The Coast, the Craig, and the Ferry

Waking up bright and early, with suitcases packed, we loaded up after breakfast and made our way to the coast. We bit a fond farewell to Edinburgh, all the while, longing to stay a few more days. More walking tours would have been wonderful for there is no better way to meet a new city than to walk it.

We passed back through Renfewshire and Glasgow as we made our way south and west toward Stranraer.

We followed the coast highway for quite a while and enjoyed the scenery, which was again, unbelievably green. One of the funniest things we saw was pastureland right next to the seashore....with sheep or cows in the pasture. It looked as odd to me as Santa Monica Beach with the mountains in the distance. When Floridians think of the seashore..we think of white sand and dunes.....and lots of hotels and condos.

Does it give you a sense that this photo is flipped, when you see the car coming toward you on the right? That is a weird feeling when you are in the front of the bus!

Stretch Break! We got to walk down to the shore, which was very mucky and grassy next to the road, and rocky with dirt (as opposed to sand)...next to the water. Look out into the distance and locate the thing that looks like a mountain or hill. It is called Alisa Craig and is pronounced Ale-sa.  It is essentially a mound of blue granite and is uninhabited today except for the gannets and puffins (birds) that call it home.  They also call it the plug of an extinct volcano. The body of water is called the Firth of Clyde....which is again, like a bay. The River Clyde dumps into it in Belfast.

One of the rocks on the seashore, with Alisa Craig in the distance on your left.

The stretch breaks were always welcome. At this point we were still wondering what our ferry would be like. Expecting the Staten Island Ferry, we at least were thankful that the waters did not look too rough for our 90 minute journey across the sea.

What a welcome relief it was to see that this was our ferry. The kids called it a cruise ship, but it is not that big. It does transport cars though!

Bags unloaded, farewell Davey, and off to the check in line. Terry picked up our tickets and just handed them out. Once inside the terminal, we played....who has my ticket....and got ourselves unswitched.....then security, and off to the gangway.

Before we split up to discover what this ferry ship had to offer, we snapped a group photo in the first 'lounge' we found. We thought the place might be sold out, but it was not. We found out that this particular had just undergone 'refurbishment' and was only put back into service in December. No wonder everything looked so 'disney-esque.'

Top deck  - Does this look like our own Leo DiCaprio?
He seems so comfortable on a cruise ship.

On deck with the sun setting in the distance. We also spotted a lighthouse out there.

Photo is a bit blurry, but this was something interactive like Dance Revolution. 

Clever photo! The cheerleaders were always stretching, or jumping.....or cheering! It turned out to be good practice for taking FIRST at State when they returned home. 

It is so frustrating when photos un-rotate. This is one of the several food courts.

Top deck again, and we are trusting that this is NOT like the Titanic.

What can we say...FREE WI-FI.....hopefully everyone touched base with home. As you can see out the window, the sea (Firth of Clyde -- or the Bay) was a little choppy. A few took Dramamine....and were out cold on the floor or couches.

These girls speak for everyone....this was a GREAT adventure and WE LOVED THE FERRY!

Next stop....Northern Ireland...Belfast!
I am not sure how such a relaxing day could make one feel so tired so early in the evening, but several opted out of the night walk in Belfast.  I was glad that I was not the only one running on low energy.....but a warm bath in the great European tubs and a good night's sleep would have us up and running tomorrow.
Thank goodness for wonderful kids!