Come Fly with me

 As satisfying as our breakfasts have been the past few days, Starbucks just can't hold a candle to a real B&B breakfast.  Neither of us chose the haggis, but our plates were full.  What is it about being over here that makes having a pot of steaming hot tea seem luxurious?  I could sit there nursing that pot for a long time.  I have also hereby named toast with jam as breakfast's dessert.After a soul-satisfying breakfast, we loaded up the car to head north towards Aberdeen.  Carrie had picked out several cool stops for today, and one surprise one for me.  First on the agenda was the cathedral at St. Andrews.  We made it through town, and found a parking spot a fair distance away.  But, we were still waiting for the staff to unlock the gate at opening time.  Since we were so early, we were the first ones up the tower.  The spiral staircase seemed to go on forever - more than yesterday, but not as much as tomorrow.  Once at the top, there were amazing views of the ocean, and the town.  We made sure to head back down before anyone else started up, as I can't imagine how passing someone would work in this tiny staircase.When it was built, St. Andrews was the center of religious and academic life in Scotland.  There are still several colleges nearby, and you do get the idea from the ruins, that this was a spectacular place in its day.Next, we drove to Arborath Abbey.  It is in the town of...wait for it...Arbroath!  It was even grander, and is the burial place of King William the Lion.  The monks there were hard-core Benedictine, and really enforced their vows of work, poverty and chastity.  There was evidence of a carved-stone board game, so it wasn't all work, but middle-of-the-night services, early morning prayers, afternoon prayers, stone-masoning must have gotten old.  I guess it was a better life than the common folk who were eking a living out of the dirt outside the walls.From there, we drove through the countryside, with the windows down-mind you, and were enjoying the ocean views to one side, and lots of farmland to the other.  We found a sleepy, beautiful bay that was really off the beaten path.  It is called Lunan Bay.  We made it to the beach access, and once we got up to the viewing point, we could see lots of really white Scots people, enjoying the sand and water.  When I say white, I mean WHITE (well, or burned).  We decided to stop into a nearby cafe for a snack.  Somehow, a simple toastie (British grilled cheese sandwich) took over 30 minutes.  But it was good and cheesy.  Carrie also ordered an IrnBru cupcake (though, she just thought it was orange).  It was interesting.Next up was my surprise.  Carrie had found a military air heritage museum.  It was in Montrose, and was the military airbase in Britain.  Many pilots were trained here, and some lost their lives while training.  They even hosted American pilots in the lead up to WWI.  There were some really cool exhibits, but nothing compared to the guide.  This museum was her passion.  It is somewhat unusual, as you are expected to touch things.  Basically, if it is not under glass, you can touch it.  They even have a recreation of 40s British living, with clothing and accessories, and the first stop of the tour is to hang out in a British house, to get the feel of the time.  We tried on some hats, and our guide even suggested we try on some undergarments (we didn't but made her pose with them).There were some cool old planes, including a Spitfire, but the people there were the best thing.  There is even a model building room, supplying the exhibits with models, and 2 retired pilots building models.  We were warned that that room can suck you in, and we were not prepared for the friendly banter between the 2 guys.  Carrie snuck out to find a toilet, and I managed to not stay in there for hours, but it was close.Last on the list today was making to Aberdeen to check into the hotel.  It was quite a drive, and it was getting towards the end of the day, so traffic was increasing, but we made it.  It was nice, there is a restaurant in the hotel, so we didn't have to drive anywhere.  They even had Magners on draught again.  I'm getting spoiled.  We spent the evening relaxing and planning tomorrow.  Now it is time to sleep.