Visitors!

I was very lucky to have my dad and sister visit for a week!!! They arrived on Thursday where I met them at the train station in city center. I had an engineering lab on Friday so they went to a few museums while I had lab then we went out for dinner that night. Before lab we explored the Glasgow botanic gardens and had tea in the tea room there. That night Anna and I went to a Ceilidh at Sloan's. The music and dancing was fun! On Saturday we went to Edinburgh by bus to visit the Royal Botanic Gardens. I thought they were very nice, much better than the Glasgow ones. Anna thought they were comparable to Longwood! 

Anna and I at the Ceilidh.

Pine cone ceiling art.

  

Black kitty!

On Sunday Anna and I woke up early to catch a train to Adrosson Harbour and then a ferry to Brodick on the Isle of Arran. We arrived at the island around 10 to find the visitors center closed and the buses running on limited schedules because of construction on one of the three roads on the island. We decided to walk instead, which allowed us to see less of the island but in much more detail. It was cold so we walked to a restaurant to have a full Scottish breakfast of a potato scone, over easy egg, haggis, black pudding, sausage, and beans. After breakfast we walked to cheese shop, aromatic shop, brewery, and finally the Brodick Castle! The castle itself was smaller but the grounds surrounding it were fairly large. We spent a few hours exploring the castle and grounds. 

The "Cal Mac"

Scottish Breakfast

Arran cheeses

Garden at the castle

Guess I forgot how to write Anna's name...

Another pine cone ceiling!

 Afterward we walked back to the harbour on the beach and along a golf course. We got tea and scones while we waited for the ferry to arrive around 7pm. It was a long but very fun day, we likely put in around 10 miles of walking....

Goatfell mountain is on the far left.

Some attempts at panoramic shots, they aren't perfect but the clouds were awesome.

Shaun meets a crab.

My dad and sister went on a tour of the Highlands on Monday and Tuesday. On Wednesday, Anna and I looked at thrift and antique stores around the west end. We also toured the Macintosh House on campus, no photography was allowed. I took Anna to my favorite coffee shop for a chai latte, Artisan Roast. That night we all went to a nice restaurant called the Ubiquitous Chip for dinner. I had slow cooked pork shoulder with pesto, peas, and squash. And ginger crème brulee for dessert!

On their final day in Glasgow we went to the Willow Tea Room on Buchanan street and enjoyed porridge, tea, and scones! The tea room featured more Macintosh architecture. It was fun to have visitors : )