On the plane tomorrow

Well, here we are, hanging out at the Edinburgh McDonalds, drinking too much coffee and listening to too much bubblegum music just so we can have the Internet. This morning I asked the clerk at Borthwick Castle where we're staying for the pass code to their wireless network and she just rolled her eyes and said, "what's that?" Word of advice when you choose B&Bs on your next trip, be very specific when you ask them if they have the Internet. The answer they give may mean just about anything. If they have wireless, ask them if it requires a password or pass code. If they don't know what that means, better find a different place. They're just not advanced enough to have a handle on it yet. I was just saying to Concetta, that I will never again say a derogatory thing about McDonalds. They may have a lot of faults, but they do have good coffee and the internet is free. Yes!

So, we're winding down our trip beneath the golden arches. Tomorrow about mid-day we should be winging our way over the north Atlantic towards JFK airport in New York. We have new reading books, a great set of headphones, and, with any luck, we won't be seated next to the screaming baby.

England, Scotland, and Wales have been a grand adventure, even counting the rain, which for some reason has just stopped outside our window and the sun is out. They will probably declare a holiday here in Edinburgh.

If we had this to do over, we'd probably be just a bit more careful about lining up B&Bs, however, on the whole, they were great. Some, like the Dene Guest House in Hexham were very fine. Others, like the Rhymney House were a little more rustic. Don't get me wrong, everyone at every place we stayed couldn't do enough for us. The innkeepers always went way out of their way to make sure our every desire was met if possible. Two guest houses, the Rhymney House in southeastern Wales and The Pingles north of London even consented to do our laundry, which was crucial. To them I say, thanks so very much.

In the end we certainly saw all the castles, museums, and Roman forts that a person would ever want to see in one lifetime. We literally haunted the bronze and iron age archaeological sites, stately manor homes, and any garden we could find. We saw so many things that it will inevitably be melded together over time. I think the blog goes a long way from letting that happen. Overall, we wouldn't have missed a single one. It was a grand experience that we can't wait to repeat in a different part of the world, maybe Italy and Greece next time.

We'll try and get online at the airport if possible. But if not, this will be our last blog entry for now. To all those who have faithfully followed our various exploits, especially to those who wrote such kind comments via email, we say thanks for coming along on our grand adventure. Until later, we'll say...

ciao, tutti.