Scotland

We are in Scotland!  Amy and I left our hotel in London at 6:00 to catch our 7:00 am train to Scotland.  We arrived at the station by 6:45, which seemed fine because the train did not have an assigned platform.  For you Harry Potter fans, we were at the King's Cross rail station.  We got a litter nervous as other trains had platforms assigned and still no news on our train.  Then, the sign said we would board at 7:00, which gave us some comfort.  Then, at 7:00 am, all information about our train was suddenly removed from the electronic board!  This was troubling because when we picked up the tickets, the clerk said they were only good on that train.  I went to the ticket counter to ask and they said "hmm..." and made a phone call, thne came back and said the train was running late, but would be boarding shortly on track 9 3/4.  Just kidding, he said track 8.  Well we walked out of the ticketing area and they had just started to board the train.  Our car was all the way at the front.  I think I was the last person to get on board and right after I sat down the train started to pull away from the station.

The train ride (after boarding) was pleasant.  We went up the east coast of England and could often see the North Sea.  The country looks surprisingly similar to Michigan.  Lots of farms, rolling hills, rivers, and trees.  There were also many farms with grazing sheep, which is certainly different.  Just before we arrived in Edinburgh, we passed by Muirfield, which is the site of the British Open this year.  That is likely why hotel rooms in Edinburgh were $500/night when I looked.  We were too far away from the course to see any golfers, but it seems that they had ideal weather.  The train made good time, traveling over 250 miles in just over 4 hours with several stops.  There were very few rail crossings, especially towards London.  There were many tunnels, some probably 1/4-1/2 mile long.  We switched trains in Edinburgh for a train to Glasgow.  We did not travel quite as fast because we made about 5 stops and the distance is about 50 miles.

In Glasgow we got off the train and headed to the tourist information center, conveniently located a block from the train station (Queen Street).  Accents definitely let us know this is Scotland and not London.  We picked up a few maps and guides for the area and Scotland then took a taxi to our hotel.  Note to readers: when booking a room in Europe, verify that it has a private bathroom if that is what you would like.  Well, as you might guess, the room I reserved had a shared bath down the hall from our room.  We decided that it was worth a little more money to have the comfort of a private bathroom.  Our new room is nice and the hotel is very quiet.  With the window open I cannot hear any traffic noise.

The reason for our visit to Glasgow is to visit two museums.  We stopped for a bite to eat on the way to the museums.  I had a smoked salmon and beet relish sandwich, which was quite good.  The Hunterian is part of the University of Glasgow and contains a nice display of 12 carved stone balls.  Amy was also impressed with its collection of Roman artifacts and the way some exhibits were mounted.  The Kelvingrove has a display of three carved stone balls.  We stayed until they closed.  Both museums are within easy walking distance from the hotel along streets lined with shops and restaurants.

A building at the University of Glasgow.

The collection on display from the Hunterian.

The original meaning of bowling green.  This was in the park near the Kelvingrove.

The entrance to the Kelvingrove.

We stopped along the way back to the hotel at a little beer garden for a refreshment.  It is hot here in Scotland, sunny and in the 70's.  Maybe not hot by US standards, but certainly for Scotland!  It is much better than the near 90 temps we had in London the past few days.  We stopped a little later at an "American Diner" for a Scottish interpretation of American cuisine.  Amy had a pizza with an atypical combination of toppings and I had bream (fish).

Another view of the university across a park near the Kelvingrove.

What time is it?  (The clock is broke.)

In the beer garden it is Guinness time - our Scottish version of Patio Party.

The front of our hotel.

We stopped at a little market for some snacks in preparation for our car tour of Scotland that begins tomorrow.  After taking stuff to the hotel, we walked in the nearby botanical gardens.  The weather is simply great and we wanted to make the most of it.  They have a rose garden that has some fragrant roses blooming.  There we many other roses that had already bloomed and some had hips the size of walnuts.  The gardens had plenty of benches, so we walked some and sat some.  Amy brought along her knitting, so I people watched while she worked on her sock.

We ot back to the hotel and worked on our plans for tomorrow.  We will be renting a car and driving back to Edinburgh with a museum stop along the way.  This will be interesting because I will be driving on the left most likely using a stick shift - look out Scotland!!  We will spend tomorrow night across the Firth of Forth from Edinburgh.  I am not sure we will have internet access, so don't assume we have died in a fiery car crash if you don't see a posting.