SFO and, Scotland here we come

So we made it to San Francisco and as it turned out we had a show in Sacramento on Sunday so there was no reason to return to Reno for 2 days. The show ended at 10pm on Sunday and then we drive, getting to the hotel down by Fisherman’s Warf. The hotel was no frill’s place but it had free parking, others were charging about $60 a day just to park your car.

The grandson and his mom were there and did a lot of walking around while we got things set up for the flights, he had not seen so many hills before. We found a nice place to sit and have dinner and drinks and once Dawn was done with work she joined us. We also found an old-time arcade and spent way too much playing old games.

The Warf

So the next day our real trip started, we were going from SFO to London on one flight. If you get the chance to make it all in-flight do it. From there we only had about a 3 hr layover to Glasgow, Scotland. Now this is someplace we have not been yet and I’m glad I didn’t have to drive after the flight.

Glasgow

The city was not as small as I thought it would be, some of the restaurants are a little pricy and we weren’t there long enough to find a place to eat that wasn’t expensive. We did find a pub around the corner for breakfast and good drink prices. The place Dawn rented for the 3 days was on the top floor and in the center of town, what a good view.

Edinburgh Scotland

The train ride from Glasgow to Edinburgh was quiet and relaxing not anything like air flight travel these days. You could look out the window at the sites and you mostly had cell service. Getting into town Damein was so excited, he and I had been there before and he wanted to show Mom and Joyce everything. The house we had rented was a little out of the center of town but the walk was not that bad.

Edinburgh Castle

This was going to be the bulk of the trip and this city is big enough you need about 4 days or more to see it. The rain seems to be avoiding us for most of the trip. So much walking and even a night Ghoust Bust Tour made it a great time for all.

Aberdeen

The next city was Aberdeen,Scotland and the “hotel” we booked was just across the street from the train station but soon as we left the station the rain found us. It’s called The Station Hotel and I would not recommend it. Mold on the walls and slanted floors and so hot inside the building. As for the town it self it was small not much to see and we were not there that long. Don’t think I would go back to it.

Inverness,Scotland

So we get back on the train and head to Inverness, Scotland. Also somewhere we had never been, the size of the town was small and getting around was not going to be a problem.

The view from our house

My wife and son just loved this place, it was small enough to get around and there were shops and pubs all over the place. We took a day trip on the bus up to Loch Ness and it was chilly but so beautiful Dawn said she didn’t want to go home. We did not see Nessy.

In town

The people in Inverness were so wonderful and welcoming we wish we had more time in this town, Dawn was so hoping that the flight would have been delayed or canceled when we had to go, the airport was so small and so easy to get throw we had to start home. We will have to go back.

London

On the way home, we had an 18-hour layover so we got a room and did some exploring. We had all been there before so we didn’t need to see too much. And yes we did get lost on the tube. I think this is going to be the last trip of the year. Let’s see what next year brings.

Last Vacation of the Year (Fiji)

The vacation started with a drive from Reno to San Francisco,we didn’t need to be there till 10 pm at night for our flight so it was a nice easy drive,no need to rush. Rented a car for the one way trip and ended up getting a Jeep, very nice ride and I had never driven one before.

Rental Jeep

The flight was a little over 10 hours and before we boarded we had a few glass’s of wine and a great meat and cheese platter. Also I picked up some NyQuil tablets with the intention of sleeping on the flight. And boy did I sleep,wife said I was out for like 5 hours. Only the 2nd time I slept on a plane.

After the flight

Customs wasn’t to long it took a while for the luggage to come out and the area they have to collect it was packed with people at 4:45 am local time.We had arranged transportation from the airport to The View Villa’s on the coral coast of the island.I didn’t know that the villas were 92 km’s away,the driver was taking the coastal road and there were a “few” villages we would pass through.This would have a slow down to 30 km per hour or less for the speed bumps and by villages I mean shacks on the side of the road.

View from our room

After the hour and a half tip on the van from the airport we got to villas and they have so exceeded my expectations. The View Fiji The view you get from the villa’s is awesome there are only 4 villa’s at the resort,so you only have less people to deal with.When we got here there was only one other couple here.The villa we got has the private pool and the outdoor shower (don’t know why we don’t do this more in the US) I loved the outdoor shower.

Private pool

This was the vacation I was looking for, we had only one trip planned to a private island but the rest of the week was us doing nothing.

Some of the views from the beach on the south coast.

Found out the day we were leaving the resort is closing for good. The owner is going to turn it into his home and retire. Its to bad it was a wonderful place and the staff he had could not have been nicer.

I will have to visit Fiji again…