Edinburgh

After an exhausting week of logistics and paperwork regarding cars and bank accounts, we wanted a weekend away. So the MacNicols hit the road for Edinburgh! The lure of a castle, a zoo and a Hilton with proper beds was more than we could resist. (You'll notice a friend in some of our pictures. His name is Flat Stanley and he belongs to our cousin Drew and is visiting all the way from Texas!)

Edinburgh is one hour East of Glasgow so we drove over Saturday morning. We arrived, checked into our hotel room and walked across the street to the castle. Edinburgh Castle is perched high on an ancient volcano and it is an amazing sight. There is much to learn, see and do at the castle and we managed to hit a few of the highlights. The hike up the hill to the main gate guaranteed a few moans but once we arrived at the top and looked out over the city, we were all awestruck. The views of the city are unbelievable. It is absolutely beautiful. We entered the main gate crossing the old moat and immediately were drawn to the cannons. It is fun to think about the battles staged here; especially when you are 9, 6, and 3 and full of testosterone! Charlie's favorite new phrase is "hold your fire!"

We enjoyed the cobblestone roads and the details on all of the buildings. It's amazing to see these old structures and imagine the people that lived here. St. Margaret's Chapel on the castle grounds dates back to the 12th century and just happened to be hosting a wedding on Saturday(complete with Bagpiper). It is considered to be the only remaining original structure on the grounds.

Ethan, Christopher and I enjoyed the Scottish Military Museum; home to a wonderful collection of uniforms, weapons, medals and information about the armies that attacked and defended the castle. The Great Hall of the castle houses another collection of weapons and we were fortunate enough to be there for a short history lesson. Some things we learned:

Side burns did not originate from Elvis Presley but instead from these soldiers that were not allowed to have any other facial hair except side burns. It protected their faces from the gun powder from their rifles.

Flash in the Pan - muskets from the day had pans that held gun powder and an attempt to fire them sometimes produced small fire explosions in the pan and therefore the term Flash in the Pan was born!

Fire in the Hole - Small naval gunners were loaded with gunpowder, shot, and wadding and then lit by some poor fellow from the top and back with "fire in the hole."

Drafted to the Army - not sure if this one is true but here goes....all the Royal Army needed to have someone sign up to serve was their name and their acceptance of one Shilling. So when they were running out of volunteers, they headed to the local pub and started putting coins in pints of beer so that when the men finished their beer and picked up the coin, they could congratulate them on joining the army. Well, the pubs soon switched to glassware instead of pewter because the men were afraid to drink beer for fear of what was at the bottom! So then the term, drafted to the army was born.

Funny we've heard these things so many times, it's fun to learn about the origin.

We also enjoyed the Crown Jewels, the Queen's apartments, the dungeon and the VIEW, the VIEW, and the VIEW! From the walls of the castle you can see 360 degrees around the city.

We loved it and plan to go back soon. After 5 hours though, most of us were tired and ready to head to our hotel. Ethan and I decided to walk through a few shops and take our time getting back to the hotel. On the way home, we walked through the park just below the castle and enjoyed a night view with the castle all lit up! Spectacular! If only I'd had the camera.

Today we had a full Scottish breakfast (black pudding, or beans and/or mushrooms on toast still not appealing to me)at the hotel then hustled to the zoo. The Edinburgh Zoo is just on the edge of the city and it is old and wonderful. They have a fairly large collection of animals and we enjoyed the day outdoors. It was sunny and cold so many of the animals were sunning themselves in their habitats. Some of our favorites were the Polar Bear, Lions, Tiger, Red Panda, Rhinos, Pygmy Hippos, Penguins, Jaguars and the Honey Badger.

Weekend highlights for each of us:
Ethan: red panda

Christopher: Castle - looking over the wall at the ocean

Charlie - didn't like the dead people (all the fake costumed people in the castle)

Gwen - military museum and the view of the castle at night

Scott - looking over the castle wall and panoramic view from the castle

We had a fantastic weekend and we look forward to visiting both places again!

A Country Drive

Scott arrived safely this morning in time for breakfast then we were off to the hills for a wee drive in the country! We headed to a town NW of home to the Scottish Wool Centre.

The drive up was fantastic; winding roads, sheep everywhere, cattle (but no highland cows), century old farms and hills! The fall color was magnificent too. Red maples and yellow and orange leaves everywhere. Because everything stays damp year round, it is of course super GREEN! The pastures do not look quite like Texas pastures. You get a sense of the lives of many generations of families living on these farms producing sheep for wool and meat and Angus cattle for good ole mince!

When we arrived at the Scottish Wool Centre, we discovered it was simply a very large souvenir shop and cafe! Thank goodness they had a playground so Scott took the boys outside to play while I enquired about the wool demonstrations quoted in the Fodor's book! Come to find out, Hand, Foot and Mouth disease put an end to the hands on demonstration of wool production! No longer could you pet the sheep, seem them sheared and then see the women spinning the wool! Apparently, they still have a lady that comes in once and awhile to use the loom. She was coming that day and when I asked "what time" they relied, "when she gets here" with a friendly chuckle as only the Scots can pull off! And in the summer, they now have dog shows, so maybe we'll head back to the Scottish Wool Centre next summer!

We grabbed a coffee to take away and hit the road again.

Next we headed to Loch Lommond to the SeaLife Aquarium. Along the way, I kept thinking that it sure would be nice to see highland cattle in the pasture and guess what? We finally spotted 2 live and in person! We passed them and quickly turned around to get a second look so everyone could see. (remember we are on tiny, two-lane roads in the Scottish hills) On our third pass by (there was no safe place to stop), no one was behind us so we slowed to a crawl, got the camera and got a shot! They turned to look at us and Ethan yelled from the backseat, "Hey cows, we are Americans!" Christopher then chimed in, "we come in peace!" We are the loudest people in Scotland.

The SeaLife Aquarium is in a beautiful setting right on the Loch and we enjoyed the visit. It's no Dallas World Aquarium, but we all enjoyed the afternoon. There was a park just beside it so we spent sometime there and had a picnic. Then a quick ice cream cone before Scott passed out! It was a great day and we are so excited to have such beautiful scenery close by!

A Scottish Halloween

Happy Halloween from the Nicol Clan! It was school as usual for the big boys with the exception that they could wear one small piece of their costumes. Charlie had a party in his class but was not interested in wearing his costume!

We went to a neighborhood party downstairs at our landlord/friends' (the Watsons) house; apparently a tradition for generations in Pippa's family and in this neighborhood. What a fun time we had!

Shortly after arriving, we headed out to try Trick or Treating Scottish Style with a group of neighborhood families. We went to houses where Pippa had warned the families that we were coming. In Scotland, you are invited in to share a "Trick or Treat" with the homeowners before receiving your sweetie". The children are invited to tell a joke or sing a song! The homeowners were so gracious and allowed us to share our trick or treats and then generously filled the children's bags with all sorts of sweets. Our boys just went right along with this new tradition and eventually were telling jokes of their own. I was so surprised by the going inside tradition. I mean all the way in to the living room with all of these little costumed children with sticky fingers! (costumes are called "Fancy Dress")

Ethan and Christopher were befriended by many of the children and loved the opportunity to get to know some children that are their age and are so close by. Charlie was in it for the candy but otherwise stuck pretty close to mommy.

I LOVED meeting the grown-ups and met some moms that were especially friendly and helpful. One that has 4 children, 3 boys (same ages as ours) and a sweet baby girl. They live around the corner. Another family across the street that has a boy that is 8 and a 6 year old girl. Ethan also hit it off with a little girl his age that lives around the corner and I really enjoyed meeting her parents. The mom moved here from Peru when she was 18 and her brothers live in the USA. One is an actor on the TV Show Lost. I don't watch it so I was clueless about that.

We spent an hour trick or treating then ended up back at Pippa's for snacks and playing until time for taming the monsters. I am so grateful to have landed in a place where the people are especially friendly and more specifically in a neighborhood full of wonderful families with lots of children! God has provided such blessings everytime we need them on this journey!

Our neighborhood is only 4 or 5 streets so it very small and after last night, I can't believe how many children live here that we have not seen! Lots of family have 2 working parents and the children go to many different schools so I guess everyone has been busy working and going to school. Of course, the weather is not very conducive to playing outside, so that could be another thing.

The boys already have playdates planned for this weekend and had huge grins when going to sleep last night! What a relief for mommy! Charlie had a bit of a Halloween Hangover this morning so he and I are at home today catching up and cleaning house. It's pouring rain.

Hope you and yours had a wonderful Halloween Stateside. Please send pictures if you can!

Fun in the Sun

Hello everyone. It's Sunday night and after a full week and weekend in our new home, it now feels just like that, HOME!

We've been challenged by electronics this week and weekend. Scott managed to have our Internet and phone connected Wednesday and we are still learning to use the phones. Just getting used to new calling codes.

The cable guy says he came but I was here and he never rang the bell. Could be that he rang the neighbors bell? So Friday, when the new TV and stereo were delivered, we just sat and enjoyed the blank screen! Apparently, you can't receive any channels if you do not have cable. It took Scott much longer than normal to set up the TV and Stereo because some of the wires are different and it came with no instructions. After many expletives and hours had gone by, we had a signal! We soon found out there is a difference in US and European formatting for DVDs. Therefore, our DVDs will not play on this new system without some sort of transformer or code breaker which every electronics store in town knows about but no one has!


The boys were so patient with us even though it was a completely frustrating day! They were really looking forward to watching a movie and we could not produce. By the time we figured it out, it was past their bedtime!

Saturday morning, we received our air shipment! Yippee!!! Yahoo! It was like early Christmas presents. They played and played with the toys and didn't want to leave because they finally had some of their familiar things! The boxes also had the blankets from their beds, more pillows, another air mattress and Halloween Costumes. You can see Christopher wasted no time there! Boy, could we settle in now!




The shipment also had the Gamecube in it which the boys were so excited about playing. Even though the voltage should have been low enough to plug it into a travel plug, it sparked and died immediately! DEVASTATION! Our poor boys were now plotting to kill us and adopt a new family. As far as they could tell, we know nothing and we are worthless!


Scott went to the hardware store and the grocery store and returned with hot sauce ingredients. We'd been two weeks without Tex Mex and he could stand it no longer! So, out came the new chopper and hot sauce we soon had! Things were looking up. We also remembered that we had a travel DVD player that would bypass the DVD issue so now we had movies! Success, yes we could accomplish something!

This morning, Scott left for Dallas and we enjoyed sleeping in and another movie. The sun was out though and I was itching to get outside. We found a skateboard park, a great playground and a huge hill with MUD at the bottom. What else could three little boys need? Check out the pictures from the mudslide they created after an hour of running up and down that hill! The boys enjoyed a naked ride home which they thought was hilarious! So fun and it was great to be outside!

We are tired, but had a great first week and weekend in our house! Thank you all for keeping us in your prayers!

Table for 5

What a difference a few days make! We've settled into school a little more and the boys continue to make friends and enjoy the newness. We've had a few tears the last couple of days as reality sets in and the realization that this is not a "holiday" hits us all.

On Tuesday morning, after droping the big boys off at school, Scott, Charlie and I emptied the hotel room of our suitcases and headed to Hatfield Drive. Since our air shipment was still not here (@#$%!!), I then headed to the store for the basics: air mattress (we have one futon mattress from our first trip to Ikea and one bed that is on loan from our landlord), sheets, blankets, pillows, towels, skillet, etc. We were all so thankful to have a little space!

Wednesday, Charlie and I headed to Ikea for a temporay kitchen table because eating on the floor no longer felt like camping! After 3 hours in Ikea (nightmare), I'd made some selections that might make settling in a little easier. Scott has used his trusty new drill to become a skilled Ikea Assembler for the MacNicols.

Just notice the before and after pictures of our kitchen! Doesn't the table make all the difference??? Oh yeah, and the real plates we picked up at Ikea! It's the little things that make us oh so HAPPY! It redefines what's you need vs what you want!

I hope you also noticed our washer and dryer in the kitchen. This house did not come with a dryer, so Scott insisted that we get one right away. Scott was probably scared of what I might do or say without one as I was hanging the 9th load of laundry on the drying rack for the day. I do love the drying rack though. It's just about as old as the house, 1904, and it's on a pulley system. Since the ceilings are so tall, you just hang your laundry on the rack and pull it up to the ceiling. It's approx. 12" x 72". It is also in the kitchen. Tonight, I learned what happens when you forget the laundry on the rack while you are cooking dinner! The boys' freashly laundered uniform shorts now smell like garlic.

Right now, we have the dryer vented out of the window unitl the workman can come and drill a hole in the wall. They said they'll be here sometime next week, maybe the week after. I'm sure the neighbors love the self venting system.

Scott sucessfully set up our phone and internet at home today. It only took about 24 hours, as we just can't seem to figure out how to dial anyone from here. We couldn't call for help because we are still learning how to dial all the different numbers. It's different for mobile, landlines in Glasgow, and landlines elsewhere. It also doesn't help that we have one US mobile phone and one local phone so dialing from each is different. It's super frustrating and I know there is a lesson in patience in it somewhere but boy are we impatient about stuff like that!

One more thing, have you ever tried to feed Scott Nicol and his three growing boys out of a mini-fridge??? I know that I've said that the idea of going to the butcher, baker, cheesemonger and the root and fruit markets everyday was exciting, but until I find those placees, my people are hungry and this tiny fridge isn't filling them up! You should have seen me today. One shopping cart full of groceries and I have crammed it all in only to have them eat half of it for dinner! I'm sure it doesn't help that one row is full of beer!! Anyway, while I was purchasing a vaccum today I figured, what the heck, a drink fridge is a good idea. It will be delivered on Tuesday! Then I can take my time to find the above mentioned markets, right?

More on the joys and frustrations of living abroad soon! Cheers!

MacNicol instead of McNicol

Well, I owe a big thanks to Elaine at Turbocare because she set us straight about Mc vs Mac. Even though I am a FitzGerald and should have known, Mc is Irish and Mac is Scottish. So we stand corrected. I have changed everything that I can change on the blog to reflect our new Scottish name but can't figure out how to change the actual address. Maybe it will just be a friendly reminder that this is a learning experience for us all and that we are here to learn about the culture! As many of you probably know, you are not supposed to confuse the Scots, Irish and the English. Doing so may bring harm to your family!

So from now on, we are to be called the MacNicols.

Surely, some of our friends knew this as well and were just being nice by not telling!

1st Day at Glasgow Academy

Wow! The boys did so well today! Much better than their parents. I was having typical mommy worries while Scott was having flashbacks to all of the times he started new schools when he was little. We both had tears in our eyes while Ethan eagerly joined his class for the day, Christopher was a little hesitant and Charlie couldn't get into his classroom fast enough!

Ethan had a few shadows (other boys) to show him around and after getting over the uniform realities, had a great day! His favorite parts were Break (recess) and Music (fun teacher that played scary Halloween music). His class had just finished written reports on Famous French People and some of their presentations were today. He enjoyed hearing about the man that invented Braille.

Christopher was eager to go so his uniform did not bother him like I thought it would. He also had a buddy that explained that the bathroom doors were so old they were pure "rubbish"! His highlight for the day was break time which is outdoor playtime in the concrete courtyard with a snack. He said it was so unusual that they do not have playgrounds like we have in the US but he enjoyed "skippy rope" and other fun activities with his new friends. His class (6 year olds) have no center time but instead sit at desks all day long while in the classroom! This might take some getting used to.

Charlie went with us to drop off at 9am but had to wait until the afternoon session of nursery school before he could head to his classroom. He begged from 11-1 to go to his new school. He had little patience for his mommy by this time! When we arrived, Charlie marched right into the classroom like he'd been there all year and never looked back. I had to call him twice just to get a picture of the first day in his new class. The other pictures of Charlie from the first day are from after school. His teachers (I have no idea what their names are (partially the accent but also the sheer number of people we met today)) asked me to come back after an hour and a half today just in case he didn't settle in. I really had to keep myself from laughing! I agreed even though I was really looking forward to the 3 hours only to find him reluctant to leave so soon! His teachers said he could stay longer tomorrow! His favorite part of his time today was painting.

Scott went to the office today to take care of some personal business (setting up phone, cable, broadband) and also to touch base with his new co-workers. I think he really just needed to get away! Can you blame him?? I need an office.

Really, the first day of school was terrific and we are all thankful to get back into a routine.

We are moving to our new home tomorrow and are so excited about being out of this tiny hotel! The staff sure enjoyed the boys this morning at breakfast in their uniforms.

Thank you for keeping us in your prayers. Until later, one grateful and proud mum