A Day In Dundee: Nostalgia & Penguins

There’s this interesting thing about me.

The best part of any holiday or vacation or fuckskioffski or whatever you call it, is the night before you leave. That and Day One. Round about Day Two or Three, I’m already thinking of ways to extend the trip. Because I am a wanderluster like that.

And as we approached the middle of our Edinburgh road trip, I got to thinking. Neil will tell you my over-thinking is a scary thing.

But stick with me.

I didn’t want our concentrated family time to end. There were no access issues, no work calls, no you WILL have fun, and you will like it. Because we did have fun.

Isla voluntarily sat on my lap as we tooled through the streets of Edinburgh, not unlike when she was a baby. And I SO ENJOYED IT.

Thursday rolled around and I thought of the bubble bursting. No good.

So I might have suggested we go somewhere else when we left. There was a resturant we wanted to try.

Neil and I are foodies. We’re not annoying with it, but we will travel for new, good food.

And here’s my list of must-haves for a trip.

1. Wheelchair access
1b. BOOKS. AND FOOD.

Here’s Neil’s must-haves on a trip.

1. PENGUINS.
1b. PENGUINS. FOOD and PENGUINS.

So there was this resturant that got good reviews. In Dundee. There was also Maggie’s Penguin Parade.

Sounded like a great end to Summer, 2018.

Now. I discovered cow parades while in Prague years ago. But I didn’t know this public art thing extended to penguins.

WE HAD TO GO.

So we did.

I went to University in Dundee (also Stirling, but who’s counting?)

As we tooled about the streets of Dundee, I told Isla some stories. About 3am, about figure-eights, about traffic cones and best friends.

And before we went penguin-spotting, we went into the Dundee Science Centre where I tested my reaction time (It SUCKS) on a game not unlike Simon Says.

Isla got the lights I couldn’t reach. I told you she was tall.

‘Team effort,’ Isla says. ‘Let’s do it again.’

Neil got involved and together there was a new high-score. Though quaint, that symbolism wasn’t lost on me.

We ate Japanese food, and I discovered that the saddest cover ever released was Johnny Cash’s version of In My Life. I figured that out when it played in the resturant.

And then.

There was Dean Martin.

Bases. Covered.

And yet.

Neil goes, ‘Is that Sammy Davis, Jr.?’

‘Man, why do you ruin all the moments? Can’t you see I’m nostalgic over here? Have I taught you nothing?’

So, that happened. Then we found the penguins. Good timing, penguins.

Which one is your favorite?

Read more about Maggie’s Penguin Parade here.

This is not a sponsored post, we just like penguins. And family adventures. Even when Neil gets the music wrong.