Scotland 2015 - Day 4 - August 19th, 2015

No - the suitcase did not come yet.  Grumble, grumble.  As we were finishing up with breakfast, the phone rang!  "Hello?????"  no one was there.  Then another ring.  I knew it must be the lost baggage people.  "Hello?????"  No one there.   Now it was worrisome.  Another ring.. Dad waited a bit and answered, "Hello?"  Another person responded!!  The gist of the conversation was that Edinbugh had indeed received the bag and would send it to Huntly today..We would receive it tomorrow late morning or early evening.  Hmmm - do I get my hopes up?  No - we are just going to patiently wait and be prepared to not be dissappointed.

Getting ready to leave the Caravan ark

Our goal today was to visit three towns from which some of Dad's ancestors oived - Insch, Leslie and Old Leslie, and Oyne

When we arrived in Insch we went first to a little store for some nutritious food.  Coincidently the post office aswas also in the store so we asked for directions to the closet really old cemetery.  It ws just down the block - how fortunate

Dad entering the cemetery and looking at many gravestones

cleaning off moss and stuff 

Many of the headstones are so old and weathered that you can't read anything.  He found several with the right last names:  Thom, Ried, Elspet.  He has good information and maybe some of these people are cousins

I liked this one the best.  You could read it and the names were inlaid with gold stuff

 super old coffin cover from the 1600's.  Of course it is illegible, but trust me is is St Ruduf

Mishka's (3-legged!) cousin, umpteen times removed

Lunchtime again and we ended up at bakery and pastie lunch place.

This is for Camille.  Mince and tattie

Yum Yum - this does not look like a doughnut, but it is.  Doughnut camoflaged as a yum yum

Rocky Road bar

These photos are for Malcolm

Insch was a delightful town.  Nifty new and old buildings.  We couldn't see why one of his ancestors would want to leave.

We went a ways north of town to a high hill where there was an old Pict fort in ruins, and also a Pict Standing Stone.  Picts were Iron age people in about 800 to 1200 AD.  Apparently they tattooed their entire  bodies and attacked their enemies butt naked

Not a kissing gate, but close

The fort

The stone.. Not very impressive.  (the rock behind us - not the us)

View from the top and the town of Insch

After driving through Leslie and Oyne (neither were interesting) we headed back to our caravan park home.  Ate dinner - do you think it included fish?

After dinner we took a walk through a humongous park and visited the local castle

The park, however, was very impressive?  Three full size soccer fields, jogging paths, river and fishing, Nordic practice track, and wonderful play structures.

Nordic practice track.  We had to ask a passing jogger what it was.

And check out this cable swing/slide.  I want this and so do our grandchildren

Tomorrow we head north to the coast.  And we'll be waiting for a phone call from the caravan park saying they have Dad's bag.  What do you think the chances are it will come in time for us to check out and head for our next destination?