road.
Scotland National Aquarium
I'm sure the drive was amazing, but I slept from the time we left Dunnottar until 10 minutes before we arrived at the Scotland National Aquarium. We only had 90 minutes before they closed but it ended up being just perfect. No one was there and we got through all the exhibits a few times. The walkthrough shark reef is super cool and both boys loved it. Mrs. Koog and I enjoyed watching the seals and the sea horses. Not together, of course. Mrs. Koog said we've made the kids suffer through many dead things, it was time we take them somewhere alive! We were done just as they were making the announcement that it was closed. Really a perfect visit, albeit short.
Murder Pod
Our accommodations in Clackmannan are not our usual posh apartment or townhouse. We are glamping in an arthropod, or as I call it, murder pod. I watch a lot of crime dramas from the UK and this is the perfect place for someone to find a body and maybe Vera comes to investigate. If you don't know Vera, you are missing out. Stop reading and watch the show. In all seriousness, the pod is pretty cool and it has a hot tub, which is needed at this point in the trip. The owner is a farmer that has a very small glamping area on her farm with 2 pods and about 8 stalls for campers/caravans. She is a super nice lady and suggested an Italian restaurant in Alleo, about 10 minutes from us. We headed over to grab the food while E-Koog and B-Koog relaxed in the pod. In true Koog family fashion, roads were closed and we had to be diverted. I ended up walking to the restaurant while Mrs. Koog waited in the car, just to limit her PTSD!
Dinner was great. After we finished, we hit the hot tub. Ahhhhh. It was very nice and our bones thanked us. I have lots of pictures from today, but am super tired. Will post them to FB tomorrow morning.
Tomorrow, Edinburgh
Driving out of the city looking at the North Sea we realized we forgot to leave the parking permit at the stone cottage. Ugh!. We drove back. Sounds easy enough but Aberdeen has the least intuitive roads we've seen yet. They are narrow but we're used to that, its that they turn into non-roads with no signs or signals. BAM, there is a bus heading toward you and you are not the wrong way on a one way street! Anyway, we safely navigated back to the stone cottage, left the parking permit and headed for Clackmannan for good.
Dunnottar Castle
On the way, we stopped at Dunnottar Castle. Certainly the most grand of the castles we've seen to date. On a big hunk of rock jutting into the North Sea and surrounded by green cliffs, the views were just wow. So was the wind! The Castle is in ruins since it's more than 1000 years old. Some famous Scots have been there like William Wallace and Mary Queen of Scots. It was also the home at one time of the Scottish Crown Jewels. To get to the Castle, there were like 10000 steps up and down. Not hard, just A LOT. We paid our entry, no CADW discount this time, darn it! Immediately, the castle is impressive. The kitchen, complete with its own cell, was in great condition considering it was more than 1000 years old. It makes me think of a remodel since we do not have a cell in our kitchen. After a windy but beautiful walk among the ruins and the castle we headed to the small concession stand for take away lunch and got back on the road.
Scotland National Aquarium
I'm sure the drive was amazing, but I slept from the time we left Dunnottar until 10 minutes before we arrived at the Scotland National Aquarium. We only had 90 minutes before they closed but it ended up being just perfect. No one was there and we got through all the exhibits a few times. The walkthrough shark reef is super cool and both boys loved it. Mrs. Koog and I enjoyed watching the seals and the sea horses. Not together, of course. Mrs. Koog said we've made the kids suffer through many dead things, it was time we take them somewhere alive! We were done just as they were making the announcement that it was closed. Really a perfect visit, albeit short.
Murder Pod
Our accommodations in Clackmannan are not our usual posh apartment or townhouse. We are glamping in an arthropod, or as I call it, murder pod. I watch a lot of crime dramas from the UK and this is the perfect place for someone to find a body and maybe Vera comes to investigate. If you don't know Vera, you are missing out. Stop reading and watch the show. In all seriousness, the pod is pretty cool and it has a hot tub, which is needed at this point in the trip. The owner is a farmer that has a very small glamping area on her farm with 2 pods and about 8 stalls for campers/caravans. She is a super nice lady and suggested an Italian restaurant in Alleo, about 10 minutes from us. We headed over to grab the food while E-Koog and B-Koog relaxed in the pod. In true Koog family fashion, roads were closed and we had to be diverted. I ended up walking to the restaurant while Mrs. Koog waited in the car, just to limit her PTSD!
Dinner was great. After we finished, we hit the hot tub. Ahhhhh. It was very nice and our bones thanked us. I have lots of pictures from today, but am super tired. Will post them to FB tomorrow morning.
Tomorrow, Edinburgh
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