Month: July 1998

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Glasgow to Montreal

6:51 AM

What a morning! I’ve been tossing and turning since a little past 5! At 6, I said enough! and I got up, showered, packed, etc. Although I’m not hungry, I figure it would be smart to get a bowl of cereal in me. Then, I’ll have to zoom downtown. So far, it looks like I might make the airport for 8:30. I could be there for 8, but I think it would be silly throwing away a free breakfast. Besides, I’m in no real rush, I don’t have to check in until 9. It feels weird to think that ‘tonight’, I’ll be sleeping in my own bed! I’ve put tonight in quote marks because it’ll be tonight in Canada, but very early morning here! The jet lag coming wasn’t too bad, but I hear that going west is worse. It’s like living the same day twice. Anyhoo, tomorrow should be interesting! When I get ‘home’ I want to soak, and wear something I haven’t worn in a month (I had the same three tee-shirts, one sweater, and one everyday pair of pants !).

9:01

I’m all checked in and ready to board at 10:15! It’s incredible: the subway arrived at the same time I did, then I got to the bus stance just as they were getting ready to go. Check in was a breeze, but it would appear that I have to get my luggage in Toronto to clear customs and then get it back on the plane. I’ll figure it out when I get there ! I bought (my uncle) a full litre of ‘Highland Park’ (no smaller size). I figure I might as well get him one I like rather than pick and choose at random. Edradour was more expensive (and not as good!) Turns out ‘Wallace’ is a liqueur made from single malt whiskey. Thanks for nothing, lady!

I just set my watch back to hometime. It’s 4AM there!!! I’ll be in Toronto at 13:15 EST. That’s 9 hours from now ! I have to catch my connecting flight at 15:00. It’s going to be tight!

12:08 EST (from now on, EST)

Despite some minor turbulence, the flight has been smooth. We’re flying over Quebec now. The in-flight movie was ‘Titanic’! Can you believe that the return flight is a whole two hours longer?! Due to winds we’re going to be delayed. Oh well, just so long as I’m on the plane for Montreal at 3!

I am amazed by the quality of the vegetarian (actually vegan) meals offered. Lunch was TOFU served with peppers and rice with bread and fruit salad and crackers for dessert. Our snack (well mine!) was a whole wheat bun with lettuce, tomato, and cucumber with orange juice and a tangerine on the side. Of course, I’ve had tea.

 

It was cool flying over the north(ish) Atlantic while the boat (‘Titanic’) sank (yes, I am morbid!). I can’t believe that movie still makes me cry. The worst/best part is at the end where the photographs are revealed and one sees that Rose has fulfilled all her dreams. Now, my dream has come true. This time around, I shed tears of understanding of the miracle incurred by the realisation of dreams, while the previous two times I wept out of petty jealously. Oh, I am no longer the same person anymore! I’m not even the least bit worried about clearing customs, etc. and making my 3:00 flight! Whatever happens, will happen. I can’t advert my fate. It’s fate, a fate I created that has brought me here. Jack Dawson’s right: ‘Make it count’, live each day. I realise now that each new dawn is full of opportunity and each new day full of adventure. Life can’t be perfect, but this is close!

4:20 pm

I made it!!! We arrived over a half hour late in Toronto, but I had no trouble clearing customs. My handbag had to be opened and rifled through, though, since the x-ray machine picked up something ‘weird’. (I had all my ‘hardware’ in there: clothes pins, miniature grappling hooks, and a pocket knife, among other things. The ‘searcher’ started laughing, she couldn’t believe how prepared I was for any situation!)

Leaving Toronto took forever. We taxied for over 15 minutes, then we had to queue (very Brit. word!) to take off. Now, we’ve landed, but our gate is currently occupied by another aircraft so we’ll have about 8 minutes to wait. (L. Pearson airport, Toronto, was undergoing major renovation, so planes were delayed leaving. The plane at our gate in Montreal was one such plane that had been delayed like ours.) This is the worse thing that’s happened to me since I left a month ago. Poor me!

Right now, it’s supposed to be 9:23 Glasgow time, but I feel on Montreal time. I’ll get back to you in a few hours! The snack this flight was ice cream on a stick. It was funny looking at the business travellers in ties and suits dealing with it!

It’s good, but weird, to be ‘home’. What is the definition of home ? I guess it’s where you understand what makes people tick (in both good and bad sense). It’s where the rhythm of life is so engrained in you as to be unnoticeable to you. It’s where you can ‘go with the flow’ and not have to think about it. I dinna ken, really. But when you’re home, you feel it. And this is home. Not Montreal as such, but Canada, in general. I understand Canadians. I can guess what motivates Scots, but only guess. I don’t know what motivates Canadians, but I do know how they think. I really am a Canadian above all else. These people, a veritable crazy quilt of cultures, are my people. I’m starting to get a sense of identity that I couldn’t see until I left the country and saw other cultures.

That’s it! I went to Scotland in search of myself, and succeeded. I am astounded by that last entry. I had to leave Canada in order to understand what makes me Canadian. I learned valuable lessons on this journey, lessons that will stick with me for ever, and through all my travels.

I know the journal is not always eloquent, but it was jotted down on trains, planes, and buses, while standing in line, or eating dinner. Sometimes, I’d just lean against the corner of a building or plop down on a bench somewhere. It was written during stolen moments of time. I cannot imagine travelling without it.

Thank you for sharing the most incredible adventure of my life with me.

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New and Old Lanark

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9:03 AM

I’m at Glasgow Central waiting on the 9:18 train to Lanark. I can’t believe how easily I got here ! Last month, searching for tickets and my departure stance would have been nerve wracking, but today it was as easy and normal as going to the bathroom! Hard to believe this is my last day in Scotland. I have to admit that if I see another continental breakfast in this lifetime, it’ll be too soon! I’m fed up with cold rolls, cheese, jam, tea, o.j., cereal, etc. I’d just about kill for my unhealthy Cheeze-Whiz on English muffin with a glass of chocolate milk!

However, it’s good that breakfast is healthy since practically everything is deep fried here. I’d just about kill for some steamed or lightly poached fish, steamed broccoli, and plain sticky white rice! At least last night I had a baked potato. I think I’ve had enough French fries for quite a few millennia (and it’s not like I’ve been eating them a lot, just once or twice a week. I must admit I like ‘The Pancake Place’’s herb fries, though). What I couldn’t believe was the time I ordered mac and cheese. It had a full inch of fat floating on top of the cheese and greasy French fries on the side! I went through a lot of napkins getting rid of the worst of the grease! I can’t believe last night, though, I actually (very politely) complained about my meal in a restaurant!

I met a girl last night who said something interesting. Going home is scarier than staying because you’ve changed while the people you know haven’t.

10:38

The train ride to Lanark was AWFUL! (mostly underground or ugly scenery and slow!!!) But worth it. Guess where I’m standing. I’ll give you a hint. The plaque says: ‘Here stood the house of William Wallace who in Lanark in 1297 first drew sword to free his native land.’!!! I’m also next to St. Nicholas’ church, site of the world’s oldest bell, outside of which is a statue of Wallace.

Next, I’m off to the ruins of St. Kentigern’s church where ‘Wallace married Marion’ (TIC lady). I like to think that he did marry her, since he was pious. Anyhoo, this is a beautiful little town ! I didn’t realise that so much of Wallace would remain!!! (And the TIC woman asked if I knew who he was!)

2:54

New Lanark is lovely!!! It’s undergone an extensive restoration scheme that should be finished by the end of the decade/century. Outside, the buildings are all stone, very simple, incredibly beautiful. Inside, they ‘house’ all the modern conveniences of life. I have to look up Robert Owen. I think I would have liked him. The conditions in his town were a zillion times better than in other towns during the same time period, 1820s.

The ‘Annie McLeod Experience’ was great—it was a ‘ride’ that narrated life during the 1820s complete with sound and light effects.

Now, I’m waiting for the 15:22 train. I’m pooped, what with going to bed too late and getting up way early. Tomorrow and the next few days will probably be killers. To be honest, I’m not looking forward to going in to work on Friday. I would have liked the weekend just to get my bearings back! I am looking forward to the pool, though, if they have it going!

I wonder what the weather’s like back home. Here, it’s usually too hot or too cold. It’s hard to get comfortable. I’m forever putting on and removing my sweater and/or coat! The rain hasn’t deterred me in the least and I’ve seen so little of it! I thought, a month ago (already!) that by today I’d be fed up with travelling. I just can’t believe how much I’m wishing that tomorrow I could get on a bus to Ayr, then to Aberdeen, then to… I’ve got ‘the bug’!

8:08 pm

Well… my trip’s essentially over… Tomorrow, it’s the U straight to Buchanan street, then a bus to the airport. A month ago, checking in at the airport was scary. Now, I think of it as a nuisance. It’s like I’m not scared of ‘stupid’ things anymore, well not scared, more like worried, I guess. That’s still not the right word. I guess I’ve just found ‘blick’. (In my Liberal Arts Integrated Essay Seminar class, we talked about discovering a new human emotion called ‘blick’. We had debates over whether or not blick could actually exist. I swear, I’ve found it!) Whatever the emotion, it’s almost gone now. When it comes back, I’ll just think back to this trip ! I could never have given myself a more wonderful present!

 

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Dumfries to Glasgow By Way of Carlisle, England

9:25 am

I guess that the Scots’ definition of ‘early’ is different from mine. The earliest train to Glasgow is at 13:30 and won’t get me there till 4. The earliest bus is at 4! So I figure my best bet from here is to go back to Carlisle on the 10:20 bus (sigh). I should be there by lunch. Since it’s a big centre, there are more likely to be buses to Glasgow. At least I’ll be seeing something ‘new’, rather than ‘bumming’ around here all day. I’m not meant to see the transport museum, I guess! Oh well, as long as I get to New Lanark tomorrow, the pamphlet’s made me very curious to see it ! Besides, isn’t this what travelling’s all about? Changing your flexible plans?! Why even bother to have a plan ? ! I just hope I’ll find a place to stay when I get wherever I’ll end up tonight! The important thing will be to be in the vicinity of Glasgow tomorrow night! Heck, this isn’t really a ‘waste’ of time, where in Canada can I get ‘stranded’ in Scotland??!!

I very much enjoyed my stay at Inverallochy (the B and B). The bed was incredible! It felt good to have a place where I could get comfortable (you know, in leggings, tee-shirt, barefeet, no bra, etc.) and know that no one would walk in on me. I can’t believe how not ready I am to go home! I’m not fed up in the least bit. I have learned a valuable lesson: be careful where you end up on a Sunday! Of my three Sundays here, or was it four? Yes, four. Two have been ‘downers’

1)   Pitlochry, being a ‘tourist town’, everything was open

2)   Skye. Good thing there was lots of walking country!

3)   Perth. Scone. Need I say more?!

4)   Dumfries. Nothing much happening!

Oh, I have had the most incredible month of my whole entire life!!! I actually feel different, more brave, more adventurous. Life is wonderful, I’ve allowed myself so many opportunities. I’m in Scotland for pete’s sake! Yes, no one can take this experience away from me. It belongs to me. Maybe I could get back here next spring break…!

noon

I’m on my way to Glasgow!!! I got to Carlisle with 5 min to spare. This bus requires reservations, but since there was room, they made an exception, no fuss at all, and very courteously.  I’ll be in Glasgow at two rather than 3:45. I might still be able to catch 1.25 hours of the transport museum! Things do work out for me. I’m starting to think that I might have a guardian angel !

5:19

I’m home!!! (That’s Glasgow!) I can’t believe how ‘far’ I’ve come in the last month. I navigated myself from the bus station with a minimum of map reading and no detours whatsoever. The youth hostel costs a £ more/night in July and August, so it’ll be £25/  nights. At least it includes breakfast!

I did make it to the transport museum and I had almost 1.5 hours to explore. It was sufficient. I liked the recreated street (the museum invented a street and lined it with shops and businesses from, I think, the 1920s. It included a fascinating history of the underground), and I can’t believe just how fascinated I am with old cars! Of course, the model boats display (it was huge) was my favourite. An hour more would have been great, but this was better than not going at all! So, my day wasn’t a ‘waste’ after all. I just hope I won’t have a hard time getting to Lanark tomorrow (I didn’t get a chance to go to the rail station, but I figure there should be several on a weekday). One day left. Boohoo!

A final note on Dumfries (that’s Dumfreece (like ‘fleece’), not Dum-freeze): I go to Scotland to get away from the Americans (not true!) and they ‘follow’ me here for a 4th of July celebration in the town square ! A final note on Galashiels: their travel agency featured a display on Canada with special importance placed on ‘tourisme Québec’ !

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A Robert Burns Day in Dumfries

9 :16 AM

I had a great night, the bed was so comfortable. I even treated myself to the 10 o’clock news on the BBC. This morning was a little strange what with being the only guest and so getting exclusive treatment at breakfast. (At Yvonne’s breakfast is ‘self-serve’. It really was like digging through the pantry and fridge at home!) Somehow, it was different from going to a restaurant. The owners, Sheila and Arnold, are very friendly and helpful, but at the same time very discreet.

I’m probably not going to make it to Ayr. No buses run there from here on Sundays. I’ll try the train station later. I just don’t want to ‘waste’ all of tomorrow on the road. I’m seriously considering another night here (an excellent base for exploring Galloway) and going on a ‘field trip’ tomorrow. Monday, I could be in Ayr by lunch, enjoy the afternoon there and get to Glasgow (or somewhere near) by the evening. I’ll see once I’ve been to the train station.

3:42 pm

I’ve had a wonderful day! It began with a glimpse of the Burns statue under (or near!) which I wrote the first entry of the day. After, I went to the Burns house, the Mausoleum, the Old Bridge House Museum, and lastly, the Robert Burns Centre. Then, I went to a pub for lunch (they have cheap and excellent food) where I enjoyed a delicious vegetable lasagna washed down with what else but a half pint of Guinness?!

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I then spent all of (at most) 45 minutes in Carrutherstown! There’s NOTHING there! I couldn’t even find a church or graveyard! I did enjoy a pleasant stroll through Lowland countryside.

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All the museums were free, but I did have an almost £23 splurge: I bought three Wallace books! I couldn’t help it, I mean I had Reese, Gray, and Fisher’s books right there and I’ve been seeing them for the past month, ignoring them (to the best of my ability, resulting in much ‘anguish’!). I figure that with exchange rates and shipping and handling, I most likely saved some money.

I’m not going to Ayr. To do so on a Sunday, I’d have to go by Glasgow. That would be a waste of time. I figure I’ll get on a bus/train out of here early(ish) tomorrow and head northwest, trying to hit Ayr, but maybe Lanark. What’s frustrating is that one bus company won’t say what another one does and the trains won’t say anything dealing with buses so it’s almost impossible to coordinate! I figure, travel tomorrow and get somewhere near the airport so I can have a full day Monday. Good luck!

8:02

You know what? Why don’t I just go back to Glasgow? There are museums I didn’t get a chance to see and I like the city!

8:41

I’ve made my decision!!! I’m taking the ‘first’ train to Glasgow tomorrow and enjoying an afternoon at the transport museum. Early Monday, I’ll head out to (New) Lanark for the day and return to Glasgow. I’m a little disappointed at missing Ayr, but everyone I’ve met who’s been there (including locals) say that unless you worship Burns, if you’re going to Ayr for Wallacey sentimental reasons, you’d better keep your ‘medieval ideal’ of the city. Anyhoo, it’ll be for my next trip!

 

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Melrose to Dumfries By Way of Carlisle, England

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12:00 pm

What a day! 1st, the bus to Moffat came on the wrong side of the square, so I missed it.  So, I ended up in Galashiels (a lot ‘nicer’ than the guidebook claims). I came here since it’s supposedly the ‘hub’ of the bus system in the Borders. I enquired about how to get to Dumfries. ‘Very easily, go by Carlisle.’ Carlisle? EECHH!!! It’s in ENGLAND!!!! I just hope I won’t be stranded there for too long!

(Of 28 days in the U.K., I spent a long 45 minutes in England!)

3:23 pm

I just passed a ‘Welcome to Scotland’ sign. (There is no ‘Welcome to England’ sign. Further evidence of England’s desire to quelch Scottish nationalism, and Scotland’s desire to assert herself as a separate nation.) My ‘stay’ in England lasted all of maximum 30 minutes! It looks a lot like Scotland (!). I actually encouraged the local economy by buying something! I got to the stance from which a bus to Dumfries departs, and, to my delight, the next bus was in 22 minutes. I’ll be there in about a half hour. The Cumbrian accent (the little I heard) is actually quite different from the Scottish accent (speaking generally, of course, since there are so many different Scottish accents!) Coming into Carlisle, I saw a sign saying ‘Hadrian’s Wall’. I came this close to staying in order to see it!

6:58 pm

I made it to Dumfries!!!!!! Since I discovered I had a whole £100 extra in my account and there are no youth hostels here, I decided to treat myself to a B and B. It’ll cost me £16/night. I have my very own room!!! Boy does that feel weird! A B and B also means restaurants, so this will be an extravagant weekend. Hell, I scrimped and saved for the last month! Ayr youth hostel is full. I’ll see if there are any cancellations Sunday morning. If not, I might just stay the day and get something very close to the bus station in Glasgow. It’s too bad that today was basically wasted. Did you know I’m this close to Carrutherstown? I thought I might ‘pop in’ tomorrow, just to say I’ve been there.

Tonight, I’m definitely going to see a movie. I have an hour to kill before I leave, so I’ll enjoy the semi-quiet (lots of traffic) of my own room and get ahead with Wallace. I decided that if I find any other Wallace books, I’ll buy one with the money George gave me. Don’t ask how I’m planning to pack! I’ll figure it out Monday night! Tuesday morning! My last weekend in Scotland…