We ended up going on an organized bus tour (with 15 other people) for Glascow because we had already been into the city when we went two years ago. We loved it then but knew that we wanted to take in the mountains/countryside of Glascow for the day. I have to start by saying, the Scots are among the friendliest people you will ever meet. They are happy to talk about their land, their history, their lastest family feud (from 200 years ago) and chances are, they will know more about YOUR country's history than you do. They are well informed, well educated and did I mention that they like their whisky served up at 8am? As soon as we disembarked from the ship, the volunteers were there to meet us with a shot of whisky. I did actually drink it and baby, does it burn on the way down...:-) Our little bus was already there so after a few minutes of standing outside and saying hello to everyone we boarded (front seat for mom and I as I think they were terrified I might actually have to walk 10 feet) It's not that I don't appreciate it, it's just that getting handled with kid gloves all of the time can get a little old. So, we made it clear, that if people wanted to switch they need only ask. Our tour guide (Gordon) was dressed to the nines in his kilt and ensemble and I have to tell you, the Scots can really pull it off.
Honestly, it was clear early on that this group was full of tight wads. They were worried about everything and Mom and I didn't see them crack a smile until they were happily consuming what was left of a bottle of whisky in the back of the bus...seriously, we were laughing at them all day, and can I say, I'm really glad Mom and I have the same sense of humour because otherwise, it would have gotten pretty lonely out there!
Mom before we left...inside the little shop at the port :-) I took this pic last time and it came out blurry..that's a reason to travel thousands of miles right??:-)
"Art piece" they spent 750,000 pounds on (about a million bucks) to decorate the turnabout (it's birds when you look closely) I didn't mind it, but apparently many others did and it's a real sore spot for the locals
Little town called Luss...so incredibily beautiful..They get so many tourists taking pics of their yards and staring inside of their windows, some of them have had to post signs asking people to respect their privacy. Cute little tourist store here that I bought a ring at and found it for half price the next day in Edinburgh. I was so mad:-) But take a look at these views...
I almost missed the opportunity to see these views as I was worried about how much time we had already spent in the store looking at things. Mom said "Forget it, you have to see this..." She had wandered down after getting my wallet out of the van. She didn't want me to miss it, and thank goodness I didn't. (She motored me down the cobblestone in my chair at full speed to let me see it) It was like being on the edge of the world. So peaceful, quiet, and breathtakingly beautiful. The pictures probably don't translate all of that, but I wanted to hang on to that feeling forever...I miss it everyday.
Heading up into the high mountains of Scotland...We stopped at the highest point to take pics and have another shot of whisky...After a toast and some jolly salutations we were on our way to Loch Lomond
Our guide Gordon, pulling out the whisky for all to share
.
This was supposed to be our "lunch stop" and the group obediently trudged in to the recommended hotel for lunch (except Mom and I of course:-)) Seriously, we couldn't believe that these people wanted to sit on their butts and eat, while they had the chance to explore this cute little town. It was adorable. We stopped into a bakery, grabbing a sandwich and a cookie, we were only too happy to eat later on the bus. We didn't want to miss anything, and honestly, we didn't. We even got a chance to peek into this shortbread factory (Campbell'a) while they were making the cookies. It's not open to the public, but Mom was able to snap these pictures through the screen door. It smelled heavenly (and I don't even like shortbread.) I wondered if the residents appreciated the smell or hated it with a passion after smelling it for generations. When we ran into Gordon and got him to confirm which shortbread company it was, he said "That's Campbell's shortbread and the Campbell's were hated among many here." Hmmm..okay then! No clarification as to why they were so hated, but it's clear that the Scots didn't forgive grudges easily:-)
Shortbread factory pictures
Entering Sterling--our last stop of the day. Once again, the group obediently pulled out their "castle passes" and declared that they all wanted to tour Sterling Castle for the remaining hour and 15 minutes..Hmmmm..again not us, who wants to rush through a castle in that amount of time??? Our driver (John) drove us down the hill to the town for some good ol' fashioned shopping. But more than that, we got a bit of a feel for the place. As John said "Seen one castle, seen 'em all." He was in fact, from Stirling..I'm going to post some pictures of him with me and you will see how we hit it off. Why?? Because he reminded me of my grandfather (I'll post pics of both my grandpa and great grandfather and you'll see why I felt the immediate connection) We just clicked and I think he was getting a kick out of watching Mom and I do our own thing all day. They zigged, we zagged, honestly, they were anti-social and downright rude for most of the day and we couldn't stop laughing at how uptight they were. At one point a lady commented "You're eating now???" as we ate our lunch on the way back...Ummm..Yup! Anyway, here's Stirling castle perched on her cliff as we approached the city.
The town of Stirling
Heading back up the hill after a quick hour of shopping, you get views like this...
We asked the others how their tour was and they all very unenthusiastically said it was "really good." Whatever. John was laughing along with us saying he couldn't imagine how far into the castle history they could have gotten in an hour. We on the other hand, got some nice pictures and a Laura Ashley dress that looks really good on Mom.:-) Overall, a great way to see the highlands of Scotland but we could have done without the deadbeats.It really is beyond me how people can travel thousands of miles, spend thousands of dollars, yet take so little interest in what is truly around them. I find that kind of tunnel vision inexcusable.
In 2014 Scotland will have a vote deciding on whether or not to split from the UK. If they choose to separate, they will be among the wealthiest nations in the world. Gordon supports the separation saying it's not about disliking the UK, but about wanting to "Be a true Scot.". They have their own history, and want to enjoy it without the influence of the crown. Support for independence is currently sitting at approximately 35 percent, so it's anyone's guess what will happen in the very near future. Either way, I hope Scotland holds true to herself, I enjoy her as she is for her friendliness, her history, and her old world charm.
John (the driver) and I
The band playing as we are set to sail off into the sunset (off to Edinburgh)
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v624/C
The Sunset
Honestly, it was clear early on that this group was full of tight wads. They were worried about everything and Mom and I didn't see them crack a smile until they were happily consuming what was left of a bottle of whisky in the back of the bus...seriously, we were laughing at them all day, and can I say, I'm really glad Mom and I have the same sense of humour because otherwise, it would have gotten pretty lonely out there!
Mom before we left...inside the little shop at the port :-) I took this pic last time and it came out blurry..that's a reason to travel thousands of miles right??:-)
"Art piece" they spent 750,000 pounds on (about a million bucks) to decorate the turnabout (it's birds when you look closely) I didn't mind it, but apparently many others did and it's a real sore spot for the locals
Little town called Luss...so incredibily beautiful..They get so many tourists taking pics of their yards and staring inside of their windows, some of them have had to post signs asking people to respect their privacy. Cute little tourist store here that I bought a ring at and found it for half price the next day in Edinburgh. I was so mad:-) But take a look at these views...
I almost missed the opportunity to see these views as I was worried about how much time we had already spent in the store looking at things. Mom said "Forget it, you have to see this..." She had wandered down after getting my wallet out of the van. She didn't want me to miss it, and thank goodness I didn't. (She motored me down the cobblestone in my chair at full speed to let me see it) It was like being on the edge of the world. So peaceful, quiet, and breathtakingly beautiful. The pictures probably don't translate all of that, but I wanted to hang on to that feeling forever...I miss it everyday.
Heading up into the high mountains of Scotland...We stopped at the highest point to take pics and have another shot of whisky...After a toast and some jolly salutations we were on our way to Loch Lomond
Our guide Gordon, pulling out the whisky for all to share
.This was supposed to be our "lunch stop" and the group obediently trudged in to the recommended hotel for lunch (except Mom and I of course:-)) Seriously, we couldn't believe that these people wanted to sit on their butts and eat, while they had the chance to explore this cute little town. It was adorable. We stopped into a bakery, grabbing a sandwich and a cookie, we were only too happy to eat later on the bus. We didn't want to miss anything, and honestly, we didn't. We even got a chance to peek into this shortbread factory (Campbell'a) while they were making the cookies. It's not open to the public, but Mom was able to snap these pictures through the screen door. It smelled heavenly (and I don't even like shortbread.) I wondered if the residents appreciated the smell or hated it with a passion after smelling it for generations. When we ran into Gordon and got him to confirm which shortbread company it was, he said "That's Campbell's shortbread and the Campbell's were hated among many here." Hmmm..okay then! No clarification as to why they were so hated, but it's clear that the Scots didn't forgive grudges easily:-)
Shortbread factory pictures
Entering Sterling--our last stop of the day. Once again, the group obediently pulled out their "castle passes" and declared that they all wanted to tour Sterling Castle for the remaining hour and 15 minutes..Hmmmm..again not us, who wants to rush through a castle in that amount of time??? Our driver (John) drove us down the hill to the town for some good ol' fashioned shopping. But more than that, we got a bit of a feel for the place. As John said "Seen one castle, seen 'em all." He was in fact, from Stirling..I'm going to post some pictures of him with me and you will see how we hit it off. Why?? Because he reminded me of my grandfather (I'll post pics of both my grandpa and great grandfather and you'll see why I felt the immediate connection) We just clicked and I think he was getting a kick out of watching Mom and I do our own thing all day. They zigged, we zagged, honestly, they were anti-social and downright rude for most of the day and we couldn't stop laughing at how uptight they were. At one point a lady commented "You're eating now???" as we ate our lunch on the way back...Ummm..Yup! Anyway, here's Stirling castle perched on her cliff as we approached the city.
The town of Stirling
Heading back up the hill after a quick hour of shopping, you get views like this...
We asked the others how their tour was and they all very unenthusiastically said it was "really good." Whatever. John was laughing along with us saying he couldn't imagine how far into the castle history they could have gotten in an hour. We on the other hand, got some nice pictures and a Laura Ashley dress that looks really good on Mom.:-) Overall, a great way to see the highlands of Scotland but we could have done without the deadbeats.It really is beyond me how people can travel thousands of miles, spend thousands of dollars, yet take so little interest in what is truly around them. I find that kind of tunnel vision inexcusable.
In 2014 Scotland will have a vote deciding on whether or not to split from the UK. If they choose to separate, they will be among the wealthiest nations in the world. Gordon supports the separation saying it's not about disliking the UK, but about wanting to "Be a true Scot.". They have their own history, and want to enjoy it without the influence of the crown. Support for independence is currently sitting at approximately 35 percent, so it's anyone's guess what will happen in the very near future. Either way, I hope Scotland holds true to herself, I enjoy her as she is for her friendliness, her history, and her old world charm.
John (the driver) and I
The band playing as we are set to sail off into the sunset (off to Edinburgh)
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v624/C
The Sunset
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