I Want to Visit Pictavia

Saturday we celebrated our anniversary with a trip to everyone's favorite city, ARBROATH. When I told the girls at church we'd gone there for our anniversary they were not impressed. It didn't strike them as being particularly romantic or exciting. What do they know? They're 12.

Arbroath is home to the Arbroath Abbey, famous for its association with the Declaration of Arbroath, the 1320 Scottish declaration of independence. Arbroath is also known for a Scottish delicacy, the Arbroath smokie (smoked fish), and is the location of the Seaton Cliffs where Steve and I went on one of our first dates. AND just outside town is possibly the best restaurant in Scotland. Definitely the best restaurant that serves Scottish food.

We're no fools.

First we visited St. Vigeans church and museum.  The museum houses a collection of Christian Pictish stones that stood at the church around 700-800 AD until they were pulled up (and sometimes used as building materials) in the 1100s.  Here I am with a much more modern cross that still stands in the churchyard.

We were the only people in the little museum.  It was a dreadful day (dreich).

St. Vigeans sits on top of a hill between two streams/rivers.

After we learned about the Picts, we drove to the cliffs.  The sea was churning like crazy and throwing sea foam into the air.

Sea foam flew right into the car.  Too bad it smells bad.

Then I had an Arbroath smokie pancake and another Scottish specialty, clootie dumpling.

Now who's talking smack about Arbroath?