Saturday 7 April 2007

Discovery in Dundee

Today we all went our separate ways.
The Ramsays went off to visit the Grannies in Dundee, and the McLeishs went to Stirling to catch up with relatives. 

As we have no relatives in Scotland, we were on our own for a day of touring! First stop was an ASDA superstore. This store had school trousers for the kids and a few other bits and pieces that Nicole wanted. We loaded up the car (now bulging at the seams) and headed to Discovery Point in Dundee, where the Antarctic research ship, the Discovery, is moored. It was sailed by Scott and his crew on a scientific expedition and was stuck in the ice for 2 years. It was a fascinating exhibition, with lots of movies and hands-on things for the kids.
When we were skiing in Austria, Cameron made friends with a boy in his group called Sam. They have been emailing each other, and as it turns out they live in Scotland, not far from Dundee. 

After the visit to the Discovery, we thought we would try our luck and find him! The small village was not difficult to find on the map, and we thought in such a small village, it can't be too hard to find anyone. 

Firstly, the Newsagent didn't know them. We then stopped at a park to let the kids play, and we asked some of the parents - they didn't know, but one old fella pointed out the Janitor of the School's house - the one where we knew Sam went! Nicole knocked on the door, and after a check (probably illegal), we had some clear instructions and were able to find our way to Sams house!The boys played with Sam for about 45 minutes (mainly on the trampoline) whilst we had a coffee inside. It was quite a surprise for all that we were able to find them, and we had a pleasant afternoon.

We then set off for Glasgow, where we stayed in the Holiday Inn Express right on the airport. We dropped off the car (750.7 miles, and 45 pounds of fuel) and checked in. 

After redistributing all of our luggage to make room for the new purchases, we were ready for our early flight home. 

It was a fantastic holiday, and all the organisation by the Ramsays (being Scottish) and the McLeishs (who have been to Scotland before) went perfectly and was highly appreciated! The company was the best!

1 comment:

SuBee said...

Your blog has held me spellbound for quite awhile - what a great accountiing of your travels! Your pictures are terrific - keep it up!