Travel Diary

Wow. I had to think about that one. There were so many special events to choose from: standing on the highlands, viewing the monstrous mountains with the cold wind whipping around us, peering out over the city of Scotland watching the sunrise while listening to Bach's Alirio Diaz, sipping various Scotch whiskeys and deciding which tasted the best.

I would hate to leave any of those special memories behind. And fortunately I don't have to. Though, if I have to pick one, I'd pick the sunrise over Scotland. Up on the hill of Edinburgh castle, I could feel just how far away from home I had come. I could observe a city coming to life as the sun struggled to overcome the ever-persistent clouds that sought to prevent the sun's light from ever reaching me.

Many things came to life during my visit to the land where William Wallace once made his stand. Words from songs suddenly had a place and meaning. The fabled Loch Ness was no longer a mythical far off place. The numerous Highland clans were now only separated by time, but no longer by distance.

The Scotland trip began on Thursday, November 21, 2002. And due to some uncontrollable event, it almost didn't even happen...

Thursday, November 21, 2002

It began like most days. Grey clouds covered the sky. I got up later than usual since I didn't have class. The only class I would have had was a four-hour film class beginning at 1:30pm. Since the plane was leaving at 3pm, class would simply have to be missed. While I hate missing class, the choice between seeing Scotland and watching Citizen Kane wasn't exactly a difficult one to make. Let Orson have Rosebud; I'll take the Highlands any day.

The rain fell at a medium pace as I walked down to the laundromat to pick up my laundry. Everything was clean and neatly folded. Nothing was shrunk or damaged any further than the damage that I could possibly do back home in my untalented attempts at proper color separation.

At 10:20, I was packed and ready to go. Grabbing my duffel bag and backpack, I walked down to the Tube station. The weight seemed to increase with each step during my half-mile walk. It was times like that when I missed having a car. But my legs are stronger; at least I like to think they are.

It was 10:55am when I arrived at the Dilke house. Kalaine breathed a sigh of relief that I made it before 11. I had printed out some transparencies for her Fred Astaire presentation. I handed them to her and she quickly darted off to class. Having some time to kill, I did some writing for my History of Film class.

When 1pm came, the clan gathered together. This excursion would include Kalaine, Raquel, Mulana, and me. The Tube brought us to Kalaine and Raquel's homestay where they picked up their bags, and I deposited off my computer and report binder. Our next Tube station would take us to West Hanford to catch another train to Luton Airport--in theory that is. The trouble is that while the time came, the train did not. Ten minutes later, the schedule display finally showed a "DELAYED" notice. Another 15 minutes raced by. Concern was growing.

After another ten minutes, we gave up on the train and called a taxi. Ten minutes after that, the cab arrived and we rode to the train station. This train came on time and we were whisked away to the airport. Well, maybe "whisked" isn't the right word. This train was fairly fast, but kept stopping at stations to let people on and off. Didn't the driver know we had a plane to catch?

We were still on the train when 3:15 came and our plane was surely sailing off over the horizon. Once we entered the airport station, we still had to take a shuttle to reach the terminals. As we walked across the parking lot, I had a small vision about the plane still being there on the ground. The captain would be waiting in front of the plane with his arms crossed and tapping his foot. He would then frown, look down at his watch and say, "Come on you guys! We can't wait here all day!" The passengers would all have an understanding, solemn look on their faces as if to say, "Those poor people. They must have had to face the perilous uncertainties of the London Tube system."

No. Our plane had left without us. They just didn't care. Sure it hurts. It's like a cold swift kick in the stomach with an iron boot. But I'm learning to live with the pain.

There was nothing to lose by requesting another flight. So that's exactly what we did. And hallelujah, they got us on a flight an hour later. I was hoping we'd pass by our earlier flight as they returned. And I could then look out the window and give the captain one of those "Hey! Thanks for not waiting!" looks.

The sky was dark as we touched down in Scotland. Before exiting the terminal, we stopped by an information desk to figure out what to do next. That's when we made our first discovery: the Scottish people are very friendly. The information booth lady spent 15 minutes with us and gave us all sorts of helpful information. We even signed up for a bus tour around Scotland. This wasn't part of our original plan but it seemed like a good idea. We even prepaid for the tour. I'm glad we did. People are less inclined to oversleep in the morning when they're already shelled out 26 pounds for an event.

Taking a taxi was easy. We just stood in line and soon enough, we were heading towards our street in Edinburgh. The driver impressed us with his friendliness. He shared all sorts of information on our cab ride to our hostel. It was like having a tour guide and a taxi ride all rolled up into one.

The hostel was...well...it probably was not on anyone's top ten list of Great European Hostels. It was only $20 a night though and might have been worth half of that price. But it was a place to stay, and since I didn't contribute to finding it, I wasn't about to complain. The room held six but only the four of us were occupying it that night. Plumbing for the toilet was almost nonexistent. Needless to say, no one used it for anything serious. The shower had two temperatures of water: cold and extra cold. Kalaine claimed that it almost felt warm during one occasion, but we all agreed that it was temporary madness due to hypothermia.

But Scotland wasn't about the hostels so we headed out into the city. A café was our first stop. I scanned the menu and there it was -- haggis. My first mission was near its end. I would finally be trying this mystical meat. So when the waitress came by, I waited for everyone else to order and then gave her mine: a small Caesar salad. Yeah, call me a coward, but I'm not about to fill up my plate with meat that I may end up silently sneaking out of my mouth and back into my awaiting napkin. The salad would do just fine.

I was in luck though. Mulana ordered the Haggis and offered me a bite. Excellent! (Said in a Mr. Burns tone) Now there was little risk involved. I tried it. And the taste was...

Just fine. Not as good as a porterhouse steak, but not bad either. I guess it was similar to a meatloaf. I'm not a huge fan of meatloaf, so I didn't feel the need to experiment any further. The mission was accomplished. I had tried haggis in Scotland.

When dinner was completed, we walked outside and found the Haunted Edinburgh Tour. For whatever reason, most night tours are all haunted or contain ghosts, ghouls, and goblins. However, they do contain some interesting history as well, which turns out to be a good thing, since you never actually see any ghosts, ghouls, or goblins. The tour was a rather small one. Only six people showed up for it. And we were four of the six. The tour guide was a young Scotsman with long hair. He was dressed in black wearing a fancy black cloak. As an added effect, it was cold outside and rain came down steadily. These Scots pull out all the stops.

Much to my delight, part of the tour took place underground. It wasn't so much that I loved being underground, but more that we were out of the rain and cold. To add even more effect to the tour, I hummed eerie tunes along the way. But no one seemed to appreciate my thoughtful contributions to the tour. Alas, we were soon above ground again and back into the cold rainy night. Our tour finished at a cemetery. It was rather enjoyable--even without the presence of ghosts, ghouls, or goblins.

Another hour was spent wandering around the streets of Edinburgh. We were on a quest for dessert. A least that was their quest. My quest was for warmth. A small pub offered us both. They ate sweets. I regained circulation in my fingers and ears.

Since it was getting late, we returned to the hostel. The good news was that our room was warm. Not just warm, but toasty warm. Before we went our earlier, I had cranked the wall heater to a nice hot sweaty temperature. This was MY dessert. I fell asleep immediately.

The 7am alarm was one no one wanted to hear. Nevertheless, we arose and were actually out the door on time - well, maybe a few minutes later than planned. The streets were chilly as we ascended the streets up to the Edinburgh castle parking lot. The coach was already boarding passengers. It held 20 people. The good seats were already gone. Kalaine and Mulana sat in the middle area. Raquel and I sat in the back. I let Raquel have the window seat. Though, I warned her that I would be leaning over frequently to take pictures out the window.

It was 8:30 when the coach departed. We would be driving around for the next 12 hours. But it was nice not having to walk for once.

Once we departed Edinburgh, the scenery changed dramatically. It was hard to fight off sleeping. We were all tired. For the most part, I succeeded in keeping my eyes open. Our first stop was for breakfast. Outside the café was an old fence and next to that was a hairy cow. Well, that's what I called it. And that's what it sounds like the tour guide calls it. People were taking photos of it and the cow didn't seem to mind. Kalaine and Mulana were starving for food. Raquel insisted on getting cow pictures first. I of course had no preference. Cow now, cow later--it was all the same to me. Kalaine went inside, but Raquel needed help. More specifically, she needed me to take the picture of her standing next to the "heery coo." I got a few pictures as well. Suddenly, a truck and trailer pulled up. Apparently, it was time for "heery coo" to say goodbye. He probably had other appearances to make. Well, this time, Raquel's insistence paid off. Had we gone inside first, we would have missed photos of the "heery coo." Of course, I'm always willing to share my pictures with others.

Breakfast had to be consumed fast. We were now at a high latitude line in the late fall. This meant for early sunsets. We knew we'd only get about half of the tour done before it was dark outside. And very few people get great pictures of the Loch Ness monster when it's pitch black on the lake.

The coach journeyed on and we were soon passing by Ben Nevis. It's the highest mountain in the United Kingdom. But we had to take their word for it. Dark gray clouds caressed the mountain and obscured the view about halfway up. Though, we could see snow over parts of it.

The coach kept ascending and suddenly, we were up in the Highlands of Scotland. This was exciting. The coach pulled over for pictures. Outside, a light rain fell. It was cold and windy too. But the air was ripping with excitement and energy. Huge domineering mountains lay in front of us. Rivers cascaded down the mountains. The entire view was magnificent. I no longer cared about the cold. I just wanted to stand there and soak up the atmosphere for hours.

But minutes were all we had. Time ran out and we climbed back in the coach. Moments later, we were passing by one of the many lakes. A misty rainbow arced its way into one lake. Even if the tour had ended there, it would have been well worth the money. During our stop for lunch, we visited a souvenir store. Free samples of whiskey were offered. Yeah. That's right. Free Scotch! Costco, please take note! Yeah, babym yeah. I could die a happy man now, even if I'm not a big Scotch drinker. The samples were small but strong and they only increased the intoxicating feeling that the highlands of Scotland had already given me. One brand that we all liked was Heather Cream. It wasn't a pure Scotch whiskey but it was made in Scotland and it tasted great. I picked up a small bottle for future toasts back home in America. Still, I wanted something really special. I wanted an aged whiskey. Three years are the minimum for Scotch, but I wanted something real old. The oldest scotch is said to be 64 years old. It's also said to cost 10,000 pounds ($15,000) a bottle. That's somewhat out of what I had budgeted for my Scotch acquisition. I settled on some 21-year-old Scotch. A full bottle of that was still too pricey, so I grabbed a little bottle--a very little bottle. It'll have to be a small toast -- maybe instead of world peace; it'll be to a cease-fire in Bosnia. (Unfortunately, I just discovered that it's a blended whiskey and not true single malt. Argh. Now, I have to go back again.)

Along the way, we were told of the great history of Scotland. The guide had an awful cold, but it didn't stop him from telling us stories of the various clans that once roamed the highlands and fought in fierce battles. Most of the stories were new to me. The only figure from Scotland's past that I was familiar with was William Wallace from the movie Braveheart. Incidentally, the movie was mentioned numerous times during our stay in Scotland, along with all its gross inaccuracies. We saw so much as we traveled along. There was so much time and so little to do. Wait! Strike that. Reverse it. (Anyone name the movie?)

The coach pulled over in a small town on the banks of Loch Ness. We all took some photos of the lake until it was time to depart once again. Driving around the lake took some time. We were now offered the chance to ride in a small boat out into the mighty Loch Ness and take some pictures of Urquat Castle. The cost was only six pounds and it wasn't something I was going to pass on. However, so many of us wanted to do this, so the boat had to take two trips. The sun was leaving at a fast pace and my pictures depended on at least some light to give them the desired effect. So I made sure we were in the first group out on the water.

The skipper was a friendly man. He answered all questions cheerfully and our ride was fantastic. No, he hadn't personally seen Old Nessie, but knew people who had claimed to. People have actually gone so far to scan the lake in efforts to figure out this ancient tale. The skipper pointed out the problem with the scanning is that sonar fans out as it goes down. So there are always numerous gaps closer to the surface. Add that to the simple fact that anything alive could simply have moved by the time you made your next sweep across the 24-mile long lake. Proving Nessie is there has been a daunting task. But to try to say that nothing big is down there is ludicrous. The skipper even showed us his sonar printout that displayed a big thing far down under the surface. He had no idea what it was, but he said it wasn't there during their next pass over the same place. (I'd insert my eerie humming here, but people always seem to complain.)

The lake ride only took 45 minutes, and it was one of the highlights of my day (and of my trip to England). I snapped pictures of the clouds drifting over the fading hills. I got photos of the ruined castle that once overlooked the lake. The cold didn't matter at all. I was much too excited to be cold.

The next group sailed off after we did. This gave us time to explore the town. My exploring was mainly done in a little gift shop. There was nothing I wanted to buy. The shop was just nice and warm. Ah. I could only stand being cold for so long.

We finally boarded the coach again and it was nearly dark outside. The next few hours would be mainly an audible experience. I soaked up as much scenery as possible as the final shadows of dusk faded into darkness. The final stopping place was for dinner. We entered a small café with the rest of the passengers from the coach. As usual, I opted to let others grab their food first. In line, I saw a nice deal on soup and bread. But when we reached the soup pot, it was empty. The last of it had been sold. Rats. Bread was cheap though. So I ordered three pieces of it. Mmmm. Good stuff.

The coach set off again and we were now on our last leg of the tour. Nothing could really be seen outside, so we just listened to some Scottish folk music as we traveled down the roads. Sitting at the back of the coach in the darkness, with the soft Scottish music playing was a truly emotional experience. Simply put, it felt wonderful. One of the songs was a piece I had heard in fragments over the years of my life. The chorus was this:

Ye take the high road
And I'll take the low road
And I'll be in Scotland afor ye
For me and my bonnie love
Will never meet agin
On the banks of the bonnie Loch Lomand

In the proper setting, it can really lead to a moment of epiphany. To say the least, it was another highlight of my trip. Another feeling that arose was an odd sense of security. It's a feeling that I believe one gets when young. It's when you're a child and riding in the back of your parent's car on the way home from a long weekend somewhere far (to a child) away. I'm not sure why it happens when riding in the back of a car at night. Maybe the security comes from knowing that you're going to be okay, and that someone is watching out for you and willing to protect you. Maybe it's just the fact that someone else is behind the wheel for a change.

It is somewhat ironic that this feeling exists alongside the feeling of "Hey, uh, aren't we traveling a little fast on these dark, wet, windy mountain roads at night?"

At 8:30pm, the coach arrived back in Edinburgh. We climbed out and groggily walked back to the hostel. The night was still young though. After briefly getting ready, we headed out in the streets. The first place we visited was a pub featuring live music. The place had plenty of room, which was a nice change for once. After a few minutes, we made a small discovery: this was an Irish pub and not a Scottish pub. No matter. If anything, it was a good thing since I knew I most likely wouldn't make it over to Ireland during this adventure. At least I'd have the experience of an Irish pub.

At 10pm, the band began playing. They were a talented group and even had a fiddle player. Fiddles add a great sound to almost any band. The music selection wasn't top notch. It was other people's music. That was okay. The music was primarily American songs. Okay, not as good. The period was mostly from the 80's. Ack. I didn't see many recording contracts in their future.

The once roomy bar was now disappearing at an alarming rate. By the time we left, one couldn't even see the floor anymore. The maximum occupancy levels in Europe seem to be much higher than back home. No wonder everyone is so friendly. You have to be when you're constantly two inches from the next person's face (assuming you can see their face through the thick smoke). Scotland is a wonderful place, but it is in Europe. And Europe still has its troubles with indoor smoking. Smokers aren't completely insane though. Sure, many of them still do love to dabble in the timeless art of dotting the landscape with cigarette butts. But lots of smokers have come to realize that the smoke does ruin the taste of food. So they light up AFTER the meal. Ah. Smart thinking. I guess the unseen trouble is that it's usually the person next to them who hasn't quite finished his meal yet.

To be fair, many European restaurants do have non-smoking sections now. And at least one (Wagamama's) is a non-smoking restaurant.

It was only 11:30pm when we exited the Irish pub. We were now heading for karaoke. Our choice was a place that we had passed by during the previous evening. Finally, we found it...nearly empty. The sign on the wall informed us that karaoke wasn't happening on Friday nights. Apparently, a lot of business wasn't happening either. We promptly left.

Down the street was a 70's disco club. That was something we had to check out. Smoke was billowing out the door. I assumed it was from a fog machine. And I was correct. Indeed, smoking was allowed inside, but few people were inside at the time. It was truly 70's though. The DJ had a huge Afro wig. A disco light turned overhead and sprayed the walls with colored lights. Keeping with true disco style, the walls had been painted bright yellow, orange, and blue. Abba's Dancing Queen was the current song being played. We danced until 1am and returned to the streets.

The streets were now filled with college students. A peculiar thing was that a lot of the homeless (?) people begging for handouts were very young. Possibly, they were college kids who came to Scotland, drank their money away, and now needed help. Possibly they came from desolate backgrounds. Possibly they were con artists looking for spare change. I couldn't tell. As I said, it was just a very peculiar thing. They were just so young.

Heading back to the hostel, I announced my plan for the morning. I would wake up around 6:45am and head into the streets to take pictures of the sunrise over Scotland. Oddly enough, no one wanted to join me. Kalaine expressed a little interest in coming along. And I think she honestly meant it. Though, I had moderate doubts that even I would accomplish this particular mission.

We had an odd surprise back at the hostel: two more sleeping visitors. This discovery wasn't totally unexpected. The room did hold six people and there were only four of us. We had to make do with the change. It wasn't a problem--mostly. I guess they had felt overwhelmed by the heater so they turned it off and opened a window. Nobody appreciates sweating in bed anymore. Nevertheless, I was tired and fell asleep fast.

6:30am came and I fumbled for my alarm clock. Snooze was pressed and sleep was resumed. I wouldn't repeat this action during the 7am alarm though. I got up, put on my shoes and coat, grabbed my bag and promptly headed out into the cold morning. Hardly a soul could be seen out on the streets of Edinburgh during his chilly Saturday morning. I climbed up to the Edinburgh castle parking lot. From there, I could witness the sun coming up over the sleeping town. Yet, the clouds had beatn me there. They did their best to stop my mission, but after an hour or so, the sun slowly began to shove its light through. The clouds absorbed much of the sunlight giving off yellow and orange light. I was kept busy switching between the video camera and the digital camera.

To add to my morning experience, I put on my mp3 player and listened to classical music. The wind was cold but not very strong. A rampart wall of the castle parking lot kept most of the wind from reaching me. On the other side of the lot, a fox trotted across and disappeared. Out over the city, birds were flying at the same height as I was standing. As time went by, their flocks grew larger whilst they circled around the old Scottish buildings.

Finally, the sun made a full appearance. My camera was kept quite busy now vying for the perfect sunrise shot. Afterwards, I wandered around Edinburgh looking for more magical pictures. But 9:15 came quickly and I returned to the hostel to wake the others. They were fast asleep and had trouble believing that it was now 9:20am. Slowly they arose and began packing up. The strangers eventually arose as well and were dressed, packed and gone within 20 minutes.

Edinburgh castle would be our first visit. Once again, I was back on the hill where I had seen my first Scottish sunrise. It was now after 10am as entered the great castle archway. The castle admission wasn't cheap. Eight pounds was on the pricey side. Still, this was something we had to do. The castle was a great place and the Scottish crown jewels were very impressive. Though, the place was no match for the Highland hills.

Inside the castle, we watched a history film. Across the aisle, I spotted what appeared to be a familiar face. Someone from our class was at the same place at the same time we were. Yes, it was a large coincidence, but the improbability of this happening wasn't terribly high. I mean a weekend usually means travel for many of us. Scotland was a relatively nearby place. Edinburgh is a top choice of Scottish cities. And Edinburgh castle was a number one tourist place. My shock is that we didn't see any other students from our program. After a greeting, John joined our group.

We toured the castle for a while longer and then made our way over to the Whiskey Heritage museum. It was there that we learned all about Scotch development. The tour was fun and finished with an option to join a special "Scotch Club" for six pounds. They would even give you four shots of various scotch brands to get you started. Yeah, everything was included but the location of your first AA meeting. Wahoo! Sign me up.

No, actually, I passed on this one. I do like the art of Scotch development but I'm not a huge fan of the taste. Raquel did sign up however, and she was open with her given samples. At the Whiskey Barrel Café, we ate our lunch. Afterwards, we toured more of Edinburgh. A local café was our choice for our desserts. But time was moving fast. We had just enough time to order a round (or two) of desserts. "Sticky Toffee" was the big choice for the group. Three orders of it were made. I just stuck with a half pint of Guinness. Traveling is a blast, but I have to keep some sort of cap on my spending.

We picked up our bags from the hostel, said goodbye to John, and took a taxi back to the airport. It was dark outside now. Our 6:30 flight was only 90% full as we took off out of Edinburgh and headed back to London. I could only sleep for a few minutes. The rest of the time, I read my book. The place touched down at Luton airport. Raquel thought it was a rough landing. I thought it was just fine for a 737. Though, I was also looking out the window and could anticipate the jolt of the wheels touching down.

From there, it was back on the train again. After picking up my things from Kalaine and Raquel's, I was back on another train. After a long Tube ride which included one stopped line and two more train switches, I was finally walking home. My vacation was over.

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