Spain/Scotland

We visited the countryside today and ended up in Glen Coe.  It is located in the Highlands of Scotland.  It was formed from volcanos, then shaped by glaciers during the ice age. Glen Coe is regarded as the home of Scottish mountaineering and is popular with hikers and mountain climbers. We learned that in 1692, in the aftermath of the Jacobite uprising of 1689, an incident known as the Massacre of Glencoe took place in the glen. Thirty-eight men, women and children from Clan MacDonald of Glencoe were slaughtered by government forces on the grounds that they had not been prompt in pledging allegiance to the King William. After visiting Glen Coe, we decided to track down some castles.   Castle Dunstaffnage Monty Python and the Holy Grail was shot at this castle (Castle Stalker) and made an appearance as Castle of Aaaaarrrrrggghhh! Castle Barcaldine The roads can be quite narrow when looking for castles. This guy was nice enough to back up till he found a pull off.

Well, we rented a car today and drove 90 miles from Glasgow to Oban.  Oban is northwest of Glasgow and basically sits next to water from the North Atlantic Ocean. It was a very scenic drive as we drove next to Loch Lomond and through the Trossach National Park.  RoxAnne volunteered to drive the car, which was quite a challenge.  The driver sits on the right hand side of the car, they shift with their left arm (all cars have manual clutches), and they drive in the left lane of the road.  Roundabouts are everywhere and you drive clockwise thru them, instead of counterclockwise as we do in the USA.   We are staying at the Oyster Inn which is located right next to Loch Linnhe.  We saw seals swimming in the water.  The internet is not very good here at the inn, so not many pictures today.

We are currently in Glasgow.  It is the most populous city in Scotland with an estimated population of 635,640. It is located on the banks of the River Clyde, in West Central Scotland. Another important river is the Kelvin, a tributary of the River Clyde, and was named after Baron Kelvin, the renowned physicist for whom the SI unit of temperature, Kelvin, is named.   One of the most significant differences between Edinburgh and Glasgow is that Edinburgh is beautiful to walk around and soak in the beauty of the ancient, big city. Glasgow is more about culture and the vibe. There are so many bars, clubs and gig venues with daily shows.  Glasgow is full of art – conventional and unconventional. Most of the museums and galleries are free. Glasgow is full of street art and murals can be found all across the city. It was raining this morning, but a local told us that "Today's rain makes tomorrow's whiskey".  We rode a hop-on/hop-off bus around the city and visited the Kelvi

We visited Holyrood Palace or Holyroodhouse today.  It is the official residence of the British monarch in Scotland. It is principal royal residence in Scotland since the 16th century and is a setting for state occasions and official entertaining. Holyroodhouse as it stands today was built between 1671 and 1678, with the exception of the 16th-century north-west tower.  The late Queen Elizabeth II spent one week in residence at Holyroodhouse at the beginning of each summer, where she carried out a range of official engagements and ceremonies. Luckily for us it is open to the public throughout the year, except when members of the royal family are in residence.  The bad thing was that we were not allowed to take any pictures inside the palace. As you go through the palace you think that since the 16th century there has been a lot of royalty walking in the same halls and rooms that I was walking. Legend has it that in 1127, while King David I was hunting in the forests to the east of Edinb

Nice sunny day, but still a little cool. Today we visited " Her Majesty's Yacht Britannia", also known as the Royal Yacht Britannia.  It is the former royal yacht of the British monarchy. She was in service from 1954 until 1997.    During her 43-year career, the yacht travelled more than a million nautical miles around the world to more than 600 ports in 135 countries. Now retired from royal service, Britannia is permanently berthed at Ocean Terminal, Leith in Edinburgh.  It was kinda unusual locating the tour.  You entered the yacht from the second floor of a shopping mall.  The yacht looks like a small cruise ship.  It is 412 ft long and has the capacity to hold  250 guests,  21 officers, and  250 Royal Yachtsmen.   U.S. presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, and Bill Clinton were all guests on the yacht.  HMY Britannia The bridge.  The map room Storing various signal flags Land Rover for the King and Queen to use when they are docked Holly and Cha