I cannot verbalize how grateful I am that John no longer has to fight the European roundabouts and narrow roads. Despite my occasional protestations, we somehow came through without a scratch! We returned the rental car that, interestingly, turned out to be the same Toyota hybrid model both in Germany and in Scotland, the exception being one was white with a left-side steering wheel, and the other one was gray with a right-side steering wheel.

Today we drove over 100 miles back to Edinburgh from Inverness. Heather covered the beautiful hills all along the route, and at one point I noticed that we were only 25 miles from Balmoral Castle, the Queen’s favorite getaway place. In fact, I understand that Prince William and family are there this week. Kate and two of the kids flew on a commercial jet to Edinburgh the same day we flew from Frankfurt to Edinburgh.

One of our short stops happened to be at The Kelpies—two, huge, horse statues. They honor the horses that helped pull boats alongside canals. In fact, a canal was present there, and we spotted some long boats and two swans.

We also drove by Stirling Castle, but with the parking lots full, we decided not to stop and go in; rather, we left the afternoon for Edinburgh Castle before going to the Military Tattoo. And no, this tattoo is a group of not just bagpipers and drummers, but also of dancers and singers and full bands. It could be described as eclectic precision!

As we fly back to Denver tomorrow, I will be happy to catch up on sleep. We’ve broadened our cultural horizons. Stay tuned for our next adventure!

Some things I learned from signage in Europe: ‘Concession’ means ‘reduced price for seniors/pensioners,’ not food stands. ‘Give Way’ really means ‘yield’ and ‘Elderly People’ with bent stick figures and a downward arrow means ‘walk here, you dithering, dottering old fool.’ I also learned a new preposition: ‘outwith’ (outside?). But I’m still not quite sure about the meaning of the same sign I saw twice along the roadway: ‘Heavy Plant Turning.’ Perhaps it refers to big trucks coming out of a manufacturing plant? And the most disconcerting sign relates to which hotel floor you’re on. Zero is the ground floor. The numbering of rooms can also be weird. Right now we’re in room 317 and it’s technically on the second story but is marked as level 1! Between strange-sounding businesses and signage showing how to use a toilet properly, I sometimes shook my head in disbelief.

I’m glad that, prior to this trip, I had learned that it’s important to bring your own washcloths. Pack light, as you have to carry your luggage up many steps, and there may not be a ‘lift’ (elevator) available. Don’t look off the road even for a second if you’re driving, be prepared for an incessant number of roundabouts, and always be vigilant to stay in the left lane (wrong, as far as I’m concerned).

We did encounter some scary stuff—almost getting sideswiped more than once, and witnessing a young man collapsing at the Frankfurt Airport. He was taken away by ambulance. And to hear that one of our family members back in the States now has Covid, it’s a helpless feeling.

We’ve enjoyed this trip, but I’ll admit it hasn’t been totally relaxing. Educational and interesting, absolutely! I did see a guy in lederhosen at the German wedding, and a dude in full kilt attire in Scotland. Yep. That alone proves we were there. 😁

After returning to our hotel this afternoon, I realized that all three sites we visited today revealed sad history.

The first place, Cava Cairns, is considered a prehistoric burial site from 4,000 years ago. Three circles of stacked stone remain. John is standing in one to show the size of it.

A few miles away from these cairns is the Culloden Battlefield, where the last civil war of the United Kingdom took place in 1746. A phenomenal tour guide explained much of British Royal history and why the battle occurred. Another cairns (but built as a memorial) is also on this site, as well as an 18th century stone cottage that served as a makeshift hospital during the battle.

After the battlefield visit, we drove seven miles to Fort George, which is located on a peninsula surrounded with water that flows directly into the North Sea. The fort was built not long after the Culloden Battle under the direction of (surprise!) King George. It is still used as an active military base, and there are actually many Fort Georges in existence around the world. A military museum is housed in one of the buildings there, with many soldier uniforms and weapons and even an extensive record of medal winners.

We walked close to four miles at all three sites today. It’s no wonder we’re tired. Uber Eats came to the rescue so we didn’t have to go out to eat.

We’re preparing for a long day of driving tomorrow back to Edinburgh, then it’s another long day of flying back to Denver on Saturday.

This morning’s rain gave way to sunshine by the afternoon. Most of the day we traveled up the west side of Loch Ness. And no, we didn’t spot Nessie—other than scads of colorful toys and stuffed animals in her likeness. We did see a “Nessie bush” where John posed for a photo.

On the way to Inverness, we stopped to see a large memorial statue commemorating Commandos. We also watched boats being raised through locks at the Caledonian Canal and then wandered through the ruins of centuries-old Urquhart Castle.

At a restaurant named “The White House,” John ordered a lamb dinner, and I finally drank Scotland’s “favorite soda,” Irn-Bru, that tastes (to me) like orange bubble gum.

We rode through the busy streets of Inverness to stop at Kingsmills Hotel, where we’ll stay for two nights before heading back to Edinburgh for the final night in Scotland.

I think I like this decor the best of any place yet—who wouldn’t like a purple sofa with purple plaid carpeting? 😁 And the other colorful place of the day was a post office south of Inverness where I mailed funny postcards (bagpipes and unicorns) to our grandkids.

Mark this morning as the first time I tried haggis. It was only a tidbit from John’s plate (and he finished it!)—but I figure that since I swallowed, it counts. Not bad, but just the mental gymnastics I did to eat it means it’s not worth a future imbibing unless starvation needs to be warded off….

As we left the Stonefield Castle, I noticed for the first time that two commandments were engraved on either side of the front door—to “love the Lord thy God with all thy heart,” and to “love thy neighbour.”

The two-lane road seemed curvier and tighter than yesterday, and the worst moment came shortly after we started out. A big truck crossed the center line and almost wiped us out, but thankfully John defensively clipped a line of bushes alongside the road. (No scratches along the car, at least!) It’s unbelievable to me how narrow the pavement is in Scotland—with absolutely no shoulder on either side.

We stopped in Oban, the “Seafood Capital of Scotland.” It’s a picturesque seaside town worthy of walking along the shore and watching boats come into the harbor.

An early afternoon stop came at the Glencoe Visitor Center. I learned one has to be careful saying you’re a Campbell here. A lady at the reception desk jokingly asked if I knew that I was not welcome. I told her I came to do penance and pay my respects, and she then said my presence was ok. In case you don’t know the story of the Glencoe Massacre, it’s probably one of the lowest historical moments in Campbell family history—killing dozens of their host family members, mostly the McDonalds. I did notice that the the McDonald tartan was prominently featured in the gift shop, but nary a Campbell tartan could be spotted. Is it any wonder?

We did enjoy watching a Glencoe history video and then walked over to a “turf hut” that was built last year with 17th century Scottish methodology.

Through spats of rain and sunshine, we drove the entire length of the Glen Coe Valley, admiring the lush mountains and occasional waterfalls. This wild nature preserve area of Scotland is well worth visiting, despite its dark history.

After driving back westward through the valley, we arrived at Ballachulish Hotel, which was built in 1887–fifty years after the hotel was where we stayed last night. The skies cleared so that we can appreciate the bridge and water views from our corner room.

After a Sunday afternoon flight from Frankfurt, we arrived in Edinburgh and walked the Royal Mile before sunset. Our 123-year-old hotel was charming, and the city most definitely has history. It was fascinating to see the streets crowded with performers as part of the “Fringe Festival”—mimes, a knife juggler, some guy cracking bullwhips, a woman performing magic tricks, and sundry other people eager to please the masses.

After a phenomenally decadent breakfast (Eggs Benedict) on Monday morning, a chatty Bangladeshi transplant drove us back to the airport for a rental car pickup. For several hours John acclimated himself to driving on the “wrong” side (albeit a nice highway), but then the two-lane, hairpin turns began. Lots of prayin’ going on from my side of the car!

In the early afternoon we stopped at Inveraray Castle, the headquarters for Clan Campbell. After several hours exploring the history and admiring the palatial rooms, we drove on down the coast to Stonefield Castle, another long-term Campbell-owned home, where we’re spending the night.

Thankfully, there’s a big clawfoot tub and hanging space where I could do needed laundry. I should sleep well tonight….

Just some random photos taken in Germany….

So many memories were made today, beginning with Aunt Linda continuing her tradition of decorating the getaway car with flowers. I’ll post mostly photos and share many words later. Suffice it to say I’m thankful that love brings much hope to our broken world.

The story of Ali, an Iranian Christian who escaped with only the clothes on his back, brought me to tears. He met my niece Arwen in his adopted country of Germany, and together they look to serve God. During the wedding service itself, we heard three languages spoken: German, English, and Farsi.

And during the reception, we sat next to the preacher and his wife. They now work among the Iranian refugees in Frankfurt, Germany. We discovered that her now-deceased sister went to church with us in Des Moines, Iowa many years ago. It really is a small world.

John reminded me that it’s been 47 years since we’ve been in England—and that was just passing through London on the way to Africa during our Emmaus days.

This time we came so I could attend Europe’s largest annual quilt festival. I entered two art quilts—“The Gift” in the pictorial category and “Faraway Family” in the contemporary category. There were 17 categories in all, with a range of entries (55-75 quilts in the two categories I entered). While I did enjoy seeing the quilts at Europe’s largest annual festival, I do think that Houston’s International Quilt Festival is better overall.

The first day we were so jet-lagged we didn’t walk much. But on the second day we walked around downtown Birmingham, England’s second largest city. The blended old/new city boasts more than 56 miles of canals—more than Venice. But did we see any? No. 😂 I must say, though, that England knows how to do public transportation well. Lots of trains go all over, and there’s even a monorail from the airport to the convention center.

While I’m glad to have had this experience, I’m not sure I would enter this particular festival again. The insane amount of money it took to just ship the two quilts makes a future entry look doubtful!