Well I'm just back from Scotland and what a trip!  I attended the Visit Scotland Expo and was able to catch up with some of my vendors and meet a lot of potential vendors.  There are so many ways to visit Scotland I was just amazed. After the Expo I went on a tour of the Borders which is the area closer to England where we concentrated on the East Coast an area I haven't visited in the past.  After a ride on the recently opened Borders Railroad from Edinburgh to Tweed Bank we were off to Melrose and Dryburgh Abbeys where we saw some beautiful ruins. And then off to Abbotsford which was the home to Sir Walter Scott and Traquair a lovely home to descendants of the Stuarts. We had a delightful tour there and were accompanied by their two spaniels who had the run of the place. After being in so many other castles and palaces wherever I've traveled and always had those velvet ropes to stay behind it was refreshing to see the puppies just meandering about without a care in the world!

​Also visited Dirlton Castle where we were escorted by our own Knight and Tantallon which has a beautiful view of Bass Rock, we then went on a boat ride around the rock where we spotted loads of Gannets (thank goodness for head gear to keep their your know what off us) but no Puffins, I was so hoping to see Puffins!

​After the tour and back in Edinburgh I stayed a couple of extra nights. Had some wonderful tea and scones at Clarinda's Tearoom where everyone should stop and my original favorite the Tearoom above Ramone & Paterson's on Princes Street with not only great food but a beautiful view of Edinburgh Castle.  Finished the trip with a trip to The Scotch Whisky Experience and then brought home some Scotch for my hubby, BenRaich, which isn't available here in the US, a success he loves it and some Arran Gold for me. If you're a Bailey's Irish Cream lover, you have to try this also but you have to go to Scotland to get it!

​Till next time, here's me and Jamie, if you're an Outlander fan you'll know how excited I was and if you're aren't you'd better catch up!

I've had a very busy winter and am now just getting around to tell you about my recent trip to Wales and Ireland.  So my first time to Wales and we stayed at some fabulous hotels and manor houses. My absolute favorite was Llangoed Hall in Brecon Beacons. The service was unbelievable, they were always there to answer any question or fill any need. The rooms were luxurious and the food, well it was delicious!  We toured Penderyn Distillery, Caernarfon Castle, St. Fagans Natural History Museum and went zip lining over a shale mine!  Then it was on to Dublin where I took in some of the 1916 Uprising tours before picking up my own Celtic Tour to the South of Ireland.  My first time to Kilkenny, Waterford and Dingle where the scenery was exactly what I was hoping for. After seeing Ryan's Daughter many many years ago and finding out that it was filmed in  Dingle I couldn't wait to see it and was not disappointed!
​Our last stop before heading back to Dublin was the Irish National Stud Farm. What a hoot. Brand new foals only a day old were a site to see as well as their beautiful gardens.  We finished our trip with a stop to Guinness where else.  So my next stop is Scotland in a few weeks for a stay in Edinburgh and some traveling in the southeast. I'll keep you posted!
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