Summer Vacation - Day 5

It is Friday and time to leave York and head for Berwick-upon-Tweed via train to meet up with Dale. I took an earlier train than I had originally planned with the intention of a bit of exploration of that town before Dale arrived to collect me.

The train ride was uneventful until a group of twenty-something aged girls got on board about half-way to Berwick. It became obvious that they were celebrating the 21st birthday of one of their group as she donned a sash and tiara as soon as the train departed the station. Bottles of wine were opened and poured into plastic glasses with fancy straws accompanied by much girlish laughter. I was reminded of the stories Alicia told me of her and her friends’ celebrations of their 21st. It seems that girls are the same everywhere!

I arrived at Berwick-upon-Tweed about 10:30 am and as Dale was not expecting me until about 12:30, I felt comfortable exploring the area around the station. Berwick-upon-Tweed is a coastal town and the views from the nearby park of the castle ruins were spectacular. I returned to the station before noon – just in case Dale arrived early. I need not have been so concerned. When he did not arrive by 12:30, I called the owner of the B & B in Melrose whose phone number I luckily had with me. It seems that Dale had not read my email closely enough and had no idea what time my train was arriving! It’s a good thing I called or I would have been left waiting indefinitely! I was informed that the journey from Melrose would take an hour and 15 minutes, I headed into town in search of food, my little suitcase on wheels bumping along behind me on the cobble stoned walkway. When I returned to the station an hour later, Dale was there waiting on me. When I expressed surprise that he had made the trip so quickly, Dale said “Kenny doesn’t know how I drive.” Hmmmm….that detail was proven as the week progressed!

We interrupted our journey to Melrose with a quick visit to GreenKnowe Tower built in 1581 and used as a residence until 1850. We climbed the spiral stone staircase – which was quite dark and narrow – as high as we could go. The floors of the various levels were long gone but one could visually separate the various levels from the locations of the fireplaces still existing in the walls. My first reaction was of the definite need for chamber pots! I would not have liked to have to descend the stairs at night to answer nature’s call. I also envisioned being in the latter stages of pregnancy trying to get up and down those stairs in the dead of winter. Hmmmm…I think 1st floor accommodations would be desired in that case!