Scotland
July 17 to July 21
Edinburgh – Glen Coe – Isle of Sky – St. Andrews
We started out our trip to London with a little side trip to Scotland – may as well have a little fun before we get into the job hunt. I had visited Scotland a few years ago and it was exactly how I remembered it – was cool to be able to steer Steve around the city for once! Scotland is a beautiful country - cities and landscapes! It also has a fascinating history with it’s leaders – starting with Macbeth, through the Wars of Independence with Robert the Bruce and the Roberts that followed, then the Stuarts with the intriguing Mary Queen of Scots, a string of James’ and “Bonnie Price Charlie” who escaped to the Isle of Skye wearing a ladies bonnet! Also Rob Roy (the Scottish Robin Hood), William Wallace (the real braveheart) and John Knox (Protestant reformer now credited by many as the reason the Scottish are so well educated, he advocated that everyone should read the bible). It’s writers (Robbie Burns, Sir Walter Scott and Robert Louis Stevenson who wrote Jekyll & Hyde based on a Scottish man who led a bit of a double life and now has a pub named after him (definitely a sign of fame!) and it’s people – all those McPhersons, MacDonalds, Mathesons and other Mac’s! The people are wonderful characters and very proud to be Scottish (and not English!). The history provided context for visits to Edinburgh castle, a stroll down the cobbled streets of the Royal Mile, a hike up to Arthur’s seat, a trip to the Scottish Museum and a short stop at Stirling Castle. We then hit the road and drove to the Isle of Skye and along the way were treated to a feast of scenery - dark green hills layered upon hills that give way to mountains carpeted in mossy grass. We especially enjoyed the scenic hills of Glen Coe and the Isle of Skye. Along the way we tasted some whisky, had a nip of haggis (we wussed out and had the vegetarian kind), hung in a pub with a Scottish fiddler and ate a lot of pub food! On the drive back to Edinburgh we stopped at St. Andrews, a lovely town by the sea and to Steve’s excitement – the birthplace of golf!! We ended our trip with an entertaining literary pub tour and then hopped the bus back to London. All in all, I was very impressed with Scotland - a great trip and a good way to start out our stay in the UK.
Edinburgh – Glen Coe – Isle of Sky – St. Andrews
We started out our trip to London with a little side trip to Scotland – may as well have a little fun before we get into the job hunt. I had visited Scotland a few years ago and it was exactly how I remembered it – was cool to be able to steer Steve around the city for once! Scotland is a beautiful country - cities and landscapes! It also has a fascinating history with it’s leaders – starting with Macbeth, through the Wars of Independence with Robert the Bruce and the Roberts that followed, then the Stuarts with the intriguing Mary Queen of Scots, a string of James’ and “Bonnie Price Charlie” who escaped to the Isle of Skye wearing a ladies bonnet! Also Rob Roy (the Scottish Robin Hood), William Wallace (the real braveheart) and John Knox (Protestant reformer now credited by many as the reason the Scottish are so well educated, he advocated that everyone should read the bible). It’s writers (Robbie Burns, Sir Walter Scott and Robert Louis Stevenson who wrote Jekyll & Hyde based on a Scottish man who led a bit of a double life and now has a pub named after him (definitely a sign of fame!) and it’s people – all those McPhersons, MacDonalds, Mathesons and other Mac’s! The people are wonderful characters and very proud to be Scottish (and not English!). The history provided context for visits to Edinburgh castle, a stroll down the cobbled streets of the Royal Mile, a hike up to Arthur’s seat, a trip to the Scottish Museum and a short stop at Stirling Castle. We then hit the road and drove to the Isle of Skye and along the way were treated to a feast of scenery - dark green hills layered upon hills that give way to mountains carpeted in mossy grass. We especially enjoyed the scenic hills of Glen Coe and the Isle of Skye. Along the way we tasted some whisky, had a nip of haggis (we wussed out and had the vegetarian kind), hung in a pub with a Scottish fiddler and ate a lot of pub food! On the drive back to Edinburgh we stopped at St. Andrews, a lovely town by the sea and to Steve’s excitement – the birthplace of golf!! We ended our trip with an entertaining literary pub tour and then hopped the bus back to London. All in all, I was very impressed with Scotland - a great trip and a good way to start out our stay in the UK.
posted by Steve N' Ali @ 12:23 PM
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