Glasgow, Scotland

"O ye’ll tak’ the high road, and Ah'll tak' the low (road)
And Ah’ll be in Scotlan' afore ye
Fir me an' my true love will ne-er meet again


On the bonnie, bonnie banks o’ Loch Lomon'" 
"The Bonnie Banks o' Loch Lomond", or simply "Loch Lomond" for short, is a well-known traditional Scottish song.

The night train from London got us in and out of this Scottish city that is often overlooked as a tourist stop with Edinburgh only an hour or so East of it.  It still has Protestant and Catholic friction that can best be seen in the Celtic or Ranger football chants but you wouldn't know it on an early winter weekend as everyone is out shopping and attending church.


We took a small coach with a group of eight up to the Highlands stopping at Loch Lommond, Glencoe, Loch Ness, and driving back through Inverness, Sterling, and Falkirk on our way back South. The bens, glens, and lochs (mountains, valleys, lakes) of this country are just amazing and nearly untouched as nearly all the population live near one of their six cities.  Green hillsides covered in sheep and highland cows. We did not see Nessie on our boat ride across Loch Ness but there were some suspicious shadows below.


Special thanks to Michael from Rabbies for guiding us through this country with a Scottish accent that would make just about any piece of history sound interesting.  I still say Braveheart was a hell of a movie even if Hollywood took liberty with the actual facts and cast a short Australian to play who we know to be at least a 6'5" Scot.

Made it to both St. Andrews and Glasgow Cathedral. Drank some Scottish beer and ate some Scottish food (haggis and neeps). Picked up a Scottish accent and will never be the same.

Thank You Scotland!

Harry Potter Walking Tour!

Today Mike and I went on a walking tour of London to learn all about Harry Potter and the filming locations. We saw many of the scenes from all of the movies including the streets of Diagon Alley, the bridges the Death Eaters destroyed, both entrances to The Leaky Cauldron (1st and 3rd movies were different), Gringotts Bank, the Ministry of Magic, and most excitingly Platform 9 3/4!!  Our guide Shannon was brilliant. I was apparently the biggest Harry Potter fan of the group answering nearly all of the trivia questions Shannon threw at us!

Guy Fawkes Night

Jolene and I went out with a coworker, his wife, and a group of their friends to celebrate Guy Fawkes Night on the other side of London.  We were in Battersea Park with an absolute ton of people, lighting bonfires and watching fireworks.

"Guy Fawkes Night, also known as Guy Fawkes Day, Bonfire Night and Firework Night, is an annual commemoration observed on 5 November, primarily in England. Its history begins with the events of 5 November 1605, when Guy Fawkes, a member of the Gunpowder Plot, was arrested while guarding explosives the plotters had placed beneath the House of Lords. Celebrating the fact that King James I had survived the attempt on his life, people lit bonfires around London, and months later the introduction of the Observance of 5th November Act enforced an annual public day of thanksgiving for the plot's failure." - Wikipedia

Dublin, Ireland

Dear Ireland ... We will miss you so.  We've only been back a couple days and can't wait to go back.  There was something eerily fascinating about being in Dublin, the birth city of the author of Dracula, during Halloween weekend.  Touring the city with all the pubs decked out in decorations and people wandering the streets in costumes added to the overall affect.

Kilmainhem Gaol, Book of Kells, the zoo, Christ Church Cathedral, Dublinia (Vikings Museum), and Temple Bar were just a few of the places we saw between Irish meals and pints of Guinness.  The Vikings Museum was a last minute add on of the history of Dublin, but the “Black Pool” and the people who lived there kept us entertained for some time.  They even let you dress as Vikings while in the museum (the whole concept of horned helmets is a myth by the way).  We also attended mass at Christ Church and were invited into the crypts afterwards for tea and coffee with the others at mass and the priests. 

While all the sites were great, what really made the trip were the pubs with Irish food and Irish music.  Trabba, a local band was following us around (Blarney Inn, Temple Bar), one night dressed as the undead and the next as super heroes.  I haven’t gotten a chance to listen to their CD yet, but people should look them up.

While we’re anxious to go visit other places, the separation anxiety that we both already suffer from will soon put us back on the short flight over to the Republic of Ireland.