Lochs, Glens, & Nessie! Oh My!

I apologize for my lack of updates lately.  There are just so many things to do and that I've been doing, that before I know it, they have all added up.  The idea of updating becomes overwhelming.  But here is my attempt at it anyway.

I'll start with the week of 21-23 January.  Most of the week was spent preparing for the holiday to Scotland.  However, on Tuesday (22 Jan) Christina (who had been in London since the 13th, despite the fact that she refuses to update her half of the blog) and I went out to Camden to a Jaymay show.  Camden is the part of London known as the center of British punk and all things alternative.  It also has a massive market, where you can buy anything from boots to coats to gemstones to hooka pipes (as well as several other forms of drug paraphernalia) to art prints.  It's very much typical of markets, especially in that you are able to weasel down the price of almost anything with a little effort.  To get to the bar that Jaymay was playing at, Dingwall's, you have to take a cobblestone pathway lit by lanterns that once were gas-lit.  I of course brought the wrong credit card with me, and could not confirm my ticket. I must have seemed very earnest, however, because the woman at the ticket counter let me in anyway.  I couldn't help but think that that would never happen in the States.  People here are much more trusting.

I have been listening to Jaymay for over a year now, and seeing her live was an interesting experience.  She was a tiny person, light-footed like a sprite, and it's hard to believe that so much voice and creative spirit comes from within such a small frame.  She played some songs I knew and some unfamiliar ones as well.  I'm not sure I've ever been as captivated at a show before.

   "I know you're living in London

     cause you keep on complaining,

     'where is the sunshine?

    It's always raining...' "

  -Jaymay, "One May Die So Lonely"

On the way home from the concert, Christina and I forgot to pay attention and ended up getting on the wrong train without realizing it, going far out of our way, but generally not caring.

Then came the trip to Scotland.

I love train rides.  The one from King's Cross to Edinburgh was particularly beautiful, with lots of green and at one point the sun actually came out... and then disappeared as soon as we got off the train.  We arrived in the afternoon on Thursday, so there was some time to do a little site-seeing and shopping straight away.  Anne, Hans, Jeff and I walked along the cobblestone to Edinburgh Castle, only to find that it was closed.  No matter, though, we took some pictures anyway.  On the way back to the hostel, we stepped into some shops.  They were filled with plaid wool scarves, huge blankets, kilts, sweaters, and various golf accessories.

  

Back at the hostel, it was Robert Burns night, which is celebrated by reading one of his poems, eating haggis, and taking a shot of whiskey.  Very Scottish.  Before celebrating Scottish poetry, we had eaten at The Filling Station, a very American restaurant, so I at least had an excuse to merely taste the haggis.  In all honesty, it was not horrible.  Later we went back to the Filling Station for cocktails, but retired fairly early.  

Saturday morning the nine of us took a day trip through the highlands to Loch Ness.  Our driver and tour guide was an absolute nut, referred to everything as "sexy" (i.e. "sexy loch," "sexy bus," "sexy tree," "sexy rubbish bin"....), and was named Fergie.  He was hilarious.  Much of the trip was travel time, but we stopped about halfway through to a place called Spean Bridge for lunch.  I had the most amazing lunch I can remember having in a long time.  The sandwich was cool with cucumbers, caramelized onions and a delicious spread, and the potato leek soup warmed my whole body.  It was simply delectable.  Along the way to Loch Ness, we stopped at a couple "love nests," which are little houses along the river, usually by a waterfall.  I videotaped a little so maybe I will put some of that up at a later date.  As we were near approaching the famous lake, Fergie explained to us that in Scotland, there is no such things as "lakes" and "valleys."  No, there they have only "lochs" and "glens."  He insisted that we practice our pronunciation of "loch."  Lucccchhhkkkkkkk.  Must get the throaty sound. (You gutta "chhhh" when you say it.)  We also learned that if you pass 7 white horses in Scotland within one day, the next person whose hand you shake is to be your soul mate.

Finally, finally, after so many hours of driving in the sexy bus, we reached Loch Ness!  Fergie had promised that if we took off our shoes and socks, rolled our trousers up, went into the lake to our knees, and yelled, with our hands in the air, "I Believe!," that we would see Nessie.  I did not go into the lake.  Mackenzie did, though, but Fergie claimed that it wasn't good enough for Nessie because she didn't go in to her knees.  What a trickster, that Fergie.  Unfortunately, we did not see the Loch Ness monster.  It was fun anyway.  On the way back, we stopped at a ruined castle that I found very eerie and fascinating.

By the time we finally got home, we were all quite exhausted.  It was a 12-hour trip, mostly spent on the bus.  Nevertheless, a group of young students cannot be deterred from taking advantage of their legal right to consume alcohol.  We decided to pop into a few famous, historical bars.  The Last Drop is the pub criminals were taken to for their last drink of whiskey before being hung.  We also went into Scotland's oldest pub, The White Hart, which boasts a continuous 500 years in service.  Later, we stopped in at The Three Sisters, but didn't stay long.

The next morning, Anne, Hans, Jeff and I woke up early and finally went into Edinburgh Castle.  It was a very interesting place.  All cobblestone paths, entirely made out of stone buildings and towers.  It is a superb view of Edinburg, especially the garden below, with an ampitheatre and fountain on opposite sides, between which lies green grass and a winding dirt pathway.

A weekend well spent.

I won't bore you with the train ride home, but I will mention that during it, I completed my first successfully solved Sudoku puzzle.  I shall hang it up on the wall.

More later on the past week and a half between Scotland and now.. Stay tuned..

Cheers,

B.