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We actually began celebrating Leon’s birthday early with a special treat by Gladys Knight and Tito Jackson. Actually, it was coincidence that Gladys Knight is doing a farewell tour in Europe, and Aberdeen was on schedule. The concert was excellent, and surprisingly, Tito Jackson and his group were very entertaining. Tito did a tribute to Michael Jackson of course, but he is mostly a blues singer. One of the Jackson family cousins performed Michael Jackson’s part during the tribute; and of course she can sing. Gladys was Gladys; classy, professional, engaging and entertaining.We started off Leon’s October 24 birthday by renting a car named “Leon”.  We left for Glasgow, Scotland on October 23, 2009 and stopped at Borders Bookstore in Dundee on the way.  We stayed at the very nice Holiday Inn in Glasgow.  We had dinner on Friday evening at Ming’s Restaurant in Princess Square.  Leon feasted on black pepper coconut Thai chicken with pineapple fritters for dessert.  We then went to see The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus only because nothing else was playing. But let this be a warning to all: do not see Dr. Parnassus. The theater in Glasgow is a multiplex with about 8 floors; so Leon wanted to jump out of a window during the movie, but couldn’t find one so he had to endure the tedium of Dr. Parnassus.On Saturday, Leon’s birthday, we ate a buffet breakfast at the LaBonne Auberge Restaurant.  That afternoon, we went to the Doctor Who Exhibition and toured the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum.  We also had lunch at the “Café” Restaurant.  Leon’s birthday ended with dinner at a very nice restaurant called ”The Grill on the Corner”.  The food was delicious and the atmosphere was great.  Our return to Aberdeen on Sunday, October 25 included another stop in Dundee where we had a late lunch at the Pancake House.

AUTUMN LEAVES ARE FALLING IN ABERDEEN

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Fall has arrived in Aberdeen.  The leaves on the trees have changed to fall colors and are falling off of the trees.  I think that it looks beautiful, but Leon says they’re just dead leaves that are ugly.  Check out the pictures and decide for yourself.  The weather has also gotten much colder and we have even seen frost on the ground a few times.  Leon has already started to bundle up to get ready for the cold winter weather.

Pancake Sunday!

We still haven’t gotten used to the Scottish style pancakes, so you can imagine our delight when we ran across some Bisquick in one of the local grocery stores.  I started making American Style pancakes on Sunday mornings using Bisquick and Sunday is now lovingly called “Pancake Sunday”.  It is amazing how little things like this can make you so happy!

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Edinburgh Military Tattoo

 

  

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We arrived in Edinburgh, Scotland on Friday, August 7, 2009 to see the evening performance of the Edinburgh Military Tattoo.  The 90 minute performance was set against the dramatic backdrop of Edinburgh Castle.  Over 1,000 military and civilian performers gathered for a breathtaking spectacle of music, history, dance and color.  Bands of all sizes and description were joined by dancers, steel bands, flag-wavers, drill teams, and more.  The highlight was certainly the stirring sight and sound of the massed pipes and drums from the Scottish regiments and also the exciting fireworks display.  Several thousand people were in attendance and the weather was great for this outdoor event.  We thoroughly enjoyed seeing the awesome performance of the Military Tattoo and hope to go again during our stay here.

We spent the weekend in Edinburgh and stayed at the Ramada Hotel in Livingston, just outside of Edinburgh.  Much to our surprise, our hotel was right across the street from the only Designer Outlet Mall in Scotland.  I had a ball shopping at the Designer Outlet Mall and the adjoining mall on Saturday and Sunday.  We also found and feasted at a Tony Romas Restaurant, the first we have seen in the UK.  The Bar-be-que ribs were delicious, just like those in the US.

St. Andrews visit and shopping excursion

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We spent the day in St. Andrews, Scotland, which is about 90 minutes south of Aberdeen. It is a very small, but it has plenty of character and charm. St. Andrews is known for an abundance of Golf courses, and Golf in general. The University of St. Andrews, which is one the elite universities in Scotland, and the Cathedral of St. Andrews are also top attractions. You’ll notice in the pictures that only Leon is featured. Well the plain and simple reason is that Joyce was doing what Joyce does; she was shopping. She handed Leon the camera and that was the last he saw of Joyce until it was time to leave.