Bit of trivia for the day.  Edinburgh has both an old town and a new town. What is rather funny is that the “new” town was started in the late 18th century! Not exactly what I expected when I heard it was a new town.

We left Edinburgh this morning heading to the Scottish Highlands to briefly experience the area before ending up in Glasgow for the night. We will only touch the southern portion of the Highlands; it would take another whole trip to give the Scottish Highlands the justice they deserve. It was cool and cloudy with occasional sun breaks, but no rain. The landscape has become hilly and more wooded. Initially there was a lot of farm land but farms became less and less the further north we went, replaced with heavy forests. The Highlands are sparsely populated, having only about 4.5% of the Scottish population . This is where the Scottish clans resided and ruled until they were eventually kicked out by the Gentry who wanted the land for animal grazing.

We made a brief stop at the town of Stirling to see the Stirling Castle and the Battleground of Bannockburn (June 1314) where the Scottish finally defeated the English and gained their independence. Both areas are important to the Scottish people. William Wallace (Braveheart) and Robert the Bruce are the two prominent names in Scottish history you might be familiar with. This is where they made their fame. Another name we all recognize who was associated with this area of Scotland was Rob Roy, known as the Robin Hood of Scotland. Others may associate his name with a version of the Manhattan drink, made with scotch rather than bourbon, called the Rob Roy.

We stopped for lunch in a small town called Callander, and ate in a local bakery/tea room, choosing local delicacies as steak or chicken meat pies, sandwiches made with fresh bread from their bakery and cheese scones that came with a bowl of carrot soup. It was all delicious!

Our destination after lunch was a boat ride on Loch Lomond, one of the major lakes in the area. We all have heard of Loch Lomond. It is not the site of the legendary sea serpent but it is the subject of a very famous sad Scottish ballad, called the Bonnie banks o Loch Lomond,  that contain the words “You’ll take the high road, and I”ll take the low road”. The 24 mile long lake is in a National park and thus has little habitation on its shores. It is a lovely setting and reminds me of some of the lakes in the Olympic National Park where we live- trees, more trees and water, surrounded by tall hills and a few 3,000ft. mountains called “Monroe’s”.  We had a one hour narrated boat ride down the lake to the next town where we met our bus. True to the nature of Scotland weather a rain shower managed to pop up, lending a serene scene and even a brief rainbow that seemed appropriate for where we were.

We had a OMG moment during the trip as our narrator told us this was the home of the MacFarlane Scottish clan, and she showed us the ruins of one of their hideaways on a small island in the lake. It turns out the clan were noted for being rustlers of cattle and sheep and this is where they would go to escape detection and capture. The OMG part is that we have close grad school friends in Seattle, Dr. Jim and Sue MacFarlane who told us about their ethnic heritage many years ago, laughing that they found their ancestors were not from a prominent Scottish clan. Unfortunately, we lost Jim several years ago but for a moment I felt his presence as we passed the home of his ancestors.

 Onward to our final destination action of the day, the industrial city of Glasgow. Glasgow is a “new” city, the product of the industrial revolution so it lacks the old world charm of other Scottish cities. As the clans were driven from the highlands they often ended up in Glasgow because of the jobs it offered. It is situated on the River Clyde, with access to the Irish Sea so shipbuilding has become an important industry here. It is also becoming a financial center for the country. Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland, with 1.5 million people living here.  It is a working man’s city and has a reputation of being a “gritty”.

Our hotel is a Radisson Blu located in the heart of the city. After checking in, Gerry, Sue and I went for a walk, looking for something to buy! Near the hotel was a long pedestrian mall. We were pleasantly surprised at how modern the area was and how many people were out and about. Of course it was 4 PM on a Saturday so that might explain part of the hustle and bustle. The stores lining the walking street carried high end brands, and most of the people were smartly dressed. There were buskers plying their trade, including a very young, geeky looking boy who could really sing. SImon Cowell, where are you? We all found a few trinkets to buy, including Gerry’s new prize possession- a set of children’s bagpipes! I am not sure if it was for one of his grandchildren or for himself, as he has been known to buy musical instruments in places where we have travelled.

Dinner tonight was an optional event, at a local restaurant called the Red Onion, where the owner/chef was once a personal chef for Tina Turner, Guns N Roses and Brian Adams. That was enough information to convince us we should be going there. It was an excellent choice and we all raved about our meals.