Driving on the other side…to Oban

by | Jun 5, 2024 | Food Experiences, Photography

Surprise! Two posts in one day. This is because we have to leave our Oban hotel tomorrow morning by 6:45 to get on a ferry to three islands at 6:55. I will have a complete report on that tomorrow (or, more likely, on Friday morning). But today was fun.

Our day was built around picking up our rental car and driving it from Glasgow to Oban by way of Inveraray. But nothing goes perfect on a trip, and this morning was but a minor inconvenience. Of course it didn’t seem so at the time because I was already a little stressed out just because I was going to have to rent car with the steering wheel on the “other” side and then drive it on the “other” side of the road. Please note that I did not say the “wrong” side of the road.

We were supposed to have breakfast at 7:30 and then call the rental car company when they opened at 8:00 a.m. At exactly 8:01 a.m., I called and was told the shuttle was very busy and couldn’t be here until 9:00 a.m. It’s really strange how so many people called in at exactly 8:00 a.m. to beat me to schedule the shuttle.

The woman on the phone said that the shuttle couldn’t be there until 9:00 a.m. we should take our bags and wait outside at 9:00 a.m., and if he didn’t show up by 9:15, we should call back. So out, we go onto a not-too-great street at 9:00, and there is no shuttle. I called at 9:15. She said he was held up in traffic and would be there by 9:30. This is about when it started to rain. We can’t really wait in the hotel as it is on the sixth floor of an office building attached to Glasgow Central Train station. So we waited. He finally showed up at 9:45. It was only an hour and forty-five minutes after we had originally scheduled to be picked up, but hey, what’s more than an hour between friends?

The driver (a very nice Scotsman) drove us to the car hire office at the edge of Glasgow. The “in-training” person took almost an entire hour to get us set up and on the road. We were finally out of there by 10:30 or so.

We wound up with a very nice, blue Mercedes-A-Class sedan. Just the right size to be big enough to carry us and our bags but small enough to fit on the narrow country roads. And some of them are VERY NARROW! When the car rental trainee said he was giving me a Mercedes, I said NO! I remembered that our friend Mike had put a very large Mercedes in a ditch when he drove here on a trip. Kathleen keeps freaking out because she says I am too close to the right edge of the road. She should have driven behind Paul when we were in Leeds ?. Then she would have seen what getting close to that edge is really like.

We headed north out of Glasgow towards our first stop, Inveraray. On the way we drove along Loch Lomond for most of the balance of the morning. Absolutely beautiful. We stopped at a small campground at the top of the Loch (a place called Firkin Point) so I could take photos. The light was about as close to perfect as you can get at midday, and the sun kept going in and out behind big, puffy clouds. Behind the clouds was a VERY blue sky. One minute it would be bright and sunny and the next a torrential downpour. Here are some pics from our first stop, including a photo Kathleen took of me when I was first driving on the “other side” of the road.

After our Firkin stop, we headed off to Inveraray, a lovely little seaside town. Or should I say Lochside town? Either way, it was cute and quaint, and it had a castle that was closed (boo hoo ?), but I still was able to walk all the way around it and then saw a sign that said that even if it had been open, no photography was allowed inside. We are sorry we missed the inside but there was nothing I would have been able to show you. Here’s the pics. Don’t forget; if you click the first shot, you can then scroll through with your arrow keys or by swiping…and PLEASE…don’t look at my photography on a phone. Please…

From there we headed north and west to Oban. On the way, we stopped at The Pass of Brander, where a major battle took place in 1308. I took one pic up Loch Awe (which is the largest fresh-water lake in the UK), and then we went on to Oban.

When we arrived in Oban, the first place I had been told to see was McCaig’s Tower. It’s an old relic sitting above Oban. It is overgrown but stunning, and the views are amazing. Don’t forget; if you click the first shot, you can then scroll through with your arrow keys or by swiping…and PLEASE…don’t look at my photography on a phone. Please…

And the only thing left to show you before I head to bed (remember we have to get up REALLY early) is dinner and the hotel. We went to a very cool seafood place (incredibly fresh seafood) called Ee-Usk and then back to our hotel where I took a photo of her in front of the door. We are staying at The Manor House, which is an old (but updated) British Inn. The service and room are WONDERFUL so far.

There are two seasons in Scotland: June and Winter.  —Billy Connolly

 

Feeling blah—easiest way to tour is a HoHo bus

by | Jun 4, 2024 | Food Experiences, Photography

Yup, I still have the cold. A little better than yesterday. We had planned to do the HoHo bus (Hop On/Hop Off) bus yesterday anyway but it was the perfect way to do an easy day and still see a lot of Glasgow. The weather wasn’t as beautiful as the day before, but there was a little blue sky every so often and no significant rain.

We had breakfast at the hotel and then took a brief ten-minute walk to catch the HoHo. Two people, two lines, one day, 50£. Not a bad investment. We started downstairs in the warmer parts of the bus, but then I had to go upstairs to take photos without them being shot through glass. I got a lot of things I am very happy with. I just kicked the shutter speed up and took the shot. And lots of copies of every photo. Sorry about the lack of captions. The wonderful lady who was doing the tour narration was a very fast speaker with a very deep Scottish accent. Suffice it to say, if we were watching her on TV, we would have had the subtitles on. You can tell me what you think about the photos after you see them. Don’t forget; if you click the first shot, you can then scroll through with your arrow keys or by swiping…and PLEASE…don’t look at my photography on a phone. Please…

That was pretty much our day. We came back to the room and tried to make up for the missing hours of sleep that I coughed through and then went to dinner at The Ivy restaurant. The Ivy is a chain of pretty cool places throughout England and Scotland. We have reservations at the original Ivy in London’s West End in about a week.  Here’s some pics from dinner.

It was a really great meal. When we go to London, the menu is slightly different, plus my brother Steve and my sister-in-law Jamie will be with us, so it will be more fun. The dinner was so good that I could eat the same thing again.

Today should be “fun.” As soon as we finish breakfast, we will check out of Grasshoppers and pick up our rental car to head to the Islands and the Highlands. It’s been 20+ years since I have driven on the other side of the road and the other side of the car. Like I said…”fun.”

Lots of people want to ride with you in the limo, but what you want is someone who will take the bus with you when the limo breaks down.   —Oprah Winfrey

Well it happened

by | Jun 3, 2024 | Food Experiences

I keep getting accused of being a constant complainer when I travel. My three British friends tell me I remind them of a character named Victor Meldrew. I think I mentioned him in Friday’s post. I try not to be like Victor. I really do. At home, I’m not that way. I am a happy-go-lucky guy who hardly ever complains about anything.

So, what am I complaining about today? Not the train ride we took yesterday. It was truly beautiful chugging through the British countryside, and the trains were on time. On the second half of our ride, we were on a high-speed train in the first-class coach, where two outstanding conductors helped me bring the luggage on board and then served us a delicious lunch. So, I have no complaints about the train.

Maybe the hotel we are staying in? It’s called Grasshoppers and even though there might be some tiny tiny stuff, it is basically a very nice place. And talk about convenience…it is situated on the sixth floor of the same building as the Glasgow Central Rail Station. So all we had to do was walk out the front door, make two quick turns and go back inside and up the elevator. We thought we would leave our bags and head off to look around downtown, but our room was ready. What a nice surprise. The people here are very nice. They have a room called the Sitting Room that I am sitting in now while Kathleen gets a little more shuteye.

Did I mention that they give you free breakfast if you book directly with the hotel? Or that they have cakes (choice of four) available 24/7, along with some delicious ice cream. How can you have a better hotel than that? Well, maybe better beds, but that has to do with my big complaint. Keep reading.

Am I complaining about the weather? Not me. If anything, it was too good. Bright sunlight and warmth with hardly a cloud in the sky. I took some photos, but the light was harsh. I much prefer that early morning sunrise light. Here are the pics I took so you can see what I mean. Don’t forget; if you click the first shot, you can then scroll through with your arrow keys or by swiping…and PLEASE…don’t look at my photography on a phone. Please…

Maybe it was the place we went for dinner last night? Not that, either. We had reservations at Banco di Roma, a lovely Italian restaurant about three blocks from the hotel. We figured by the time we were on the fifth day of our trip, we would want something a little different, and this place was just right. The food was superb (see the photos), and the ambiance (it is located in an old bank building that has been lovingly converted into a restaurant) was really cool. We even had two tables of people right in front of us for people-watching. You know the situation, family drama, where you make up stories about everyone, trying to figure out where they are from and who is related to whom. We do that all the time, but it has been a while since we had this many great people to figure it out.

So if it was the hotel, the food, the train or the weather, what am I complaining about—it’s the fact that once again on a trip—I am sick. I have come down with a horrible cold/flu. I don’t think it’s COVID (I have had every shot known to man), but it’s an ugly cold with a cough (that keeps Kathleen up all night), a very sore throat and a stuffed-up nose. I HATE BEING SICK WHEN I TRAVEL! It’s the worst. I am in a tiny hotel room with no place to go so Kathleen can sleep, and I can be comfortable. It just sucks. Hopefully, this doesn’t last long. We are going to go do the HoHo bus today so maybe that will make me feel better. Off to breakfast. I hope you have a great day.

Never complain and never explain.  —Benjamin Disraeli

And off we go…

by | May 30, 2024 | Air travel

As I type this, we are sitting in the waiting area at SeaTac airport waiting to board our Virgin Atlantic non-stop flight to London. We spent some time in the Priority Pass lounge and met two really nice couples. One heading off to England and Scotland (we told them we would look for them there) and the other heading in exactly the opposite direction—Asia, for a month-long trip starting in Tokyo and ending the Maldives.

That’s something I love about travel—meeting some great people. Strangely enough, the couple heading to Asia were both teachers from Chicago and he was a…yearbook adviser. We truly enjoyed talking about travel and today’s legal development with both of them.

So we are off. First to London, then a train to Leeds to see our good friends Paul and Gail. After that, it’s Scotland, London and then a Viking cruise to Norway. Please stick with me as I will do my best to post photos and the story every day. You should see some amazing stuff. If you want to know when I post, make sure you sign up for e-mail alerts when I post. You can see that field on the right.

See you in London.

The air of England has long been too pure for a slave, and every man is free who breathes it.  —James Mansfield

 

Been awhile…but it’s almost time to go again

by | Apr 27, 2024 | Air travel, Photography

Greetings, loyal (I hope) readers. It’s been a while—like since New Year’s Eve. I just wanted to give you a heads-up about some upcoming posts coming your way in late May and pretty much all of June.

Yes, it’s time to travel again. And what a trip we have planned. A full month in Europe will first take us to see two of our oldest and dearest friends, Paul & Gail, in Leeds, England. But before that, we get to try an entirely new airline that will take us from Seattle to Heathrow—Virgin Atlantic. We have never flown with them before, and to make it even more special, we have never (after more than 230 flights) flown on a 787 Dreamliner, but we will on this flight.

When we get to London, we will transfer to Kings Cross station for our train ride to Leeds. That should be fun. We are with Paul and Gail for a long weekend and then we are off on another train to the west coast of Scotland. Both Kathleen and I love everything about Scotland, and since we have spent a lot of time on the eastern coast  (Edinburgh, Inverness, Stirling, etc.), we thought we needed to do the west side, including Glasgow, Oban and the Isle of Skye. Here’s what our route looks like.

Once we finish our Scotland journey, we grab a train back to London (actually Greenwich) for a couple of days. While we are there, we are going to do two things I am really looking forward to. First, we are traveling to Richmond to take a one-of-a-kind Ted Lasso tour. This tour goes to all of the places where they filmed my absolute favorite television show of all time. That night, we are back in the West End to see a new musical (that was nominated for an Olivier Award), Kathy and Stella Solve A Murder!

The next morning, we start the BIG second half of our journey, a Viking Ocean cruise down the Thames River to the North Sea to sail to Edinburgh, the Orkney Islands, the Shetland Islands, Scotland as well as Honningsvåg, Tromsø, Bodø, Geiranger and Bergen, Norway.

After the cruise and a day in Bergen, we fly back to London (via Copenhagen), where we will spend the night at an airport hotel before another ride on Virgin Atlantic’s 787 back to Seattle.

All this means lots of photography and, hopefully, my usual daily updates for the full month of June. So stand by. We leave on May 30th. I will check in again before we go.

Adventure is just bad planning.  —Roald Amundsen