The Highlands

You, like me, have probably heard of the Scottish Highlands, but what this geographical term really refers to may not have been too clear.  I think I had a Hollywood version of Mel Gibson charging around on a horse and little huts nestled along the lochs and livestock grazing 'aboot'.  Well, minus the Mel Gibson part, the images were not far off.  The highlands are a real treat for the eyes, but living on this rugged land would be less of a treat except for the very hardy.


The "Highlands" refers to an area that covers roughly half of the country of Scotland. It is a land of dramatic geological upheaval, ancient volcanic activity, and glacial sculpting. The human history of the area is as dramatic as the geological history. There is evidence of inhabitation as far back as the Stone Age, Iron Age, the Pictish period, and up through Norse Viking invasion, and the time of Clans through the Medieval period.  When the Romans made their way to what is now the Brittish Isles, they made a wall at the entry toward the highlands and left it at that. Unconquerable? Probably.  

Think north of HWY. 8 in Wisconsin - throw in the Upper Peninsula and Apostle Islands, and compare that with southern Wisconsin, and you have an idea of what "heading up north" means to folks in Southern Scotland.  However, while Wisconsin has 800 miles of shoreline on the Great Lakes, Scotland has 10,000 miles of shoreline on the Atlantic ocean and includes many more islands that are inhabited year round.

One of the most overarching aspects of this part of the world is its geological history and how the land itself has affected human existence on it. Plate tectonics has moved the extremely hard bedrock that makes up this land mass around over millions years, and glaciers have scoured the surface of this rock at least five times over the last 2.5 million years.  The last ice age just receding 10,000 years ago.  The result is a hard rock base covered by a thin layer of soil. Usually the soil is of poor quality and often the rock, especially near the tops of hills or anywhere the pitch is steep, pokes through the thin layer, exposed.  

This dynamic has two important effects. One, water doesn't soak in, so there are "lochs" (or lakes) everywhere there is a depression, and where it can, gravity pulls the water (which is plentiful due to the island's proximity to the Atlantic) down over the rock in rivers and waterfalls.

The second dynamic is that there are very few flat places that make for good agriculture. The people who lived in this harsh terrain had very few and very obvious choices on where to settle. Usually at the mouth of a river in a protected bay. Fishing was a major food source, as it was easier to ply the waters than is was to ply the ground. Travel in this area was mostly done via waterways before roads and rail lines connected the tiny fishing villages.

A quick tutorial on the geology of Scotland can be found at:
http://www.scottishgeology.com/geology/scotlands_history/10things.html

In fact, rather than trying to go through all of the details of the interesting and long human history that goes with this unique, dynamic geology, I will add a link here for those who want to learn more while I get to the pictures of our trip.

http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/scotlandshistory/index.asp.....


 Denise and I have been able to make two trips up to this area on two different, long week-ends.  On our first trip we went to Fort William, which is a small fishing village that has been turned into a tourist haven at the end of the West Highland Way (the most famous long distance hiking trail) and at the foot of Ben Nevis (the highest peak in Great Britain) and up the road from there to Inverness.

As usual we took buses and trains to get around. The following are some pictures to help describe some of our activities.

To get to the highlands, the train leaves north out of Glasgow along the Firth of Clyde, and soon the highlands loom in the distance.

Chugging up through mountain passes, the landscape become stark and vegetation has a hard time developing anywhere other than the bottom of the valleys left by glacial lakes.

Every so often one will see a small group of buildings and wonder what the heck a family, or group of family's, does to sustain itself out here miles from anything else.

After a clickity-clackity down hill run from the desolate passes, we level out across the bay from Fort William (the rainiest place in Scotland), which lies at an elbow of Loch Linnhe - a salt water body of water that goes out to the ocean above the Isle of Mull. (grab your map - or not).  In the background, behind the clouds is Ben Nevis - the highest peak in Scotland. It is very rarely seen.

It is immediately apparent that we are in serious Hiking country.  Aside from "The Ben", this town is the transition point for the West Highlands Way (151 miles) and the Great Glen Way (73 miles).  These trails are well marked and kept, along the lines of our Appalachian Trail, and there are well prepared hikers in their rain gear, backpacks loaded, crawling the hills and streets.  The statue above marks the official end of the West Highland Way. A guy rubbing his sore feet - funny.



The River Nevis vally leading up stream

In the morning we headed out to tackle Ben Nevis (4,409 feet.)  A stop at the Visitor's Center at the foot of the Munro (the name given to any peak over 3,000 feet) dampened our aspirations of getting to the summit. The conditions for the day called for rain, ice pellets, snow, zero visibility, and gale force winds up to 80 miles per hour at the top.  Having read that there are a number of deaths due to people falling off the path every year, I was convinced that a "summit" was not all that important.

The guy at the center directed us toward a hike that would go around the mountain, vs. over the top, and keep us out of the clouds and the highest winds, so off we went.

The hike started out on the River Nevis and after making our way along the bit of semi-flat land along the river, as always covered with sheep, we began to ascend.

After an hour or so of hiking up we were able to look down the valley and up at the shrouded peak.  The rain and ice pellets, along with some thunder and bursts of sun kept us interested to say the least.

There has obviously been a lot of work and money put into parts of this trail.  The hours and sweat were appreciated by us as we wound our way up the steep, slippery track.

 Once we rose up out of the valley and reached the grassy, barely covered rock below the summit, the trail flattened out a bit, but as is the case with all flat bits of land in Scotland, there was water running over it.

Rounding the hidden summit with peaks of sunlight. This was where we heard rolling thunder from above.  The mountain makes its own weather.

After crossing a wet plateau we came around to the north face of the Munro. We caught glimpses of higher parts of the mountain as our rain gear kept us dry, for the most part.  We would need to hike up the valley on the other side of the mountain in order to descend back down toward Fort William.

It was a good hike. All told we were out there for a good 6 or 7 hours and (including the road walking to get to the mountain from town and back) we did about 15 miles. The Thia food that night never tasted better!

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The next day we headed for Inverness, which is up the loch from Fort William.  With the 22 mile Caledonian Canal lock and dam system connecting the water way of Lock Lennhe with Lock Ness, we were able to follow the route that has been used to cross this inhospitable landscape. Of course, the story of the canal could be a blog all it's own too.  Below is a link to the site and some images of it.

http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/inverness/caledoniancanal/

Neptune's Staircase: a series of locks leading form Lennhe to Ness.

Of course, there is the whole Loch Ness Monster business.  A bunch of rubbish I say. The loch, itself is the story here.  Below is a bit of Wikipiedia for you:

Loch Ness is the second largest Scottish loch by surface area at 56.4 km² (21.8 sq mi) after Loch Lomond, but due to its great depth, it is the largest by volume. Its deepest point is 230 m (755 ft). It contains more fresh water than all the lakes in England and Wales combined, and is the largest body of water on the Great Glen Fault, which runs from Inverness in the north to Fort William in the south.

It is a very sweet "loch."

Along the way, trying to not get sick on the weaving, heaving bus ride along the narrow winding road north, we pass by a number of crofting villages. Yes, "crofting" - this is the word used to describe small subsistence type farming operations where the land is owned by someone other than the person doing the farming. We might call it "share-cropping" in the states.

There is a long tradition of this lifestyle in the Highlands that goes back to the clan days, then into the kings, queens, dukes, and earls, and it continues today. Currently, most crofters need to supplement their income by having another job and many add tourism to their mix to help keep the animals in hay.

Just side-tracking briefly, there was an instance in history called "The Clearances" See:

http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/scotlandshistory/jacobitesenlightenment

In the late 18th century well into the 19th century, Highland estates moved from arable and mixed farming, which supported a large tenant population, to the more profitable sheep-farming. Surplus tenants were ‘cleared’ off the estates from about 1780; and the Clearances were ongoing nearly 70 years later at the time of the potato famine in 1846.

 

Yep, sheep being a viable "crop" changed a lot in the highlands, including the ground cover and forest. There have been historic acts of legislation concerning crofting, starting with the 1886 act that took place after the "clearances" and later, in 1976 legislation was passed to help tenants purchase the land they were working. Lately, in 1993 and as recent as 2010, more attention has been paid to how farming is handled in the highlands and elsewhere in Great Britain.

Continuing north to Inverness, we reach this city at the mouth of the River Ness that has long been a seat of power and culture in the highlands.

Of all the cities we have been to in Scotland, this one might be my favorite. I can't say exactly why though. It's a big 'town' vs. a true city, and it is the gateway to much of the highlands and to outer islands such as the Orkney's and the Shetland islands. It just had a real nice feel to it, and it's got a great river running through the middle of it with nice bridges and walkways all along it. It also boasts a very important and busy harbor for sea-going vessels.

This city has a stronger Norse influenced history than others to the south, which adds to its long list of interesting stories. One story that I will share has to do with the local castle (every city has one, right?). This castle is pretty new, rebuilt in 1847, because the original had been blown up during the Jacobite uprisings. The site has had some sort of fortification on it, either wood or stone, since the 11th century.

What is the Jacobite uprising you ask? Well, there is a website for that too.  It is a fascinating event to me because it represents one of the last times that the Scottish Highland people took up arms against the English. What is most interesting to me is that it took place at a time when most of the men and families involved were educated, and in general, relatively well off people, who took up arms and fought in battles like the Battle of Culloden.

Inspired by thier leader "Bonnie Prince Charlie," the brave Highlanders stood across the moor from the Duke of Cumberland and British soldiers before what would be the last full-scale battle to be fought on British soil and the culmianation of the last Jacobite Rising.  Like an hour-glass, this battle is the skinny little bit that each grain of sand falls through.  The events leading to this battle are the big part above, and the repercussions of the battle and its aftermath being the big part below.

The battle of Culloden was one of the defining moments in Scottish Highland history that is still referred to often because of it's disastrous results. We went to the windy plain of Drummossie Moor, just five miles east of town, on a bus to check it out. It was here on 16 April 1746 that found on one side the Jacobite army, determined to reclaim the thrones of Britain and Ireland for its Stuart kin, and on the other was the British army determined to stop its opponents.

I will simply write here that the Jacobites, who had often been successful waging a guerilla type campaign agaisnt the British troops, did not fare well in the open battle field where they were out-numbered and out-gunned.  It was kind of like when Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid came out of that little Mexican villa with guns trained on them from all over, but they went out anyway. Across the wet field, the clansmen charged, right into the teeth of the British guns and cannons. They could not break the government lines.

Markers now dot the field approaching what had been the British line, showing how far various clan leaders had gotten in their brave, but ultimately futile, charge. A recreated stone wall has been built where a wall had played a role on the battle.

It is a somber place with a fascinating history that any country's people who have stood up for freedom can relate to. If you're interested in more:

http://www.nts.org.uk/culloden/

Right, so we had a pint at the "oldest pub in Inverness" that night and heard some great music. No pictures of that - too touristy.

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Upon waking the next day, and wanting to get a taste of the North Sea, we took a short train ride up to Narin.  Again, this is a town where the River Narin runs into the sea - a common reason for a town up here. However, we came to this one because there is a vast beach that reaches for miles along the northeast corner of the main body of Scotland - looking out into the ever-widening Firth of Moray that leads out to the big water, and over to Norway. (have you got that map out?) 

We had to be careful not to get "stranded" on an island of sand vs. being on the main land, as the tides and waves change this tidal beach continually. As always, there was a dynamic, beautiful sky to walk under.

We walked the sand for hours and saw no end in sight. Our legs were thankful for the flat ground after all the ascending and decending of the day before, but eventually, we simply turned around, deciding it would be prudent to get back to Narin in time to get tea and cake before catching the train back to Inverness.

The next day we took the train back down out of the Highlands through a different route, further east, along the Grampaign Mountains, which is a high, mostly treeless area that stretches from Loch Ness over to Aberdeen. 

Stock photo from the Park Service

Stark and stunning, not much happens in the way of industry here except for fully equipted hikers and a lot of sheep, and back into Edinburgh via Perth vs. going back down through Glasgow.  You don't have a map, do you.

Here you go (thank-you graphic maps.com):

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Later, on a seperate week-end, we got back on the train from Edinburgh, passed through Glasgow, up and over the passes to Fort William below Ben Nevis and coninued west and north out to Mallig to catch a ferry toward the Inner Hebrides and the Isle of Skye.  The west of Scotland, like Ireland, has much of the classic ocean cliff scenery due to the Atlantic ocean grinding away at it for all these millions of years. Everyone has told us, "You must get out to the Western Isles" so off we went.

One point of interest that gets the folks on the train excited is going over a bridge that was in a scence of the Harry Potter movie.  I took a pic out the widow  of the train too. What the heck.  It is one of the most beautiful train rides in Scotland according to many.  Often people will simply take the train up to Mallig and back for the day just to see the stunningly picturesqe landscape.

Okay, it's pretty, we get it. I know.

Anyway, we arrived in Mallig, a nice little port town...(There's Denise!)

..and booked our passage on the ferry...

...and headed over to the Isle of Skye...

 ...to catch the evening bus that would take us up to Portree..

... just at sunset, where we would spend the next two days.

Skye is a fascinating place with a long history of inhabitaion. However, the Clearances laid a heavy toll on the island when the population went from 20,000 to 9,000. Currently it is doing well with a slight increase in the last census, making it on tourism, fishing, and lumber.  It is a big island being rougly 50 miles long and 25 miles wide. The connection of the island to the mainland at the Kyle of Loch Alsh isthumus has lead some to say that it is no longer an island, but I would say it still very much has the flavor and pace of an island.  Learn more about it at:

 http://www.theskyeguide.com/about-skye-mainmenu-40

On the first day we ran to just catch the bus going around the island to The Culliens. The bus would be going around the peninsula, up past Uig, and was scenic in and of itself.  The bus driver knew of the place where I wanted to start the hike and would let me know when we got there.  He seemed to know everyone who got on and off, and crofters would wave from the fields and patrures as the bus went by.  At what seemed to me to be a random spot in the road, he said, "This is you then!" and getting off, looking up, and then back at the bus pulling away, I told Denise, "Yea, this should work." and sent her up the hill, hoping...

I will just say that is was a pretty awesome hike that we took a few chances on, but it all worked out for a great day. Denise is a trooper to follow me on half-planned routes and infamous "short-cuts" mid-hike. We always make it back, but there is sometimes a "re-orienting" of the original plan.  The ridege that we are on looks out to the Western Hibrides, which we will have to get out to another time.  It was pretty clear, but we couldn't see up to Stonroway, which is on the island of Lewis, which is only visible on the clearest of days.

(This according to the Island resident I was pumping for information on the bus ride earlier - she has a daughter who moved there with her new husband, and she, the mother, is not looking forward to going way out there for the holidays. "Could be stuck out there for days if the weather turns!")

The following are pictures going up, at the top, then coming back down, and the last, from the bus stop (about 10 miles from the first bus stop) to get back to Portree.

It was one of the most beautiful hikes we've ever been on - and we have done a fair few.  It is an incredibly unique landscape - we tried to compare to Alaska and New Foundland, but that doesn't quite do it either.  I would suggest you come yourself to check it out.

The next day, we were trying to figure out the buses to do what we wanted to do - keeping in mind that we would need to catch a bus, to catch the ferry, to catch the train back the next day by 10:10 am.  It turns out that the winter bus schedule is on and there would be no bus to get us to the ferry on time, so our next best bet was to "hire a car" for 35 pounds, and the company would pick it up at the ferry terminal. "Just leave the keys above the visor and don't lock it," they said. Sweet, old school island stuff - and we're off!

First, Eileen Donan - this castle is home to the Clan McRae, the literature for which, includes my own sir name, McRaith, as a variant spelling of the same clan.  The castle itself is a reconstruction of the original, as the original was also blown to bits in 1719 during the Jacobite uprisings. Here it a bit about the blowing up part - everyone's favorite:

In 1719 the castle was garrisoned by 46 Spanish soldiers who were supporting the Jacobites. They had established a magazine of gunpowder, and were awaiting the delivery of weapons and cannon from Spain. The English Government caught wind of the intended uprising and sent three heavily armed frigates The Flamborough, The Worcester, and The Enterprise to quell matters. The bombardment of the castle lasted three days, though met with limited success due to the enormity of the castle walls, which in some places are up to 14 feet thick. Finally, Captain Herdman of The Enterprise sent his men ashore and over-whelmed the Spanish defenders. Following the surrender, the government troops discovered the magazine of 343 barrels of gunpowder which was then used to blow up what had remained from the bombardment…

Bummer! However, this brief account shows a little bit about how the Jacobite uprising was a part of wider European stuggles for power during that period. (As you may have already learned by following the link earlier)

Thankfully, the family decided to re-build it. One Lutenient John McRae-Gilstrap, oversaw the reconstruction project in the 1911 using the original plans. Today, it is both an attraction for visitors in the summer months and is used as a hunting lodge and for other family gatherings by the McRae-Gilstrap family. For 5 pounds I got a closer look.

It has been seen in movies, such as The Highlander. It is a pretty cool castle, and I am working on getting back into the clan for some of those family events.  There is more if you like at: 

http://www.eileandonancastle.com/news-and-events.htm

In the afternoon, following a small track off the main road not far from the castle, we made our way to the town of Plokton - "The Jewel of the Highlands." Denise had gotten a tip from a lady on a bus in Edinburgh a week or so earlier, when Denise mentioned that we were planning to go up to the Highlands for a couple of days, she said, "Well, you must get to Plockton!" We are now very glad she said so. It is one of the most beautiful and unique little places we have ever been to.

It is very well protected from the elements, being tucked back away from the ocean within a little valley behind some larger hills.  One can see why people have chosen this spot as home since the stone ages.  Bonus! there happened to be a flurry of rainbows amid the intermitant outbursts of rain and sun - then rain, then sun, which = rainbows.  Also, palm trees grow there?!

  

 

It is a magic little place that made for a great afternoon of exploring. We headed back to Portree for the eveing, so as not to drive in the dark.  There are free ranging sheep and cattle all over the island, and being on the "correct side" of the road was challening enough.

The next morning we made it to the ferry and caught yet another rain bow as we left the Island of Skye.

By car, boat, train, and bus, we made it back to Dalkeith House around mid-night, having left the hotel at 7:00am. The travel is part of the fun though, and I would do it again in a heartbeat.

This then, has been my taste of the Highlands. There, of course, is much more to it than can be described in these few pages - but I hope that you will find it as intreaguing as I do, and will search out more information about your favorites parts. Or perhaps, plan your own trip here for yourself one day.  I'll join you, and we can go for a hike!

If everything goes just right, we'll end up sitting and doing cross-word puzzles while waiting for a bus at a crazy little rual bus stop with old chairs and wet feet !

"Doing it Wrong!"

A saying has come to be used in my family to mockingly offer help when someone is having a bit of trouble with a particular task. These tasks are usually mundane, daily tasks that everyone does in his or her own fashion. Coming from a larger family (seven kids, now extended through marriage and the addition of the next generation) trouble with mundane tasks usually comes to light when everyone is gathered for a birthday party or holiday.


For example, when I was trying to cut The Turkey one year with an electric knife, which I had no business doing as I had never wielded the electric knife before, my sister simply, and loudly, let me know I was mucking it up badly by blurting out, "You're doing it Wrooonng!" and everyone around the counter laughed. She then took over and showed me the proper technique to use when working a turkey over with an electric knife. Struggling while trying to cut that cheese for the snack tray? "You're doing it Wrooonng!"
Try to mix your colors and whites in the washing machine with this crew, and you had better believe I'll here it!


Just wait until I get them out in the driveway shoveling snow and chopping ice. They'll be grunting, not using their knees to lift - no sweeping motion with the shovel to use its momentum - wrong angle on the ice chopper, thereby not getting down to the tarmac as our Mother prefers!


"You're doing it Wroooonng!"


As will happen in families, this saying sort of caught on, and has since led to the phrase's use for larger, more significant situations. Perhaps putting money into a car that should be put out of its misery, or trying to grill-out on a freezing New Year's day vs. simply staying inside and watching football like people are supposed to do. "No, you're doing it wrong."


My wife, Denise, and I have found ourselves using the phrase at home while "helping" each other through the day's chores over the years - usually, it's still funny. So, in our family, it has become an accepted way to suggest another approach to the world.


Now, during our time here, we have found ourselves saying - in a culturally sensitive manor (under our breath - "they're doing it wrong...") while making our way through the country and cities and pointing to some activity or other, then discussing the pro's and con's of whatever new way of approaching the world we happen to have seen. Often times we will decide that, in fact, the Scots are, "Doing it Right!"


I will lend some examples here as a means of conveying some of the different approaches that have caught our attention. 


First, the obvious, electrical outlets - American appliances do not fit into these plugs, but there are adaptors that will make our plugs work.  Every electrical system here is set up as a 230volt 50hz. system, and most appliances are fused within the plug.

Note the "on/off" switches in the middle - these are on every outlet

It looks like a 115, but it is this type of plug on everything 

As Dalkeith House is like a hotel, they have to have guys come in and check every electronic device that is in the place. This plug-in for an iron passed the test - the guys were here for three days and the testing must be done every three years.

Another home issue comes into play when retro-fitting older stone buildings with modern facilities is that there are no spaces between the studs to run electrical and plumbing.  One of the most eye-catching differences is what they have to do to vent a particular area in one of these older buildings.  They add the vent to a window!  This seems tough on the window and inefficient for heating, but it doesn't get as cold here as it does in Wisconsin, and really, what else could one do?

A cool window - except for the giant exhaust fan stuck into it.

The lack of interstitial space in the walls here also means that phone and electrical wiring is crawling all over the outsides of buildings before going into variously drilled holes in the walls.
  

All of these stone buildings also need maintenance over the centuries that they stand.  Because of all the work that needs to be done, one cannot walk more than a couple of blocks without walking past the major scaffolding that must be put up to do this work.

It takes a long time to finish these projects

Along the the lines of masonry, there is a great example of Doing it Right and Wrong at the same time.  Below is a picture of a good example of the walls that surround most properties and parks in the city and farm fields and pastures in the country.  The shear miliage of these walls is increadible; however, with the advent of using salt on the roads in the winter to help the buses and cars, damage is occuring quickly at the bottom of the walls.

With bike for perspective.
Yes, maintenance is needed soon, or this wall is going down!

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Now that we're on the road, a second obvious difference is that they drive on the left side of the road in Great Britain. Or as they like to say, "the correct side."

I did rent a car one day to drive my Mother-in-law and her friend up to St.Andrews, which is a couple of hours away.  The staying to the left wasn't too bad, but shifting with one's left hand took a little getting used to.  Luckily the shifting pattern is the same. 

What the...?

Key advice from rental car lady - "Stay to the left."

Traffic moving down the left side of the street - taking a left is easy! - taking a right is weird!

The traffic signs all mean something, and if one keeps track of what the next town is and what number road you want to be on, it does work, but vigilance is key each time a round about is approached.  I do not think that I am exaggerating when I say I went through about 150 different round abouts on our 2 hour drive from Edinburgh to St. Andrews.  Nearly every intersection is set up in a round about.

Lots of Information

I can deal with all that, but when they start parking along road sides facing whatever way they happen to be traveling, "they're doing it wrong...:" I start to get confused.

One must be very watchful when riding a bike - cars can be pulling out or opening doors from any old direction. 

Another item that comes with driving is that there is a lot of paint on the road to interpret - bike and bus lanes, turning lanes, speed limits, and other useful information is painted onto the road itself.  Sometime it's confusing - especially when there is construction, which, like any country, there always is.








They also appear to error on the side of too many barriers than too few - not necessarily wrong - but definitely a time consuming aspect of all the construction projects I have seen.The two pictures above with the red and white barriers have to do with the "Tram Project," which involves getting light rail into the downtown area. This could be a posting in itself, as the track shown is actually coming out vs. going in. Many locals are calling it "The Tram Fiasco" - but so it goes in the world of transportation.

On the topic of transportation, there have been many cases we have found where Scotland is "Doing it Right."

Mass transit using buses and trains has been a very positive part of our stay here. It is affordable, enjoyable, and is more sustainable in the long run.



The buses run regularly and on time, are clean and comfortable, and there is plenty of information for riders to know when the next bus is coming and where it is going.  We mostly ride the #3 and the #49. We're starting to have a few 'buddies" who ride the same bus that we do every day. 

People from all walks of life ride the bus here - not just the people who can't afford a car. Similarly, the SoctRail system is a great train system. We have used it for most of our week-end getaways and have found it to be very enjoyable, as again, they are reliable, comfortable, and clean. In addition, as is the case with most rail lines, they take a little different "track" through a country.

Waiting for the 9:50 to Glasgow on Friday - round trip, 11.60 -  ($16.00).  We took the 18:40 on the way back that  Sunday. Military time vs. "am" and "pm" are used.



Train tracks often run alongside the long "lochs" left by the glaciers, as this is where one will find a little flat terrain.

 The scenery and perspective one gains out the window of the trains is fantastic, and a person can buy snacks and drinks on the train, while it is stable enough to write post cards, and it is affordable enough to go most anywhere in Scotland for under $100 bucks U.S. Closer, short trips are usually under $20 bucks. 


If the bus or the train won't do the trick, most cars are tiny little things that get great gas mileage, or you can take one of the diesel engined taxi-cabs. Not many big pickups cruising around over here. The taxi, is built to be a taxi.  Taking a cab is more expensive than the bus, but if one is traveling with a group of people, it can be the way to go.  The drivers have all been very friendly and informative.


Two taxi's and a little Ford "A to B runner."

Next, my favorite form of transportation, the bike, is also well used here. Both the city and the country side have developed their transportation systems to include the bicycle.

Cyclists often were the florescent yellow to be seen in traffic - they are to share the bus lane or sometimes will have their own 3' to 4' foot wide lane depending on the particular road.

There are many places to lock one's bike up throughout the city.

There is an extensive bike trail system that runs throughout the outlying areas of the city that uses what must be old rail-beds that take a very direct path from town to town, usually with very few road crossings.  This trail system keeps the biker off the main roads - usually going under busy roads vs. over them.  It's beautiful riding!

A typical stretch of the trail system in the "suburbs."

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To get back to the city now, I may as well get another couple of items out of the way: "cheez-o-rama" and "litterbugs."

First, Cheese-o-Rama. Right or wrong, there are many gift shops, all with lots of flags, kilts, postcards and t-shirts.  They all have bagpipe music blaring out of the doors.  This takes away from some of the charm of the old city, but hey, a guys gotta make a buck, right?

One of the big tourist sellers is Scotch Wiskey - how wrong could that ever be?



On the other hand, the city does have a lot of pretty classy stuff going on too. For example, statues of Historical figures and museums.  There are many statues of philosophers from the "Scottish Enlightenment" period.  Below are a few examples of what one will come across while walking the streets.

David Hume - Empiricist and Skeptic

Just down the block is Hume's buddy, Adam Smith, author of the first book of modern economics:
 The Wealth of Nations

Gladstone Monument, an interesting note on this one was that it got moved across town for further development of its previous area in 1953.

Free museums, parks, botanical gardens, and other attractions are great.

Another nice thing about a city that has a long history is that they seem to have been able to nicely incorporate green space along side functional city amenities  Below is one example:

Here we seen the main train terminal pulling into the center of the Edinburgh's main park (Princess Street Park). The close juxtaposition of these two areas make for a great feeling of function and form.

Along with the great green spaces and philosophers who spent so much time trying to figure out the meaning of it all, there are some more mundane challenges for humanity to figure out still.  One of those is litter.  I think that every big city has to work to combat this aesthetic and ecological blight, but I think that because it is always so windy here that is it more apparent than it might otherwise be.  sometimes there is paper blowing around like crazy - until it rains again, then it gets all plastered to the ground.

Litter bugs waiting for the bus.

These are everywhere they should be - they just need to be used more.

There are city and national campaigns and slogans from all sorts of groups trying to help the city look better for its residents and for tourism. I have noticed that some of the blowing wrappers come form the tourists themselves.  Not unusual, but it seems so "fixable" if everyone would just not be a jerk and use the litter bins.

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Okay, there may need to be a "Doing it Wrong - Part II" as there is more I would like to share, but you probably have something you really should be getting to.  I must, however, add just a couple more quick shots.

The awesome hand dryer that really works - no wiping hands on pants after.  It's a Dyson design, like the sweet vacuums. These are found in the "paid entry" public toilets.  Yes, for 20 or 30 pence (a quarter) you can enter a clean, warm, not stinky rest room area. There is even an attendant around mopping and making sure there is soap and paper - Doing it Right! - I'll pay the money.

I would also like to mention that the pubs are doing it right too.  As they have been centers of community gatherings for a long time, they are not simply a place to drink. They are also a place to eat, talk, listen to music, and relax.  The older ones are pretty classy too.

Sweet Haymarket Pub

Once inside, the type of beer you choose to drink on-tap, comes in the glass that is meant for that particular beer.  Good marketing, and it helps the bartender remember what you are drinking.

Look tasty?  It is.

Did I mention that all of the sidewalks are done in paver stones vs. poured concrete? Many of the sidewalks downtown are really wide too.  It must be very expensive, but do it right the first time and hopefully we don't have go back and do it again for a long time.  Right/Wrong...?

I'll have to hold it here, but I haven't even gotten to the grocery store yet, which is, of course, where culture really happens. I don't have pictures (yet), but two items I will work on for you are: the check-out people sit in chairs vs. standing, and the carts have full 360 capability - backwards, forwards, sideways - no problem!  Excellent carts. I'll try to get some video of that and get it posted to the WITC - Cultural Exchange site.


Oh yes, there are a number of video clips (some related to blog items, some not) on the WITC Cultural Exchange Progam Facebook page that you can look at by going to:

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=171229482961756#!/video/?id=182653991769844

So there you have some of it.  There are many more of course that could be included, but you get the idea.  I suppose that one could include political and social philosophies, eating habits, child care, health care, and education here too, but those may come within future posts.

If you went through this blog and only looked at the pictures (Ryan!) -

 "You're doing it Wrooonng!" : )