Sunday, June 19, 2011

Scotland Day Nine

You know it's a good trip when the last day is the best day. We arose early to work out in the gym. Workout availability has been spotty, with everything from no gym at all to one that would be okay next to LA Fitness. This one is quite adequate. At 8:00, you guessed it, full Scottish breakfast, and then we got ready for church, or kirk, as they say o'er here. We arrived at the Mayfield Salisbury Church in plenty of time for the 10:45 service. This is the church where Ben did his internship in summer of 2002, and the church remembers him well. They welcomed all of us with open arms.

Church over here is much more formal that we're used to in Arizona, even in those AZ churches that have "high church" services. There is the organ, in this case a small pipe organ, I believe. All of the music was either hymns or classical music, and we sang every verse of every song. Their hymnal has only the melody line, and in some of the songs harmony is discouraged by the notation that it is to be in unison. The pastor gave a very well-written, intellectual sermon that I enjoyed. During the service, he dedicated their new altar and pulpit tapestries, done by several of the women in the congregation. The theme was created by a professor of design from the University of Glasgow, and it is modern but blends well with the Victorian furniture to which it was attached.

After the service, we were treated to a "feast" (they don't appear to do "pot lucks") downstairs, and then changed clothes before being dropped off on High Street, near the Edinburgh Castle. We had a glorious five hours of free time, and we used it well. Some of the people took a walking tour with our tour guide, but since Denise and I had been here twice before, we struck out on our own.

High Street is also called the Royal Mile, and runs from the Edinburgh Castle to Holyrood Palace. About a third of the way down from the castle is St. Giles Cathedral, an imposing structure that is, of course, a Church of Scotland (=Presbyterian). A little further down is John Knox's house, the one in which he was born in 1505. He was a Catholic priest, newly ordained, when a cardinal in Edinburgh burned Wiseheart, a messenger from King Henry VIII, at the stake. This angered Knox, who became a sworn enemy of the Catholic church, and he then studied under John Calvin in Geneva. He returned to Scotland and began the Scottish reformation. Mary, Queen of Scots, was reported to have said, "I fear the prayers of John Knox more than all the armies of Europe." Needless to say, they did not agree on much of anything.

After walking and shopping for a couple of hours, we stopped in at a Starbucks near Canongate, and had the first good coffee we've had since arriving in this country. After a brief respite, we walked over and climbed Calton Hill. Without visiting Calton Hill, I don't feel like I've been to Scotland. As hills go, it's not that high, but at its peak are several monuments, and a spectacular view of the city. On the other side we could see the Firth of Forth, the port that serves Edinburgh.

By this time, it was raining, so we returned to High Street, shopped some more, then had dinner in Deacon Brodies Tavern. The pub is named for William Brodie, who was a respectable Deacon of the Cabinetmakers Guild, a wealthy businessman. By night, however, he was quite a party guy, spending a great deal of time in the tavern drinking and gambling. In 1786, he started committing burglaries to pay his gambling debts. He would make a wax impression of the key when he would do work in wealthy clients' homes, then return at night to steal their property. In 1788, he was caught, and was hung on a gallows he had previously designed himself, being a proper carpenter and all.

We had standard pub fare. I had a steak and ale pie, which was amazing but not quite as good as it is in the Rula Bula pub in Tempe. Then, we stopped at a small cafe and Denise ordered a deep-fried Mars bar. I sort of turned up my nose at the idea, but I have to tell you, a deep fried Mars bar is not your mother's Mars bar. I had a couple of bites, and it was almost a religious experience.

At the end of our time, we boarded the coach for our hotel. In the morning, we arise early, and will head for the airport and home. It has been a charmed trip, and we have all enjoyed almost every minute of it. I hope you've had fun reading my travelog. Thanks for humoring me.

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Scotland Day Eight

Yes, we are experiencing tour fatigue. I'm sitting in our hotel in Edinburgh (that's e'-din-bur'uh for you non-Scots), and it's only 9:20 PM. Compared to other evenings, we're turning in extremely early tonight. If it had not been raining all day, it would be brightly sunny out, as sunset is around 10:30. As it is, it's MacBeth-like dreary outside, and we're happy to be inside a nice hotel, warm and dry.

This morning, we arose and had the usual extreme Scottish breakfast. They don't offer haggis every meal, like they did in the islands, but I'm about haggis'd out. Before getting on the bus, Denise and I walked to the St. Andrews Episcopal Church nearby and took pictures. The people over here are serious about their churches, as each one is a wonderful of architecture and history.

Leaving Inverness, we headed south through the Cairngorms National Park. After about an hour, we stopped at a sheep farm near Etteridge, I think. There, we saw an exhibition of the skills of border collies in working sheep. These dogs are amazing. I will try to post a video on Facebook, depending on the speed of the Internet connection. It seemed that they were reading the shepherd's mind, and each individual dog moved like a professional soccer player. The sheep ran almost as if they were marionettes. In addition, the dogs were friendly and affectionate to these strangers who had just gotten off the bus at their farm. Oh, and the shepherd told us about the dogs, and he said "There's only one kind of dog--a border collie. All the rest are cats."

The dogs start their training at 21 days after birth. He brought out five puppies, and handed them out to the group members. I held one for a while, and the little guy warmed my heart. He was a bit stinky, of course. Anyhow, the shepherd showed us how one of the pups, all around 14 days old, would follow his voice and whistling, so a lot of what they do is very instinctual.

The shepherd then sheared one of the sheep, allowing some of the group to have a hand at the shears. He does not use electric shears, as they are more likely to nick the sheep's skin, and he likes to leave a little bit of a coat because it's cold even in summer, here. He said the fastest he had ever sheared a sheep was in one minute. I took my turn, and it really is fascinating how the shears can lift the hair up so that when you close the shears, you can be certain that no skin is between the blades. After he did the shearing, he let the sheep go, and its lamb bleated very soulfully, as it didn't recognize its own mother without her wool. Within about 15 minutes, they had reconciled just fine, but we all became convinced that sheep really are just a dumb as everyone says they are.

After re-boarding the bus, we went south to Edinburgh, skipping a planned stop in Perth and arriving at our hotel around 3 PM. We dropped our luggage and went directly downtown for a quick bus tour of the sights, and then we entered Edinburgh Castle. The oldest part of the castle is St. Margaret's Chapel in the highest part of the grounds. It's a tiny chapel that might seat 15 people if they all sat shoulder-to-shoulder. The chapel was built in the 12th century.

The castle has been taken by invaders several times, but the chapel survived because it was a house of worship. Even though its occupants used it for a while to store gunpowder. There is evidence that Edinburgh, most likely the castle site, was occupied in the 600's by Picts, then named Din Eidyn. In 638, the Angles captured the area, and renamed it Edinburgh. I have been fascinated over and over by the detail and accuracy of the history of this formidable land. Many of the ancient events are recorded not only to the year, but to the exact date, sometimes with the hour the event occurred.

We walked around in the castle proper, and saw the Scottish crown jewels, which are the second oldest in Europe. We also saw the Stone of Scone, also known as the Stone of Destiny. It has been used at the coronation of Scottish kings since the 1200's, and was in London until 1996, when it was returned to Edinburgh. King Edward I, famously the king who defeated William Wallace and ordered his execution, brought the stone to England to humiliate the Scots, and the stone had been there ever since. Since the modern kings are king of Scots and of England, the stone has been used in coronations of English kings all that time.

Our time in the castle was marred only by continual drizzling rain. It's also very windy up there on top of that extinct volcano, so we were just a bit miserable. We took the bus again, to Abbottsford Pub, where we had dinner all together. There was a set menu, but we were able to substitute fish and chips for the main course. My appetizer was "packets of haggis, with onion chutney." Let me tell you something! You might not like the idea of haggis (various meats cooked in a sheep's stomach), when that stuff is baked in small pastries and served with a chili sauce and onion chutney, it is wonderful. The fish and chips were just really good traditional fare, and dessert was "sticky toffee with vanilla ice cream." It was even better than it sounds. Much better.

Tomorrow, we're going to church where Ben did his internship for his seminary degree, and then we'll have free time all afternoon. Should be a ball.

Friday, June 17, 2011

Scotland Day Seven

This morning, we slept in. I think everyone is feeling a little bit of touring fatigue, so we changed plans and had a free morning. Denise and I took advantage of it to get caught up on emails, read, and have a generally lovely morning in our hotel room. We were able to shop very briefly, then had lunch at that famous old Scottish restaurant, MacDonald's.

Following that, we returned to the hotel and got on the bus headed for Cawdor Castle, MacBeth's home. Yes, there really was a historical MacBeth, and he was apparently a very capable king, ruling for many years. The Cawdor Castle is in perfect condition, and looks as if someone could move back in tomorrow. There are tapestries covering the walls inside that date from the 1600's. The grounds around the castle are a garden that just goes on and on. We saw a hedge maze that was copied from Roman times, but did not have time to get lost in it.

After Cawdor, we went to a dock on the edge of the Ness River, and boarded a boat for a "three-hour" tour. I tried to find a Gilligan hat, but couldn't. It was actually a two-hour tour, ending at Urquehart Castle. Denise and I were here in 2002, but I think we saw more this time. While we were there, a wedding occurred in the castle. The men mostly wore kilts, and the bride had a sleeveless dress that made me shiver just looking at it. Understand, it was maybe 40 degrees outside, so she must have been freezing. It was a beautiful wedding.

Following the boat ride, we rode back to Inverness, where we had a dinner of chicken liver pate with oat cakes and onion chutney (the appetizer); and salmon on a bed of potato with field greens (the main course); and a fruit cup. All of it was wonderful. Afterwards, we repaired to a pub, then to our rooms.

Tomorrow, we will be seeing a sheepdog work, then to Perth and eventually to Edinburgh, our final hotel stay.

Scotland Day Six

Today was a very long day. We left Uig headed for Armadale, at the south end of Skye. Armadale Castle is located there, with the Clan Donald Centre. This is a more recent castle, built mostly in the 1800's, and it was occupied until fairly recently. The clan decided that the taxes were just too great on the property, so they removed the roof and allowed the structure to be destroyed by the Scottish weather. So all the stone parts are intact, but there are no floors or inner structures. The grounds of the castle, however, are absolutely beautiful. There are very large trees, plants and flowers of every variety, and paths over the 20 acres of gardens.

From there, we traveled by ferry to Malaig, where we boarded the Jacobite train. This is a steam train, the one used in the Harry Potter movies, and it takes passengers on a two-hour ride back to Fort William. The train actually burns coal. Having traveled now on a coal-burner, I can tell you that there are very good reasons trains now use diesel. The noise of the engine (we were in the first car) was not quite deafening, but close.

The biggest problem was the smell of burning coal. Once, we started moving uphill inside a tunnel, and our cabin was filled with steam and smoke. If there had been a lung disease patient on board, they would have had a very hard time. At it was, I was glad I had an inhaler in my bag. We did see the bridge that is famous from the Harry Potter movies, and I got a few pictures by sticking my camera out the window of the door between cars. I'm sure the grandkids will appreciate those.

When we arrived in Fort William, we got on our coach again, and took the 90-minute ride to Inverness. In between naps (it's hard to stay awake on a bus), we saw stunning views of Loch Ness. No monster was in evidence.

We reached our hotel about 6 PM, and after dinner we took a walk downtown, shopping. The shops here stay open until 10 PM, wisely. I found a Scotland jacket that I can use instead of the sweater I've been wearing the whole time. We also got teeshirts for the grandkids, along with other assorted miscellany.

After dropping our booty at the hotel, Denise and I went on a long walk and found the bed and breakfast where we stayed in 2002. It was a lovely walk along the Ness River, which is beautifully landscaped on both sides, and reminds me of the Seine in Paris, in miniature. There are several well-kept churches that look more like cathedrals to my untrained eye, and we walked by the Inverness Castle, which is right across the river from our hotel. We arrived back in the hotel at dusk, which is Scotland is ten minutes before eleven.

Tomorrow, we have free time in the morning, and a tour in the afternoon. We might just sleep in.

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Scotland Day Five

Our view this evening is overlooking Duntulm, the ruin that was the castle of the MacDonalds before their destruction at the battle of Culloden. There's not much left, but the ruin is striking in its beauty, mainly because it overlooks the sea at the northwest end of the Isle of Skye. In the distance, we can see two of the Outer Hebrides islands, Lewis and Uist. We can't see them well, as we are looking into the sunset. It's 10:25 PM.

We started the morning in Fort William, with the customary breakfast, although this morning I went easier than previously, with oatmeal (porridge over here), and eggs Benedict. Hard to believe that that's going easy. We headed west and stopped for a photo opportunity to get pictures of Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in Scotland. As noted before, it is majestic and stunningly beautiful. Then, we headed west for the Isle of Skye, stopping to see Ealean Donnan castle. This is a rebuilt castle that has been featured in a number of movies. It is on a small spit of land that is an island when the tide is in, and there is a bridge to the castle, which was a ruin until the 1920's and 30's. An army colonel bought the place and rebuilt it to its original splendor, and it has become a real destination for tourists.

After spending some time in and around the castle, we crossed the bridge to Skye and drove to Portree, the main city of the island. This city is a port there that was important in the past for fishing, but not so much anymore. Now, it's mainly a tourist town. In 2002, Denise and I went there and we remembered seeing a Scottish wedding from a small coffee shop in the town square. Today, we shopped for stuff (various), then boarded the bus and headed for Uig.

At Uig, we visited the Island Life museum, a collection of recreated thatched huts that simulated Scottish life until the 1800's. The museum was a mite underwhelming. We also saw the grave of Flora MacDonald, the lady who helped Bonnie Prince Charlie escape from the British by having him pose as her servant. Following that escapade, she was captured and taken to the Tower of London, then eventually released, living out her life in Scotland, and for a short time in North Carolina. This all happened in the 1700's, but her gravestone was erected in the 1990's. Those Scots have a very long memory.

Our hotel, as I mentioned, overlooks Duntulm, and if you visit my Facebook page, you will see a few pics. We walked up there both before and after dinner, and climbed around the walls. After the second trip, we walked along the beach looking for the seals that are supposed to come in every evening, along with otters. No luck in spotting them, but we got good pictures of people and scenery. I also managed to sink my tennis shoes deep into the boggy mud that surrounds the beach, so we'll need to find a washing machine in Inverness tomorrow.

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Scotland Day Four

Scotland Day Four

We arose late today and had the usual breakfast, specifically more food than any three people can eat. Then, we set out for the ferry ride back to Oben, then on to Glenncoe.

This valley was the site of a massacre that occurred in 1692. The king of England, James II, was attempting to bring the Scottish clans under his dominion. He was also King James VI of Scotland, so he had more reasons than one to make the clans do his bidding. The head of the MacDonald clan delayed in signing the document the other clans had signed, so the king decided to make an example of him. He ordered his troops to Glenncoe, where they stayed with the clan for two weeks, enjoying their hospitality.

Then, the order came and the British platoon slaughtered about 30 of the residents, including women and children. That was the end of the power of the MacDonald clan, and subsequently their lands were forfeited to the king. In later years, descendants of the MacDonalds applied for a return of the lands, but they were always denied. Thomas Dalrymple was the king's advisor who ostensibly gave the order for the massacre, but an inquest proved inconclusive, and no one was ever punished for the treachery.

Now, the valley remains hauntingly beautiful, as you will see in the pics on my Facebook page. We stopped there for a photo shoot, and then went on to Fort William. The "fort" part of its name has long ceased to exist. This city is on the bank of the Nevis river or loch, I'm not sure which, and we are staying in the Nevis Bank Hotel. The town sits right next to the highest mountain in Scotland, which rises higher than 4000 feet. In the past, I tended to scoff at the idea of mountains in the British isles, but this really does qualify. We rode a gondola up to the top, and took more amazing photos. This is a ski area in wintertime, and it looks as if it would be a pretty good one, with more than 2000 feet in vertical elevation to ski.

After the ride, we went to the hotel, a building with very modern architecture and amenities. Our dinner was marvelous. I had sea bass with vegetables and "chorizo," which was really just sausage. I guess they don't expect people like us Zonies, who know real chorizo. Following dinner, several of us walked into town, where Ben bought his third kilt. He looks quite fetching, I must say. Not so much that I want to buy one, however.

Tomorrow, we travel to Uig, on the Isle of Skye.

Monday, June 13, 2011

Scotland Day Three

As I sit on the bed in our room, I feel like I'm still vibrating. We spent a lot of time on the "coach" today, and let's just say rock and roll has a new meaning for me. After a "full Scottish breakfast," which includes eggs, baked beans, haggis, roasted tomatoes, sausage, bacon, porridge, black pudding (you don't want to know), fruit, fruit juice, tea, and a selection of cold cereals, we boarded our coach and headed toward the western tip of the island, Fiannphort. No, I can't pronounce it, either.

The distance is only about 30 miles. An hour and a half after we left, we arrived at the ferry stop. The road is one-lane, and it is very rough and bouncy. The bus had to stop frequently to pass an oncoming car, or to let an overtaking car pass. Every 1/8 to 1/4 mile, there is a wide spot that will allow vehicles to pass, and we seemed to stop at most of them. Anyhow, we finally arrived about 11:00 and boarded the ferry for the 10-minute ride across to Iona.

Iona was the island where St. Columba arrived in the 563, to establish Christianity on the island. The story is that he arrived with twelve others, and they proceeded to evangelize first Iona and then much of the rest of Scotland. He built an abbey on the eastern shore, which continued to house monks for several hundred years. He died on June 9, 597 in the church, having risen in reputation and power to the point that he "ordained" the king of Dalriada, which included much of Scotland. Many kings of Scotland were buried on Iona, as it was regarded as a holy place. At the abbey, there is a shrine that marks his burial place, supposedly. In the 800's and 900's, others came and started rebuilding the structure, and parts of the current building apparently date back to that time.

In the 1100's, Somerled became "Lord of the Isles," a title that is now held by Prince Charles. His son Reginald brought Benedictine monks and Augustinian nuns to the island. From that time until the Reformation, there was an active abbey and nunnery, which comprise the buildings that are now present.

In the 1500's, the Reformation stopped all that. Abbeys and nunneries became part of either the Church of England or the Church of Scotland. The structures fell into disrepair, and in the 1800's, it was decided that they should be rebuilt. Final rebuilding happened in the 19th and 20th centuries. Now, the site is a monastic-type community in which people from various faiths can come for week-long prayer and meditation visits. Some of what they do sounds pretty far out, but I can see how such time could be life-changing for people seeking a renewal of their faith.

There are several crosses leading up to the abbey, and on the ground of the sanctuary. One dates from the 1500's and is still standing, five centuries later. Others have fallen, and the pieces of those crosses are displayed in the museum. One of them broke immediately after being erected, as the arms were too long, so the sculptors added a circle around the intersection of the cross, which was later copied all over Scotland, and became the cross used now by the Presbyterians.
I don't think there are more than 200 people on the island, and that may be an overestimate. In fact, many who work there live on Mull. As one of them told us, Iona is just one ferry too many from the mainland.

While at the abbey, we had a short service led by Rev. Ben Seller, and it was touching and meaningful. He spoke about the Great Commission, to go into all the world and preach the Gospel, relating that mandate both to St. Columba and to our world today. It was excellent.

In the afternoon, we caught the ferry again and took the bus to Tobermory, the other larger community on the island. The town is known for its distillery, and for its buildings being painted in multicolored hues. It is actually very picturesque. We shopped the main street for an hour or so, before returning to our hotel. While shopping, we stopped in a grocery store, and I bought some potato chips, flavored "Prawn Cocktail." They weren't bad, but I don't think I would order them again. I could have ordered Fried Chicken flavor, among others. Denise got the Pickled Onion ones, but I didn't get to taste any of hers.

Because of the roads and the swaying of the bus, I now know how it must have felt to ride in a stagecoach. I'm hoping my head will stop spinning by tomorrow. Dinner tonight was much better than last night. I had the pickled mackerel appetizer, which was much better than it sounds, followed by the Laird's Pie, made of venison, carrots, mashed potatoes, along with a puff pastry top. Now, I would not usually try venison, but this was amazing, and tasted more like beef than anything else. There was only one bite that had a minimally wild taste, and it was prepared such that it was much more tender and succulent than venison usually is.

Following dinner, we walked down to the bay and skipped stones on the water. Denise picked up shells, as well, which will be coming home with us. After the walk we sat in the hotel lounge and talked until after 10 PM. The sky was still bright enough to read outside when we returned to our room.

Tomorrow, we head north to Fort William, with a side trip to Glencoe.

Scotland Day Two

Scotland Day Two

I'm sitting in the room at the Isle of Mull Hotel and Spa. It's in Craignure, and our room overlooks the bay. We're drinking tea again. We can't figure out if the tea is actually better here, or if it just tastes better because we're drinking it in Scotland.

We started out this morning near Glasgow, going north. Our guide, Allison, is from Glasgow, and she said there is a 'friendly' rivalry between Glasgow and Edinburgh. Glasgow is sort of a low-brow city of blue collar workers, shipwrights, businesses involved with trade. According to Allison, the Glaswegians say, "You'll have more fun at a Glasgow funeral than at an Edinburgh wedding." I think that captures the essence of the difference between the two largest cities in this country. Also, if there is something that is outstanding or wonderful, in Glasgow it's "pure dead brilliant." That may have just become my favorite phrase.

On our way north, we stopped at the Village of Luss, a tiny touristy way station. We visited a small shop where an old man tottered around inside with a plate of Scottish shortbread for all customers. The village is on Loch Lomond, famous for a poem and song that include the words, "You take the high road and I'll take the low road, and I'll be in Scotland afore ye," written about a pair of friends who were imprisoned. One was to be executed the next day (the low road) and the other was to be set free.

From there we drove to Inverary Castle, home of the Duke of Argyll. This castle is occupied by the current Duke, whose wife is an heir to the Cadbury chocolate empire. The duke is from the Campbell clan, and in fact Argyll was the headquarters of that clan. Since the family name Burns is a sept of the Campbell clan, I guess I was visiting my ancestral home. Didn't see anyone I knew. While we were there, we had lunch in the cafe at the castle, lentil soup and ginger beer. The ginger beer is not to be confused with ginger ale. It is made of fermented ginger root, but has only a negligible amount of alcohol. The closest taste I can think of is Vernor's ginger ale, as it is rather strong and catches in the back of the throat. I probably would not drink it very often.

The castle was built in the 1700's, and it overlooks Loch Fyne. It is furnished in a French provincial style, including tapestries on the walls reminiscent of Versailles. There were pictures everywhere, both of the ancient dukes and duchesses, and modern ones of the current family. They have small children, 3, 5, and 7 as I remember. The duchess acts as 'lady in waiting' whenever the ruling monarch visits. That's sort of an aide who sets up meetings and official dinners.

From Inverary we went north along Loch Awe (pronounced "oh"). It's the longest loch, at 25 miles in length. By now, these lochs are all running together in my head, because I can't really tell much difference between them. They are all fabulously beautiful. Anyway, we arrived in Oben, where we caught a ferry to the Isle of Mull. Oben is picturesque, and with any luck I'll be able to send some pictures. By the way, I sent some this morning (last night to you 'Zonies), to Facebook, so if you want to find me on Facebook, the pics are in an album labeled "Scotland."

Somewhere along the way, before or after the village, we crossed into the highlands. You can tell when that happens, because the signs are suddenly in two languages: English and Gaelic. The Gaelic (pronounced "gallic") in Scotland is very different from Irish Gaelic. It has only 18 letters, and is inscrutable to me.

From Oben we took the ferry to Craignure, the largest town on Mull. Large is a term that should in no way be applied to this place. The term "wee" would fit quite well, in fact. The ferry ride gave us a spectacular view of the islands surrounding the open water between the cities. By the time we left Oben, it was late afternoon, so the land around us seemed shrouded in mist, with a mountainous horizon to the north and east, and rolling green hills to the south and west.

After settling in at the hotel, we had dinner. This one was not a amazing as last night's, but it was still pretty good. Then we took a walk. We left the hotel at a little after 8 PM, in search of the nearest castle, which we understood was about 1.5 miles away. We finally reached the Torosay Castle a little after 9:00, and of course it was closed for business. Like yesterday's castle, it is occupied, so we didn't feel good about jumping the fence and looking around anyhow. I didn't like the idea of spending the night in a Scottish jail. We got back to the hotel a few minutes before 10 PM, having walked at least five miles round trip. So much for their distance estimates. It was still light enough outside to take a picture without flash. It's easy to forget how far north we are until the sun sets after ten.

Tomorrow, we'll be going to the Isle of Iona.

Saturday, June 11, 2011

Scotland Day One

Journal 20110611

I'm sitting in our hotel room, in the Gleddoch House Hotel Golf Club and Spa, drinking tea and eating a shortbread cookie while I write. Life could be worse. It's about 45 degrees outside with a light drizzle, and naturally there are people on the golf course playing anyway. I like Mark Twain's comment that golf is a good walk, spoiled, so I'm not tempted, even here in the home of golf. I must say the courses we've seen are just beautiful. But enough about that.

We left Phoenix yesterday morning at 6:50 AM, and landed in Newark for a 5-hour layover. Can't say I found much to recommend about New Jersey, at least the airport. The flight "over the pond" was uneventful, but sleep eluded me uncharacteristically. Because of that, I missed some of the guide's information about Glasgow because I had to inspect the inner aspect of my eyelids. They're fine.

After dropping our bags at the hotel, our driver, Stevie, took us to the center of Glasgow, where we visited the Glasgow Cathedral. The cathedral building was started in the 1300's, and took about 100 years to complete, with additional wings added over the next couple hundred years. After the Reformation, the church was Presbyterian rather than catholic, and eventually it was turned over to the city of Glasgow. I couldn't tell if they still have church services in there anymore, or not. The structure is smaller and less impressive than Canterbury Cathedral, but it is still amazing to look at. The lower portions are obviously ancient. I'm hoping to post pictures either on Facebook or on my blog, depending on the speed of the Internet.

Alongside the cathedral, there is a museum, the St. Mungo Museum of World Religions. St. Mungo is the patron saint of Glasgow. He died the 600's, and nothing was written about him for another several hundred years, so he's somewhat apocryphal. Anyhow, the church was built on the location of his grave and that of another holy man, Fergus, whose body Mungo brought to Glasgow for burial. If I were a Glasgow native (Glasgowian? Glasgowite?), I would try for a different saint. Mungo sounds like a character in a western movie that would star Clint Eastwood or Charles Bronson. But back to the museum. It is a small museum that celebrates great world religions, including Buddhism, Sikhism, Islam, Hinduism, and so on. The displays are interesting in that they are somewhat random, so you have to pay attention and can be surprised by the juxtaposition of different beliefs.

We went to the O'Connor pub next, and Denise and I split "Chicken Supreme," which is a chicken breast stuffed with haggis, served over mashed potatoes with whiskey gravy. It was amazing, and we were glad we shared. Upon our return to the hotel, Denise and I took a hike that landed us in someone's back yard, sort of. If you can call the rear garden of a Scottish estate a back yard. The rain drizzle was light enough that it just added to the charm of the place.

Our hotel overlooks the Firth of Clyde, which is more or less a long bay or fjord-like area where the River Clyde empties into the ocean. The hotel was built as a manor for a shipping baron, Sir John Lithgow (not the actor). I can't tell how old it is, but I'd be late 1800's. It's on 360 acres of rolling grass (much of it golf course). There was a wedding reception here today, with the men all in kilts. We saw a 3-4 year old boy in a kilt, and I must say he was very cute.

Dinner was in the hotel with our group, and it was fabulous. I may be required to buy an additional seat on the plane if I keep eating like this.

Tomorrow, we're going to the Isle of Mull. Later.