TRAVEL DAYS:  13- 16 June – Depart MSP, Arrive Glasgow,  Drive to Aberdeen, Ferry to Shetland

After lots of planning and much hard work getting flower beds, garden, indoor plants, packing, and house ready for our month long absence, we were ready to go.  Kathy did all the packing, Dan managed the flower gardens.  We need a rest.  Before each of our trips we’ve taken a sweet photo.

Beth drove us to Eau Claire where we met Jen and Soph.   After a tearful goodbye we switched cars and were delivered safely (almost not! thanks to another inattentive driver) to the airport.  Check-in and security were cleared and we hiked to the Icelandair gates and let the time slip by. The flight was mostly smooth, the service wonderful, food and drink plentiful, and Saga Class worth it.  Not much sleeping done, so the bodies hurt as we arrived about 7:30 a.m. Scotland time (2:30 a.m. body time). It was about 27 hours after we’d gotten up for departure so we were beat.  We had a meal there in the hotel and crashed.  It’s a good plan for us to sleep hard after those flights… just not sure how some folks do it and go out touring the same day.

After a good sleep we picked up our car and drove to Aberdeen.  TomTom led us carefully and correctly into Aberdeen and to the "Wool for Ewe” shop.  Kathy declared it to be a wonderful shop and worth the stress of driving in downtown Aberdeen (of course she WASN’T driving!).  Dan went for a walk, picked up some strawberries grown locally, and the helped Kathy carry her bundle of wool back to the car.  Aberdeen is called the "grey city" because many buildings are made from the same locally quarried granite.

Next stop was the Old Blackfriars Pub, an historic building in downtown Aberdeen.  We had good food, Bellhaven’s Best beer, and watched the rain pour down outside.  By time we finished the rain was over and we walked back to the car.  Then we drove to the Northlink Ferry site and waited for boarding.

The ferry is humongous.  We thought the ferry going to Lewis was big, this one was at least twice as big.  Our little room is plenty adequate and comfortable… twin beds, small desk, bathroom with shower.  Up a deck is a restaurant, two bars, lots of chairs and tables.  They even show movies in a cinema.  WiFi reception was practically non-existent, probably a result of 300 people trying to be on.  We alternated reading in the room, sitting in the lounge, and walking the open space.  Dan climbed to the upper observation deck several times to get photos and videos.

We went to bed around 10 rather reluctantly because the sun was not yet down to the horizon!  

But we knew we’d be up early.  It never did get completely dark, around midnight being like twilight and about 3 a.m. starting to get lighter. We had a good breakfast at 6:30 and then returned to the room to make sure everything was ready for departure.  Docked at 7:10 and by 7:30 we were in our car ready to pull off the ship.  We had trouble with all electronics until we got settled in our first week’s lodging.