Day 59, April 27.

I have been blessed with the most wonderful hosts on this entire trip, but the way Jacquie and Jerry Forde have treated me is almost too amazing to be believed. It began early this morning with early Jerry taking me on a short hike up a steep hill overlooking beautiful Edinburgh. Then Jacquie joined us and they took me to the incredible Edinburgh Castle, which is big enough to have a little town in it filled with historical things, including the royal crown jewels. I got quite a Scottish history lesson, and Scottish history is very rich. I loved it, along with the old city right around the castle.

We stopped in The Witches Brew (or something like that), another place with great character, where they treated me to a great lunch.

And then the fun really began!

Jacquie had told me she had a surprise planned for me that afternoon, and come to find out she had gifted me with an afternoon spa session, complete with swimming pool and hour and a half massage. I couldn’t believe it!

There was no sense protesting with Jacquie because she wouldn’t hear of it.

So I took a 25 minute swim in a beautiful pool, then had to jump out of the pool a little early to get to my massage, which was very relaxing. By the time it was finished I just had a little time to jump into a luscious sauna. (Our lunch had taken almost an hour off my spa time, but I wasn’t complaining, that’s for sure.) The whole thing was absolutely luxurious.

They picked me up and took me to a section of the city called Leith, which looked like a tiny little Amsterdam, where they treated me to a scrumptious dinner in a fancy fish restaurant.

By the time we got out of there it was dark. But rumor had it that Syd Banks had grown up not too far away in a section of town called Dumbiedykes, so we had to check it out. Most of the old, rundown tenement buildings similar to those in which he lived had been leveled and rebuilt, so the area was completely changed, but it was great to experience it anyway.

When we got home it was late and I found out I was leaving pretty early the next morning, but I had noted Jerry’s short haircut, hoping he had a haircutting device similar to what I have at home, and he did, and my hair was starting to get out of hand. And before I knew it Jacquie was giving me a haircut because she always cuts Jerry’s hair. There is just no saying no to Jacquie!

They were just the most amazing hosts and I was so grateful to them for everything.