A Litte More on Scotland

Sorry the last post wasn't infused with feelings and insights and such. I wanted to get an update to you all, but I had to rush off to see Walter Hooper in the city centre. I'll post about that next. As for more Scotland... mmmmm...

So, when I got there the sun had just risen and the sky was cloudy. Go figure. From there I just assumed that I would have to get lucky to not get rained on, although my umbrella provided some assurance that I wouldn't get too wet. We went to Liturgy, Chris and I, under a cloud-covered sky, feeling a couple drops of drizzle. After the gallery, we walked to the near M&S (Marc Spencer) to grab some dinner. The cold was beginning to bite. We sat outside with our makeshift dinner, a smoked ham and mustard for Chris and a seafood mix sandwich for me, sharing a block of Davidstowe Cheddar and two kinds of crisps; Sour Cream and Red Onion was Chris' pick and mine was Roguefort and Bacon. All I can say is that I will never have a favorite crisp (chip) other than Roguefort and Cheddar. Wow. Holy goodness of life those were the best chips I've ever had and I am going to find the nearest store that has them and load up. Wow. The other crisps were good as well, but really, I could eat bags and bags of the other and never get tired of it. Wow.

The next day we woke to a cloudy sky as well.

"Please, just let us get through today without a downpour..."

Wow. This is the day we ended up with.



When we stepped off the train at Stirling, the remnants of the early morning rain still hung in the smell of the air and the puddles on the ground. We expected more. As we walked up to Stirling Castle, we saw some blue coming in from the west. Soon, the blue was all we could see, and I don't think I will ever see such a day in Scotland again. Hopefully, I will, but I have to be Bilbo Baggins, Luckwearer, in order to be granted such a day again. This blue sky provided us with mile upon mile views. From the north, south and west we saw Highlands. The east provided the industrial smokestacks of Falkirk. Green, orange, yellow, red and blue were the choice colours that the landscape decided to wear that day. Now I want to see Maine in the fall. People say that nowhere greater is there to see the trees in the fall than in Maine. I want to compare Maine to here, because truly, these colours were absolutely magnificent. And yes, I'm trying to spell like a Britishman because I'm here.

The bus ride today from the airport provided the excellent scenery it always does, and I am going to be sad to see the trees go bare soon. The English countryside is all that it is cracked up to be, I must say. I'm getting more and more impressed with England as the days progress. The beer is outstanding, the people don't smell, their teeth is as good as ours, the food is flipping amazing (especially the cheese), the countryside is fantastic and history, of course, is deep enough to keep the most intense history buffs elated. I'm elated. I'm glad this weekend finally came. I came upon what I knew I would, which is my love of traveling. I can't wait to get out and see more. Wales, Ireland, France, Northern England, more of Scotland, Belgium, Italy... And when I get home, I most certainly won't be sitting at home during the weekends and the days off. Something Chris said makes a lot of sense:

"We have the same quality of landscapes available in the States as anywhere in the world. Here, the history is much older and the roots run deeper. So if you don't have time to see everything here, see the things you can't see at home. Go to the castles, monuments, museums and do things you can't in America. If you have time to enjoy the scenery, fine, but if you don't have the time, do that at home."

I'm paraphrasing, yes, but the matter is that while I'm here, I need to enjoy all that I can't when I'm home. However, it also says that I need to enjoy things at home. So now, I want to do things that people here can't. I want to go to the Indy 500. I want to see Mt. Rushmore. I want to see the Grand Canyon and climb some Rockies. I want to walk the Appalachian trail and see the Liberty Bell. I want to go to Gettysburgh (yeah, Mom and Dad, I actually want to go now!) and see Graceland. I don't do any of these things that I have so close to me at home, but I'm over here doing things that we can't do at home. It's strange; here, people don't do the things I'm over here to do. They would, however, love to go to the Indy 500. They want to see the Rockies. My travel bug has bitten. The lust has begun.

Sorry for the rambling, but hey, you're the one checking on my life, so here's what you get! Hahaha... Cheers...