Once Upon A Time in Glasgow...

Howdy folk!

(the term "folk" is plural so no need for folk"s" 

Thanks for that error in our education Looney Tunes.)

I haven't posted in forever and ever so when I found this half completed post in my drafts I was overjoyed!

A full post with half the effort!

Y'all just please never mind the events took place in February...

Back in February:
We found out in order to obtain Airdrie's UK visa in a timely and efficient manner we needed to book an outrageously expensive appointment in Glasgow.
So we did, and just about a month after our venture to Edinburgh, again back down through the Cairngorms we trekked.

Wait a minute...'Ol Eagle Eye Anderson has spotted something:

Do you see them?

Zooming in...

Zooming...

They're Red Deer!

And Anderson is going nuts...it's cute really.

Buck fever with it's little boy excitement makes me laugh.

At the top of the pass we take a quick snow playing break and Mr. Hunting-deprived is at it again...

"WHAT?! Are you KIDDING ME!"

Umm capercailles maybe? 

We're not sure, but they're as big as turkeys 

and once again Anderson's a-freakin out.

Now let me tell you a story called:
Once upon a time Jordan was going to get an equally fabulous hotel as Mark got in Edinburgh and face planted on that account.

Note: I'm writing tongue in cheek in third person here. 

Tongue in cheek, I think that's what I mean... 

As much as I read there are still literary devices that I don't fully understand, and I'm not stopping mid-novel to double check my high school English.

Glasgow at night is super pretty. We loved it because it was big, metropolitan, and felt like a city in the USA.  Don't get me wrong, we're not big, metropolitan, city-lovers at ALL, quite the opposite, in fact. But we do love a good reminder of the USA!

Because I think we get enough negative junk from the not-so-private diaries of Facebook, Twitter, and people arguing on blogs I'll spare the name and details of the hotel, but let's just say not all cheap hotels are a fabulous find as the Walton in Edinburgh.

This in an important lesson for us all. It's also a good slap-her-in-the-face dose of humility for the self-appointed on her high horse travel agent. (moi)

The street our hotel was on was chocked full hotels, and they were all in buildings like these:

 We found out we were on the 3rd floor (that would be 4th floor in American terms) and there was no elevator. Also, in these very old buildings the stairways are not wide, and they're steep. Lovely hauling luggage and 4 children up.

I can't resist a picture of our "Family Room" in the infamous hotel:

That's it folk.
There's 3 beds crammed in there, and one rooftop window--and an eensy en suite toilet.

Please excuse the morbidness of having bits and pieces of my children in this picture. 

"Stand still while I take a panoramic picture" doesn't compute with them

First thing that comes to mind:

 Purina dog chow plant!

OVERPASS! 

I ain't see one of these in a month of Sundies!

Oh yes we did find a Middleton Street!

And since it's my maiden name and Caedmon's middle name we had to take a picture, even if the part of town was a teensy bit seedy.

Cool bridge

Our first "Airdrie sighting"!

OK and for the life of me I cannot figure out UK road signs--

There are two extremes.

Example1:

Not enough info.

This is a speed limit sign. 

It means "national speed limit" and therefore that is what it means. 

Unless it has a number in a little red circle, then that is not what it means.

In that case it means that's the speed limit, not actually national, more of a regional on that road kind of thing.

OHHHH, Ok. 

Perfectly clear.

Or

Example 2:

WaaaaaaaaaayTooMuchToReadAt30mphPostedOnATeensyCircle info.

Discuss amongst yourselves the pros and cons of the such information comparing and contrasting the two examples given.

Rabbit Trail:

Did any of y'all even KNOW what compare and contrast meant in school? 

I mean up until that very last week we were still 18 year olds asking permission to use the bathroom, don't throw no "compare and contrast" lingo at me...

After getting Airdrie's visa sorted (hahahahaha, that was SO easy to type, like it just happened like that ahahahahahahahaha) we then ran over to the happiest store on earth: IKEA.

Since I'm now living in Europe, in a flat no less, it has become my store. 

Those people be speaking my language.

I actually think I am obligated to make it my shopping haven. 

Yup.

Here's an after picture. 

They don't care they're squished, they're getting their room organised and that's all that matters ya hear!

And then momma in the front seat gets bored and starts in on the IKEA alphabet crackers purchased for a snack...

This one was more tricky...

"No, no more snacks momma's busy right now..."

Now it's obligatory, I've done two children, AND photographed them, 

I've gotta....keep....digging....through.....the.....crumbly......cracker......box.

"Fine, fine, here stop whining, BUT ONLY TAKE THE CONSONANTS OUT! 

....DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH AN 'I'!!!"

Notice the crooked "E" this is because of the frantic pace as one tries to complete a task amidst shouts of indignation from the natives...

Also, the surface was shaking because I was on tip-toe so as to reduce the leg fat having a squashed-out-appearance-of-fat on the leg.

Then we stopped really quick in Airdrie, Scotland to get a picture of Airdrie Anderson next to a picture of an Airdrie, Scotland sign. 

We drove for half an hour all over that town looking for a darn sign. 

That's what we got.

Of course it's a speed limit sign.

Of course it's starting to sleet on us.

Of course I'm standing in somebody's front garden.

And then it snowed through the mountain passes on our way home. 

No prob for Mr. Anderson who was raised in Wyoming.

Home  again, home again jiggety jig.

 OH. EM. Goodness! 

THIS, my friends is AirBear. 

Be still my heart.

Lesson learned, Mark online shops for hotels. I shop at IKEA.
Compare and contrast your findings of this post and report back to me.