Monday, December 27, 2010

November in a Nutshell


A little behind on my blogging as the madness of the holidays made it hard to keep up with posting.  November was a good month for me time wise, managing to get a little overtime in, flying some decent trips, and even having Thanksgiving off for the first time in a long while.

I enjoyed a nice layover with my friends Ramiro and Tom in Madrid.  We had a nice time walking around the city.  I am not sure if the picture will be understandable, but when we first went out, there were these crazy girls juggling bowling pins while cars were stopped at red lights at major intersections.


We paid our obligatory visit to the Museo de Jamon, mainly for cheap beer and tapas (where else can you eat and drink for a euro?).




Tom and I tried to get Ramiro to buy some "different" underwear that we saw in a lingerie shop, but he declined.  A little too much for the old guy I guess.


Dinner was a bit of a let down.  We went to Plateros, a crew favorite, but it must have been a off night, as the food was a bit sub par.  We had a nice surprise on the way home though because we went from being oversold to going out with half the seats empty because of morning fog that caused a majority of the connecting passengers to misconnect.  


I had a few Hawaii trips, with nothing special going on during those trips, except a smart-allecky purser on one and a bossy aisle flight attendant on the other who would not tell me how she wanted me to set up her carts ( I was the galley), but then complained about how she didn't like the way I did it.

I was lucky to score another trip to Japan, getting it off our Option II list, (overtime).  You could have knocked me over with a feather when they called to offer it since those types of trips don't normally make it to my seniority.  Too bad it rained the whole time I was there.  We did get to help Donny, one of the crew, celebrate her 60th birthday on the way over!  At least there was no earthquakes this time.  It was the longer trip, so I was able to catch up on sleep. 


The end of the month was a first time trip to Turks and Caicos, a resort located to the east of the Bahamas.  My friend Catherine was the purser, so we got to spend a little time on the tarmac, but that was it since the turn time was less than an hour.



The next day was a turn to Nassau, again on the dirty thirty.  I snapped a nice addition to my "Around the World With My Feet" collection and also a lovely picture of my two pretty co-workers, Wendy and Mary Beth.



Thursday, December 2, 2010

Edinburgh

We set out mid morning to discover the charms of Edinburgh.  Our first stop was Edinburgh Castle.  I had visited it in 2005 but it rained and we ended up leaving early.  Our hotel was literally a stone's throw from the castle, with the minor obstacle of it sitting on top of Castle Rock, the remains of a long extinct volcano.  In the interest of time and laziness, we purchased an all day pass that would allow us to hop on/hop off a series of tourist buses that made the circuit thru town.


We arrived at the top of the castle in short order, only to find that the bright sunny sky was just a ploy to get us outside.  It was freezing and gusty.  It made our cold day at Stirling feel like a sauna.  But being the troopers that we were, we carried on.

The site has been inhabited by humans since as far back at the 9th century BC, and it has been a royal residence since the 12th century, serving as the Royal Court until 1603 when King James ascended to the throne of England and united the two countries.  Most of the original structures of the castle were lost to bombardment in the 16th century with the exception of St. Margaret's Chapel, which was constructed in the 12th century by King David I, in honor of his mother who died at the site in 1093.  Amazingly it survived all the sieges and bombardments, only to be forgotten for centuries.  For the majority of it's existence it was used as a gun powder storage room, but has now been restored to it's former glory.




From the top of the castle you get a fantastic view of the city of Edinburgh and Princes Street, the commercial heart of the city.  What you can't see or feel from this picture is the numbness in my fingers from the biting cold.


The One O'Clock gun is an Edinburgh tradition going back to the middle 1800's.  The gun is fired every day except Sundays, Good Friday and Christmas.  It serves as a time signal for the ships sailing nearby.  We were present for the firing, but my camera could not get the shot in time.


Another of the highlights is the Scottish National War Memorial.  The site were this building stands was originally a church, then turned into barracks and an armory.  When it was demolished in the 1700s, the original stones were reused to construct the present building.  It serves as a memorial and houses the names of all those serving under Scottish regiments who died during the Great War (WWI).


The Royal Palace was constructed in the 1500's and served as the Royal Apartments until they packed up and moved to England.  It now houses the Scottish Crown Jewels, which are on permanent display, as well as the Stone of Scone, upon which all monarchs are crowned.  It was moved here in 1996 since it was originally a Scottish ritual, but before that had been at Westminster Abbey.  Provisions are now in place for it to be transported to London for every subsequent coronation.



My personal favorite site at the Castle is the Dog Cemetery.  Located on the upper ward, one of the highest points of the castle, it contains the graves of soldier's dogs from the 19th century.


The castle still has portions used by British Military.  A military garrison is housed at the castle, although it is largely a ceremonial presence.  Still it is one of the few ancient castles in Britain that maintains an active army post.


As our visit to the castle drew to a close, we were lucky enough to spot Mel Gibson entertaining outside the entrance.  I guess since his drunk driving arrest and recorded racial and anger slurs, he has had to fall back on his Braveheart role to earn a living.  (It was actually just a guy posting for photos to raise money for Leukemia Research).


We enjoyed a nice lunch at a Thai restaurant nearby.  I think we were just glad to be out of the cold.  Following lunch we made our way down to St. Giles Cathedral, about half way down the Royal Mile.  It is regarded as the mother church of Presbyterianism.

The church is over 900 years old and is named for St. Giles, who was the patron saint of Edinburgh as well as cripples and leppers.  People used to come from all over to see the relic, which was St. Giles arm with a diamond ring on it's finger.  Following the Reformation, most of the ornate art and gilded treasures were removed from the church.


You had to pay two pounds to be able to take pictures inside.  Bruce inquired about the Presbyterian discount, but alas there was none.  As soon as we paid our fee, Bruce's camera died.  I was still able to take several shots.

John Knox was a prominent figure at St. Giles during the Protestant Reformation.  Originally a priest, he got caught up in the excitement of the times and converted to the protestant faith.  Today he is considered the founder of the Presbyterian faith.  He clashed with the Catholics though and was one of the leading supporters who successfully convinced Elizabeth to execute Mary, Queen of Scots.  (That part is left out of church history).




We proceeded down the Royal Mile and did a little shopping (also getting batteries for Bruce's camera) before hopping back on the bus (the second bus actually as the first one never stopped and just drove right by).  We completed the circuit and got back to our hotel just in time for a massive rainstorm.


That night we had dinner with some of my friends, Harry and Debs.  I first met them thru my friend Carla, when she moved to Edinburgh and married her husband Steven.  Through the power of Facebook we kept in touch and so we spent the evening with them, enjoying good food and drink!  Bruce had actually met them before at Carla's wedding, but that was a night we all overdid it, and so for most of us, it is just a fog.


I also had some pictures of Bruce trying haggis while we were having a scotch in the hotel bar, but for some reason I cannot get the pictures to come out right from my iPhone.  We'll just say that he tried it, thought it was ok, but couldn't get beyond the fact that he was eating sheep intestines, so he never plans to eat it again.

It appeared that the rainy weather was here to stay and the flights on Saturday were looking bleak since I travel standby.  I ended up leaving a day early and catching a flight to Paris where I connected home to Dallas (in coach....blah!).  Bruce would head out the following day.

So all in all the Man-Cation was a success.

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

The Highlands

We had an early morning on our last day in Glasgow.  We decided to spend the day out in the country touring.  We were able to book a day tour that included visits to Stirling Castle, The Trossachs, Loch Lomond, and the Glengoyne Scotch Distillery.

We made our way out of Glasgow in the middle of rush our on our little mini bus.  There were about a dozen of us on the tour, with folks from Canada, the US, England, and Germany.  Bruce and I had checked out of the hotel that morning and our driver was kind enough to let us keep our luggage in the back of the bus since the tour would drop us off right near the train station where we could catch our train to Edinburgh.

Our first stop was Stirling Castle, one of the most important castles in Scotland.  The structures sit atop a steep rock formation surrounded by large drop offs on three of it's four sides.  The castle was the site of many of the Scottish King and Queen Coronations, including the most famous, Mary, Queen of Scots in 1543.  The site is now treated as an ancient monument and is run by Historic Scotland, a branch of the government that manages and oversees all the historic and tourist sites in the country.


The hill upon which the castle sits goes back at least 350 million years, and was formed out of glacier movement during numerous Ice Ages.  The area may have served as a fortification as far back at the 7th century, but the first record is in 1110 when King Alexander I dedicated a small chapel that was built there.  The site was a key battle ground in the numerous wars for Scottish independence and passed back and forth between the English and Scottish on several occasions. The entrance to the castle has a monument to Robert the Bruce, the famous Scottish King who reclaimed the land for Scotland during the Wars for Independence.

The present buildings that make up the castle were built between 1400-1600 during the Stewart Dynasty of rulers.  The architecture of the buildings reflect English, German, and French styles, showing the dynasty's desire to be to seen as cosmopolitan by neighboring countries.  The site served primarily as a residence for the Royals, including the famous Mary, Queen of Scots.  She would meet an untimely end when her cousin Queen Elizabeth had her beheaded  (a whole Catholic-Protestant thing).  Mary's son James would eventually rise to be crowned King of England after Elizabeth's death, uniting the two kingdoms.
The Great Hall, which at the time was the greatest example of Renaissance influence in Scotland, built in 1497

The Castle then reverted back to a military installation.  It was actually inhabited by the military until 1964 when the War Office turned it over as a historic site.



As we left the Castle, we got a distant view of the William Wallace Monument (think of Mel Gibson's Braveheart).  Unfortunately, we did not get a chance to visit the site.


While it was bright and sunny outside, a cold front had moved in and it was painfully cold.  We could not layer enough and had to resign ourselves to just being cold.  Snow had actually started to fall north of us, but at least we managed to avoid that.

From Stirling, we made our way to the Trossachs National Forrest while Bruce managed to grab a nap.

The Trossachs is a vast piece of land comprised of lochs (lakes), bens (mountains), and glens (valleys).  It's the fourth largest park in the British Aisles, with designated conservation areas and a forest named in honor of Queen Elizabeth II.  I had actually visited the Trossachs back in 2005 on a visit to see my friends Carla and Steven.  I spent a day here with Steven and we visited Loch Katrine.  But this would be my first time to Loch Lomond.




Before heading to Loch Lomond, we stopped in Aberfoyle for lunch.  The town is now a hot spot for tourists, but long ago was the home of cattle robber Rob Roy and in 1547 Mary, Queen of Scots sought refuge here to avoid the English Army.  We had a traditional English lunch of steak and ale pie, mashed potatoes and peas.  Bruce also got to try his first sticky toffee pudding which was "outstanding".


The most physically challenging part of the day would be our visit to Loch Lomond.  The loch is the largest fresh water lake in Great Britain.  It is 24 miles long and up to 5 miles long in some parts.  Only Loch Ness (home of the monster) has more water by volume (it's a much deeper lake).  It's popular for it's scenic views and during the summer is a favorite place for boating enthusiasts.  It even inspired a song.

Oh, ye'll tak' the high road, and I'll tak' the low road,
And I'll be in Scotland afore ye';
But me and my true love will never meet again
On the bonnie, bonnie banks o' Loch Lomond.

The song was first publish in the 1800's but legend has it that it was penned by a Scottish soldier awaiting enemy execution.  In a letter home, he wrote those words, lamenting that he would never see his beautiful homeland again.  Talk about a downer.

We arrived at the Loch with the goal of climbing a steep hill that would give us a better view of the lake.  I was a little worried about Bruce and his leg, but he managed it like a trooper.  He would later confess just how painful it was, the poor guy. 











We enjoyed some impressive views both at the peak as well as along the lake.  I ventured to touch the water and it was COLD.  Not really swimming weather this time of year I guess.  

Our last stop would be the Glengoyne Distillery.  Remember that Bruce and I share a love of Scotch, so we were very excited about getting to tour a Single Malt Distillery.




The Glengoyne Distillery (Glengoyne means Glen of the Wild Geese) has been in continuous operation since 1833.  Prior to that time, the production of scotch was illegal, but the area surrounding the distillery was known to be full of secret stills, so it is assumed that production only "officially" began in 1833 after whisky production was made legal.  Glengoyne was also the official supplier of single malt scotch to the Queen Mum until her death.

It is unique in that it is a Highland Malt, but is matured in the Lowlands.  Unlike many other Distilleries, which use peat rock to dry their barley, Glengoyne uses warm air.  Therefore the peaty aftertaste found is many single malts is not present in Glengoyne scotch.  The Distillery produces close to 1 million liters of alcohol per year.


We also learned from our guide that the blended whiskies that are so popular (Dewars, Johnny Walker) are made from fermented barley from numerous different batches so there is no consistent flavor.  We also learned that Dewars adds caramel coloring to give it's brand that amber color.  In Single Malts, the color comes naturally from aging in casks.  Bruce has always been a big blended fan, but I think this experience might have helped his tastes evolve a bit.

We got to visit the mashing and fermentation rooms (cameras were not allowed to protect the integrity of the product).  The storage rooms where it matures are strictly off limits, but we got to see some examples.  We paid for the double tasting, so we got to try some 10 year upon our arrival and some 12 year at the end of the tour.


I walked away from the experience with a new appreciation and understanding for scotch and also learned not to be so snobby about people who add a wee bit of water to it.  It actually takes away the burn from the alcohol and allows you to enjoy the flavor.

Our drive back to Glasgow started just as the rains came.  We were lucky that we did not have any during the day, but by the time we go to Glasgow, it was a full down pour and it was cold.  Luckily we had a short walk over to the train station.  We accidentally bought the off peak tickets, so we had to wait an extra 15 minutes until it was 6:30 so we could take the designated train.  It's kind of a crazy mad dash to get to the train and with more people than seats, everyone scrambles.  I think we unintentionally stowed away in first class, but Bruce got a seat and I got one after we reached the first stop.  The train ride took about an hour and from the train station in Edinburgh it was a quick cab ride to our illustrious digs at the Caledonian Hilton.  Of course we were upgraded, as Bruce is Diamond.  It was one of the times I was grateful for class differences.  I've never seen two guys so happy to have wi-fi.


It was bitterly cold, but we walked a few blocks over to an Italian Restaurant for a hearty dinner and the maitre'd and Bruce talked about the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.  We were fading fast though, as it had been a long day, so we hobbled back to our suite and called it a night.