Day34- Edinburgh-after a very slow start, caught ferry back to mainland and drove back to Edinburgh. Lovely sunny day so went for final walk in Inverleith Park and attempted to repack bags. Quiet dinner at David's place and early night.very tired.

Day 35- Edinburgh to home- managed to nearly navigate us correctly to airport only missing one turn which had us hurtling to Glasgow instead. Sigh! Retrieved the situation and we still got to airport with plenty of time to spare. Edimburgh even have a small lounge to sit in so just waiting for first leg of flight to be called. Son and heir has made it home safely and is now tucked up in his own bed for the first time for 3 months. He seemed pleased about that.

Day 31- Kyle of Lochalsh- ferry and car trip to the Tingle Creek Hotel back on the mainland. Lovely scenery and hotel is surprisingly great for such a small place. Left Uist in gale force winds so good day to take off. Enjoyed seeing Uist- amazing place.

Day 32-Isle of Bute- pretty long drive through amazing scenery- drove through places like Glencoe which is ski territory in Winter. Also the scene of a mad Scottish massacre between the Campbell's and MacDonalds. We were speechless for a fair amount of the time just enjoying the scenery. The Isle of Bute is very pretty. Our B& B - The Boathouse- is lovely- one of the best bits of accommodation for this trip. Very comfortable and lovely room facing the bay. Great views. Met David and Barbara at the B & B and had dinner at local restaurant- really good- called Harry Haws. Started talking about the wedding when realised the people behind us had Irish accents- oops thought may also be wedding guests( later proved to be correct).

Day 33- Isle of Bute and the wedding- 1.30pm bus pick up to take us and other guests to Mount Stuart for the wedding. What can I say. We got home at 1am and it was definitely a highlight of the trip. Brilliant wedding. The venue was amazing- like something out of Downton Abbey.the chapel was this lovely white chapel with beautiful stain glass. The reverend was this jolly looking welsh man- looked like Santa Claus. The grooms men and a number of the male guests wore kilts with the proper shoes and gorgeous black coats. They looked amazing- the young men looked gorgeous. We stood around sipping champagne and canapés after the ceremony in one of the grand sitting rooms and ended up outside in blazing sunshine. We then had to line up with a cone full of confetti to throw at the bride and groom as they walked past. The bride looked lovely- very happy.

The sit down dinner was very good- devotedly not a rubber chicken affair. We sat with our friends Dabid and Barbara and aroddy's brother Colin and his wife Edith. Very easy company. We got a special mention at he beginning of Roddy's speech as having travelled so far. No other of their Australian friends did. The speeches were uniformly great- the best mans was hilarious- class act.

We then had a traditional Scottish band and both Stephen and I had to participate in Scottish dancing. Hilarious fun. I got spun around quite a few times with 5)3 Dadhing White Sargeant etc etc. ended up primarily with Hope and Mark's friends madly dancing reels etc. more than half the guests were Irish and they had no idea either apparently what to do. After much singing of Auld Lang Sine and On the banks of Loch Lomond song- we all finally left at midnight or thereabouts. It was fantastic. So great we made the effort.

Day 30- Uist- woke up during the night to the sound of wind and rain but not as bad as we thought once we ventured a look. Went for a drive off the main road to a little place called Howmore. Has a few very cute renovated crofters cottages and ruins of old chapel and graveyard. Lots of crumbling medieval stones, buildings and graveyards here ( and elsewhere on the Island). Also went down to a beach that fronted the North Atlantic. Went for a walk along the beach- pretty amazing scenery. Then after brief detour to Hebridean jewellery shop where decided did not need any more Celtic jewellery home for lunch for delicious trout caught by Stephen yesterday. Very nice lunch and sun came out by late morning. We have been very lucky with the weather. Stephen headed out mid-afternoon to chance his luck fishing again. He managed to catch some more trout but said it was a bit of a challenge with the gale force winds- much tangling of fishing lines. Ate dinner at a local restaurant called The Stepping Stones- highly rated on Trip Adviser - not sure why. Was OK- both had nice meals-Stephen especially had a very nice rabbit dish but would not rate it especially high. The drive back was interesting- clouds racing in front of a large moon that disappeared in and out of the clouds with some pretty heavy winds- felt like something out of Macbeth- was anticipating seeing some witches on broomsticks fly by at any moment. We did see another owl which was eerie enough- this ghostly thing suddenly appearing out of nowhere in front of the car. Very different place from our usual environment but I don't know why anyone would live here- it's sooo bleak and such a difficult environment to live in. Obviously suits some but not me long term.

Day 29- Uist- went and checked out local bakery/ butcher and bought some venison sausages for dinner. Then went to find the Smokehouse and got some lovely smoked salmon which we had for lunch with some farm fresh eggs- pretty good. Lovely sunny day and sent Stephen  off in the afternoon to try his luck at one or more of the many lochs nearby. He came back a few hours later with a fish- some trout for lunch tomorrow. He in fact caught 3 fish. Impressive effort. Venison sausages for dinner with some fresh vege was pretty good . The venison was very tasty- pretty solid and strong flavour.

Day 28-Uist- Stephen went off fishing for the day with a gillie and caught a large brown trout. There is even a picture to prove it. He fished from a boat in one of the many lochs- he will have to advise me later on the name. It was sunny and mild for virtually all of the day which was great for him and me who played at farm wife and did some washing and ironing. Drying clothes outside is slightly different from home. It consists of very sterdedly pegging clothes on to reasonably high clothes line in gale force winds and spending the next few hours checking to see if you have to tear out to rescue clothes from driving rain and/or from blowing into nearest sheep paddock. Don't even try to peg out any slighter smaller articles as they just end up in a twisted mess wound around said clothes line. No ironing board so improvised with kitchen table. Next you know I will be stoking fires. Day was interrupted by slightly crazy looking lady trying to convert me to Seven Day Adventism . She failed. Dinner was some pasta and wine at home as fisherman was pooped . KA also spent part of the day in competition with Will exchanging scenic photos online. He won- I could only shoot over photos of many sheep- albeit cute looking against his scenic photos from Dijon. He then taunted me with tales of the many shops there as I stared wistfully out my kitchen window into.... fields of sheep.

Day 27- South Uist- went to an Inn called the Dark Island Hotel last night for dinner. We both opted for Angus Beef Burgers- the meat was solid beef- very nice and very solid. Worked out why so many religious icons- South Uist is Catholic as in Jacobite uprisings, anti-Reformation Catholic. North Uist is by comparison, Protestant as is most other of the Outer Hebrides. Flora MacDonald who is sort of like Joan of Arc of Scotland - OK vaguely like her- was borne on South Uist and she hid Bonnie Prince Charlie here, spiriting him over to Skye and the to France. We come across her back in 1991 when last on Skye. Went for a drive today to Lochbousiedall(?)- the main harbour here. Like a lot of South Uist there is not a lot there housing/people- wise - instead lots of water, mountains etc. driving back from the Inn last night we almost clobbered an owl that had trouble flying away from the car- should also mention is a lot of wildlife here- otter and deer warnings everywhere. Also had a flock of wild geese fly over the car last night- they are apparently everywhere and a bit of a nuisance.

Is raining and windy today but not freezing cold so not too bad for the Outer Hebrides. Off to another restaurant tonight- The Orasay Inn- . Spent some of afternoon watching the Rugby on TV as the World Cup is on in England so right time zone.

Met the cottage's owner this afternoon and she also pointed Stephen in the direction of some fishing lochs in walking distance.

Dinner at the Orasay Inn was great. Food was excellent. I had a monkfish scampi and Stephen a large piece of lamb- rack of lamb I think. Food is unfailingly fresh. The restaurant itself was hilarious- sooo British. Everyone whispered the whole time. There were some Europeans there who reverted to their own language so I presume they could talk a bit more loudly. There was a crazy Welsh couple behind us- she spent most of the time chiding her husband. So different to the restaurants on the Continent- full of noise and chatter. The waitress told us she had some family in Australia but was too scared to go there as one of her relatives got bitten bu a black spider. We suggested she was more likely to get bitten by marauding geese here than a spider in Australia but she would not be convinced. Glad Stephen is driving here- lots of single track roads, obviously no street lighting and on either side there is generally a loch- wonder how many cars end up in one of them as are generally no barriers on the road side. Stephen spent quite a bit of time also accidentally squashing frogs under the car tyres- less nerve racking than trying to avoid the low flying owl from the night before. I'm such a country girl.

Day 26- South Uist - caught car ferry to Uist today- very smooth trip luckily. Sat outside for a bit and saw some porpoises diving up and down alongside the boat- very exciting. Easy drive to new accommodation as essentially only one main road. We are in Killigarry village. At first glance there are 5 hours in Killigarry 'village'. Place has been very comfortably fitted out. The owner has very generously left us with a lot of food including what look to be fresh eggs. Found local Coop and stocked up on a few essentials and located a couple of places for dinner. Hopefully will be fine tomorrow as there should be a beach near here that we can go for a walk along. Definitely a lot more remote that Skye and a lot flatter. Interestingly also a lot of religious icons on the side of the road- statues of mother nary. Strange- wasn't expecting that- must do some research  on whether we have stumbled on a Catholic outpost as  look very Catholic type icons to me.

Day 25- Last day on Skye- glorious sunshine all day- we have been very lucky. Went into Portree to do a few errands including getting Stephen a fishing permit. Then drove to a scenic loch overlooked by what is called The Storr and Stephen went and threw a line in. He looked very Scottish and I took photos to prove it happened. I sat on a grass bank in the sun and read my book glancing up occasionally to make sure Stephen had not completely  immersed himself in the loch. A few people stopped to take photos as The Storr is one of those tourist attractions- suspect Stephen is in the foreground of a few pictures. Booked dinner tonight at a restaurant in Portree that has good reviews.

Day 25- Skye- drove around the North East of Skye today. Yet more spectacular scenery - Sigh. Highlights were the Pie Cafe which is a restaurant/ take away that serves superb pies cooked by an Australian from Uladalla; the plateau of Storr being some very impressive rocks with a giant pillar called the Old Man of Storr; some impressive views across water to the islands of South Rona and Raasay- believe Raasay is one of those sad places where the Scots were driven off their land by English landlords- in this case the landlord shipped them all of to Australia. Near the northern most point we saw this crumbling castle ruin called Duntulm Castle. Very eerie walking around there with the wind whistling in your ears imagining the people who had lived there. Apparently was a stronghold from the Bronze Age, then the Picts had a stronghold, then the Vikings and finally the MacDonals. We got to Uig ( love the name) which is where our ferry goes from on Daturday to the outer Hebrudes. Oh yes- other high,ought was a cafe called The Side Track where we had the best cup of coffee of the trip. Other observation- lots of alternative energy solutions on the island- wind farms everywhere, ecologically sound housing, solar panels etc Quite impressive the effort they are making. The waitress at the inn last night told us that they no longer have 4 dustinct seasons- has tended to meld into a variety of unpredictable seasons.

Day 24- Isle of Skye- just back from fun night at pub at Edinbane - felt like extra from Local Hero- local pub in scenic location with band playing complete with fiddles, guitars and hand drum. Went for walk to Lyndale Bay which is our local piece of water. Lovely sunny day again. Had lunch in cafe at Portree- place was crawling with tour buses- what we're all those tourists doing here we thought?! Had fairly quiet day after lot of driving yesterday. Did have delicious scallop dinner last night which Stephen cooked- never seen such plump tasty scallops and the vegetables were so sweet compared to home. Woolworths 'fresh food' Hah! Loving the fresh food here and the scenery is certainly spectacular- quite dramatic rather than pretty.

Day 23-Isle of Skye- headed to the West of Skye today. Visited the Tallisker Distillery and bought some whiskey which you cannot get in Sydney. Decided not to take tour but managed to have a tasting of the whiskey we were looking at buying- not bad.  We then headed to the Neist Point lighthouse which is on the western most point on Skye. Lots of one track roads with passing points to get there- fine until you met a motor home . Drive was incredibly scenic - cannot really describe adequately- lots of soaring mountains, lochs etc. pretty sure we saw Dunvegan castle in the distance. Stephen says I have been there before in 1991. I have no recollection of this so will check diary when we return. Will be cranky if he is fibbing- not really. Weather was very western Scotland- rain, wind and sun. Skye actually looks as good in the rain as sun. Went to the Oyster Shed for lunch which is this little shed near the distillery that sells unsurprisingly oysters and other bits of seafood. We had delicious crab rolls and bought some scallops to cook. Home for dinner tonight- scallops or gourmet sausages or both.

Day 22- Isle of  Skye- beautiful sunny day- drove into Porttree and had a look around. Very pretty bay. Had lunch while we picked up some tourist information and chatted to some people about fishing things. Pretty place but not as pretty as some other small fishing type villages we have been to. Went for a walk and sit in the sun at the bay in the estate we are staying on- idyllic in the sun. We sat on some rocks graving the water and read our books. Skyline was so interesting with endless islands off in the distance. Had lovely meal in Dunvegen called Old School. Stephen had some duck and I overordered with some local mussels followed by a mushroom peppers dish. My defence was the helpings were large. Great meal and service. The drive back was a bit surreal as there was still a type of half light at around 8.30.

Days 20 and 21- Edimburgh and Isle of Skye- spent a day in Edimburgh provisioning for trip to the Hebrides so we bought a white shirt for Stephen and leggings for me. As an afterthought bought some cereal, bread, juice and milk. The drive to Skye was uneventful except for the soaring hills, lochs and castles that we drove past. I'm on a castle quota so only got to the car park of one for a quick photo. Also stopped at the House of Bruar which is like Harrods in the Highlands- huge place full of food, clothes and gifts. Impressive. Cottage on Skye is on an estate. On first glance cottage is so so but decided after very comfortable nights sleep in bed and a good shower it is not too bad. We have to go off and really provision as owners left us with very little- small box of chocolates and some whiskey- nice but not so useful.

Day 19- Edinburgh- had long day catching a train to Geneva to catch plane to Edinburgh then picking up hire car at airport and drove to our friend David's place. Managed to get here without too many dramas by mid afternoon. Why does one never get the hire car you book? Decided there is little point nominating a car as what you get never seems to be the same. Feels strange being back on the left hand side of the road- such a Francophile. We also decided that we could do with spending a bit more time in the French countryside- very much enjoyed Lyon and our sojourn in the Alps. The invalid is much better it seems after yet another visit to a French Doctor for more drugs. While not necessarily an experience you want it is quite hilarious trying to describe ailments to a French Doctor with very limited English. I think what saved us was the similar names given to drugs. Once we recognised a couple then we could work out what ailment was being treated! We will laugh about this.... in a few years time. All good now though.Should have mentioned we had another delicious meal last night in another little street full of restaurants. Beautiful night so we sat outside watching the passing parade. I enjoyed a goats cheese salad and Stephen had salmon for entree. We both had a delicious pork dish in a mushroom sauce for main and creme caramel for dessert. Plus we shared a half bottle of Beaujolais. A very nice end to our Lyon visit. Tonight I think it will be pizzas at Stockbridge, Edinburgh- as good in its own way.

Day 18- Lyon- another beautiful sunny day. We crossed the Rhone and went and had a look at the Opera House and Town Hall. Both stunning buildings. The Town Hall looks over the Place des Terreaux which has an amazing fountain in it with these superb horses. Apparently there was a guillotine here during the French Revolution. The fountain was made by Bartholdi. Pretty impressive. The Town Hall itself dates back to the mid- 1600's and has this huge belfry tower. The Opera House dates back to the 1750's and has had a metal dome placed over the top for a new roof. It is an interesting mixture of new and old. We went into the garden courtyard of Museum Beaux Arts. We visited some shops on the Periphery and a few churches- the churches here are amazing even for a non- religious person. We went to Eglise St Nizier  ( 15th century) which as per usual had a Roman monument on it originally. Interestedly the burgers took it over at one stage and it became a granary after the French Revolution. There does seem to have been an ongoing tussle between the church and the merchants at various stages. We also went to St Bonaventure which is a medieval building and has beautiful stained glass. Apparently was originally part of a monestary - built originally in the 1300's. We have decided we like Lyon- could happily spend longer here.

Day 17- Lyon- sunny and warm today so went for a walk to the old city, ( Vieux Lyon) crossing both the Rhone and Saone Rivers. We went to the cathedral St Jean which is in a lovely square and peered inside- buil in the 12th to 15th century so is medieval. Of course once they start excavating they discovered ruins back to Roman times. There were a few 'scattered' around behind the cathedral next to a children's playground- so different to home. Then caught the furnicular up to Fourviere which has a stunning basilica on it( it's on a hill). The basilica was built in the 1800's and it has the most amazing mosaics- both on the floor and walls. Like  much of Europe the basilica is apparently built over Roman ruins. I gather Julius Ceasar was here and set up a military base around 58 BC. Believe also there were medieval buildings here. Whatever there was, the current building is stunning inside. Gather however that there was some controversy about the general opulence of the building and a replica of the Eiffel Tower was built next to the church in the late 1800's which rises higher than the church- built to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution. Sounds good to me.

Also went to the Roman ruins on Fourviere hill called Hadrians theatre. Amazing ruins of buildings and a theatre that you can basically just wander freely around for no charge. Always find it amazing thinking about the Romans walking in my footsteps. Wandered back down the hill to the old town again and walked around some of what they call Les traboules. These are covered and narrow passages used to go from one street to another which are part of the buildings structure. They are comprised of stair towers, galleries, arches etc and are gothic/renaissance in style. People live in these buildings but in an arrangement with the local government the main doors into the streets are left open to allow people to wander through these passages during the day. Quite amazing. People used to use these passages during the Frech Revolution and WW2 to escape and hide. The parts of the old city we saw are fascinating. Apparently the old part was nearly razed to the ground- it was largely abandoned when the plague struck in the 17th century and people fled to the periphery. It was restored by General de Gaulle or he started the process- otherwise it would largely be gone.

Day 16- Lyon- caught 'auto bus' from Annecy to Lyon. Easy trip- just under 2 hours. Hotel is very comfortable - crazy bathroom- some architect gone mad but is very nice and has a club area ( what they call it) where you can get cold drinks and nibbles all day and relax in comfortable chairs. It is
across the road from the Rhone River which we can see from our balcony. We went for a walk this afternoon to the peninsular area between the Rhone and Saone Rivers including Place Bellecoeur . Lovely area- lots of shops, old buildings etc. searched out the 2 best known eating streets to check out places for dinner while circling one of many old churches- Saint Boneface or something according to Stephen- (?) Also saw the Foubtain in the d' Jacobins and their rather spectacular stock exchange building. We ended up eating in Merciere which is a gorgeous atmospheric street full of restaurants. The weather is stunning- sunny and warm so the evening was full of people sitting outside. Lovely city on first impressions - many buildings remind us of Paris- similar style.

Day 15 - Annecy - Left Saint Gervais early morning for Annecy via train.  Easy trip and hotel a very easy walk from train station. Dropped bags and went for a walk in glorious sunshine.  Annecy is called the Venice of the Alps and can see why .  Is very pretty place. Reminded us a bit of Lucerne or the Wolfganzee.  Very wealthy area and is definitely full of tourists even though it is no longer high season.  Went on a boat trip around Lake Annecy, viewing many lovely houses on the lakeside and chateaus that have been in the same families for centuries.  The lake (and Annecy) has soaring mountains in the background so the whole vista is pretty impressive.

We saw the Palais de L'lle which is a very old building in the shape of a ship's bow and used to be a prison, court and administrative centre. It's of medieval construction originally and the oldest parts apparently date from the 12th century.  Also saw the Chateau d'Annecy which in the words of my historical adviser is 'really old'. More accurately it was built between the 12th and 16th centuries.  Having said that it is relatively high up so also seems to have had a residence there for quite some time and as usual, various layers of buildings have been built on top of each other. Just walked around it as did not seem to be anything especially interesting inside.

There are also many churches here - from my quick google  this would same to be at least in part because during the reformation in the 1530's the bishop of Geneva was evicted and sought refuge in Annecy which was Catholic under the Duchy of Savoy. Annecy became rather important as part of the 'Counter Reformation' so  many churches were built. We saw a fair sample -  St Franciose de Sales, St Maurice and Notre-Dame de Liesse - they vary in construction from the 14th-19th century and a number seem to have been dismantled in part during the French revolution.  Given our non-rleigious leanings we only entered one - the Notre Dame one.  That one was built in the 1800's and was  impressive inside.

Stephen is definitely feeling better - he visited a chocolate shop today and bought a gelato this afternoon.  Things are looking up.  We had a lovely dinner at a local restaurant, sampling a half bottle of a local red - a Mondeuse. We resisted some of the more traditional local fare as they are very very cheesy.  It would not have ended well we felt if we had taken the cheesy options.

Lovely place but one night is enough for us.

Day 14- Saint Gervais- Today was perfect weather- sunny and mild. Wandered down to usual coffee shop, discovering you can order a glass of wine at 11am but not any food. Made do with coffee and complimentary biscuit. Went on the Tramway Du Mont-Blanc which is a rack railway dating back to 1904. It takes you up 1788m to Nid d'Aigle where there is a glacier called the  Bionnassay glacier. The trip takes about 1 hour 15 minutes. You are up at 2380m when you get to the glacier. The scenery as you ascend ( and descend) is amazing particularly on a day like it was today. There is a little restaurant up the top where we enjoyed a warming vegetable soup. We met up with some friends of Steph when getting on the railway- very nice people from London who are both incredibly fit. One of them- Mark is scaryingly fit and decided to run back down the various mountains rather than catch the train. See above as to how high up we were. We think we saw him running down a track as we descended on the train- scary stuff. Aside from a complete lack of ability in attempting such a walk, given my sense of direction who knows in what country or mountainside I'd end up in. Pretty good Fathers Day for Stephen.

Day 13 - Saint Gervais - Wandered into town (OK takes all of 2 minutes) for coffee and a general relax with the locals.  Managed to order coffee without embarrassing ourselves and decided to have a walk around some of the town which we had not really done yet.  Enjoyed pottering around the village in and out of the shops.  Resisted buying very cute pottery as decided was not a sensible option for getting home.  Discovered some historic sights by accident today - an old fort and dwelling - around 13-14th century and what seemed to be a retirement village - totally unrelated of course.  Bought bread for lunch as the organic one we bought at the markets - while definitely organic is pretty solid and it is like sawing a brick.  Resisted buying any pastries.  Went out for another walk later on and found the temperature has plummeted - must be in single digits.  Steph had mentioned that it seemed that once you hit mid-September a switch is flicked on and it becomes noticeably colder.  It definitely seems to be heading in that direction. Steph was out climbing today with a friend and should be having dinner with them both tonight in a local restaurant. The sick one is very slowly improving but it is at a fairly glacial pace unfortunately.  

Day 12 - Saint Gervais - beautiful sunny day so headed off for a hike with my cousin Steph.  First headed into the village for coffee with Stephen and then left him to wander home while we drove to Champey, parked the car and proceeded to walk to Chalet de Miage for lunch. Had to borrow some clothing as the only suitable thing I appeared to have was some walking boots and a pair of lighter trousers.  Steph kindly lent me  a couple of tops, a backpack and some poles to assist with walking up and down the mountainside (not a lot of flat terrain).  I foolishly thought I could stroll along in a pair of jeans and cotton t shirt.  Having just got back, that would definitely not have ended well.  The countryside was stunning and we ended up at this little restaurant where we shared an omelette and salad.  We passed stunning views along the way along with cows and sheep with large bells so I felt I was an extra in a Heidi sequel.  Steph was great - very patiently showing me how to navigate the uphill and downhill slopes with the poles.  Apparently the trick with going downhill is to stick your poles in the ground out front, bend forward and walk somewhat like a cowboy - Steph technical description but it worked.  We passed these lunatic trail bike riders both there and back.  They whizz down these mountain tracks at ridiculous speeds.  We passed a group towards the end where someone had come off and required an ambulance - crazy.  Stephen is very slowly improving and we left him back home to read quietly and rest for the day. It is mid afternoon and I am definitely now ready for a rest.

Day 11-Saint Gervais- wandered into Saint Gervais to check out the weekly market. Largely a food market- was difficult not to over buy as it all looked delicious. We stocked up on some food for lunch as some friends of Steph's were joining us for lunch. They are Australians living in Saint Gervais for a year with their 4 children who are all at the local school. Being such a small world we discovered that they lived near us in Sydney and the husband is the son of a Hungarian childhood friend of my mothers. Wierd coincidence. Very enjoyable lunch and rested in the afternoon.

Day 10 - Saint Gervais - Sun is shining today.  Went for little walk around Saint Gervais and had coffee.  Bought some food for lunch and went back to Steph's place (after finding a Dr for Stephen).  Equipped Stephen with medication, had lunch and then Steph and I went to Chamonix for a walk around and some sampling of more delicious French pastries.  Am pleased we are planning a short hike on Friday - will need it soon I fear.  Chamonix is lovely - again very picturesque and the weather is now very mild and sunny.  The architecture looks very Swiss which I guess is not surprising. We are going to sample a local restaurant for dinner tonight and tomorrow is market day in St Gervais so looking forward to sampling some local produce. The invalid is definitely starting to improve - a few quiet days and I think he will be much improved. Had lovely dinner at local restaurant- Syephen and I had a delicious duck dish with some potato gratin. The waiter/owner spoke perfect English- discovered this was because amongst other things had just come back from living in Sydney for 3 years.

Day 9 - Saint-Gervais-les-Bains - We have changed countries and are now in France.  Early start to catch our EasyJet flight to Geneva where we were met by my cousin who ferried us to her place in the French mountains - it's at the base of Mont Blanc and near Chamonix etc. Very beautiful area.  Her balcony looks directly at soaring mountains. We are very spoilt - she has an upstairs bedroom for guests with your own bathroom. Went out food shopping with her which is always interesting and they have such lovely food in France. It is however pouring with rain and may be pouring for the next couple of days apparently so   could be a couple of quiet days pottering in the village and sightseeing by car.

Day 8 -  Edinburgh - Gloriously sunny day and very mild T shirt weather.  Wandered into town and stopped for coffee at local cafe - Stockbridge cafe I think. Anyway coffee was slightly better than average but they do seem to like weak coffee.  Went to a place called Bibis as Will had a parcel for me to pick up.  The 'parcel' was 4 cupcakes he had ordered for me for my birthday.  3 of them had one word on each of them  - 'Happy Birthday Mum' and the 4th was a flower.  He had also left a lovely cream cashmere scarf for me and a block of chocolate in the flat we are staying in as he was here in mid-August for a few days.  Pretty good birthday.  Unfortunately Stephen is still not well so birthday celebrations with him have had to have been postponed- good grief he has managed to catch a heavy duty virus.  So left him resting this morning.  I came back for lunch and heated up some soup -soup always helps.  Edinburgh is full of the sound of bags being wheeled over cobblestones - many people leaving as today is the last official day for the various festivals. The locals must breathe a sigh of relief to some extent as it is packed in August.  Tomorrow is very early start with an early flight to Geneva to catch up with my cousin Stephanie.  Will wrap Stephen in cottonwood and pile him onto the plane I fear.  Hopefully 10 days of fresh French mountain air will rid him of this bug.

Day 7 - Edinburgh - Had a domestic morning catching up on washing. Went and saw a show at the Pleasance courtyard leaving the ailing one in charge. The city was absolutely packed - last weekend of the Fringe.  Went to a brilliant play called Run.  Hopefully Will did not see it as was about 4 investment bank interns chasing a career in the city.  No surprises - the woman sitting next to me commented that they may as well have said it was a documentary.  The actors were all excellent - apparently the play was inspired by a true story of a 21 year old intern who died after reportedly working 72 hours straight. Makes you think.  Got chatting to the lady standing next to me in the queue for the show and this is her 17th Fringe.  Admittedly she lives in Aberdeen so somewhat closer for her - lucky person.

Stunning day weather-wise - warm and sunny.  Caught a very crowded bus to the Pleasance but decided to walk back and just enjoy the crowds. Inverleith Park was full of kids tearing around, waving kites, dogs tearing around etc etc.  There was even a little market at Stockbridge   selling the usual market things - huge hunks of home made soap, home made slices, oils, organic this and that.  Could have been at the Crows Nest Fair.  Also saw a gallery called Mrs Doubtfire and thought ah hah after finding out yesterday she was a real person. Ailing one unfortunately slept most of the day. We did both get out in the evening to see Nish Kumar- English comedian/social commentator whose show was called: long word…long word…Blah Blah Blah…I'm so clever. He was excellent ( must stop saying that about Fringe shows). Very funny and clever.

Day 6 - Edinburgh  - My travelling companion is still unwell so ventured out on my own today. David and Barbara left me with a birthday card and bottle of champagne before they took off for Troon where Barbara lives and David visits on weekends. Very nice of them. Generally sunny day today so walked through Inverleith Park to the shops in Stockbridge and enjoyed a coffee in the sunshine and watched the passing parade.  It is a Saturday so strikingly similar to home, with many frantic parents ferrying children around clothed in sports gear.  As part of the Fringe there is an International Photographic Exhibition showcasing a selection of photos received from around the world. Decided this would be a good thing to see. The exhibition was housed in a lovely Georgian house near the Royal Circus which is very similar to the Royal Crescent in Bath. I loved the Exhibition - huge variety of subject matter from wildlife to people to inanimate objects. Some of the images from China I found particularly striking - the countryside shots were stunning but the poverty was quite confronting as well.  I left the Exhibition inspired to take some of my own photos so started waving my phone around taking shots of scenic buildings - not hard to do in Edinburgh.

I managed to navigate my way to St Andrews Square to buy a present for the wedding we are going to and a Waterstone bookshop to buy some more reading material.  On the way I stopped to listen to a great band in St Andrews Square - very rowdy Scottish rock band essentially. Reminded me of a band from a movie we saw years ago that was about a… Scottish band.  Can't for the life of me remember what it was called but do remember one of their songs - Mustang Sally - which this band also played rather well. According to the show yesterday about the brain, I should not try and remember what the movie was called and it will just come to me when I least expect it.  We'll see.

Still lots of people around.  Meandered back home mid-afternoon to see how the invalid was doing. Invalid is not too good but managed to get him out for short walk and played peek a boo with one of the resident squirrels in the complex we are staying in.  Decided to do a bit of reading today (for some reason) on Stockbridge (where we are staying) while watching gameshows with the sick one. Apparently it was a separate village until a wooden bridge was built over the waters of Leith and eventually this was replaced by the present day stone bridge.  This area is 'only' about 200 years old (!) and was a pretty poor area until relatively recently.  Also a Mrs Doubtfire lived here - a book was written called Mrs Doubtfire based on this woman and apparently the Robin Williams movie was based on this character but the movie bears little relationship to the real Mrs Doubtfire. Relatively useless fact I admit.

Also was musing as I do sometimes, on the comedy we have seen, where the comedians are youngish and concluded that disturbingly they were all or had been struggling with dealing with modern day life. Hopefully  this is just a reflection of a number of comedians generally being manic depressives (which of course is not of itself good) and not a reflection of the younger generation generally.

We went and saw a 5 piece a cappella group from South Africa tonight called Simply Soweta Encha. Was yet another recommendation from our London correspondent and they were brilliant.  Beautiful singing and brilliant dancing - like Diamonds on the Soles of your Shoes type African harmonies and some modern songs like 'Happy'.  The sort of show from which you walk out smiling.

Day 5 - Edinburgh - Saw a very interesting clever show today as part of the free Fringe.  I went into town with our host David's partner - Barbara as poor Stephen was not very well this morning. Left him to rest and went to find a cafe Will had recommended called Sugar House Sandwiches as it actually has  decent coffee apparently.  It was located in a street called Canongate - down one end of the very touristy Royal Mile.  Very little cafe you would easily walk past and the coffee was great.  It is roasted in Edinburgh and definitely beat the watery stuff we had been having in Stockbridge.  After refuelling we wandered past a pub called  Canons' Gait and were handed a flyer  for a show about to start in 10 minutes.  We decided to wander in -  it was a lovely pub and we decided to be brave and go to the show.  It was called Off The Top and was billed as a 'comedy about the science of improvisation with freestyle rhymes, mind bending facts and special guests.'  Essentially it was a a husband and wife team where the wife is a neuroscientist and the husband a rapper and the show was about how the brain works.  The serious bits were mixed in with rap songs and 2 comedians who came on - one of whom - an Irish guitarist was hilarious.  Completely bizarre and very clever show - and it was free! Also obviously had developed a bit of a reputation as it was packed.

After patting ourselves on our backs we saw a few performers on the Royal Mile and then went down to the Grassmarket for some sandwiches watching some people dance at a silent disco.  After stopping to watch various artists etc we walked all the way back to Stockbridge in alternating squalls of wind and rain  and blazing sunshine.  Changed plans for tonight - quiet dinner at home so poor Stephen doesn't have to go out. Enjoyed ourselves though.  Barbara and I cooked up some fresh pasta with a tomato sauce and we poured some melted chocolate over berries for dessert - pretty good I thought.

Day 4 - Edinburgh - Hard to write about Scotland without mentioning the weather.  It all comes back to me now as to why I had no idea as to what clothing to bring for Scotland.  Staring out the kitchen window debating whether to head out into cyclonic horizontal rain - decided that was not sensible to stay in just because of the weather so rug up, lock up flat, walk down 2 flights of stairs into blazing sunshine.  Peel off coats and commence walking to bus stop.

Had quieter day as the fisherman seems to have picked up a cold-like illness probably from the flight.  Did manage to see another recommended show however from our London correspondent.  It was at this funny old pub (aren't they all funny and old in Edinburgh?) called the Dragon Fly in old part of town, just past the Grassmarket.  The show was called Richard Brown: Art is Easy.  He was very excited when we told him that our son had recommended his show  as he is definitely not a headline act.  He confessed that a couple of his shows were cancelled due to noone turning up.  The show was more social/political commentary with a few jokes thrown in.  He is a clever young man who appears to be pretty annoyed with the world at present.  One of the audience members was his dad - so cute.  He was part of the free fringe - the shows that are part of the Fringe but are…free. He was definitely worth a look at however.  We also did some food shopping as have volunteered to cook dinner tonight.  Pork fillets, red cabbage and boiled potatoes.  I will actually be doing most of the preparation and possibly some cooking to avoid the unwell one spreading his germs. Will see how that goes cooking under supervision.

Day 3- Edinburgh- Had busy day. Started day attempting to get a better cup of coffee. Resorted to a chain-Costa and coffee was surprisingly better that the 'artisan roasters' of yesterday. Wandered into the city centre and dropped into fishing shop where Stephen stocked up on some blue jay feathers. I was particularly concerned that Stephen was running short of these feathers. We wandered around the city centre again particularly Rose Street which is a lovely cobbled stone street and stopped there for lunch. Thought it was time to visit the Royal Mile which we did and stopped to listen to a few of the performers who set up there during the Fringe promoting their shows. Their level of enthusiasm is infectious. We really enjoyed a lady playing an electric harp- slightly bizarre but it was a lovely sound. We then headed to more parts of the old town and strolled around the Grassmarket area. This area is so medieval- it used to be an old market area and where there were public hangings so also slightly sinister. We overcame the feelings of being in a slightly sinister place by sampling some  ice cream at a shop called Mary's Milk Bar. Our tour guide from other parts of Europe- commonly known as Will had somewhat unsurprisingly recommended this place. There was also a queue so we suspected it was going to be good ice cream. Will had also told us that the Grey Friars kirkyard nearby contained  tombstones with names used by JK Rowling so we visited the graveyard but it is huge so soon gave up attempting to locate those. Later found out via Wikipedia that there is one gravestoneTom Riddle so not surprising was hard to find. It is an ancient and quite surreally peaceful place perched above the hectic Grassmarket ( which is now full of pubs etc). It was then time for afternoon tea so we shared a Guinness which Stephen assured me was as good as food, in a cute pub called the Pear Tree and enjoyed the 80's music .

We saw 2 shows today. One was called Thrones the Musical! It was hilarious- a send up of the Game of Thrones series so you really had to be a fan of that show. The other show was a stand up routine by a comedian called Angela Barnes. She was great- an English lady who was obviously not silly. One of those comedians who somewhat bravely  talks about her life and basically how she came to terms with the somewhat craziness of life generally ( at times). We bravely sat in the front row but she only noticed us once when Stephen nodded too enthusiastically about a story concerning sleepwalking- don't know what he was indicating as he nodded surreptitiously towards me. Otherwise fortunately there was no audience participation. Dinner was at the Potting Shed which was packed. We dragged our friend David whose place we are generously staying at, to dinner and Angela Barnes. Pretty sure I heard him laughing at parts of the act so hopefully he enjoyed himself.  Earlyish night as was a pretty full on day.

Day 2 in Edinburgh

Woke up to bright sunshine and headed down to Stockbridge to sample some coffee. Tried some 'artisan roasters' - definitely a very poor comparison to coffee places at Crows Nest but we sat at a table in brilliant sunshine admiring the lovely houses across the road so no real problem.  Caught bus into the city centre and immediately stumbled into a shop called 'Fat Face'.  Love the name and they were having a sale.  Forgot to mention was a clothing store that I was somewhat familiar with from previous visits.  Walked out with a couple of new tops and carried around a bag with a Fat Face label for the rest of the day. We then wandered into a gigantic bookshop - Waterstones and decided were dropping in for a further visit before we left for France and spent a little while in a great card shop with laugh out loud funny cards.

Then thought we had better get down to business and check out some Fringe shows.  Some of the venues have been moved around from my last visit but the set up with lists of shows everywhere and tapped up reviews is the same.  We chose a show called "The Humble Quest for Universal Genius" because primarily it had David O'Doherty in it.  However Mr O'Doherty was a no-show for no apparent reason (Grrr) and we had a substitute.  Was still pretty good - like a comedic game show with 2 contestants who had to answer questions essentially to see who was smarter interspersed with funny videos and a funny compere. We followed this with a lovely lunch at The Potting Shed and Stephen happily sampled some dark beer. We then wandered over to the Pleasance Courtyard and made note of sold out shows as some indication of what would be good to see on another day.  Ended up going to see a show called "Backstage in Biscuit Land".  Stephen saw this performer last year.  It is essentially a one woman show but she has tourettes so has a 'helper' on stage.  Very clever show - funny but also had a message about how you treat people with conditions such as hers. "Biscuit" is one of the words she says on a frequent involuntary basis along with a few others I can't really put in a G rated blog.  The 'helper' is an actress who has to do a lot of improvisation because the tourettes means she is never quite sure what is going to come out of the performers mouth. It was a great show - packed out - we got the last 2 seats. We finished the night at a favourite noodle place - lots of fresh noodle and rice dishes to choose from.  Booked a couple of shows for tomorrow and a Sunday night one that is sold out until then.  Great atmosphere at the place even with the Festival having been going for some 3 weeks - still lots of people handing out pamphlets trying to get you to go to their show, lots of people in dress up and tourists everywhere.

Day One - 23 August

Today we arrived in Edinburgh around the middle of the day. Tried a different airline and travel route this time.  Flew Qatar  - well actually flew Qantas to Perth and then Qatar to Edinburgh via Doha. Were all great flights.  Would fly Qatar again - very good food and service.  Saw many movies - most of which instantly flew from my memory as main purpose was to kill time not necessarily to be an edifying experience.  Doha airport is very glamourous.  Huge art works are on display throughout the terminals and many many shops full of luxury goods and expensive alcohol. (?)   The lounge was incredible - huge indoor water feature and huge restaurant there - pity was not hungry.

Caught tram from Edinburgh airport into the city centre - was very easy.  Met our friend David, picked up keys to his place, caught taxi with very talkative taxi driver - spent most of the time explaining how he was taking his ex-wife out for her birthday including how much he had spent on wine for the night and finishing with regaling us with a joke - most of which patter was wasted on me due to my continuing inability to decipher the scottish accent.  Stephen resisted the temptation to leave a sizeable tip - I understand his patter was pretty lame. Just back from wander around local grocery store to pick up some small bits and to keep moving so we do not fall asleep.  Just saw a squirrel in the garden - so cute I thought.  Stephen acts like a local  and dismisses its inherent cuteness immediately as it is a grey squirrel which is vermin apparently. Of course given Stephen is already speaking with a slight Scottish lilt I may have completely misinterpreted what he said and for example he may just have named our local squirrel Herman (lame I know).