Tuesday, November 17, 2009

A WEEK IN THE SCOTTISH HIGHLANDS

Friday, November 5 – Glasgow -  We boarded the ferry at 7AM for our short two hour "sail" to the Stranraer port of Scotland.  As we disembarked from the ferry, we accessed the coastal route to Glasgow for a noon arrival at our hotel in the Merchants section. of Glasgow, a vibrant city of active shoppers and, in our view, a charming city.  It was raining with some deliberation when we arrived thus we quickly grabbed our overnight bags and scurried into the hotel. 

 

Once checked in and relaxed, we were out and about to do what we do best, "be tourists". Window shopping and lunch in a local pub was the highlight of our outing.  After our good "pub" lunch and a "pint", we returned to our hotel.  The phone rang and it turned out to be a call from the manager advising us that he had found our car door open and closed it.  Gulp Gulp!!  Ken rushed down to check on it (I had left my computer in the car) but all was well.  As a result, we attest to the safety, security and honesty of the Glasgow that we visited.  Also, for the record, neither of us pointed a finger at the other as to the culprit, but I strongly suspect it was me who was careless.  We loved Glasgow.  I was sorry that we had not planned to spend a full day visiting Glasgow before going on to our Scotland destination but alas, I "messed" up on the date for our return ferry reservation and lost a day.

 

Saturday morning, as we prepared to depart for our stay in Balater, I suddenly became acutely aware that I really did not know exactly where we were going.  We had an address but everything was very vague (according to our direction standards in the States) and because the area to which we were destined is a small village in the Scottish Highlands nothing showed up on the map that we had.  Of course, we had our trusty "gypsy" and she initially seemed to have it well in hand.  Somehow, at some point (we aren't quite sure how it happened – perhaps Ken made a change inadvertently) she ended up taking us toward Aberdeen.  I suddenly became aware that we should be on another highway.  We stopped to check our 'trusty" (if somewhat confusing) map.  Sure enough – the gypsy had changed us to a secondary road that was taking us "off route" but by the time we had "caught" her, we were too far off our preferred "path".   We ended up winding through secondary roads (and on a closed road) and though never lost (the gypsy always knows where she is) we were very frustrated.  By the time we arrived at our destination five hours later (it was supposed to be a two hour drive), we were not in "high spirits". 

 

Once in Balater, we were impressed with the area.  It was very wooded, cool (and that is with a capital C), quaint and charming.  Our lodge was a townhouse among the trees with all of the amenities of a well stocked home i.e., two flat screen televisions, washer/dryer (that we had difficulty getting the hang of), refrigerator, freezer, stove, oven, microwave and all of the electrical appliances that one could expect in their city dwelling back home.  The weather was clear and the air brisk – not a cloud in the sky.  A stop off at the corner store gave us the essentials for nice quiet evenings in "quarters" for the next week.

 

Sunday morning we awakened to the reality of "cold".  We had difficulty understanding how to use the combination washer/dryer (the British version that we had is not our recommended purchase for your home).  We finally admitted our incompetence and called for help.  A maintenance person came by.to provide us first hand training on the proper use of the washer/dryer.  In the process, he just casually mentioned that it was -7 Celsius.  I checked the computer for translation to Fahrenheit and was rather unimpressed.  That is slightly higher than 19 degrees Fahrenheit.  We have not been in weather this cold since Barrow Alaska.  Never mind, all else is great and we packed for this eventuality, so all is well – just seeking sympathy. We decided to celebrate the cool weather with a special dinner at the hotel which was tasty, well prepared and served in charming proper old world custom.  The evening provided a delightful beginning to our Scottish break.

 

On Monday, we finally pulled ourselves away from the comfort of our quarters and drove to Balmoral Castle, which is closed for the winter.  We substituted a visit to the Royal … Distillery for a lesson on making Scotch whiskey.  My first overview was to think that whiskey making must be a very good business.  You mix up a little barley, yeast and water, let it sit a few years and miraculously a bottle of 12 year aged malt whiskey evolves.  Well, turns out that it a little more complicated than that.  Bottom line -- I have decided not to pursue whiskey distillation as either a hobby or an avenue for future wealth.

 

Tuesday, the rain motivated us to spend a quiet day "en residence".  Ken was engrossed in  a book on the history of Scotland  which he has particularly enjoyed amid our Scottish surroundings.  Those people that we have met since we arrived here seem lovely, interesting and very gracious. One lady was careful to cautious us not to take offense but she said her father used to say that "there are two kinds of people in the World.  Those who are Scotsmen and those who want to be".  That sounded plausible to me.

 

On Wednesday we drove North through hill and dale, spellbound with the beauty of the landscape and breathtaking scenery for a Castle tour of the Aberdeen area.  We stopped for a nice "hike" through the gardens and grounds of _____ Castle. 

 

On Thursday we drove through the mountains into Inverness and a boat ride on Lock Ness in anticipation of a view of the mythical monster that supposedly resides there.  The boat ride was pleasant on this beautiful sunny day under a very blue sky.  However, Nessy was unavailable to guests on this day.of our visit.

 

Friday was devoted to preparing for our checking out and early morning departure in preparation for the last week of our five week exploration of Wales, Ireland and Scotland. But, Ken still had a "drive about" that he wanted to achieve.  We stopped in ____,  a unique village from the early 1700's and lunch, Ken visited the site of an old burial grounds overlooking the city as a requiem to a very pleasant visit to Scotland in spite of the season and the cool weather.


 
Ken and Pat Burns from the road and/or the sea
just as happy as can be


Saturday, November 07, 2009


SAT OCT 31 A CLEAR DAY










ANOTHER WEEK FROM THE ROAD

Saturday Oct 31 – A beautiful rainbow heralded a clear day and though the wind was brisk and the air cool, we were spared rain after an early morning drench.  Our day was intended to be devoted to Ken's search for the roots of his ancestors but it turned out that all of the historical places and local museums were closed, so our day was devoted to touring some cemeteries and a memorial to the "great famine".  We spent our Halloween at the Pontoon Bridge Hotel just outside of Castlebar.  It is a lovely old hotel on the water and provided a great evening of Irish music and entertainment.  We have not been taking advantage of the entertainment in the pubs.  We are off to bed too early.   But Halloween was a special evening and our choice of where to spend it was a good one.

 

Sunday Nov 1 was another rainy day so we happened upon a Radisson in Sligo that had early availability and spent the day relaxing in the hotel.  We had a problem with the electrical for my computer – the inverters that I brought with me have worked everywhere but would not work in the electrical plugs at the hotel.  Ken checked the plug in at reception and they wouldn't work there either.  The clerk was not very sympathetic.  So – we went out to seek a proper inverter only to find that there were none in town.  I was not a happy camper but when we came back to the hotel and talked to another clerk who provided us with a connector that did the job. Unfortunately, incompetence seems relevant wherever one goes.  The first clerk was not "tuned" into customer problems – real or imagined.

 

Monday – Another day of heavy rain that intimidates our sight seeing urge.  We arrived in Londonderry late afternoon, content to call it a day.  Ken checked the "tourist" brochures and was interested in attending a "famine" museum and preserved community out in the sticks.  I was negative on the drive in the rain so we appeased our sightseeing urge to a drive around the city but decided to postpone a tour of the inner city until morning in hopes of a respite from the rain.

 

Tuesday morning we trekked downtown and took the city walking tour of the "walled city" for some enlightenment in Belfast history.  Another brave couple from Israel joined us in our walled city tour in a rain that went from a "mist" to a downright downpour.  After our walking tour and "showers", we drove outside of town for a tour of the marine museum and then drove approximately 20 miles in a hard rain to the "famine" museum which was supposed to open at 5PM.  We should have phoned first – but we didn't so we deserved to brave the weather and make a long drive only to learn that the museum and its various offerings was closed for remodeling.  Duh!  The drive back to town on a dark night in a drenching rain was not an experience that we would repeat but as usual, Ken came through and delivered us safely back to our hotel.

 

Wednesday, we left Londonderry (or Derry as the locals refer to it) for our final two nights in Belfast to wrap up our visit to Ireland.  The sun shined most of the day and the drive was perfectly beautiful, providing us with our first real day of sunshine in which to relish the true awesome beauty of Ireland.  Heretofore, I have believed that New Zealand was truly the most beautiful countryside that we have visited.  Ireland is certainly a close second and perhaps, if the weather had been more cooperative, it would have been first.  Even in the rain (and it rained every day – 5 out of 13 all day) but the rain did not deter our enthusiasm for the unique natural beauty of the countryside.  We were depressed with the open anxiety of the people and their reaction to reduced tourism that has accompanied the current economic downturn.  Some areas seem less affected than others but Northern Ireland seemed in our opinion, more affected in a negative way.  One of the headlines reflected upon the closing of some 1600 pubs in Ireland over the past two years.  Apparently the Irish pub is undergoing the same irrelevance as the local bar in our country.  Make of that what you will.

 

As we approached Belfast, our beautiful day began to darken and by the time we checked into our hotel, the wind blew and the rain fell.  Another subdued evening for the Burns' who are less than enthusiastic about "trekking around in the rain".  The next morning, Thursday, we braved the elements, walked to the nearest bus stop and made our way into downtown center of Belfast.  We saw the city via bus and, after lunch, did a bus tour that was very interesting and perhaps, enlightening if only we could have understood the fast talking young man who conducted the tour.  We were given some background into the many varied elements of life in Belfast.  We were able to discern that the Titanic was built in the shipyards there.  The shipyards (an enormous property complex) are no longer in use.  The area is under major redevelopment with apartments, a college and the elements of a new life for the city is under construction. Unemployment in Ireland is a major problem.  Young people are leaving and we were given to understand that Australia is the "destination of choice". Sadly, our world is changing and people everywhere are trying to grasp and deal with the reality of hard times.

 

Our visit to Ireland concluded with Belfast.  Friday morning we boarded the ferry for Stranraer and our visit in Scotland. Our first stop will be in Glasgow and then on to the Scottish Highlands. It has been a great trip thus far.  Admittedly, we have had periods of wishing for some California sunshine, wider roads and warmer weather but in truth, it hasn't been bad at all.  Ken has done a super job of maneuvering the roads.  The roundabouts have been a difficult adjustment.   Listening to the gypsy, shifting down, watching for oncoming traffic, signaling and trying to confirm that the gypsy is right by reading the signs all while  in heavy traffic is a bit challenging especially for old people who aren't used to driving to the left handed custom of English lore.

 

 


 
Ken and Pat Burns from the road and/or the sea
just as happy as can be