UK TRIP 2022 – PART VI

 May 12, 2022

Glasgow

Another sleepless night. Noise from the rail yard directly below our window made it sound as though trains were running through the room all night.

Went down to breakfast. The buffet provided many choices. However, the scrambled eggs were watery and tasteless. (I suspect they were made from powdered eggs.) The sunny-side up fried eggs were rubbery. Instead of the flabby, undercooked “bacon” we had expected, thinly sliced ham, browned a bit, was available. Much more edible. Also, we could choose baked tomatoes, roasted mushrooms, hashbrown patties, baked beans (what we would call pork and beans), or English sausages. (These are not the smoked sausages with which we are familiar.)

Hot porridge, cold cereals, fresh fruit (mostly melon with a bit of pineapple), yogurt, several juices, and small bottles with fruit smoothies were offered. Most days, they had small plain croissants and chocolate ones. The first morning, we saw small baguettes. However, we never saw them again. Each day, they had white and brown bread for toast as well as bagels. A couple of days, they also had crumpets (English muffins). I tried a half one day and found it dry and tasteless.

Most days, I focused on the yogurt and pineapple since I don’t eat melon.

Of course, Larry tried nearly everything.

On our way back, we stopped at the desk and asked if they could move us. They said they had people checking out and would have another room available in an hour or so.

Sure enough, we got the keys for a different room on the other side of the hotel. Thank God!

After getting resettled, we decided to check out the area near the hotel. We also wanted to find somewhere to eat lunch, hopefully with salads. We asked at the desk, and one of the guys suggested the steakhouse around the corner. So, we set out to see the area.

We found the steakhouse, and the sign outside looked promising. Even though I don’t eat beef, the sign showed a couple of salads. And it would probably have been perfect if it hadn’t been closed for maintenance.

We walked all around the vicinity. Although there were lots of small eateries, they all served pasta, pastries, or sandwiches. Nothing keto-friendly.

We covered a large area, and finally returned to the spot they call “four corners.” It has fast food restaurants on every corner: Tim Horton’s, KFC, Pizza Hut, and McDonald’s, plus Taco Bell and others down the street. We checked them out, but finally settled on McDonald’s. It offered a “grilled chicken and bacon salad.” Larry ordered chicken nuggets with sweet-and-sour sauce with a side salad.

Both salads contained ONLY frisee—which I loathe. Larry did not get his dipping sauce. The chicken tasted boiled. It looked as though brown stripes had been painted on it to make it look like it was grilled. The salad had the undercooked floppy bacon I always expect here. Of course, Larry ate it on his own salad.

The only dressing they carried was balsamic. Not a favorite. I ate the tasteless chicken.

The good news was that Amanda was going to meet us for dinner, so we didn’t need much for lunch.

On the way back to the hotel, we stopped in a little store where Larry bought a t-shirt with the train routes on it. I also got some keyrings to use for Christmas ornaments.

We passed the train station. It was only a few blocks away. If we had taken the train, it would have been very convenient. However, since we knew we would be visiting family, we thought we’d need a car.

Back in the room, we washed some underwear as we were getting low.

I took a short nap.

Amanda was coming on the ferry from Arran and said she would meet us a the hotel. She messaged me when she arrived, and we went downstairs to meet her.

She led the way on a nice walk to the Ardnamurchan Restaurant, where she had made reservations. Even though we were early, they seated us. We enjoyed our beverages while we caught up.

The menus provided several good choices. Amanda and I both chose the grilled wild chicken breast with honey mustard sauce. They were served over mashed potatoes (Which I didn’t eat) and steamed broccolini. Larry ordered the cod with haggis. Larry can’t remember what else came with it.

The food was fabulous—the best meal we had eaten on this trip. Of course, Larry and Amanda each ordered sticky toffee pudding with ice cream for dessert. I ordered the blood orange sorbet with fresh raspberries. DELICIOUS!

We discussed our plans for the next day. We would take the train to Johnstone Station, where Amanda would meet us with a car. From there, we would drive around the area and visit the Old Beith Cemetery to try to find the graves of the McAulay ancestors.

By the time we left the restaurant, it had started to drizzle. We hadn’t taken our umbrellas, but we wore our USJ jackets. They are waterproofed, so they shed much of the water.

We went into the train station with Amanda, and she pointed out where to get our tickets.

We waved good-bye and walked the three blocks to the hotel. The rain increased, and we were pretty soaked by the time we got there.

Once in our room, I toweled my hair and wiped down my jacket. Larry did the same. Our pants were pretty soaked, so we hung them to dry.

It was late, so we went to bed looking forward to the next day and seeing my cousins.