scotland trip original journal

8/9/2019 Scotland Trip Original Journal

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Spring Break, School Vacation, Mother-daughter bonding trip, European Holiday Whatever you

want to call itMarina and I began our journey on Friday, April 9th

.

We boarded the British Airways plane for London Gatwick on time at JFK. The plane was full and

we were envious of the people in first class (with their individual compartments/beds) and business

class (with recliner seats) but our cheap seats werent too bad. The captain had requested a specific

take-off runway which would have had an immediate departure, but the request was denied and we

had to wait in a cue of 30 planes. We took off about an hour late, but there were such strong tail winds,

that we more than made up for the delay. Even though we took an early light, we were tired. I

managed to sleep or rest with eyes closed nearly the entire flight. Marina watched one movie, Marley

and Me, and then slept as well. We hit one big patch of turbulence which normally would freak Marina

out, but we just held hands and continued to sleep.

We arrived in London at about 6:15 a.m. The airport was huge but we managed to find our gate

with no problem and plenty of time to spare. The flight to Glasgow was also packed, but it hardly

mattered because aside from taking off, when a horrible breakfast was served, when it was taken way

and Marina folded up my tray and when we landed, Islet the entire time. The flight was quicker than

expected due to winds, and before we knew it, we landed in Glasgow around 9:00. It took no time to

pick up our one suitcase and finally we got outside to the fresh air.

We took a black taxi to the city. The driver was very friendly, very chatty and had a VERY

strong accent. On the way to the hotel, he pointed out certain parts of the city, and that came in handy

later on when we ventured out on our own.

We were at Fraser Suites by 9:30 and

luckily our room was ready!!! The hotel is

interesting in that it occupies the top three

floors of an 1800s Baronial-style building

which has shops and cafs below.

The room is very large with 20 high

ceilings, sparse modern furniture and a nice

kitchenette with microwave, fridge and 2

burner stove.

I unpacked in no time, and being that it was so

early we decided to lay down for a quick nap. Marina


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wanted to call one of her You Tube/internet friends, Ziggy at

11:30 (one of the reasons we made this trip was to meet her

friends). She was so worried that wed sleep the day away,

that I had to set the alarm for 11:15. Before I knew it, it was

11:45, the alarm was still going and we had been fast asleep.

No big deal when Marina called Ziggy around noon, she woke

him up!!!

Phone call out of the way, we decided to head out and

get acclimated with Glasgow. We walked and walked and

walked. Until we got some food in us (quick snack at Burger

King) and I had a strong cup of coffee, we were still feeling a

bit off due to the jet lag. But we got the wind in our sails and

were out and about until 5:30 p.m.

The center of the city has a huge pedestrian area (actually there are many pedestrian streets),

Buchanan Street, that is filled to the brim with shops, shopping arcades, an enormous mall (which we

will go to non Easter Sunday when all else is closed) and many restaurants and caves. The city is NOT at

all touristy. The area was teeming with

people. We went to an internet caf (to

the left around the corner in front of the

church in the photo), each purchasing 30

minutes of time for 1 pound 50, and I

even found a computer with 15 minutes

left on it (kind of like finding a parking

meter with extra minutes!) We caught up

with our correspondence Marina

chatted with Malka who appears happy

and computer-ODing back home, as well

as with Ziggy, who although now is so

near, seems so far because they talk via

the net.

Buchanan Street

We then went to a beautiful art-nouveau building called Princes Square which had 5 floors of

shops and eateries. On the lower level was a mosaic floor where a bunch of little kids were running

around as if it were a lovely day in the park.


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Regarding the weather, it started a bit

chilly but since we walked so much it wasnt too

noticeable. The sun barely showed itself and it

was cloudy with a few drizzles. The worst part of

which was that it makes for grey, dull, photos.

We went into a bunch of little stores,

bought some junk for Marina at the Pound Store

the British equivalent to the Dollar Store and we

picked up some groceries at Marks and Spencer.

We wanted to go to the Sharmanka Kinetic

Gallery and Theatre, which seems to be a 2nd

floor

hole in the wall which we walked right past, but it

is only open on Thursdays and Sundays. Well try

again on Sunday even though it is a holiday.

We earlier stopped at the Queen Street

train station and picked up the schedules for trains

to other cities that we hope to visit.


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It is now 6:45 local time and we are in for the night. EastEnders is on TV at 89:00 and

then well plan tomorrow, read and get a good nights sleep.

Saturday 4/10

EastEnders was strange. Marina didnt get it but thats to be expected since they are

seven years ahead of where we are in the plot in the U.S. Marina quickly fell asleep around

8:30 as soon as the show ended. I wasnt far behind. Supposedly, she woke up at 23:00 hours,

confused, but fell asleep again. We were both briefly up around 4:00 but were finally

awakened by the alarm at 8:30. Thats TWELVE HOURS sleep for Marina! We should be good

to go all day today!

Being that it is Saturday (and Shabbat), and being that Marina is so agreeable and

perhaps even thankful because we are in Scotland, we are now getting ready to go to Temple!

1:00 Well, were back from Temple. We had a cab pick us up at the hotel around 10:15.

I told the driver we wanted 27 Hill Street. It was far across town we would have never make it

there by foot at a decent time (especially since we were wearing boots mine with heels)

Anyway, we got to #27 but it was a church. Hmm that cant be. But we got out of the cab and

figured wed eventually find it. What I DID find was the scrap of paper that said #127, so we

walked up a hill to the end of the street and there was the Garnethill Synagogue.

A man opened the main door and

looked at us quizzically with his turquoise

kippah/yarmulke on his balding head. (He

kind of reminded us of Rif-Raf from theRocky Horror Picture Show). I said,

Shabbat Shalom, what is that a secret

Jewish password?, and he opened the

door winder and asked if we were there

for services. I said yes and immediately

he was apologetic that the heat in the

main sanctuary was not working so

services were being held in the Kiddish

room downstairs. Oh no! I thought.Well be trapped down there with no way

to escape if its really boring, but how

rude would it be to change our minds? So

we entered a sunlit room where 10 men

(at least they had a minyan) (two more

men eventually showed up) sat up front

and 5 women (7 if you count us) prayed

from the back.


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Each person had his or her own worn Siddur (prayer book). I tried to follow, as best I

could, in the Artscroll Siddur that was on the table in front of us. The entire service was done in

Hebrew, many (most) prayers in melodies foreign to us, some the same. The Rabbi wasnt

there today since he lives 9 miles away and had already walked the distance for the 2 days of

Passover, he asked for the day off. We sat next to a lovely woman, Mrs. Wright, who has been

a member of the shul for 65 years (shes 70 now). She told us that there are about 125

members of the Temple but most are old (many in their 90s) There are no children any more,

and the youngest congregant is a 21 year old college student who was present today. They

dont anticipate being a congregation much longer. Others dont want to merge since the

location is so far from Jewish shops across town where Jews now live. Eventually the building

will become a museum and archive.

We were invited to stay for Kiddish (which looked like it might just consist of tea), but

we gratefully declined. Before leaving, we went upstairs to see the beautiful sanctuary. This

was the first Temple built in Scotland and it was renovated about 10 years ago. Its a shame its

not used and will soon we shuttered but for the occasional tourist.

We luckily caught a cab back to the hotel. Marina called her friends - and we called

home (calls to the US with our calling card are free on Saturdays) and now we are anxiously

awaiting the arrival of Ziggy and Mike!

2:20 rolled around and still no boys. Marina was soooooo nervous. She said she felt like

she did when she was getting her ears pierced. Anyway, I finally said, call them! and when

she did, it turned out they had just arrived downstairs. They had gotten lost after getting off

their train and basically walked around the city for 1 hours before finding their way here

(They must be exhausted now after I had them walk another FOUR hours!) Back to 2:20 I let

Marina go down to the lobby to greet Mike and Ziggy and a minute later the three kids came

knocking on the door. They are so cute and both boys were about as nervous as Marina!

There were a bunch of sites I wanted to see, so I figured Id drag the kids around. We

first went to the Barras, which is a HUGE flea market thats been around 100 or so years. It

sounded better in the tour books than it

was in reality. In actuality, it was filled

with junk, so after about 15 minutes, I

turned us in another direction and we

headed towards the Necropolis. It is alarge, old, impressive cemetery opened

in 1830. It is on a hill over-looking the

city. The first person buried there was

actually Jewish. Mike and Ziggy had

never seen or heard of the place before

and really enjoyed seeming it (As did

Marina and I)!


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We then went to the Cathedral which dates to the 13th century. This is Scotlands only

complete medieval cathedral. There was a man playing the organ which kind of freaked Ziggy

out! It It

From the Necropolislooking towards the Cathedral

It was a brilliant day today; sunny, crisp weather, a bit windy, but perfect for walking

around and snapping photos.

From the Cathedrallook towards the Necropolis.


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From up the hill where the Cathedral is, we walked down to the center of the city. The

guys were starving so we found a Subway, Ziggys favorite place to eat. We must have sat there

at least a half hour talking and laughing (remember the fat librarian fat lady story) Im rather

impressed with the two of them. Mike is quieter than Ziggy but I think most people will be

quieter than he is (a lot of nervous energy) except for me of course! Ziggy says he is vain and

self-confident. I found him to be comical and embarrassed a lot but have been nervous

having some crazy American mom spend the day and interrogate him! But is was very nice

meeting Marinas internet pals (thats the new pen-pal thing I guess) and seeing that they

are nice, polite boys and NOT 45 year old pedophiles like weve been busting Marinas chops

about!

From Subway we went to the

Central Train Station (there are two

major stations in the city) because they

werent sure when their trains were

leaving. Turns out we had hour wait

so for a few minutes let Marina sitprivately (as if one could be private at a

central station) with her friends as I

looked around the stations shops.

After saying our good-

byes we easily found our wayback to the Fraser. TIs getting

much simpler finding our way

around Glasgow and this is only

day 2! Our map is already in

shreds!

Marina was in the mood

for a pizza dinner, so we

decided to walk in the

neighborhood to see what we

could find.

Merchant City, the area where we are staying, is more or less the SOHO of Glasgow.

Beautiful old buildings, markets and lofts have been gutted and converted into classy, attractive

restaurants, cafes and shops.


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Just around the

corner from the hotel we

stopped at Merchants

Square. It is a lovely old

building (once the home of

the citys fruit market) which

is ringed around by various

eateries: Scottish, Italian,

Indian, Steakhouse, and

Spanish. Inside is a covered

courtyard, ceiling adorned

by tine white lights, and all

the restaurants have

outside seating inside.

Marina tossed the pizza idea out the

window when she saw a menu for the Spanishrestaurant El Sabor. So thats where we decided

to eat because she wanted a Paella (of course

forgetting, I suppose, that we were in Scotland NOT

in Spain). Unfortunately, El Sabor (meaning the

flavor in Spanish) lacked sabor. We ordered a tapa

of tortilla (decent), a mixed salad (miniscule), and

vegetarian paella which hardly even looked like a

paella in color and consistency, let alone taste like

one! We barely touched it! The bus-boy noticedand asked what we thought. Marina

feels badly letting people know when

something is disagreeable or

disappointing, but I told him it certainly

was not a paella like those in Spain. To

which he commented that he knew he

himself is from Valencia, he just started

working at the restaurant, and although

he cooks (his mom sends ingredientsfrom home) hes not the cook here.. He

did say if we wanted good paella hed

invite us! I replied that in a weeks time

my Spanish husband could make me a

wonderful paella, but thanked him

kindly. Marina laughed when I pointed out how again I befriended a totally random person.

That seems to amuse my daughters!


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We returned to our room around 9:00 and suddenly

Marina was frantic to share the events of the day (meeting the

guys!) with someone other than me. Having free US calls on

our calling card, she dialed home (to speak to Malka) and left a

lengthy message before dinner and an even more desperate

one after. She finally got in contact with her BIG little sister

after Pepe called us back, and an hour later he had to hung up

the phone on the girls. In the end, even though she got

Kasfias #, she didnt call her friends and by 11:30 it was NO

MORE PHONE CALLS and lights out!

Sunday 4/12 Wow I slept well and woke up easily at 8:30 with the alarm. Marina,

well, that was a different story. It was going on 11:00 by the time she was dressed and had a

sip of juice and half a chocolate croissant. Our original plans were to just go shopping being as

its Easter Sunday and we thought all but the mall would be closed. CHANGE OF PLANS. I called

City Sightseeing Glasgow the double-decker hop-on-hop-off bus tour and found that not only

were they running, but all museums were open as well. So,

around 11 we left our room and headed to George Square,

which, now that we know our way around, is a stones throw

from the Fraser. We ran across the street and caught a bus just

as it was pulling out. What a great deal this turned out to be.

We saw the West End, the East End, the North and the South.

We saw sites we didnt even know existed and easily reached

places I had wanted to see. Our first stop was Peoples Palace

and Winter Gardens which were just across the way from the

Barras, our first stop yesterday.

The Peoples Palace was

built in 1898 for the working-

class people of Glasgows East

End. It is now a social history

museum telling the story of the

Glaswegians from 1750 to the

present. It was very interestingand not at all boring. Outside

the building is the Doulton

Fountain. It is the largest

terracotta fountain in the world

and is topped with a figure of

Queen Victoria.


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After a nice visit to the museum, we again boarded the bus, sitting on the upper level.

We have been so lucky with the weather. Again, NO RAIN, lots of bright sun (occasionally

hiding behind clouds) and very mild (for Scotland) temperatures. Up on the bus it did get chilly

with the wind, but the

sights were spectacular.

Glasgow is an amazingly

well-preserved city!

Our next stop was

quite a distance away,

one we certainly would

never have walked, and

thus affording us visits to

otherwise unplanned

stops. We got off at the

Clyde Auditorium which

is an Armadillo-likestructure that houses

conventions and concerts. It is on the banks of the

River Clyde which is spanned by a very interesting

bridge (The Clyde Arc Bridge) nick-named the Wink.

We walked along the river and crossed a

foot bridge to the Science Center. It is

another very modern structure and supposedly a

great hands-on museum, but we opted to do moreout-door sights. So after taking a picture of

Marina in front of a gate with one of her favorite

physics formulas displayed (that ones for you Mr.

Schorn!) we crossed the river again and walked to

the Tall Ship, the Glenlee.


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Marina was keen to visit the ship and so

we did. The Glenlee, a 3-masted barque, is one

of only 5 sailing ships still afloat to have

originated from the River Clydes shipbuilding

days. She was launched in 1896, went around

the world 4 times, was bought by the Spanish

Navy in 1921 and in 1992 was rescued from the

scrap yard and brought back to Scotland. We

spent about hour visiting the decks, betting a

bit barfy on the lower one below the water

level (even though the boat wasnt even

moving, and basking in the sun on the upper

deck.

Once finished there, we awaited our

tour bus, which conveniently comes to every

stop at 20 minute intervals, and headed North

to Glasgow University. Although we didnt getoff there (no time for everything!) the

university

architecture,

and that of the amazingly impressive Kelvingrove Art

Museum nearby, was nothing less than spectacular. We

continued on the bus until we reached Renfrew Street, which

is near the Synagogue. We walked up a very steep hill and

actually found ourselves right next to the Temple. I had

hoped it would be open so could take interior photos(something I couldnt do on Saturday/Shabbat) but the gate

was locked. I think I heard a sigh of relief from Marina. I

must say though, shes been a great sport, trekking around

the city like a real trouper! So passing the Synagogue, we

went down the hill on the other side, around the corner and

towards the Tenement House (Museum). Thestoop next to theTenement House


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On the first floor of a traditional tenement building is the former apartment of Miss

Agnes Toward who lived there from 1911-1965. The house contained all her personal

belongings and gives a good idea of what this type of living was like for many people of Glasgow

(although she was middle-class and many other tenement-dwellers had far worse living

conditions. Marina asked me to purchase the accompanying Tenement House Book (no photos

allowed inside) so well learn more about it all when we can sit down and read. Being that

today is Easter, and being that the girl who sold us our entrance tickets probably thought

Marina was just a wee-one, there was an Easter-egg hung/quiz. She passed splendidly and was

rewarded with a large Cadbury chocolate egg (which Ill probably devour without her help)

which more or less (less really) makes up for the nearly $20 we spent to see the 4-room flat!

We walked a bit more and stopped at the bus stop down the road from where we had

gotten off. Oh yeah, on the way to the bus we passed the Glasgow School of Art (Architect

Charles Rennie MacKintoshs architectural masterpiece). I wanted to go in for a tour, Marina

was sight-seed-out and was pining for the internet caf, so hopefully well get back to this

sight before we leave for America, although I somehow doubt it.

We sat at the bus stop with two young Scot-guys who, to me, seemed more drunk or

hung-over than not and who were not shy about talking about their drunk escapades while

simultaneously dripping curry-sauce from some curry-on-potato-on-a roll concoction one was

eating. Marina laments not taking a picture four our scrapbook-to-be.

We took the bus back to the original stop and both agreed today was hugely successful.

We made a b-line for the internet caf. Marina, being the brain that she is, had no difficulty

putting the coins in the machine and getting her code, and Marina, being impatient, couldnt

wait a minute to help her mum. The actual internet caf was closed (no helpers) today for the

holiday, but accessible through Nero Caf (coffee shop) I didnt have exact change to buy m8iy

internet minutes so first I purchased a good cup of coffee. Then I proceeded to take my change

to the machine where I lost the pound-fifty because I

didnt know what the hell I was doing and Marina was

other-wise engaged on line. Oh well, I decided to leave

well-enough-alone and write in my journal instead.

For dinner we decided to try TGI Fridays

(ohwe are eating SO SCOTTISHS this vacation). We

tried yesterday but there was an hours wait. Tonightit was only hour, so we put our names down and

took a stroll along Buchanan Street. It was the typical

fare for Marina- Mozzarella sticks, but when we asked

for tomato sauce, the pointed to Ketchup. Very British

I suppose; that and the baked beans they served with

the mozzarella sticks! Al in all though, much better

dinner than the fancy-schmancy Spanish dinner last

night!


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To end a packed day of sight-

seeing, after dinner we quickly stopped

by our room dropped of some things and

went right out again to the Sarmanka

Kinetic Gallery /Theater for a 7:00 show.

We had NO idea what it was we were

going to see. We had looked for it on

Friday and totally passed it by as the

entrance was a grungy door of a grungy

building with unobvious signage on a

other-side-of the tracks-like street.

Well, today we knew exactly where to go. Marina

was still a bit freaked out about the location and at

first didnt like the thought of having to ring a bell to

get in. I think she felt better when she saw other

people outside. We were buzzed into a mostcreepy-looking hallway and had to walk up a flight of

horribly old and scary stairs with a metal-caged lift in

the center. We had to then ring another doorbell

and were let into a studio space packed with bizarre

and some-what frightening/disturbing kinetic

(moveable) sculptures.

The word Sharmanka comes from the

Russian word for hurdy-gurdy, a hand-cranked street

organ / music box. The artist is a 70 year old Russian

Jew who immigrated to Scotland 15 years ago.

Some of these works date back to his Russian years,

some more recent. They are

composed of carved wooden

figures and every assortment of

junk, antiques, lights and

motors and they are incredibly

articulated. There was a rather

impressive-sized crowd in this

hidden treasure of Glasgow.

When the show started, the

lights dimmed and one by one

the pieces whirred and came to

life, accompanied by either

haunting or melodic music.

We, the audience, had to walk


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around the darkened studio as each piece was

individually illuminated and animated. I would

not call it happy art, but it certainly was a uniquely

impressive show of one mans sense of creativity.

The show lasted about 45 minutes and when we

got outside, it was still light for our short walkhome. What a great full day we had today, and

now, 9 p.m., Marina is already in bed! Its up early

tomorrow as we head to Glamis Castle.

Marina as bug-eyed as this troll!

Monday 4/13 For all her going to bed early, apparently Marina didnt fall asleep until

1:00 a.m. and was no happy camper when the 7:30 alarm sounded. None-the-less, we were

out in the streets by 8:10 heading towards the Queens Street Station to catch our 8:40 train.

Marina gets to travel free (off peak or Holidays today was a bank holiday) on the rails beingthat shes a kid but even cuter was, due to the fact we shared a ticket and couldnt go

through the turnstile, the station employee pointed me and my wee-one through another

entrance. She actually called marina a wee-one!!!

The train ride to Dundee was very easy. The train was comfortable, clean and with a

table in front of us. The scenery was also very nice for the most part and we were able to see

verdant pastures spotted with fluffy sheep. Ninety minutes after leaving Glasgow we arrived in

Dundee. Now, prior to coming to Scotland, I had contacted Glamis Castle to find out about

transportation there. I was told take the train to Dundee and then a bus, about hour trip, to

the castle. We got to Dundee at 10:00 and it was damp and cold, kind of the weather we had

been expecting but had luckily been avoiding. The cold was coming off the River Tay that was

beside the station. Teeth chattering I asked a station attendant how to get to Glamis. The look

he gave made me know this wouldnt be so easy. He said wed have to first get to the bus

station (about a 5-10 minute walk) and then catch a bus (that he thought wouldnt leave until

NOON, two hours away!) and then transfer to ANOTHER bus. That was not in my game-plan

what-so-ever. Outside there were taxis lined up so I asked one driver how much it would be to

the Castle. He politely pointed me to the first cab in the line, saying it was only right that I


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asked that driver first. So I did. We were told the fare was 24 pound (about $36). What choice

did we have? For two years Marina has been pining to see this one particular castle. It was

now or never, so of course we hired the cab. The drive was lovely, through hills and fields, blue

skies and green meadows. The driveway

itself leading to the castle from the road

was a mile long. I commented out loud

that just to get back to the road to find a

bus or cab would be a feat in itself, and

then our lovely driver, Charlie, made us an

offer: for 40 pound round trip hed

actually wait for us while we visited the

castle. That was a deal too good to pass

up.

We had arrived around 10:30 but

the tour wouldnt begin for hour so

Marina and I went to the gift shop wherewe had to purchase the obligatory, by

Marina of course, Glamis Castle book!

Shell probably never read it (like the

tenement book) but I began to read it on

the train back and it really covers

everything we saw on the tour. Besides,

taking photos inside the castle was prohibited.

The tour lasted about 50 minutes and took us through maybe 10 rooms in this

enormous castle. Some rooms were medieval, others were Victorian, and others dated to years

in between. All in all, to me, it was just a castle

and the day, with train, cab, entrance and book cost

about $131, but if it was important to Marina..


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Thats Charliein the taxi

Charlie took us back to the

train station and I gave him a nice

tip (not customary here in Scotland)

and after picking up a piece of rich

chocolate cake at the coffee shop,

we were back on the train at 12:52.

Between Dundee and

Glasgow there is another city,

Stirling, which boasts a nice castle

(our first cab driver told us about

that one). I was game to stop on

the way back but Marina nixed the

idea. She wanted to shop in the city

instead. So after getting back to the Queen Street Station, we spent some time at the mall and

then again headed back down Buchanan Street, that wonderful, long, pedestrian strip.

Marina still had about 45 minutes left on her internet ticket, so I dropped her at the caf

instructing her NOT TO MOVE, and I headed down the street to the Willow Tea Room (a replica

of MacKintoshs tea room across town) and then to The Lighthouse Scotlands Centre for

Architecture, Design and the City. This second stop was actually very interesting and contains

the MacKintosh Center with an overview of his work, history, art, design and architecture. The

40 minutes I had (while Marina was on the computer) were not enough. So after verifying that

I could come back in with my ticket, I literally ran down the block to the internet caf. Marina

was a bit blue since her time was up and she was also tired, but we went back to the Lighthouse

and stayed until nearly 5:00.

The one glitch, or hiccup, in the day, which could have been disastrous is when I

misplaced my pocketbook containing our money, bank card, credit cards, cash, phone card

and key-card for our room. Being as the weather is unpredictable, weve been carrying coats

AND sweatshirts all day, every day. Ive also carried a tote-bag which usually contains the

sweatshirts and water, then my pocketbook which rests on top of the tote back but always has

the strap around my arm, then a camera on my neck, in my coat pocket or in one of the bags

and today, to top it off and make things worse, I also was carrying a souvenir bag containing

shortbread, some sexy-guy-in-a kilt magnets for Marinas friends and a Scottish flag for Malka(ha-ha, inside joke). All day I was thinking how HORRIBLE it would be to lose my purse almost

came true! The Lighthouse building was designed by MacKintosh in the late 1800s and was

used to house the Herald Newspaper. It has a tower which can be accessed by a circular

stairway going up at least 5 floors. Marina and I took a look at it and said, Nah no way are

we climbing that! But it did make for an interesting photo looking up from the center. So, I

put my stuff down to shoot the picture only to realize about 10 minutes later as we were

getting ready to leave the building that my most important possession was missing. Of course,

Marinas main concern was that the camera was gone! I sent her back to the tower to look as I


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frantically ran down 3

flights to the lobby

where I had last taken

my wallet out to pay

for Marinas admission

ticket. Luckily, Marina

had found it where I

thought it might be.

Could have been a

disaster had we

actually left the

building at 5:00 when

it closed but from

now on Im leaving at

least 2 of my credit

cards in the safe in the

room! Is thisphotoworth losing a pocketbookover?

The visit to this museum satisfied my MacKintosh quota and after seeing pictures and

videos from his other sites, including the Glasgow School of Art, I no longer have the need to

see them in person.

Marina was getting hungry and again was in the mood for pizza, but when she saw

McDonalds opted for a burger, fries and mozzarella sticks instead. Fine by me; I finally got

some protein (she calls it fake protein)

in the girl! We took a brisk walk back

to our room and now, 6:47, she seems

to be fast asleep for what she said

would be a nap.

And so ends day 4 in Scotland!

Notice the Scottish flag with the Golden Arches


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Tuesday April 14 We went to sleep at a decent hour and were up around 7:30 for a full

day in Edinburgh. We caught the hotel shuttle to the train station. I almost felt guilty about

not walking; pretty strange considering that back home we never walk anywhere! We arrived

at the ticket window just in time to get the 8:30 train but since today is a work-day, in order for

Marina to travel free, wed need to wait for the 9:15 train. Considering what transportation

cost yesterday, I didnt stop to re-think a savings of $30 today, so we waited.

Again, the train ridewas smooth and

comfortable, but the sky

was grey (uch ... and we left

our sweat shirts in the

room for the FIRST TIME

today!) so it wasnt so nice

to look out the window

(Ive been writing the

whole trip anyway.) At onepoint, Marina wanted to

throw out her chewing

gum. I gave her a piece of

paper to put it in but (spaz)

somehow it never made it into the paper. After looking on her pants and seat we figured it

must be on the floor somewhere! 40 minutes into the trip she discovered the gum sticking her

shirt-sleep to her arm. Genius!

Okay, we finished a busy day in Edinburg and since we bought an off-peak ticket werent

able to take the 5:30 train home. No big deal (at least for me because I can now write about

the day) but Marina is moping. Ive given her the Edinburgh Castle book (yeah, we bought yet

another book!) to occupy her time until our 6:30 train.

Today really was the first day where the sun didnt shine for more than a few minutes,

the one day I didnt wear a scarf or a sweatshirt (I thought layering THREE shirts would be

enough NOT!) ITs the first day Marina put on her knit hat Ive been carrying around, so, as

soon as I had the chance, I bought a wool scarf (smells like a farm and sheep piss but did the job

and kept me warm) and a cap that says Scotland with a little flag (Ill gift it to Marcus) but also

says made in China!

We found our way to the tour bus here and boarded at Waverley Bridge just down the

road from the station. We opted to sit inside for todays tour. Edinburgh is a city very different

than Glasgow. It is very large (it is, after all, the capital of the country) and much more modern.

There are a great deal of very large buildings, much more grandiose in scale to the majority of

those in Glasgow. And the sites are much more spread out.


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Last night, after reading about the city in our Frommers Tour book, we decided to focus

our attention on two major sites: Edingburgh Castle and the Palace of Holyroodhouse, both on

extreme opposite ends of the city from each other.

At first we had thought wed stay on the bus for the entire loop, but when we say how

large the city was, we got off at stop #7 (out of 12) and visited the castle.

The castle is located on the top of an impressive hill, Castle Rock, the remnants of agreat volcano formed 340 million years ago, which makes the castle so impressive and a perfect

site for a fortress rising 134 meters about sea

level. It is surrounded by medieval cobbled

streets filled with loads of tourist shops and

pubs. The castle covers many years and much

history and is more fortress-like, with auxiliary

buildings, than Glamis Castle which was more

residential (at least the parts we saw. In the

Middle Ages it became Scotlands chief royalcastle. Throughout the centuries various

additions and buildings were added. Today, in

addition to walking around, taking in spectacular

view of the city below and the formidable

architecture, inside we saw: the Great Hall (16th

century), the Royal Palace (15th century), the

Scottish National War Memorial (18th century)

and exhibit on the Honours (Crown Jewels) of


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Scotland: the crow, the scepter, the sword which after learning the history were amazing to

see!, an exhibit on prisoners of war kept in the castle and we witnessed the firing of the 1:00

gun which is fired from the castle daily (except Sundays, Good Friday and Christmas). Within

the castle walls are many more museums that we passed up.

From there we started walking down the

Royal Mile which is the old shop-lined street. We

went in search of the perfect memento, but I justbought a box of Edinburgh Rock which is a candy

indigenous to the place. For lunch we had fish n

chips and I had asked for a free sample of the

traditional dish, Haggis (made of sheep stomach and

guts and G-d knows what else!) I guess they forgot

about that part of the order and I must say, Im a bit

relieved! The caf was in a weaving mill, so we were

able to see how the tartan fabric is woven (for all

the kids and uniforms that all Scottish castle/palaceemployees seem to wear!) We also stopped at St.

Giles Church while waiting for the bus.

We took the bus and went to the other side of

the city to the Palace of Holyroodhouse. Its location

is very interesting. In front of it is the Scottish House of Parliament, a very UGLY modern

building designed by a Spanish architect (it was really hideous!). To the side is an ultra-modern

cocoon-shaped building which houses Our Dynamic Earth a new museum about the Earth??

The backdrop to that is the Holyrood Park and the incredible Salisbury Crags, great cliffs

covered in lush green (many people were actually walking up!) and beyond that, Arthurs Seat

(at 823 feet) which is supposedly a blow hole for the volcano. So the palace is a big contrast to

its surroundings.

Palace Gate &

Salisbury Crags


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With the price of admission we were given an audio guide which proved to be very good and

useful. We did NOT buy the book and afterwards Marina said we should have because I

believe, this was her favorite sit of all. Oh well The Palace was established by King James IV

at the beginning of the 16th century and is next to the ruins of an Abby founded in 1128. The

audio tour took us through many rooms with beautiful wood-paneled walls, intricate plaster

ceilings, fabulous tapestries, and ornate furniture, led us outside to the ruins of the Abby and

into the palace gardens. This palace is still

frequented by the Queen of England but

luckily, she was out of town today or we

wouldnt have had this great experience.

In front of thepalace In the garden beside the Abbywith Arthurs Seat behind

By the time we finished there and caught the bus, it was already 4:30 (most places close

at 5:00) so we went back to stop #1, ran to the tourist info office where I got Marina a Scotland

(what else!) tote bag for her to carry her books next year (I swear, I think this years physics

notebook wont fit!) and then she wanted more McDonalds protein!! (Who am I to deny her

that?) And then it was 5:30 and as I previously wrote, we had to wait an hour for an off-peak

train.

Once back in Glasgow we RAN through the streets to get back to tcatch tonights 7:30

installment of EastEnders.. And we did, maybe only missing a minute or two! Now Im sitting in

the nice lobby of the hotel with a good cup of coffee, being banished from our room. Marina

wanted to call Ziggy but cant talk with me in the room. A few minutes ago, phone call

complete, she came to get me and when I asked about tomorrows plans uh-oh they

hadnt made anything concrete! Kids!!! Okay, coffee is finished as well as todays journal entry

so upstairs I go! Yikes, tomorrow is our last full day in Scotland!


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Wednesday 4/15 Today is a grey day in weather and in mood. I set the alarm for 8:20

since we had planned to stay local, but was awakened before then when I heard Marina taking

a shower. She was up before me thats a first!!! (Turns out, later she confessed, she was

anxious about seeing the boys again today) She called her friends to confirm the days plans

and upon finding out that theyd be here between 1 and 2:00, we headed out towards the

internet caf. On the way, we accomplished all last minute shopping (Pepe, Malka & Marcus,

mission accomplished, a shirt for Marina, got candy for Marinas friends on the way back). Of

course, when it came to me well, I might have to go back to the shops later on my own. I did

buy myself a Turkish Delight candy, wrapped in its bright purple foil, because I was so fond of

this sweet 30+ years ago. I cant recall what it HAD tasted like or WHY I loved it so, it has an

interesting perfume flavor to it, but Im saving the wrapper for old-times sake!

At the internet caf, we each purchased 2 hours of time. I hadnt been on since last

Friday (basically 5 days of mail to sort through) so it actually took me longer than Marina since

it was only about 5 a.m. in the US and none of her friends were awake and her Scottish friends

were on their way to visit her. After an hour there, we picked up a burger for Marina and now

were just hanging about waiting. Oh!!!! The phone just rang, the mates are here. Time togo

It is now about 7:30 p.m. and we are back at the internet caf. It was supposed to have

closed a few minutes ago but Marina is still typing away. I dont know what time it was when

the guys showed up, but it seems that they actually arrived to Glasgow EARLY today and spent a

few hours walking around or riding the elevator up and down in the mall??? In addition to

Ziggy and Mike, Stu and Billy tagged along today as well (Marina didnt know Billy at all, and had

only once spoken to Stu.) No one had any plans (and I wasnt going to drag them around

touring again since Ive seen about all there is to see walking distance) so we headed towards

the St. Enochs Mall which Marina and I had not yet seen. These malls look so big from the

outside, but have so few stores

inside.

On an aside: I must say,

the clothes displayed

throughout the city are so

attractive and there seems to

be a lot of high end fashion.

People are also really nicely puttogether (the girls), doing

themselves up well and with

funky hair styles that caught

Marinas eye. People dont just

have long straight boring hair

like we see back home. What is eye-catching is mod and colorful (a lot of pink, real red, blue,

purple hair in adorable cuts! Maybe because we are in the city Okay, back to the day.


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I let the kids walk ahead of me or behind me and then I left them in the food court while

I explored (not much to see but my feet started aching form my boots) When I got bored in the

mall, I told them I wanted to go back to Primark, the store we had been in earlier in the day. AS

I shopped there, the kids went across the street to a music store and shortly thereafter, they

came back looking for me. By now Ziggy was passing out from exhaustion (he had been on the

computer until 5:30 a.m. and his friends showed up at his house a bit later!) so we went back to

the mall to get him some coffee. After a brief stop

there, we

went back

to our

room.

Oneofmy

stalker

pictures

of Ziggy

Billy Ziggy Marina (wee-one) Stu Mike


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We agreed to walk the boys part-way

back to Central Station and then wed head

up Buchanan Street to the internet caf,

but we were all so engrossed in

conversation that we over-shot the mark

and ended up by the station. Marina

handled the good-byes better than I had

expected. I was more moved by the

near-conclusion of our vacation.

Marina and Ziggy by the Station.

Mom,whydidnt you get closer?

Marina,you didnt even ASK me to take a

pictureIwas being nice and thoughtful!

We strolled back to the internet caf to finish

off the day and as many minutes as we could prior

to the 7:20 closing. Considering this is a major city,

it is striking how things close down so early stores

are shut around 5!

Back in our room we tidied up, packed and

went to bed early.

Marina being contemplative


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Thursday 4/16 We woke up early even though we had nothing planned other than to

take a walk to a bakery to pick up a muffin for Marinas breakfast, use the last 20 minutes we

each had on the internet and see where the morning would take us.

I had reserved the shuttle to the airport for

noon. During the morning walk, I noticed the Center

of Modern Art but it wasnt going to open until 10:00

and it was only 9:00. When we finished on line, I

walked Marina BACK to the hotel and then walked

BACK to the museum where I spent about an hour.

The weather was again overcast, windy and cold

today. Now were sitting on the airplane taxiing

down the runway as we head towards London and

then home, and the SUN IS SHINING BRIGHTLY! The

sun came in with us last week and will see us off as

we leave Scotland.

What a great trip it

was!

scotland trip original journal

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