Tomorrow is the 100th anniversary of Armistice Day, the end of WWI. It’s being commemorated all of Scotland this weekend because Scotland played such an important role within the Allied forces and suffered terrible losses. Everyone has decorated with poppies, a symbol of WWI.
When I got up this morning, I showered in my quarter-sized shower, got ready, left my luggage at the reception and went back to Black Medicine Coffee Co. for my scone and tea. It was worth the wait. Then I walked down to Holyrood Castle, where the Queen stays when she is in Edinburgh. I took the tour and was very impressed. You got a free audio guide when you went in, and this one actually worked well. It told you exactly when to push the buttons for what room. And the castle was lovely. I checked out the Abbey ruins and the garden before I headed back into town. But wait! What’s this modern-looking building standing across the road from Hollyrood? Why, it’s the Scottish parliament building! I’ll have to go in! I didn’t know what to expect. The architecture was interesting, the displays were OK. But what impressed me was the film the was running which showed the opening of the building in the 1990s with the Queen in attendance was absolutely fabulous. It was one of the most inspiring political speeches I’ve ever heard. Very touching.
I left Parliament and walked up the street in the bright sunshine to Oink. It’s a little restaurant that only serves pulled pork sandwiches. It was just what I needed to get me through the afternoon. I spent the afternoon taking a free walking tour (And many of the museums in Scotland are also free, by the way.) that gave me a lot more insight into the city. There was a Spanish lady on the tour whom I talked with quite a bit. Very pleasant. It was only about 3:30 now, so I headed for the National Museum. I didn’t stay long because I was really getting burned out. So I walked back to the bookstore next to my hotel and purchased a book about Glasgow which I had learned about here. I’ll have some reading material for the airport.
I went to the hotel,picked up my luggage, and headed for the bus stop. The trouble was, I couldn’t find the bus stop for the airport bus. And a million people were walking down tHe street because a big rugby match had just let out. So I’m pulling my suitcase up and down the street and trying not to run people over, it’s starting to rain, and I STILL can’t find the right bus stop. I even asked two or three times. So screw that. I got on the tram which goes to the airport. And here’s and interesting thing with the trains and trams here. When you get off and exit the stations, you have to give up your tickets. Not a bad idea. Just glad I didn’t toss anything or crumble it up in my pockets. So now I’m just waiting in the airport until my early morning flight. I figure I will sleep well on the plane. It’s been a great visit. And here’s what I learned about Scotland and the Scots.
They are intrepid bike riders. They mix it up in traffic with no fear. I saw one young lady riding slowly in a roundabout, with a bus and other traffic moving patiently behind her. That’s the way it should be. The road is for everyone.
They also have great bookstores. I could have spent the week just sitting in them.
I had great weather almost the whole time. Only on a couple of afternoons did we get some light showers.
And Scotland is very multi-cultural. It was phone to see so many different types of people speaking with a Scottish accent and kids from all sorts of ethnic backgrounds headed for school in their uniforms. Scotland is truly part of Europe.
Scotland has a great motto. If you get in my face, I’ll kick you in the nuts! This is a rough translation from the Latin. But
No comments:
Post a Comment