Scotland 7

Scotland 7: Day 7

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03.08.19 | Glasgow, Scotland | 15:46

This morning I had to wave goodbye to Edinburgh… well, it’s never goodbye: I’ll be back before the end of this trip, and am planning on many, many more visits. I finally had a clear, rain-free morning, Yes, the temperature was down in the 40s, but it wasn’t raining. I blew a kiss goodbye and boarded the train to Glasgow. When I arrived, it was raining.

It’s great to be back! I checked in to the Euro Hostels, where I have stayed more times than I can count on one hand, and went to find some lunch and a travel soap holder.

It needs to be said that Imperial Leather is the most awesome soap and smelling it reminds me of Scotland. This is because I have always bought it while I was in Scotland (the first time was probably because it was cheap). I believe the fish time was back in 2011 when dinosaurs roamed the earth [see my post from 2011]. Now this smell, just like the taste of Irn-Bru, always acts as a reminder. Has anyone seen this brand in the states?

I found lunch at a Wetherspoon, which is a restaurant/pub chain I’ve seen around Scotland. I ate my first proper fish. & chips of this adventure. This one was especially amazing because I smothered it in salt and vinegar. It came with a side of mushy peas, which made the meal even more spectacular.

Tonight is the first night of Country to County, which is the event that I have planned this entire adventure around [see site]. Literally- last year, I bought tickets to this three-night concert and so I knew I’d needed to be in Glasgow at least today, tomorrow, and Sunday. The rest of this adventure only exists because I bought this non-refundable tickets to this! Truth be told- I’m not entirely sure if the ticket were non-refundable, I never really looked into it. I just pretended they are- so I can justify coming back to Scotland.

I tried napping, but I’m just too excited for the concert tonight! As tired as I was, I just couldn’t sleep. If you love country music, you’ll understand why: Chris Stapleton, Lyle Lovett, Ashley McBryde, Drake White & The Big Fire, Keith Urban, Brett Eldredge, Cam, Chase Rice, Lady Antebellum, Hunter Hayes, Dustin Lynch, and Carly Pearce… that’s why. These are the artist who will entertain me over the next three nights.

It’s time to grab my umbrella and head out. The S.S.E. Hydro, where the event is being held, is about half an hour walk from the hostel. I hope I can get some awesome pictures and videos!

23:36

This first night was pretty amazing! I loved most everyone who performed, but I have to say I was most impressed with Ashley McBryde and of course, Chris Stapleton. I knew Chris would be good because I heard him perform at this very concert two years ago [link]. The man is flawless. I’ve heard Ashley McBryde’s album, but there were some really great songs that I connected with. I’ll have to go listen to her some more.

I took a few short videos and some pictures throughout the 6 1/2 hour festival.

Drake White and the Big Fire – Periscope

Ashley McBryde – Periscope

Lyle Lovett – Periscope

Chris Stapleton – Periscope

I’m really looking forward to two more nights of this! Tonight was an amazing night!

Scotland 7: Day 9

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03.10.19 | Euro Hostels, Glasgow, Scotland | 12:19

Glasgow got a little bit of snow this morning, just before it was replaced by the rain. I just got back from an early lunch- I found one of those sushi places where the entrees come by on a conveyor. You stack up the empty plates and then they count them up to figure out your grand total. I wasn’t paying attention and went a little crazy, to the tune of £34. It looks as if I’ll be going over my budget today.

Tonight was the third and final night of Country to Country 2019. It was an incredible evening. The first performer was Carly Pearce. She was really good. I’m not too familiar with her music though. My only complaint was that most of her set, her mic was too low and so her band pretty much drowned her out. If I was more familiar with her music, this wouldn’t have mattered as much.

Dustin Lynch was the next act. He is very talented and I like his vibe, but I’m not always in the “Bro-Country” mood, and that’s pretty much how I would describe most of his songs. He too, however, is very talented.

Hunter Hayes was next. There were parts of his performance where it sounded like he was a bit pitchy. He did admit to everyone that he’s been trying to kick a cold for the past two weeks- sadly it showed. I need to familiarize myself with more of his songs- I recognized probably about four of them.

The headliner and final act of the night was Lady Antebellum. The best way to describe their whole set was- AMAZING! They had the perfect balance with the band, so there was never a struggle to hear any of their lyrics. Country music is all you the story, and it doesn’t make sense when I can’t hear the words being sung.

So now that C2C2019 is over, I will sum it up… the absolute best acts for the Glasgow shows were Ashley McBryde, Chris Stapleton, Cam, Keith Urban, and Lady Antebellum. My absolute favorite artist (if I have to pick one) was Cam. I just love Cam’s voice and writing style, I guess. Three very fun nights!

Scotland 7: Day 8

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03.09.19 | Euro Hostels, Glasgow, Scotland | 14:34

On my walk this morning, I saw an old woman feeding the birds. How can I not sing “Feed the Birds” from Mary Poppins? Yes, I sang it to myself, but life is so good when it reminds you to sing.

I wandered back to the Brunswick Hotel, where I’d first had a meal back in 2011 [see post]. When I found it, I noticed that the name of the restaurant has been changed to The Amsterdam. I ordered the burger- this was a really great burger, but it was so messy that I could only hold it for the first two bites. I then had to eat it with a fork, because I wanted to drip down my shirt. I didn’t want to look like a mess in front of my servers: Angus, who is from Australia, and Shona, who is a local girl. They were very kind and enthusiastic when I told them a little about my adventures.

Hopefully, the large burger means I won’t get hungry tonight at Country 2 Country. I’m so looking forward to tonight’s lineup, especially Keith Urban and Cam. I am so into their music. It’s time to take a shower and get ready to leave here in an hour.

23:36

Night number two was amazing! For me, the highlights were hearing Cam and Keith Urban perform live (both are on the bucket list, and I’m blessed to check them both off at the same time.) There are only two things I would change from last night- the first is that I would have Cam perform her song, “Cold In California”, and the second is that I wish she would have performed longer. When she was onstage at the end, singing “Burning House”, and everyone’s lights were lit, I got a little emotional. Chasing dreams is an emotional past time.

One of the coolest parts of the night-I got to meet up with my friends John and Gayle. They are the couple who I happened to sit next to at last year’s C2C [see post]. After the show, we walked over to a nearby hotel, and once again, John bought me an Irn Bru. I love John and Gayle! I look forward to many more meeting is the future!

^Double-chins are sexy!

Scotland 7: Day 6

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03.07.18 | Edinburgh, Scotland | 22:49

After the daily morning rain stopped, I found myself back at The Apple Store, getting my phone fixed. I’ve been having some problems with my microphones. The technician took my phone to the back room and used a specialized brush to clean it all out. This is probably my fault because I refuse to buy a protective case for my phone. The thing is already big enough, without adding that protection.

Tonight I went to dinner at Mum’s, another one of my favorite restaurants in the city. This is the place to go if you want comfort food. I had three different sausages, a mustard mash, all topped with a caramelized onion gravy. So tasty!

Ion-Bru Float!

Scotland 7: Day 5

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03.06.18 | Edinburgh, Scotland | 22:27

This was another rainy morning in Edinburgh. This is not me complaining, this is me telling you that I used this reason to do some laundry, instead of running out. One of wonderful things abou this flat is that it has a washing machine. One of the bad things about this flat is that it doesn’t have a dryer. That means that I will either have to walk my wet clothes to a nearby laundromat, or just hang everything out to air dry.

Rather than eat a full breakfast or lunch, I’m munching on some cookies and drinking lots of herbal tea. I’m saving my appetite for tonight. I have made reservations (once again) at The Witchery. I’ve talked about this place in year past (link: my visits to The Witchery). All these wonderful dining experiences wouldn’t happen if it weren’t for my friend/coworker Gwen.

I decided to take a walk through Prince’s Street Gardens, which is just down from the castle and is pretty much the dividing line between Old Town and New Town. There is an amazing cemetery, right near, that I have explored in years past. I didn’t take the time to visit it this time, but will hopefully find the time before the end of this adventure.

Throughout my travels, I have heard stories where Americans have been looked down upon, for just being Americans. I remember before James and I went to France and Germany, back in 2000, I was warned by a friend that I should tell everyone I was from Canada or they’d be rude to me, especially on Paris.

I ignored this advice and had nothing but kind and caring interactions with all those who I had met. I was never ashamed of where I was from and if someone has a problem, that’s their problem and not mine. I’ve never felt this cold shoulder that I’d been warned about.

That is, until today: I’m standing in line at the Starbuck’s, waiting to order a hot chocolate. I notice the girl in line behind me has wet pants. I make no assumptions as to why her crotch is wet, she probably sat in something by mistake. I hear her American, or possibly Canadian accent so I ask her where she’s from. She tells me Ontario, Canada.

I smile and say, “Oh, we’re neighbors! I’m from the states!”

She rolls her eyes, chooses a condescending tone, and responds, “I would hate for anyone to find out I live next to America! How embarrassing!”

I respond, my tone just as cold as hers had been, “Looks like you pissed your pants! How embarrassing!”

One tradition that I was able to follow through with was going to get my dinner at The Witchery. If you’d stalked me for long, you’ll know that this is the most amazing place to eat in the city. A bit pricy, yes, but well worth it to have a fancy night out!

Scotland 7: Day 4

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03.05.19 | Edinburgh, Scotland | 16:16

My plans to head to the firth of forth were temporarily thwarted. When I woke up this morning, Edinburgh was having a very strong downpour. I don’t hate this weather, I just know I would have tracked mud all up and down the back side of my pants. Perhaps I’ll brave the elements tomorrow, whatever those elements may be. You’ll have to check back and find out if I did. Instead, I walked back to Princes Street, stopped in at the Apple Store, headed up to Calton Cemetery, and eventually walked up to Calton Hill.

I managed to take a live video on my Periscope account… just warning you there are some audio issues with my microphone but will have that looked at tomorrow at the Apple Store. I hope they are able to fix it- I hope it’s nothing more than a software reinstallment.

I had dinner at an Italian/Scottish restaurant called Papavero. It was a really great meal! I’ve probably been spending too much on food lately, but I justify this by telling myself that I’m on vacation and that I have budgeted for this.

Pesto Bruschetta
Lamb Shank
Banoffee Pie

About the time I was finishing up my dessert, as luck would have it, I lost part of a tooth. I bit into something crunchy and I thought, at first, that it was a piece of eggshell. Then upon further examination, I realized that part of one of my bottom-front teeth was gone. I should probably go get it looked at, but I doubt there is anybody in Scotland who would honor my dental plan. I guess I’m going to have to be careful and have it fixed when I get back to the states.

Scotland 7: Day 3

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A Beautiful Church

03.04.19 | Edinburgh, Scotland | 20:36

With the time zone adjustment, I didn’t wake up until after 11:00 this morning. I had planned on a walk that would have taken me about 5 hours, round trip, but since half the day was almost gone, I decided to forego that adventure for the time being. This would have taken me to an area where my ancestors lived.

As I was looking for some dinner, I was crossing between two main streets, and this restaurant caught my eye. I’ve found that so many fantastic places to have dinner are just off the beaten path. This gem was pretty much in a turning alleyway.

Smoked Borders Wood Pigeon, Orange, Endive, Candied Walnuts
Baked Scrabster Cod, Razor Clams, Barra Cockles
Montezuma’s Organic Dark Chocolate Fondant, Vanilla Ice Cream, Hazelnut Praline

All this, after I was hunting for a simple chippy for my dinner. This restaurant didn’t even have fish & chips on the menu, however. I guess that can wait for another night. I spent way too much on the meal- the understatement of the century.

Scotland 7: Day 2

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My Airbnb In Edinburgh (the two windows on the top right)

03.03.19 | Edinburgh, Scotland | 11:36

I ended up going to bed last night at about 20:30- I don’t know the exact time, but I knew it was early still. At 04:00, I woke up and thought that maybe I’d had enough sleep. I fell back asleep soon and was zonked out until about 10:40. Since church starts at 10:30 and is about an hour’s walk from the flat, I guess that church isn’t happening today.

21:27

I decided to go for a long walk through the city, all the way into Old Town. I ended up walking down to Holyrood and climbed Arthur’s Seat. Such a great leg workout! While I was up there, I shot a quick Periscope video- the view from the top is always so breathtaking!

The rest of the day was spent at the flat. Since I couldn’t attend church this morning, I guess I tried to salvage what was left of the Sabbath day. I heated up a frozen shepherd’s pie that I had picked up from the market for dinner. It was really good, especially for not being freshly made.

Scotland 7: Day 1

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03.02.19 | Edinburgh, Scotland | 12:15

Before I left the airport this morning, I stopped in the airport Starbucks and ate a chocolate muffin. Since I didn’t get any sleep on the plane, I needed to put something into my body that would give me some energy. It was after 08:00 (01:00 to my body) and I just needed something.

I walked outside and requested an Uber. It’s a nice, partly cloudy day in Edinburgh. It’s not raining but it must have yesterday, because the streets are all still wet.

I requested an Uber and I had my driver drop me off at the Omni Centre in New Town. This place has plenty of restaurants, a gym, and even a Vue cinema. I just don’t have the energy to do very much exploring right now. I needed a place to keep out of the wind and just relax for the time being. I saw Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse– mostly because it was the first show playing at that moment.

I really enjoyed the animation, but there was just too much going on. I may have had a poor experience because I was fighting to stay awake for most of the film. If I could have, I would’ve spread out across the seats and just took a nap. Instead, I fought off sleep by trying to pay attention to the plot line. Occasionally I had to slap myself on the cheek to keep from dozing off.

19:49

I ended getting a late lunch at Slug and Lettuce, a popular restaurant at the Omni Centre. I’ve eaten here a number of times over the years- I ordered a vegetarian pasta. It was really good- I sometimes forget that I don’t have to eat a dead animal at every single meal.

When I checked into my Airbnb, the only thing I wanted to do was sleep. I was frustrated because I couldn’t find the lock box which had the key to get inside. I stood on the front porch of the building for about 15 minutes. Finally, the manager returned my message on Airbnb. She explained where it was and I walked up the stairs until I came to the top of the stairs, door ‘G’. 

This is a cute little one-bedroom flat. At this point, all I really wanted to do is use the toilet and then take a nap.  I set an alarm, just in case, but ended up getting a deep, three-hour nap. This was enough to catch up on some sleep, but I don’t feel like that was too much, especially after being up for about 24 hours. Hopefully, I can fall back to sleep tonight.

When I woke from my nap, I was feeling hungry again, so I walked down the street and found a little grocery store. I got some salad fixings, and small Belgium chocolate cake, some digestive biscuits (when in Rome) and some herbal teas. The plan for Scotland 7 is to not gain any weight. Therefore, I will eat more veggies, less junk food (yeah, right!), and be more active. If I can just come out even, I’ll consider my mission accomplished.

Scotland 7: PreTrip

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02.28.19 | DEN-DTW | 06:47

“We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm, and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open.” – Jawaharial Nehru

Today I am extremely excited to be making my way back to Scotland. This will be my seventh visit to this place where so many of my ancestors were born, lived, and died. Over the years, I have come to consider Scotland to be a sacred place. 

I just boarded the first of two Delta flights that will get me from DEN to SWF, on the east coast. I was able to score a positive-space ticket for $122 one-way. I’ll have a short layover at DTW, just enough time to change planes. This reason is so I can fly nonstop on Norwegian Airlines to Edinburgh tomorrow. There isn’t a whole lot I wouldn’t do for cheap airfare. Put me in the cargo hold- I don’t mind- just get me there. Plus, I had such good experiences on Norwegian the last three times I flew on them.

DTW-SWF | 13:04

After we landed at DTW, I had to walk all the way from the end of the ‘A’ gates to the ‘C’ gates- that is quite the hike! I kept looking for the Southwest gates, but all I could see was Delta. I think Delta pretty much runs the airport. 

I forgot to get my first crew some chocolates, as is my tradition, but I had enough time to run to a newsstand before my second flight, where I grabbed some Godiva chocolates for the second. My first plane, this morning, was a Boeing 737-900, but this second one was a much smaller CRJ-200, or as I call it, a Barbie plane. 

There was only one flight attendant working this flight since the plane doesn’t hold that many passengers. In the U.S., the law states that there must be at least one flight attendant for every fifty passengers. Because of this, the CRJ-200 only requires one working flight attendant, and her name is Tiara. She, as well as the two pilots, greatly appreciated the chocolate. 

Newburgh, New York | 17:52

Newburgh Airport (SWF) is such a small, and cute airport. I believe I saw a total of 8 gates, as I walked through the terminal toward baggage claim. Not as small as some airports I’ve been to (Google “Sumburgh Airport, LSI,  Shetland), but so cute. I’m surprised that any airline offers international flights out of here.

The Hudson Valley Hotel and Conference Center should probably be called The Hudson Valley Motel and Gang Center. When I entered the lobby to check in, there was loud R&B/Rap music coming from one of the conference room- and the “hotel” is about as nice as a Super 8. I don’t want to knock Super 8, but now, at least, you can picture the quality I’m staying in tonight. That being said, the bed is pretty comfortable, the sheets appear to be clean, and the shower and bathroom are free of any visible nastiness. 

I just got back from an early dinner at Panera Bread, where I ordered some french onion soup (it’s pretty cold outside tonight), and a barbecue chicken flatbread. I swang by Starbucks for some hot chocolate to carry back. This kept my hand from freezing, as I didn’t bring gloves on this trip. If Edinburgh is as cold as I think it’s going to be, I’ll have to buy some when I get there.

03.01.19 | Newburgh, New York | 09:20

It’s 24 degrees this morning, in Newburgh. I’m sure glad I packed a scarf at the last moment- I almost didn’t. I would just like to apologize to the fine folks who work at the Super 8 here in Newburgh, after my comment from yesterday. As I walked to Denny’s to find some breakfast, I saw a Super 8 that looked so much nicer than the Hudson Valley Hotel and Conference Center. Traveler beware- don’t always trust your instincts while on the journey.

After breakfast, I walked up the road to Walmart, so that I could find some treats for the flight crew tonight. I try to get something for the pilots and attendants. I’ve said this before, and everyone should do this! It’s sort of a nice way to say “Thank You”.

11:54

I just checked out of the hotel- I asked if I could get a late checkout but they said they’d have to charge me $50 if I stayed past noon. My flight isn’t until 8-something tonight, but my backpack is far too big and heavy to lug around all day. It looks like I’m about to hang out in a tiny regional airport for the next eight hours or so. Rad!

20:29

We just boarded the plane and are taxiing. The crew thanks me for the goody bag and gave me a bottle of water in return. They seem to be extremely kind. They keep walking by and asking if I need anything and keep reminding me that it would be no charge.

The guy sitting next to me, Sam, is probably wondering why they’re paying so much attention to me. He is a student at Penn State- he said that he is visiting Scotland for four days, then will head over to Ireland for two. He told me that he has friends in both places.

SWF-EDI | 21:07 (East Coast Time)

It still fascinates me that humans can take to the sky in a multi-ton, cylinder and cross an entire ocean. What a wonderful time to be alive! I wonder if the Wright brothers knew it would be this amazing! Fascinating and awesome and wonderful, and how I’ve been so incredibly blessed to make my living.