On Friday the 7th, Mama Joy, Papa Croley, and I began our holiday travels through the United Kingdom. We started by renting a car in London. That is when the true excitement began with riding up front on the left side of the car and the left side of the road. Luckily, dad is a great British driver and he has only scared me once when we were literally less than an inch away from having the left-side mirror being ripped off.
After renting the car, we traveled north to Warwick, England, a quaint town with a castle that is supposedly the best representation of medieval-style castles. Mom and Dad visited the last time they were here and it was mom’s favorite. It was okay. We stayed at a B&B in town. Our room was very interesting. It was a room for 3 in that it had a double bed and a single bed. In the room was also a shower. There was no bathroom but just a 4 ft. by 4 ft. square standing shower. Needless to say, we skipped showering in that B&B room. The bathroom was a tiny room under the stairs. It reminded me of Harry Potter in his cupboard under the stairs because that is exactly what it was.
On Saturday morning, we began the journey further north into Scotland. We drove and drove and drove. And it rained and rained and rained. And all we saw were sheep, sheep, and more sheep. But it was absolutely beautiful. Mom actually showed me pictures of our family (12 years ago) at the same rock below. Shout out/ thank you to Mama Joy for always taking a million photos.
Sunday was spent touring the beautiful Edinburgh Castle. Bagpipes, kilts, and castles got me in the Scottish mood so I actually found a Highland game in Peebles, Scotland, which was only 20 miles away.
From the age 8-11, I took Highland dance in Brentwood, TN and our family would travel around the South on the weekends to different Highland games so that I could compete. I was curious how the games from Glasgow, Kentucky would differ from the legitimate Highland games in Scotland. To my astonishment, they are pretty much the same. On that rainy day in Scotland, I saw the same dances being danced in the same kilts and tartans that I had seen so many times before in the United States. At the end of the games, two of the bands represented walked in performed a Scottish song. The bagpipers and drummers played beautifully and then the master of ceremonies gave a speech about how important tradition can be with all of the distractions like television, internet, etc. Even in the midst of rain, it was a perfect day and one that I will never forget.
Yesterday, Monday September 12th, we left Edinburgh with the warning of “Caution: Strong Rains And Gales” and began our tourney toward towards Fort William with making a quick scenic tour through Loch Ness (aka where the Loch Ness monster lives). Unfortunately, no one in our car spotted Nessie. We stayed in the Clan MacDuff Hotel in Fort William. Chosen by Mama Joy because it has the same name as our dog, MacDuff. It was interesting.
Finally, today, Tuesday September 13th. Woke up and Mama Joy had gotten us 3 tickets to ride on the train used in the Harry Potter Movies! It was awesome. I am pretty sure that we were in the car where Harry, Ron, and Hermione met. Just kidding, I have no idea but it looked the exact same. We took the train over the Viaduct (the bridge where Ron and Harry drive through and Harry almost falls out of the car in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets) It was grand. We also saw the moor where they buried Doby in the latest movie, and plenty of other beautiful scenery used in the movies. I learned that most of the scenes were built/filmed in the first few year of filming and then taken down. The building (like Hagrid’s hut) was then superimposed for any scenes in later films. Just a fun fact that I learned. Hope all HP fans and maybe even non- Harry Potter fans enjoyed that information.
Now we are continuing to Glasgow, Scotland and it is still pouring rain from this Hurricane that we are experiencing. Thank goodness I am not driving.
Cheers!
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