Day 25 - Cappadocia

30 April 2023

Today was spent exploring the culture of Cappadocia. We started the day at the UNESCO World Heritage Site called Goreme Open Air Museum. This is set in a valley which contains about 60 cave churches which were once occupied by monks in small monasteries. We were able to visit about 6 or so churches which had the most amazing colourful paintings, but, in an attempt to preserve the colours, photography is not permitted so I can’t show you any pictures of inside. Trust me – the paintings were spectacular and of very recognizable scenes, such as the Nativity, Betrayal by Judas, Crucifixion, and the Annunciation. There was also a really cool little coffee shop in one of the caves.

 

Top right shows some of the paintings that are found inside the churches. Bottom right is the Three Sisters.

After a quick visit to the Three Sisters (a rock formation), the rest of the day was spent exploring the unique crafts of Cappadocia. It is a wine area, so we were treated to some wine tasting, again in a really neat cave setting which of course is a constant temperature so perfect for storing wine.

We were shown how Turkish Carpet was made – they are all hand made with double knots and are spectacular. Carpet making provides work for many local women and helps to prevent them being married off at a young age (some as young as 12 or 13), since they are bringing money into the family. The making of the carpets is highly skilled, and we were lucky enough to have a couple of ladies show us how they are made. It is very time intensive and can take many months or years to complete one rug. The colours were spectacular, but I think my favourite ones were made of undyed wool and were simply natural cream, brown and black. Just stunning.

 

Another stop was at a jewelry manufacturer. They had lots of jewelry on display (four large rooms full!) and the gems were of a wide variety. There is a gem only found in Turkey, called zultanite. When treated, this gem can change colour depending upon the light. A single stone can range from green, to gold, to purple, to pink, to pastel green in different lights. It was stunning – as was the price! The other predominant stone is turquoise with very vibrant blues.

As we travelled around Cappadocia, the scenery remained spectacular and unusual. There seem to be so many cave apartments. The balloons were unable to fly this morning due, but hopefully those in our group keen to go up are able to tomorrow morning and will get to see this amazing landscape from the air.

Day 24 - Konya to Cappadocia

29^th April 2023 

This morning, before we left Konya we visited Karatay Madrasa and the Mevlana Mausoleum. The Karatay Madrasa is a beautifully preserved school, which was built in 1251, and is now a museum. The tile work was stunning and it was interesting to see how the scriptures based on the Koran that the students were taught, are very closely aligned to Christian teachings. The Mevlana mausoleum was a former lodge of the whirling dervishes and is both a mosque and a mausoleum. Again, the tiles were exquisite, but it did feel a bit intrusive visiting and taking photos while people were praying.

 

Some of the amazing tiles and mosaics found in Karatay Madrasa and the Mevlana Mausoleum.

After a couple of hours driving, we arrived at the Kaymakli Underground City. This place was incredible. The city was built five thousand years ago and survived multiple wars and earthquakes. Apparently there are about 120 similar underground cities in the area. It was a rabbit warren of corridors, rooms, stairs, and tunnels, with lots of twists and turns. We were able to go down about four levels underground. There are air shafts so we were able to breath easily, and it was a lovely temperature in there even though it was cold outside. I have never been in a place like this and found it so interesting.

 

Top left is Rog squeezing through a tunnel, top right shows a large stone that was used as a door. Bottom left shows one of the underground rooms. Bottom right is a very skinny tunnel (we didn't go down this one).

We then headed to Cappadocia with its beautiful natural volcanic landscape and the amazing cave homes. The cave homes have been lived in for centuries until the government were worried about the outside world thinking poorly of Turkey (“people in Turkey still live as the caveman did”), and so people were removed from the caves. Today there are still some families who live in the cave homes, but many are abandoned. A number have been converted into cave hotels. The landscape is fantastic, and it is easy to see why one of the most well-known attractions in Turkey is flying over this landscape in a hot air balloon (not that we are going to do that having flown in Pamukkale).

 

Tonight we were able to see the Whirling Dervishes ceremony in the amazing setting of a caravanserai, which was a walled overnight staging post for the silk road caravans. The dervishes whirl with their arms open, their right hand directed to the sky and their left hand turned towards the earth. They turn from right to left, pivoting around their heart. They can spin for a long period of time without stopping or getting dizzy. Quite amazing to watch.

Tomorrow we will continue to explore this area. Can’t wait!

Day 23 - Pamukkale to Konya

28^th April 2023

This morning started with a very early morning (5:15) hot air balloon ride over the silica terraces at Pamukkale. Our balloon pilot was amazingly skilled at flying the balloon, and we were able to go both really high above the other balloons (of which there were many), and also really low, just skimming over the terraces and trees. He was able to maneuver the balloon against the prevailing light wind and we were able to land pretty much where we took off from. He was definitely very skilled. It really was thrilling and the views were stunning. The terraces are mostly dry and the water flow on them is regulated in an attempt to prevent further damage by tourists wanting to swim.

Photos from the hot air balloon - it looks like snow but is in fact the silica terraces.
 

After breakfast we were returned by bus and were able to explore the terraces on foot. This geothermal field was not as hot as ones that we have experienced in New Zealand, and there was very little sulphur deposit and no rotten egg smell! We were able to take our shoes off to soak and walk in a few select, shallow pools, which were a stunning turquoise colour. Our feet definitely felt softer afterwards. We had to take care because the slopes were very slippery due to algae.

The terraces were part of a complex which included the ruins of Hierapolis, a 3^rd century AD Roman settlement, built on a previously destroyed Greek city. Similar to previous ruins that we have visited, it is undergoing extensive archaeological activity and only a small percentage has been uncovered so far. It included a very large theatre that Rog and I didn’t visit because from a distance you could see that it was very busy, mainly with Russian tourists. Instead, we decided to walk to the far end to visit the Agora (farmers market) complete with latrines, and the extremely large necropolis (cemetery) containing over a thousand mausolea and tombs. It was a really lovely walk, with excellent company. The site also includes a museum that some others in our group had time to visit. Apparently it was very interesting and full of little treasures – the photos looked great. There is so much history here that we know nothing of, yet it complements other Roman and Greek history.

 

Top left photo shows the turquoise lakes. Bottom right is a mausolea in the silica, with the view of the valley in the background. 

It was then on the bus for a 350-odd km drive to Konya (about 5 hours), where we are staying tonight. Konya is a large industrial city on a plateau about 1,000 m above sea level and has a range of mountains nearby at about 2,500 m with snow on, so the temperature is down below 10 C again. Looking forward to a good night’s sleep after our very early morning. It was worth it though!

Day 22 - Kusadasi to Pamukkale

27 April 2023

Turkey seems to get more surprising as the days go on. This morning we visited the amazing Ephesus ruins, which are a UNESCO World Heritage-listed site. This was the third city of Ephesus and was settled in about the 4^th century BC. Currently about 15% of the city has been excavated and exposed, with the remaining 85% still under earth. It was originally a port city, but the coast is now quite some distance away – presumably due to earthquakes and land movement. As we wound our way through the wonderfully preserved streets and buildings, accompanied by an array of friendly cats and dogs, it seemed that around every corner there was a new wonder. We saw a mosaic street, with the ruins of the shops and houses leading off it, we saw temples, a brothel with a secret backstreet entrance for the locals and a well-advertised entrance for the sailors. There were Christian messages written in code, a well-preserved public latrine, evidence of underfloor heating and pipes of running water. A very grand library was at the bottom of the main street. This is not the original building but rather a replica – but this didn’t detract from how impressive it was. We were very lucky because when we visited the large theatre (could seat nearly 25000 spectators), one of the visitors to the site was singing what sounded like an Italian operatic song in a very lovely, deep voice. It was quite a magic moment and the acoustics in the theatre were fantastic. Ephesus was a definite highlight for me, and somewhere I would like to return to. I think you could easily spend a whole day exploring the site and taking everything in.

Bottom left photos shows some of the amazing mosaics. Top right photo is of the street leading down to the library.

Top left is the library, with middle left being the theatre. The carvings around the site were amazing - the bottom left carving is of the Goddess Nike (including a 'tick' - coincidence?)

After Ephesus, we travelled just down the road to a leather goods manufacturer called “Popular Leather”. They work with only lamb and sheep skins (so soft), and manufacture for many of the European fashion houses including YSL, Prada, Hermes, Balenciaga, and Dior. We were initially led into a room, given a glass of wine and then treated to a fashion parade of leather jackets from some very high end models (a few of our tour group were coopted into participation – including Rogie, LOL). After that we were taken into the showroom with at least 6 salespeople to our very small number of 16 customers. They were very helpful, and very good at selling. Probably about 50% of our group ended up purchasing a jacket. The quality was superb and many of them were reversable, so you got two jackets for the price of one. The pricing was well discounted from ex-factory pricing and there were some excellent bargains if you were in need of a jacket. Very sadly the Armani jacket that Rog modelled would not get much wear in the Queensland climate.

From there we stopped for a yummy lunch of skewers and salads (great selection) and then drove about three hours to the Doga Thermal Health & Spa Hotel in Pamukkale, where we are staying the night. The facilities here are great, with multiple thermal pools, saunas, various massage treatments, and steam rooms. 

Model Rogie strutting his stuff!

We seem to have entered a different climate zone, with snow on the top of the hills. This area has a large geothermal zone, including silica deposits similar to the Pink and White Terraces in New Zealand. Tomorrow we will hopefully be able to visit them.

Day 21 - Canakkale to Kusadasi

 26 April 2023

We spent quite a bit of time in the bus today, travelling from Ҫanakkale down to Kuşadasi, a marina and cruise ship terminal city on Aegean Sea. At our lunch stop we got to sample lamb head soup – but (surprise, surprise) most of us decided to order a version of either donor kebabs or pizza. The pizza’s came with a large whole chilli as garnishing. We are very lucky to have Levent guide us with the menu choices.

Our first ‘tourist’ stop was at The Asklepion (Healing Centre) in Pergamon. This has been described as something between a sanctuary and a spa resort. Only people who could be cured were treated here, as they didn’t want to have a bad reputation. People who were very sick were turned away. This is the oldest health centre still in existence. The ruins that we were looking at were built by the Romans in the 2^nd century BC, and I was so surprised that we were able to just wander all over them, with nothing fenced off. The site was very large and even included a theatre. Psychiatric patients were treated here and there is a tunnel that was used as part of a hypnosis process. The tunnel had (and still does) running water, the sound of which fills the tunnel. There are holes in the roof along the tunnel, and the patients would be talked to via these holes. To them it would have felt like God was speaking to them. The spring still runs and tasted fine – we are hoping that the water has rejuvenating properties.

Photos from Asklepion. There were poppies everywhere. It was a special place to visit.

After more driving through countryside that varied from large cities and towns, to flat farmland, salt ponds, high hills with castle ruins on them and water views, all while travelling on very impressively modern and free flowing motorways, we arrived at Ephesus and the House of Virgin Mary. This was apparently the house where Mary spent the final years of her life. The house is not original from the time of Mary but is apparently built on the same foundations. The area around the house is very serene with forest and songbirds. St John was tasked with her protection after the crucifixion, and his tomb is at Ephesus (which we will visit tomorrow – so more then). Along with some accounts from the first century there is a rather compelling case for this to be her last dwelling place.

Some photos from our drive today. The bottom photo shows the cardboard cop cars that are found on the sides of the road, most with flashing lights. Top right is the House of Virgin Mary. Middle right photo is of our hotel view - awesome! Did you notice the horse and cart in the top left photo? Horse and carts were also seen travelling on the motorways, along with tractors, including one tractor reversing with a trailer on the wrong side of the road.

Tonight we are staying at Kuşadasi directly overlooking the Aegean Sea, with views out over the marina. How lucky are we?! Dinner tonight is at a local seafood restaurant.

Day 20 - ANZAC Day

 25 April 2023 – ANZAC Day

 Each year I attend a dawn service to pay my respects, but it was totally different attending a dawn service at ANZAC Cove on the Gallipoli peninsula. After being collected from the hotel at 11:30pm, we went through multiple security checks before arriving at ANZAC Cove at about 1:30am. The entrance is closed at 2:30am, and if you are not at the ceremony location by then, you miss out. The first thing that struck me was that the whole grass area was littered with people in sleeping bags and rugged up in blankets. They were much better prepared than us! There was a large screen which was being used to tell the story of the ANZACs through documentaries. We settled down on the grass, dozing and watching the documentaries, as we waited for the 5:30am service to begin. We had some rain, which just seemed to add to the whole experience.

The dawn service was very traditional and proper, and it was interesting to note the tranquility as the morning light changed on the steep slopes behind up. The lone piper, who piped as the wreaths were laid, caused goose bumps, as did the singing of the three national anthems. Having watched the documentaries first, we had a renewed appreciation of the horror (and the heroism) that the soldiers experienced when they landed in 1915. To be standing in the same spot seemed unreal. Looking at the steep terrain around us, I have no idea how they had the strength and courage to tackle it while under constant heavy fire. It is so removed from the world that I live in – thanks to them.

 

Centre picture is looking up from the ANZAC memorial towards Lone Pine.

After the dawn service, we had about four hours to walk from ANZAC Cove up the steep slope to Lone Pine via Artillery Road and then on to Chunuk Bair for the New Zealand service at 11:30am, a walk of about 8kms. It was probably the longest, steepest continuous walk that I have ever done and constantly I was thinking of the young men (average age was 27 years) who spent months under heavy artillery fire in these steep slopes and valleys. We were able to stop at CWMG cemeteries on the way up, including Snippers Gully Cemetery, Shell Green Cemetery, Browns Dip Plot, Johnston’s Gully Cemetery, plus many others. We passed trenches and tunnels along the side of the road – at one point the two enemy trenches were only 5m apart. We stopped briefly to visit Lone Pine Cemetery, where the Australian’s were staying for their service, and then continued up (and up) to Chunuk Bair for the New Zealand service.

The New Zealand service was amazing, and I found it more moving than the dawn service. We didn’t have a lone piper, but we did have beautiful, spine tingling singing and music and a very emotional Defence Force haka. I think it was also so moving because it was a smaller crowd than the dawn service, so everyone was sitting closer to the service. It was more intimate and felt like being back at home in New Zealand.

Top right is the New Zealand service at Chunuk Bair, bottom right is at Lone Pine where the Australian service was held. Bottom left shows some of the trenches that we walked past. There were poppies on the battle sites.
 

Definitely one of those days whose memories will linger.

Day 19 - Istanbul to Canakkale

24 April 2023

Today we drove along the European side of the Sea of Marmara for over three and a half hours, before crossing over to the Asian continent at the top of the Dardenelles Strait via a very big and fancy bridge that has only been open for 2 years. The new motorway and the bridge were built assuming there would be 45,000 vehicles per day and that it would pay for itself through the tolls. Currently there are only about 4,000 vehicles a day using it, but the contractor doesn’t mind because the government had agreed to top up any shortfall for the first 15 years. Bonus for us was that we got to drive on a basically deserted motorway in perfect condition, three lanes each way. I feel sorry for all of the service centres who had no customers (but huge carparks), and for the taxpayers who are footing the bill.

We arrived at Ҫanakkale for a two hour lunch break. This is a city on the banks of the Dardenelles Strait and, judging from all of the Australians there, is the place to stay before the ANZAC dawn service. The Trojan horse from the Brad Pitt movie of Troy is found on the waterfront. At Troy itself there is another replica of the Trojan horse, but it is smaller and more artistic. The artist who created it is still living, so the plan is to move the movie set one out to Troy once the artist is no longer around. Ҫanakkale was a city full of shops and restaurants and had a real ‘sea side’ vibe. There was a high presence of police and security personnel, probably due to ANZAC day.

 

At Canakkale. Top left is the horse from the movie Troy.

It was very interesting visiting Troy. Currently, only about 10% has been excavated but there is still plenty to look at. After visiting Scotland, it was obvious to see that more can be done to encourage the tourist dollar and to make the experience more interactive and informative. It seemed like broadwalks had been put along with some signage, but there was so much that we would have missed if it wasn’t for our tour guide, Levent. Saying that, it was still amazing to be at Troy and to see evidence of over 4000 years of civilization. The evidence shows that Troy was destroyed many times over its life time, but contrary to stories of sieges and warfare, it was probably due to earthquakes.

 

Troy. The top left photo shows the Roman wall in front, with an older wall behind. Interesting to see the contrast in building techniques. Middle left photo shows a curved wall. This wall let attackers into a narrow passage with a right angle, where they were attacked. Bottom right photo shows a Roman road with houses on the side.

Early to bed tonight because we are on the bus at 11:30pm to head over to ANZAC cove for the dawn service at 5:30am and then the 8 km uphill walk to Chunuk Bair for the NZ service at 11:30am. Not much sleep tonight.

Day 18 - Istanbul

 23 April 2023

 What a crazy and fascinating city Istanbul is, and I am so pleased that we had a tour guide with us to help us make the most of our day exploring. He also explained that if it is a rule, then it is everyone’s responsibility to break that rule (for instance, Roger has just been out for a walk and saw a Merc driving up a footpath teeming with people so that it could park, on the footpath, outside a café restaurant). It was explained to us that the city is currently so busy because Ramadan has just finished so families are out celebrating, and the government has put on free transport for the weekend. No wonder the ferries looked full to overflowing. There are 16 of us on the tour, mainly Kiwis and Aussies, and we will be in a 50 seat bus for our tour – window seat for everyone! We started the day by driving along the shore of the Bosphorus on the European side towards the old city. Istanbul as a city is nearly 2500 years old so there is a lot of history, especially regarding regimes being overthrown. The official population Is around 16.8 million, but it is believed to be over 20 million and I think all 22 million of them are out and about. We visited two of the mosques; the magnificent and ancient Hagia Sophia, plus the well-known Blue Mosque. The Hagia Sophia was originally built in 5 years (between 532 and 537) as a Christian cathedral. These days it would take that long to just get the planning permission! When it was completed, it was the largest interior space in the world. Interesting in that it was built facing Jerusalam. The building has also been an Eastern Orthodox Church before it was converted to a mosque. When it was converted to a mosque, the nave had to be moved so that it faces Meca. Similarly the prayer lines on the carpet mean that the carpet is also not square to the walls – a guess would be 10-15 degrees in order to face Meca. The Blue Mosque is somewhere that Roger has wanted to visit for a long time, so he was very excited to have the opportunity to check it out. It is so named because of the blue hand-painted tiles on the interior walls. It was very pretty inside, but very busy.

 

Top right photo shows the off centred nave, bottom left is Rog inside the Blue Mosque. Tulips are everywhere - according to our guide they were imported to The Netherlands from here (pretty sure the Dutch would have something to say about this!)

After the mosques, we tackled the crowded streets towards the Basilica Cistern, via the ancient Hippodrome. As soon as we entered the cistern, it felt so familiar. It featured in the Dan Brown novel Inferno and in its film adaptation, plus was in the James Bond movie From Russia with Love. This cistern (there are hundreds in Istanbul) was built in the 6^th century and was used as a water source during summer. Today the water level is lower, and it is used as a tourist attraction – and a backdrop for movies. A metal walkway has been built meandering its way around the columns. As you work your way through the cistern, there are multiple artworks which have been set up, including a giant sculptured hand that rises up out of the water. Towards the back of the cistern, two of the columns have been carved with the face of Medusa at the base. Originally, these wouldn’t have been seen due to the higher water level.

 

Inside the cistern. It was amazingly beautiful. The centre photo is one of the Medusa heads.

This afternoon we were treated to a cruise on the Bosphorus. We weren’t packed into one of the crowded ferries, but instead we had a ferry all to ourselves, complete with commentary. Spoilt! The strait has a traffic management plan, 12 hour north bound and 12 hour south bound for larger vessels – all mixed with a flotilla of ferries and smaller craft. We cruised up the European side and down the Asian side.

 

Cruising on the Bosphorus. Top left photo shows the crowds we encountered on our way to the ferry. This photo was taken in a pedestrian tunnel underneath the road. Our tour guide, Leverton, is the one carrying the blue umbrella. Amazingly he hasn't lost any of us yet.

Tomorrow we have an early start to get to Canakkale in preparation for our excursion to the dawn service at Gallipoli.

Days 16 and 17 - Glasgow to Istanbul

21^st and 22^nd April 2023

Yesterday was spent travelling from Glasgow to Istanbul, with a three-hour stopover at Heathrow. It was a long day, with us not getting into Istanbul until just after midnight. The flight from London to Istanbul was very pretty as for much of the trip we were able to see the lights of Europe below us. As we arrived in the middle of the night we stayed at an hotel near the airport.

The Istanbul airport is quite a long way out of Istanbul city. This morning we were collected by the tour company and driven into our Istanbul city accommodation. The drive took nearly an hour, and the traffic was crazy. Most of the trip was on a motorway system, but cars were parked on the sides, people standing on the side of the motorway chatting and smoking, livestock (sheep and cattle) in paddocks on the edge of the motorway with no fencing that we could see, and cars driving very fast and constantly swapping lanes. As we got into heavy traffic, drivers seemed to be quite courteous and letting cars who had been travelling on the edge of the road into the proper lane. I’m not sure if car seats are a thing here since I noticed that many cars had children sitting on parents’ laps. It was chaos and I was very pleased that we weren’t driving.

Our hotel is near the banks of the Bosphorus, so from the roof top bar we get amazing views up and down the Bosphorus, with Europe on the right-hand bank, and Asia on the left-hand bank. We had a little stroll down to the river edge and immersed ourselves into the masses of people. The riverbank was a bit like Circular Quay in Sydney, but on steroids. There were so many ferries coming and going, and all of them were crammed with people. Lots of street vendors selling food – corn on the cob, something that looked a bit like roasted chestnuts, pretzel looking baked goods, and lots of strong Turkish coffee. We are still trying to work out if pedestrian crossings are actually a thing. The lines are painted on the road, but cars seem very hesitant to stop. It was really interesting just wandering around for a while – lots of smells, sounds and people watching. People seemed to be really happy, despite it being so busy.

 

Left middle photo is of the ferries arriving and leaving. People sit along the edge of the Bosphorus with their feet hanging over. Photo on the right is a view from our hotel looking up the Bosphorus towards the Black Sea. The bottom photo, also from our hotel, is looking toward the Sea of Marmars.

Tonight we have dinner with our tour group, and we will get to explore Istanbul properly with them tomorrow before heading off to other parts of Turkey on Monday.

 

Day 15 - Argyll to Glasgow

20 April 2023

Scotland turned on the weather for our last day here. We had our final breakfast at ‘our castle’ and then hit the road towards Glasgow. On the way we passed many lochs, lots of rivers and creeks, plus a handful of castles. Yet again, the scenery was spectacular, the drivers were polite and courteous, and it was a pleasure to travel on Scottish roads. We drove past Loch Lomond, taking the low road (and with that song playing in our heads). After a final fill of the car, we handed it back at Glasgow Airport without any hassles. In our tour of Scotland, we had driven about 1100 miles, and managed to see quite a large part of the country. Bliss!

 

Stunning scenery on the road between Stonefield Castle and Glasgow. 

We checked in to the Holiday Inn at Glasgow Airport, and then caught the airport bus into Glasgow to spend the afternoon exploring the city – and what a city it is. The blossoms are coming out so there is so much colour in the public gardens, lots of interesting street art, and the locals were so friendly and interested in our travels (just don’t mention Edinburgh!). First stop was Glasgow Cathedral. The cathedral is the oldest building in Glasgow, and absolutely breath-taking when you first walk in. It’s very long, and high, some parts are full of light and others parts are very dark – you can just feel the history all around you. The are multiple interesting little chapels, including some underneath the main cathedral. It would be magical to be in the cathedral when a choir was singing. It is built on the site of Glasgow’s own saint – St Mungo as he is known colloquially (but really St Kentigern) who died in 614 AD in Glasgow (yes 614 not 1614). The current cathedral dates from 1136 (and several additions/alterations since). A beautiful building.

After the cathedral we wandered back into the main part of the city, via a street called Little Dovehill. According to the Post Office Directories, my 4^th Gt Grandfather, George Bain, was a grocer and victualler in Little Dovehill between 1824 and 1844. He is in the 1841 census at 6 Little Dove Hill, as a confectioner. My 3^rd Gt Grandmother, Jessie Bain aged 12, and her older sister are also there. In 2023, Little Dovehill is a tiny little street with no original buildings from the 1840s, however it was great to get an idea of the area where the family were living. They were very close to the centre of the city, and as we walked towards Central Station, we were able to see the older buildings that they would have been familiar with.

 Exploring Glasgow was a real pleasure. The Central Station is a terminus station and was opened in 1879 and has fantastic architecture with an amazing glass and steel roof – it was just how I imagined a ‘real’ train station would look like. We found the city centre to be very vibrant with lots of music from the buskers, interesting architecture, and lots of colour. We were told multiple times by locals that it is usually raining and cold, so we obviously saw it at its best. One elderly man told us “the only difference between summer and winter in Glasgow is that the rain is warmer in summer”.

 

Left photo is an example of the amazing street art found in Glasgow. top right is part of the cathedral, middle right is of some of the colour in the blossoms, bottom right is a street sign for Little Dovehill.

Tomorrow is a day that we will be spending at airports. We will be flying from Glasgow to Istanbul, with a stopover at Heathrow. It will be a long day as we don’t arrive into Istanbul until midnight.

Day 14 - Argyll Exploring

19 April 2023

Today was all about exploring Roger’s McMillan/McKendrick family in Argyll. Again, we were blessed with lovely weather, but very windy, so it was no problem to leave the car to explore farms or burial grounds. Where we are staying near Tarbert is at the top of a peninsular, with Campbeltown down near the bottom. Roger’s family is from Campbeltown plus both sides of the peninsular, so we decided to drive down to Campbeltown on the western side, and back up on the eastern side (the single lane road).

Map of Kintyre showing our route. All of the red markers are locations of interest for Roger's family. Campbeltown is the 'D' at the bottom of the map.

The first stop was the old ruin of the Killean kirk and the accompanying kirk yard. Most of the old gravesites we explored today were in the middle of sheep or cattle fields, next to a beach, and this one was not an exception. There is so much coastline along this part of Scotland, and most of it seems to be grazing land with the occasional little settlement. There are also larger settlements located in harbours, which often have ferry ports with access to the islands. It’s all very pretty.

Just past Killean we came across Glenacardoch farm at Glenbarr. This farm was home to the McMillans for over 100 years and was where many of Roger’s direct ancestors were born, lived, and died. Roger’s Great Grandfather, Duncan McMillan was born there in 1846 and arrived in New Zealand in 1875. It is located on a point on the sea side of the main road, and from there it was clear enough for us to see across to Northern Ireland in the distance. Rog spoke to the current farmer who, although he was obviously busy, was happy to have a quick chat. Everyone here has been so helpful.

After visiting more grave sites and the Killocraw farm where Roger’s McKendrick family lived in the mid to late 1700s, we arrived at Campbeltown. We managed to fit in a couple of Whisky distilleries (Springbank and Glen Scotia), had soup on the quay, and explored town for a bit. Life in Campbeltown seems to revolve around its’ harbour, which has been in commercial use since 1700. The tractors travelling down the main street of Campbeltown reminded us that even though it is a pretty large town, it is still a very rural location.

Travelling back up the east coast was an experience – lots of fast driving locals on a one lane road with lots of blind corners. FUN! Every 100m or so there is a passing bay where you can get past traffic travelling in the opposite direction. Rog did a clever thing of sitting behind a local chimney contractor who seemed to know the road very well. Everyone coming the other way would just pop into the passing bays and let the contractor and us go past. Genius! When we were able to take our eyes off the road for a second, the views over the water were amazing. We even saw a submarine – definitely don’t see that every day.

Last stop was at Tarbert, another quaint and ancient fishing village, for a look around and a walk up to Tarbert Castle. Most castles we have been to seem to have a connection to Robert the Bruce (1274-1329), including Tarbert Castle. The castle is free to visit and is in the middle of a sheep paddock, with amazing views over the harbour and beyond. Most of the castle was destroyed and the rock used to make the habour walls, but what is left was very impressive.

Top photo is of Roger at Glenacardoch Farm, bottom left is one of the cemeteries (all of the blossom is starting to come out - so pretty), bottom middle is the submarine, bottom right photo is Targert from Tarbert Castle.
 

Tomorrow, we head to Glasgow for our final night in Scotland before we fly to Turkey. We both have loved visiting Scotland but realized that we have really seen it at its best having only had one wet day. The locals tell us that the weather is never like it has been, and apparently there is an arctic storm due next week. It looks like we have our timing perfect!

 

Day 13 - Inverness to Stonefield Castle

18 April 2023

Just when we think we have seen the beauty of Scotland, it turns around and surprises us. Today we drove from Inverness down to Stonefield Castle, near Tarbert in Argyll, via Fort William and Oban. The views around every corner were amazing – lots of rolling hillside, lochs, pretty villages.

We travelled along the west side of Loch Ness, which was covered in fog this morning. Stunning! The whole trip took us down a fault line which contained many lochs. The scenery was so amazing, even more so because the weather was picture perfect. We have been so lucky, with only having one wet day so far. We had a brief stop in Fort William which was a lovely little highland town – Roger managed to pick up a tartan tie and waistcoat that he had been wanting to all trip. We have definitely been more sightseeing than shopping this holiday. We then drove on past yet more lochs, until we arrived at Oban. Oban is an ancient harbour town with ferries going to the outlying islands. This stop involved a visit to the Oban Distillery, as well as stops at the many bookshops in the town. Roger’s Stewart family from Badenscallie are apparently descended from the Stewarts of Appin. We drove through Appin just before Oban, and visited the kirk ruin and kirkyard. We both decided that Roger’s mum, Betty, would have loved it around here and would have been fascinated with the area. Her McMillan/MacMillan family were from Argyll.

 

Top left, Loch Ness looking very mysterious, top right is from Appin, bottom left is the kirk and kirk yard at Appin, bottom right is the Oban harbour with a car ferry coming in.

Just to top off a fantastic day, we are staying in a castle!!! Stonefield Castle was built in 1837, so it’s not really a castle, but it certainly feels amazing. It was the centre of the Campbell clan and has a very interesting history. We are on the edge of Loch Gilp and I am writing this entry sitting in a bay window on the second floor, overlooking the Loch and an island accessible from the castle by a causeway. The birds are chirping, and a huge four poster bed is in the room behind me. It definitely is a bit more fancy than I am used to – but I’ll take it.

 

Stonefield Castle - so pretty.

Tomorrow we are going to do a loop drive down to Campbeltown (where Roger’s McKendrick family are from) via Killean and Saddall (where Roger’s McMillan family are from). The concierge has promised us that it is the most scenic drive in Scotland – we will let you know. NOTE: It does seem that every sight we have seen is “the best in the whole of the UK – if not the world”. The Scots do seem to have a way with exaggeration – or imagination.

Day 12 - Banffshire and Aberdeenshire

17 April 2023

Today was spent exploring the area east of Inverness, where Roger’s Craib/Garvie family originated from. The east has very different landscape than the west of Inverness – more fishing villages and rolling pasture land.

We first visited a little town called Fordyce, where Roger’s 4^th Gt Grandparents, George Scott and Margaret Leisk married in 1776. The old church was still there (now a ruin), surrounded by a very interesting and ancient kirkyard. There had been Christian worship on this site for over a thousand years, until a new church on the other side of the village was built in 1804. So much history! The route then took up toward the coast and to a little fishing village called Portsoy. The old harbour of Portsoy dates from the 17^th century and is the oldest on the Firth. Tiny little roads getting down to the harbour, but it was worth the nail biting! Roger got to spend some time learning about the old salmon boats being restored.

We then drove through Banff and over to Macduff, both coastal towns separated from each other by a river mouth. Roger’s Great Grandmother, Elizabeth Garvie (or Garvick or Garrick – depending which records you are looking at!) was born, along with her siblings, in Macduff. Elizabeth’s mother’s family, the Clubbs and the Scotts were all from the Macduff area. We managed to find the street where the Clubbs and Garvies lived as recorded in the 1861 census, but the original single story housing had been demolished in the 1930s to make way for two story units. Still, it was nice to see the area where they came from.

From Macduff we headed inland, through rolling pastureland, to a village called Turriff. This is where Roger’s Great Grandfather, George Taylor Craib was born in 1844, where his parents had married, and where the family were recorded in the 1851 census. Interestingly, their address in 1851 is recorded as “School Ho Slap” but none of the locals we chatted to knew what this could mean – again, more research needed! On the way to Turriff, we had passed through a tiny settlement called King Edward. This was where George’s mum is recorded as having been born. I think it really struck us just how close all of these little villages were. We visited the local library in Turriff, and once again everyone was incredibly helpful. There were lots of local records in the library, but we weren’t able to stay long. Next time???

Taking lots of little country lanes, we then passed through another settlement, called Grange, which is where Roger’s 4^th Gt Grandparents, Alexander Gordon and Jannet Riddoch married in 1774, and their children were born. The church and cemetery were in the country on a hill – it was so quiet and peaceful. The church didn’t look original, but the cemetery contained many stones from the Gordon and Riddoch families.

Top left photo is of the church and churchyard in Fordyce, the middle left is taken from Banff looking across to Macduff, the bottom left is a photo of standing stones in Rothiemay (just in a field on a tiny country road), and the large photo is of the harbour in Portsoy.

We were in the middle of Speyside whisky county, so of course needed to do some detours to explore some of the distilleries. They are very strict in Scotland regarding drinking and driving (0% alcohol permitted), so Rog wasn’t able to do any tasting, but it was fun exploring. We visited the Glenfiddich distillery first – it was so fancy, even the female bathroom had a massive fireplace and sitting area. A trip down some very narrow country lanes took us to The Glenlivet distillery. It was closed on Mondays, but we were still able to explore the outside and look in the large windows to see the copper stills. It was in the most idyllic setting.

 

Speyside distilleries. The bottom left is the woman's bathroom at Glenfiddich - it was insane.

Tomorrow we leave Inverness and head to Argyll. The Scottish Highlands have been a real treat to visit, with stunning scenery and very friendly people. We have been rugged up and experiencing temperatures as low as 3 degrees, through to today we were in short sleeved shirts in 18 degrees. I’m a bit sad to be leaving, but also looking forward to the next part of our adventure.

Day 11 - Inverness Tour

16 April 2023

Today Roger got to sit back and relax while we went on a minibus tour. There were only 11 of us on the tour, and we had a very knowledgeable and amusing tour guide in a kilt called Harrison. It turned out that Harrison was from south England and had only been in Inverness for 2 months, but he had lots of interesting stories to tell us. Apparently he reads for an hour every night to increase his knowledge of Scottish history and the local area.

Our first stop was at Loch Ness to take a boat ride over to Urquhart Castle. The lake was very calm and it only took us about 30 minutes to reach the castle. The castle itself is about 800 years old but has been uninhabited since the late 1600s. It consequently fell into ruin and was largely forgotten about until 19^th century painters and poets started regarding it as a ‘romantic ruin’, and its popularity increased. Harrison picked us up from the castle (he had driven around) and we headed off to a little village called Beauly for lunch. Beauly had a Valliscaulian order of monks and the ruins of the priory still remain. The church itself has lost its roof, but somehow it made it very atmospheric to explore – all of the trappings were gone and you are left with the shell of the building plus all of the monuments and graves within. The walls still had all of the sinks, shelves, cupboards, and the holy water stoup intact. It was a very interesting place to explore and not somewhere that we would have gone if it wasn’t for the tour.

Top phots and bottom left are of Urquhart Castle and Loch Ness. The bottom right photo is of Beauly Priory. I have lots more photos of both of these but am limited with how many I can include with this blog page. The Priory in particular had many fascinating areas inside.
 

Much to Roger’s delight, the next stop was The Singleton Distillery at Glen Ord on The Black Isle. This is the oldest Highland distillery, though it was closed for many years and has recently gone through an amazing upgrade. Rog had a flight of three drams; The Singleton of Dufftown produced for the English market, The Singleton of Glendullan produced for the American market, and The Singleton of Glen Ord produced for the Asian/Australasian market. Of these three, Rog preferred the Glen Ord, followed closely by the Dufftown one – the US version being too sweet. Dogs seem to be welcome everywhere, and even the distillery had free dog treats available! After the distillery, we ventured over to the Culloden Battlefield. Today (16^th April) marked the 277^th anniversary of the battle, so it was very special to be there on this particular day. There had been some staff of the visitor centre who had re-enacted the Jacobite’s 23 mile march last night, so they were very tired! As amazing as the visitor centre was, Culloden Moor itself was definitely the ‘star of the show’. We were able to gain a good understanding of why it was such a disaster/massacre for the Jacobites – they really had no chance of victory in the marshland that was so ill suited to their fighting style. We found the marker for the Stewarts of Appin, who Roger’s Badinscallie Stewart family are rumoured to descend from – more research needed to confirm this! The building that the English army used for a field hospital still stands and has been preserved. Last stop for the day was at Clava Cairns. These cairns and stone circles are about 4000 years old, and Diana Gabaldon used these standing stones as part of her inspiration for the Outlander series. There were plenty of people, mainly women, touching the large stone in the hope of finding Jamie! Alas, it seems to be fiction after all. Again, this is probably another place that we wouldn’t have visited if it wasn’t for the tour.

 

Top left are the whiskies that Rog tried. Top right and bottom left are from the Culloden Battlefield. Bottom right shows some of the standing stones from Clava Cairns.

After ending the tour back in Inverness, we ventured out to a local establishment for a pub dinner and some local folk music courtesy of two young guys with a guitar and an accordion. Very talented and an interesting way to finish a Sunday evening.

 

Day 10 - Ullapool

15 April 2023

Wow – this country has such spectacular scenery. We set off early from Inverness, heading towards Ullapool in the north west, about a two hour drive. There were lots of walks and tracks on the way but we only stopped at one – it was called Rogie Falls so we couldn’t really just drive past it. The falls had a really large 13 m drop and amazingly salmon swim up them, but not today. On the drive to Ullapool we passed a number of lochs. The weather was perfect so the lochs were like mirrors reflecting the very tall hills/mountains on their edge. Very spectacular, and the photos just don’t do it justice. Ullapool itself was a lovely place. People were so friendly, and it was so warm sitting out in the sunshine. It hit 10 C while we were there and even later in the day it maxed out at 16 C. We did however suspect that Ullapool would be quite bleak on a rainy/windy/snowy day. Lots of whitewashed cottages and obviously a strong affinity with the water. It is primarily a fishing village and also the departure point for the car ferries that go out to the Lewis Isles. The original church is still standing and is now a museum. Some of Roger’s Stewart family members were married in the church, so it was special to be able to go inside. Upstairs in the museum, there is a genealogy section. We were able to just explore by ourselves – quite a contrast to looking at records in Inverness, where we had to request in writing every document that we wanted to see!

The stunning drive to Ullapool. Bottom right photo is of the Ullapool church (now a museum).

After spending time in Ullapool, we once again hit the road and drove further on to Badenscallie. This is the tiny fishing village where Roger’s 2^nd Gt Grandfather, Donald Stewart, was born. His Stewart family (and Donald’s mother’s McLean family) originated from this area. The drive to Badenscallie was on a single lane road with lots of passing areas. High peaks and lochs surrounded the road and it very much reminded us of Otago scenery. Badenscallie itself was just a collection of crofts nestled between the mountains and the water. Today you are able to see many ruins of the croft buildings, with holiday homes and farm houses now dominating the area. The Badenscallie burial ground is on the water’s edge, and we found many Stewart and McLean headstones in there – plus lots of rabbits who are busy digging burrows throughout the burial ground. During the Highland Clearances, Badenscallie and the adjacent settlements were largely left alone. The troops arrived via boat to clear the crofters, but only found woman along the shoreline and could find no men. It turned out that the men had dressed in women’s clothing, and then ambushed the troops. Some women were hurt in the fighting and this was considered an embarrassment to the Government, so it was decided to leave this area alone to prevent any more damage to the Government’s reputation.

 

Stunning views from Badenscallie.

We decided to return to Inverness not via Ullapool, but instead took another one lane road through Rosehall and Balblair. Balblair is located on the banks of the Kyle of Sutherland, and is where Roger’s 2^nd Gt Grandmother, Catherine Ross the wife of Donald Stewart, died in 1865. Close by is the Kincardine Parish Church at Gledfield. This is where Donald and Catherine married in 1859. From Gledfield, we travelled up a valley (on yet another one lane road) to the Braelangwell Estate. This is where Catherine’s family were from, and where Donald and Catherine were in the 1861 census. We carried on up this dead-end road to Croick Church. This church played a significant role in the Highland Clearances, and sheltered members of the Ross family when they were evicted from their homes. We were there early evening, so it was very quiet and serene – a very special place.

 

Top left photo is Kincardine Church, bottom left is Croick Church, right hand photos are of the Braelangwell Estate.

A very long day, as we didn’t get back until 8 pm – and had deep pan pizza at a genuine Pizza Hut.

Day 9 - Inverness

14 April 2023

After 12 hours of walking, and 28,000 steps later, I think Rog and I can say that we have had a full day of exploring Inverness. After walking into the city centre, we joined the hop-on-hop-off bus to get an overview of the places of interest. We found Inverness to be very different to Edinburgh or Stirling – less ‘in your face’ history, more natural beauty. Wandering along the fast flowing (second fastest flowing in Scotland) Ness River was stunning, with lovely old buildings, street food, friendly puppies, and sculptures. We managed to sneak into the St Andrew’s Cathedral before it closed for a wedding. It had been suggested that we visit Leakey’s Bookshop and it didn’t disappoint. Multi-floors of floor to ceiling book shelves chocka block full of books – plus a warming fire in the middle of it all. Thought this might be where I could find a book of poems by Robert Gilfillan but apparently not (or maybe there was but it was buried!).

 

We also walked up to the Highland Archives Records office to investigate Roger’s Ross family from Braelangwell. We were able to look at a map of the Braelangwell estate, plus got to look through some original poor relief records – fascinating and so detailed.

This evening we had dinner at McGregors, a traditional Scottish pub with amazing food and live music. It was lots of fun and the musicians were so talented. A great way to top off an excellent day. Looking forward to taking a road trip tomorrow. Should be another big day.

 

Day 8 - The Highlands

13 April 2023

Today we ventured into the Highlands! We set off early, with the aim of reaching Balmoral Castle by midday. On the way we took some detours – exploring a lovely ancient little town called Dunning, and having yummy tea and scones at an alpine village called Glenshee. I’m not sure what I expected the drive to Balmoral to be like, but I had no idea that we would be heading up into snow and passing through ski fields. The main road went right through the middle of at least two ski fields, with chair lifts on both sides of the road. Quite different to the dead end roads up to the NZ ski fields.

Balmoral Castle itself was a stunning place to explore. It is very much a home for the royal family, so the public are only permitted inside into the ballroom where the Gillies Ball is held each year. It looked just like it does in the photos. We were allowed to explore most of the grounds, from the kitchen gardens to the river walk, around Queen Victoria’s summer cottage, through to the pet cemetery. There was lots to see and explore and the fact that it was raining on and off just seemed to add atmosphere. We were given an audio guide to use as we moved around the grounds – it was informative but I feel it would have benefited with hearing from some of the royal family. When we visited Holyroodhouse Palace last week the audio guide had segments where we heard from the royals discussing their memories of the palace. It was interesting to see it through their eyes.

 

After Balmoral Castle, we travelled along the “Highland Tourist Route” through to Inverness. Some of the in-the-middle-of-nowhere roads were closed, so we were sent on diversions which probably added about an hour to the trip. Luckily we weren’t in a rush, so we didn’t mind seeing parts of the countryside that we would otherwise have missed. The Highlands are full of stunning scenery – rugged hills, snow, tiny villages, stone ruins and hardy wildlife. We saw lots of pheasants, hares, sheep with lambs, and Highland Coos. According to our car, our outside temperature today ranged from 3.5 degrees to 6 degrees. Brrrr.

We are spending the next few nights in Inverness, allowing us more time to explore the Highlands. Better rug up!

 

Day 7 - Stirling

 12 April 2023

Today I crossed Stirling Castle off my bucket list. I have wanted to visit Stirling for as long as I can remember, and it definitely didn’t disappoint.

A storm had gone through last night and we woke this morning to the hills surrounding Stirling being covered in a sprinkling of snow – so pretty! We are staying on the outskirts of Stirling so were wondering what the best way was to get into town and up to the castle. It turns out that Stirling is very well set up and offers free “park and ride” facilities on the outskirts. We were able to park our car for free and get a free bus into the centre of town. We set out early this morning and had a beautiful and solitary walk from town up to the castle. While we were waiting for the castle to open, we had a bit of time to speak with Billy, who was guarding the entry. He had lived in Stirling all his life – from the castle he could even point out the exact house that he was born in. Billy had worked at the castle for 19 years and does the night shift from 6pm until 9:30am. Apparently there are no ‘official’ ghosts, and he takes care to assume that any noises he hears are just the wind! Billy did say that it can feel pretty spooky at times, especially in winter when it is very dark.

The castle itself has stunning views and a very checkered history. It has spent much of its life as an army garrison and has only recently been restored back into how it would have been when it was a royal residence. It was easy to see why it was built here, as there were stunning views from every side. From the top, we could see that the outskirts of Stirling are made up of areas of housing surrounded by farmland. It gives an impression of lots of little villages.

 

Stunning Edinburgh Castle

After the castle, we spent some time exploring Stirling itself. It is a very vibrant place with an interesting mixture of old and new architecture, buskers, and lots of friendly people and dogs. Places in Scotland are very dog friendly, with them being welcome in pubs, shops, cafes and shopping centres. Another thing that we have noticed in Scotland is that there are so many jobs being advertised – seems to be a shortage of workers.

Tomorrow, we head up into the Highlands – exciting!!!!!