Life After 50

Marlon made a smiley face in his coffee 😊 this morning and it made me smile. Great way to start the day.

We got up early enough to enjoy some coffee on the patio on the 5 floor of hotel.

Every day we switch assigned seats on the bus, which means I get to meet new people constantly — something I really enjoy 😊. Mason woke up sick at 4 a.m. and still isn’t feeling well, but he’s being a real trooper and barely saying a word about it. Today, Trafalgar took us north to Durham, a medieval riverside town crowned by its magnificent 11th‑century cathedral and Durham Castle perched on a hill above the streets. As we walked across the bridge into town, we noticed several boats on the River Wear, crews practicing their racing skills as they glided down the water.

As we watched the boaters, we cheered them on. On the other side of the bridge, I saw several wooden boats lined up along the river. Very picturesque!

I looked up, and there is a hill we have to walk up to get to this beautiful place to see the Durham Cathedral. We all made it, and it was worth the walk. Mason made it to the top, even though he felt bad.

Our time in Durham was wonderful. I enjoyed an iced coffee from the cutest little coffee house. Since today is Sunday, many places didn’t open until noon, but that actually made the town feel peaceful. Hearing the church bells ringing through the streets felt so fitting for a Sunday.

We stopped to split a sandwich before heading back to the bus. Now we’re on the road again, crossing what was once the northern frontier of the Roman Empire. When we arrived at Hadrian’s Wall, we hopped off the bus to see the last remaining stretch of the wall. It made for a great photo opportunity!

We’re officially back in Scotland now and stopped for a quick photo op. As soon as we got off the bus, I spotted a man selling souvenirs out of his car, dressed head‑to‑toe in traditional Scottish attire. The Highland coo is very popular here, and he had several adorable stuffed cows waiting for new homes. Yes, I bought one — and gave it to Mason, who is thankfully feeling much better 😊.

Mason liked the coo cow, so I gave it to him. He carried it from that point on in his backpack.

We have arrived in Scotland 🥰🥰🥰

Everyone is back on the bus and enjoying a scenic drive through the soul-stirring landscapes of Northumberland National Park. There are so many shades of green in the landscape.

We enjoyed spectacular views of the windswept Cheviot Hills as we crossed the Scottish border. Not far from there stands the Leaderfoot Viaduct, a magnificent 19th‑century railway bridge in the Scottish Borders that spans the River Tweed. This striking Victorian structure is built with 19 sweeping arches made of brick and pinkish‑red sandstone — truly a beautiful sight.

We continued on to admire the 12th‑century ruins of Jedburgh Abbey, a historic Augustinian abbey founded in the 1100s and beautifully situated in the town of Jedburgh — the largest stop along the A68 between Newcastle upon Tyne and Edinburgh. After exploring the area, we went looking for a place to get a sandwich, but since it was Sunday, most places were closed. Then we discovered Simply Scottish, and decided to give it a try. What a gem! They offered wonderful sandwiches and gorgeous homemade cakes, all freshly prepared. We shared an excellent burger, and it was exactly what we needed.

We walked around the town and saw a red phone booth and took pictures; red phone booths are known to be in England. The US doesn’t have these telephone booths anymore!