Vacation Wrap-up

We left Glasgow and were up for 24 hours and but got home safely. I slept for the next 24 hours. I finally got the bags unpacked and laundry done yesterday and am ready to clear off my notes and remaining photos from my phone.

The trip was amazing and I wish I had been 20 years younger and had had twice as much time to explore. 

Scotland in general was my favorite with Glasgow at the top. I love that they take graffiti prone areas and white wash them once a month so new artists can have a place to work.

The Highlands held a special place in my heart. It felt like home. They seem to have adopted building codes similar to Santa Fe where new homes resemble the old architecture. And the brogue is almost a foreign language. We truly are a people divided by a common language!

I never need to be in London again. There is a lot of history and architecture of interest there but I can't handle the crowds. And if I ever have to go through Heathrow Airport again, I will pay someone else to do it for me. 

The entire country in general seems to be a place comfortable with dogs in public places, people from all over the world, LGBTQ folks, and us tourists that can't quite seem to learn how to speak English properly. There is a dedication to the environment with solar and wind being used everywhere. Most vehichles are moving to electric. Bicycles are a big deal with rentals everywhere and real dedicated two-way lanes. And all trash bins are set up for recycling.

Everything seems backwards. Light switches get pushed down to turn them on. You drive on the opposite side of the road and escalators are the same. But when you are on the sidewalk in tourist areas the traffic flips back to everyone moving to the right. The only time that didn't seem to be true was during the work week at rush hour. 

The Scots have a wicked sense of humor. I had a map of Glasgow and asked the guy at the hotel if he could tell me where we were. He just smiled and said Why, you're in Glasgow."  When I approached a street cop and told him I was lost he stuck out his hand to shake and said "Glad to meet you, Lost."

 But my favorite was getting on an elevator with a group of four ladies my age. At the next floor a young man got on. There was a momentary delay in movement on the lift and one of the women said to him, "you are stuck on an elevator with a bunch of women...your dream come true." And about five seconds later..."or ours!"

And there were things I thought were standard that were not usual there. We only stayed in one hotel that had washclothes. You usually had to ask for a glass of ice for a drink and, even then, it would only be half full. There were rarely bars or hooks for hanging wet towels with the exception of some towel warmers early on. And there are no plugs in the bath for hair dryers. They have a station out in the hall with plug and mirror. And all of the public toilets here have hand airblowers only. Having always been a paper person myself, I grew quite fond of seeing all the different designs i could create on my loose old skin with that much air pressure moving it around.

The road lanes there are narrower than in the states but they have fewer accidents - I guess because everyone is being so careful. I never need to ride a roller coaster or other thrill ride at an amusement park again. I have been on a British bus flying down narrow, sometimes single lane, roads where the passing vehicle seems inches from my window. They get so close they have rear view mirrors that look like antenna and are designed to give maximum sight without sticking out too far to the side.

And the etiquette on the roads was interesting. On single lane roads one has to back up to a turnout when meeting another car. Who moves seems to be determined by who is closest to a turnout or by how big you are.

The license plates stay with the car for ever. Someone just sold an old junk car for a whole bunch of money because the plate, BS 1, was highly coveted.

I was fascinated by all the different ways they paved walkways. They seem to be designed to let the rain pass through instead of running off.

I never tripped once. Maybe like the narrow roads I was being more cautious than usual.

Television is the same but different. There are all the same game and reality shows but no ads for pharmaceuticals or lawyers to help sue after you take them. Advertising there is much more soothing with softer colors and pitches.

I spoke earlier of all the different kinds of restaurants. On the way to the train there were three Indian diners.

These two at the top of the road and one at the bottom that said Southern Indian. And I just thought there was Indian.

And all the different languages. I wanted an app on my phone that didn't translate as much as identify what I was hearing so I could start collecting them, kind of like license plates on a road trip.

The ferry ride was an eye opener. I had been on a cruise and was disappointed that the ship didn't rock more. Not the case here. I was sitting watching out and there were times all I saw was sky followed by seeing nothing but water. We were all walking around swaying like drunken sailors and it made me wonder if that stereotype had less to do with alcohol and more to do with occupational habit.. . It is the only time I have been on something that needed two locks in the toilet - one to keep it open and one to keep it closed. I loved that they had one entire lounge area for dogs. 

Mike almost had a heart attack when I spotted this place. It was like Hancocks met Joanne's inside a designer upholstery store. The cost of shipping stuff home is the only thing that saved him.

And some photos I didn't post. I could go back over there and just do a photo album of window designs. Mike and I both found we liked wandering neighborhoods to just see how people lived. We even spent an hour going through a local grocery store just to see how different it was. Note: Kit Kat Bars are everywhere. They are made there!

And finally, a last word about haggis

I tried some. My opinion is that it full of important things like protein, fat and calories - just what you need to tide you over during a famine. It can be the one thing that prevents you from cannibalizing your neighbor during tough times.

😉