Scotland

I survived my 2 week biz trip to Scotland thanks to everyone I work with being so awesome. And yeah no one in Scotland ever says "awesome" unless they're making fun of me, er...Americans.

Despite being away for two weeks, everyone at home got along without me...but I missed them and missed open house at Drew's school - ugh.

But here are highlights from the great weekend I had - the only time I wasn't working 24/7!

Friday was a whirlwind trip to Edinburgh for a night. There's nothing like seeing this castle loom above you when you come in on the train.

First stop? A late night haunted tour of the underground vaults beneath the old part of the city. It was creepy heading into the vaults.

One problem though. The entrance to the vaults was right next to a club. And they were having a private dance party.

So as the tour guide was relating the haunted stories of the past - complete with reference to the plague and poltergeists, there was a loud pulsing beat coming from the club. And I have to say, there's nothing like a dance version of "Love Shack" to lighten up a scary story.

But as we got deeper in, the music faded until we couldn't hear it. There at the end, in the creepiest darkest most dank and nasty crypt-like vault, the tour guide asked me to come forward. I did. And that's when a guy in a black cape jumped out and scared the CRAP out of me and everyone on the tour.

So we got our money's worth after all.

The next day we toured the castle. We were there before it even opened. And we got a big view of blue sky - a rare and precious thing in Scotland.


Here's me at the castle wearing a now infamous sweater. It's a great color isn't it? It's also really soft. Dorothy gave it to me right before I left.

Too bad that it shed raspberry-colored tumbleweeds all over me, my black shirt underneath, my pants, the people I was with, the entire city of Edinburgh and everyone on train on the way home. By the time I got back to Glasgow where I could finally take it off, I felt like I had been slowly smothered by a giant raspberry sloth.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. Despite the tumbleweeds, we had fun exploring the city. Edinburgh is gorgeous.

Dogs were a theme...

Here is the dog cemetery at Edinburgh Castle. Each tombstone is lovingly detailed about each dog who served at the castle.


And here is the statue of Greyfriar's Bobby.

Bobby was a Skye Terrier that belonged to John Gray, who worked for the Edinburgh City Police as a night watchman, and the two were inseparable for approximately two years. In 1858 Gray died of tuberculosis. He was buried in Greyfriars Kirkyard, the graveyard surrounding Greyfriars Kirk in the Old Town of Edinburgh. Bobby, who survived John Gray by 14 years, is said to have spent the rest of his life sitting on his master's grave. When Bobby died, they erected a statue in his memory. It now stands in front of a pub called, what else? Greyfriars Bobby Pub.

The whole day it was so cool to be walking the streets that Dylan walked when he went to Scotland with Walnut Hill two summers ago, a trip that has had a lasting effect on him.

When we got back to Glasgow that night, Maggie and I walked up to the West End for dinner at Mother India...an incredible tapas-style Indian restaurant. I went there twice this trip and I still dream of it. We also went to their other restaurant on delightful Ashton Lane called the Wee Curry Shop. Which is, no surprise, a tiny, tiny place.

The next day, Sunday, Lindsay and Jim took us on fantastic day trip to the Trossachs to hike Ben A'an and tour Loch Lomond. What a day! It was periodically sunny - two days in a row - almost a statistical impossibility!

Here's the whole crew that did the hike with the exception of Maggie, who took the shot.

When Jim proposed the day I was thrilled - a nice trek on a fine day and a pub lunch to follow. Sign. Me. Up!

Here was our goal - the top of Ben A'an.

Beautiful trail. Only a little mud, right Maggie and Lindsay?

Fresh spring water! In the US we would have treated the water first...but Lindsay said she'd been drinking it her whole life. It was delicious - and no problem.

Here's me and Maggie at the top, surrounded by a breathtaking view.


The Trossachs is the place where the Scottish lowlands meet the highlands. Drive farther north and you get to Loch Ness. The Loch you see behind us is Loch Katrine.

It reminds me of the Adirondacks and for good reason - plate tectonics separated Scotland and Ireland from the Northeastern US and Canada - but they were formed together.

This was right out of a fairy tale...

And there was real Scottish Heather starting to bloom all around us...wow.

Hungry and thirsty we hiked down and landed at a delightful pub in the woods.

A pint of Old Speckled Hen, Haggis and a hearty roast and potatoes. Man, talk about a hearty lunch!

Jim drove us all around Loch Lomond and even got us into the last tour of the day at the Glengoyne Distillery. There we learned all about the art of single malt whiskey.

What a day! It was amazing and I can't thank our hosts Jim and Lindsay enough for spending their Sunday showing us the beauty of their amazing country.