North to Perth and Beyond

The last day in Edinburgh we didn’t do too much. After a nice breakfast of porridge, Dan went walking and I holed up in the room for a while. We checked out at noon and Dan went to the parking garage to pick up the car. After loading up at the side of the street, we headed north to Perth. It took us a while to get out of the city, as the traffic funneling into the new bridge was very heavy. But we were not in a rush.

We had reconnected with a former student from Woodstock (Catherine) who had invited us to stay. In the end, we stayed with her parents who live nearby. We had known them a bit when their daughters were at school with us. We had a lovely stay and visit with Mike and Betty. 

After we settled in, Mike drove us to downtown Perth and we took a walk around town to see some of its well-known buildings and the beautiful river Tay.

St John's Church where John Knox preached

The River Tay

Their eldest daughter, Anne, came for dinner (she lives nearby, too) and it was good to catch up with her. In the morning we went to Catherine and Nick’s place for morning coffee/tea and a visit. I always love seeing my old students living out their lives in many different ways.

Then we hit the road to head north to Inverness, the capital of the Highlands. It was a beautiful drive past the Cairngorms. At a stop for facilities, we found a nice little cafe in a tiny town that had delicious soup — lentil/bacon and tomato.

View from the car while driving

Tomato soup with bread and butter

Our hotel is right on the River Ness (which flows out of Loch Ness). We are looking forward to seeing some sights around here tomorrow. Dan went out exploring and found several good places to eat within walking distance. We went to the SoBar and had a delicious dinner, a bit on the early side, but we were glad as the place filled up while we were there.

Steak sub

Chicken on wheatberry salad