Broughty Ferry
Something magical happened on Tuesday. THE SUN CAME OUT. I felt naturally warm outside for the first time in weeks. Meghan, Nat, and I bought return tickets to Broughty Ferry for 2 pounds and twenty pence. The best bargain. We had some time to kill so we wandered along our own River Tay, in awe of the bright sky and lamenting our lack of sunglasses. Mine have been significantly unused for the duration of my stay in Scotland.
The train ride to Broughty Ferry took a whopping seven minutes and we had seen the whole town in less than twenty. We went straight to the coast, vowing to return to the various shops we passed along the way. You'd think none of us had ever seen a coast of any kind with the fuss we make over beaches. We navigated the slippery harbor and actually took off layers as the sun beat down on us. It was most welcome. We could see Dundee from our location and marveled at Dundee Law. If we had bikes it would have been a nice ride to Broughty Ferry and back.
I approached a swan, but quickly learned of its territorial tendencies andran backed away. We searched for shells among the rocky terrain before heading for Broughty Ferry castle.
The castle was built in 1495 and still has a cannonball embedded it in the wall from ancient cannon fire. We ate our picnic on the castle grounds, facing Dundee and the castle with the beach to our backs. To eat a chicken sandwich and carrot sticks next to a castle was surreal. How is this my life?
We climbed the torturous twisty stairs inside of the castle next, with Nat hanging onto the rail for dear life. She is slowly getting over her irrational fear of stairs. It's a process. Each level had some history of the castle or an art gallery.
From the castle we set out for the sandy beach, where we saw hundreds of starfish washed up on shore. It looked like a horrendous massacre. The sky was falling! We tried to throw a few back in the ocean, but it was a lost cause. I think most of them were already dead. We tiptoed around the starry carcasses in search of shells. I found a few to sneak back with me. We also found a lady who lived for 20 years in the same town as Meghan in Ontario! We talked with her for a bit while her dog, dressed in a pink sweater, pranced around our boots and dug holes in the sand.
I don't think any of us could ever get enough of the beach, but after the sky turned gray and the air got brisker, we meandered back among the local businesses. "Topsy Turvy" was a cute store, but we all purchased something at the candy store. The schoolchildren in town literally rush the establishment everyday at lunch time and the entire scenario reminded me of the store in "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory." I bought a candy necklace (remember those?!) and a small bag of extra sour bonbons for one pound fifteen pence. I nibbled at the necklace as we traipsed in and out of the many thrift stores until I accidentally dropped it on the now damp ground. Rain showers enjoy the element of surprise. We found a bakery and I couldn't resist the sweetest pink French cake for 74 pence. Unfortunately, I was only able to devour half of it as the rest was inevitably smashed in my backpack during the train ride home.
Just before we boarded our return train, a rainbow shone through the sunshiney drizzle, the perfect ending to an adventurous afternoon. For a two pound train return, you can bet your butt that A Very Lucky Girl will be back in Broughty Ferry.
The train ride to Broughty Ferry took a whopping seven minutes and we had seen the whole town in less than twenty. We went straight to the coast, vowing to return to the various shops we passed along the way. You'd think none of us had ever seen a coast of any kind with the fuss we make over beaches. We navigated the slippery harbor and actually took off layers as the sun beat down on us. It was most welcome. We could see Dundee from our location and marveled at Dundee Law. If we had bikes it would have been a nice ride to Broughty Ferry and back. I approached a swan, but quickly learned of its territorial tendencies and
We climbed the torturous twisty stairs inside of the castle next, with Nat hanging onto the rail for dear life. She is slowly getting over her irrational fear of stairs. It's a process. Each level had some history of the castle or an art gallery.
From the castle we set out for the sandy beach, where we saw hundreds of starfish washed up on shore. It looked like a horrendous massacre. The sky was falling! We tried to throw a few back in the ocean, but it was a lost cause. I think most of them were already dead. We tiptoed around the starry carcasses in search of shells. I found a few to sneak back with me. We also found a lady who lived for 20 years in the same town as Meghan in Ontario! We talked with her for a bit while her dog, dressed in a pink sweater, pranced around our boots and dug holes in the sand.
I don't think any of us could ever get enough of the beach, but after the sky turned gray and the air got brisker, we meandered back among the local businesses. "Topsy Turvy" was a cute store, but we all purchased something at the candy store. The schoolchildren in town literally rush the establishment everyday at lunch time and the entire scenario reminded me of the store in "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory." I bought a candy necklace (remember those?!) and a small bag of extra sour bonbons for one pound fifteen pence. I nibbled at the necklace as we traipsed in and out of the many thrift stores until I accidentally dropped it on the now damp ground. Rain showers enjoy the element of surprise. We found a bakery and I couldn't resist the sweetest pink French cake for 74 pence. Unfortunately, I was only able to devour half of it as the rest was inevitably smashed in my backpack during the train ride home. Just before we boarded our return train, a rainbow shone through the sunshiney drizzle, the perfect ending to an adventurous afternoon. For a two pound train return, you can bet your butt that A Very Lucky Girl will be back in Broughty Ferry.
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