Banff

Rik here ...

When we saw it on the map, we just had to go.  How often do you get to go to the original Banff?  It was also kind enough to be on the coastal trail which runs north out of Aberdeen along the ocean.  We thought it was a nice opportunity to drive away an afternoon and see some good scenery.  Our final destination was going to be Duff House, an old manor house in the town of MacDuff (a destination on its own for those inclined to literature).  We saw some amazing scenery and really put the old Renault Scenic through its paces.  Just outside the town of Crovie we were going up and down hills with 17 and 20 percent grades.  With the roads a little slick with rain, I was a little worried about slippage.   But Fiona managed to get us around safely and we finally made it.  Duff House (hard to resist walking around pretending to be Duff Man from the Simpsons) was impressive.  Fully restored and decorated with appropriate art and furniture, you get a real feel for how the other half (more like other one tenth of one percent) lived back in the day.  Not sure we'd put it on the list of things to do for other visitors, but we enjoyed it.  Another long day brought us back to the hotel.  We're really looking forward to moving into our own place ... nice as this is, it ain't home!