Spring Break, School Vacation, Mother-daughter bonding trip, European Holiday… Whatever you

want to call it…Marina and I began our journey on Friday, April 9 th.

We boarded the British Airways plane for London Gatwick on time at JFK. The plane was full and
we were envious of the people in first class (with their individual compartments/beds) and business
class (with recliner seats) but our “cheap seats” weren’t too bad. The captain had requested a specific
take-off runway which would have had an immediate departure, but the request was denied and we had
to wait in a cue of 30 planes. We took off about an hour late, but there were such strong tail winds, that
we more than made up for the delay. Even though we took an early light, we were tired. I managed to
sleep or rest with eyes closed nearly the entire flight. Marina watched one movie, Marley and Me, and
then slept as well. We hit one big patch of turbulence which normally would freak Marina out, but we
just held hands and continued to sleep.

We arrived in London at about 6:15 a.m. The airport was huge but we managed to find our gate
with no problem and plenty of time to spare. The flight to Glasgow was also packed, but it hardly
mattered because aside from taking off, when a horrible breakfast was served, when it was taken way
and Marina folded up my tray and when we landed, Islet the entire time. The flight was quicker than
expected due to winds, and before we knew it, we landed in Glasgow around 9:00. It took no time to
pick up our one suitcase and finally we got outside to the fresh air.

We took a “black taxi” to the city. The driver was very friendly, very chatty and had a VERY
strong accent. On the way to the hotel, he pointed out certain parts of the city, and that came in handy
later on when we ventured out on our own.

We were at Fraser Suites by 9:30 and

luckily our room was ready!!! The hotel is
interesting in that it occupies the top three
floors of an 1800’s Baronial-style building
which has shops and café’s below.

The room is very large with 20’ high

ceilings, sparse modern furniture and a nice
kitchenette with microwave, fridge and 2
burner stove.

unpacked in no time, and being that it was so early we

 decided to lay down for a quick nap. Marina wanted to call
one of her “You Tube”/internet friends, Ziggy at 11:30 (one of
the reasons we made this trip was to meet her friends). She
was so worried that we’d sleep the day away, that I had to set
the alarm for 11:15. Before I knew it, it was 11:45, the alarm
was still going and we had been fast asleep. No big deal…
when Marina called Ziggy around noon, she woke him up!!!

Phone call out of the way, we decided to head out and get
acclimated with Glasgow. We walked and walked and walked.
Until we got some food in us (quick snack at Burger King) and I
had a strong cup of coffee, we were still feeling a bit off due to
the jet lag. But we got the wind in our sails and were out and
about until 5:30 p.m.

The center of the city has a huge pedestrian area (actually

there are many pedestrian streets), Buchanan Street, that is filled to the brim with shops, shopping
arcades, an enormous mall (which we will go to non Easter Sunday when all else is closed) and many
restaurants and caves. The city is NOT at
all touristy. The area was teeming with
people. We went to an internet café (to
the left around the corner in front of the
church in the photo), each purchasing 30
minutes of time for 1 pound 50, and I even
found a computer with 15 minutes left on
it (kind of like finding a parking meter with
extra minutes!) We caught up with our
correspondence – Marina “chatted” with
Malka who appears happy and computer-
ODing back home, as well as with Ziggy,
who although now is so near, seems so far
because they talk via the net.

Buchanan Street

We then went to a beautiful art-nouveau building called Princes Square which had 5 floors of
shops and eateries. On the lower level was a mosaic floor where a bunch of little kids were running
around as if it were a lovely day in the park.
Regarding the weather, it started a bit chilly but
since we walked so much it wasn’t too noticeable.
The sun barely showed itself and it was cloudy with
a few drizzles. The worst part of which was that it
makes for grey, dull, photos.

We went into a bunch of little stores,

bought some junk for Marina at the “Pound Store”
the British equivalent to the “Dollar Store” and we
picked up some groceries at Marks and Spencer.

We wanted to go to the Sharmanka Kinetic

Gallery and Theatre, which seems to be a 2nd floor
hole in the wall which we walked right past, but it
is only open on Thursdays and Sundays. We’ll try
again on Sunday even though it is a holiday.

We earlier stopped at the Queen Street

train station and picked up the schedules for trains
to other cities that we hope to visit.
 It is now 6:45 local time and we are in for the night. EastEnders is on TV at 89:00 and
then we’ll plan tomorrow, read and get a good night’s sleep.

Saturday 4/10

EastEnders was strange. Marina didn’t “get it” but that’s to be expected since they are
seven years ahead of where we are in the plot in the U.S. Marina quickly fell asleep around
8:30 as soon as the show ended. I wasn’t far behind. Supposedly, she woke up at 23:00 hours,
confused, but fell asleep again. We were both briefly up around 4:00 but were finally
awakened by the alarm at 8:30. That’s TWELVE HOURS sleep for Marina! We should be good
to go all day today!

Being that it is Saturday (and Shabbat), and being that Marina is so agreeable and
perhaps even thankful because we are in Scotland, we are now getting ready to go to Temple!

1:00 Well, we’re back from Temple. We had a cab pick us up at the hotel around 10:15.
I told the driver we wanted 27 Hill Street. It was far across town… we would have never make it
there by foot at a decent time (especially since we were wearing boots – mine with heels)
Anyway, we got to #27 but it was a church. Hmm… that can’t be. But we got out of the cab and
figured we’d eventually find it. What I DID find was the scrap of paper that said #127, so we
walked up a hill to the end of the street and there was the Garnethill Synagogue.

A man opened the main door and

looked at us quizzically with his turquoise
kippah/yarmulke on his balding head. (He
kind of reminded us of Rif-Raf from the
Rocky Horror Picture Show). I said,
“Shabbat Shalom”, what is that… a secret
Jewish password?, and he opened the
door winder and asked if we were there
for services. I said “yes” and immediately
he was apologetic that the heat in the
main sanctuary was not working so
services were being held in the Kiddish
room downstairs. “Oh no!” I thought.
We’ll be trapped down there with no way
to escape if it’s really boring, but how
rude would it be to change our minds? So
we entered a sunlit room where 10 men
(at least they had a minyan) (two more
men eventually showed up) sat up front
and 5 women (7 if you count us) prayed
from the back.
 Each person had his or her own worn Siddur (prayer book). I tried to follow, as best I
could, in the Artscroll Siddur that was on the table in front of us. The entire service was done in
Hebrew, many (most) prayers in melodies foreign to us, some the same. The Rabbi wasn’t
there today since he lives 9 miles away and had already walked the distance for the 2 days of
Passover, he asked for the day off. We sat next to a lovely woman, Mrs. Wright, who has been
a member of the shul for 65 years (she’s 70 now). She told us that there are about 125
members of the Temple but most are old (many in their 90’s) There are no children any more,
and the youngest congregant is a 21 year old college student who was present today. They
don’t anticipate being a congregation much longer. Others don’t want to merge since the
location is so far from “Jewish shops” across town where Jews now live. Eventually the building
will become a museum and archive.

We were invited to stay for Kiddish (which looked like it might just consist of tea), but
we gratefully declined. Before leaving, we went upstairs to see the beautiful sanctuary. This
was the first Temple built in Scotland and it was renovated about 10 years ago. It’s a shame it’s
not used and will soon we shuttered but for the occasional tourist.

We luckily caught a cab back to the hotel. Marina called her friends - and we called
home (calls to the US with our calling card are free on Saturdays) and now we are anxiously
awaiting the arrival of Ziggy and Mike!

2:20 rolled around and still no boys. Marina was soooooo nervous. She said she felt like
she did when she was getting her ears pierced. Anyway, I finally said, “call them!” and when
she did, it turned out they had just arrived downstairs. They had gotten lost after getting off
their train and basically walked around the city for 1 ½ hours before finding their way here
(They must be exhausted now after I had them walk another FOUR hours!) Back to 2:20… I let
Marina go down to the lobby to greet Mike and Ziggy and a minute later the three kids came
knocking on the door. They are so cute and both boys were about as nervous as Marina!

There were a bunch of sites I wanted to see, so I figured I’d drag the kids around. We
first went to the Barras, which is a HUGE flea market that’s been around 100 or so years. It
sounded better in the tour books than it
was in reality. In actuality, it was filled
with junk, so after about 15 minutes, I
turned us in another direction and we
headed towards the Necropolis. It is a
large, old, impressive cemetery opened
in 1830. It is on a hill over-looking the
city. The first person buried there was
actually Jewish. Mike and Ziggy had
never seen or heard of the place before
and really enjoyed seeming it (As did
Marina and I)!
 We then went to the Cathedral which dates to the 13th century. This is Scotland’s only
complete medieval cathedral. There was a man playing the organ which kind of freaked Ziggy
out! It It

From the Necropolis looking towards the Cathedral

It was a brilliant day today; sunny, crisp weather, a bit windy, but perfect for walking
around and snapping photos.
 From the Cathedral look towards the
Necropolis.

From up the hill where the Cathedral is, we walked down to the center of the city. The
guys were starving so we found a Subway, Ziggy’s favorite place to eat. We must have sat there
at least a half hour talking and laughing (remember the “fat librarian” fat lady story) I’m rather
impressed with the two of them. Mike is quieter than Ziggy but I think most people will be
quieter than he is (a lot of nervous energy) except for me of course! Ziggy says he is vain and
self-confident. I found him to be comical and embarrassed a lot… but have been nervous
having some “crazy American mom” spend the day and interrogate him! But is was very nice
meeting Marina’s internet pals (that’s the “new” pen-pal” thing I guess) and seeing that they
are nice, polite boys and NOT 45 year old pedophiles like we’ve been busting Marina’s chops
about!

From Subway we went to the

Central Train Station (there are two
major stations in the city) because they
weren’t sure when their trains were
leaving. Turns out we had ½ hour wait
so for a few minutes let Marina sit
privately (as if one could be private at a
central station) with her friends as I
looked around the stations shops.

After saying our “good-

byes” we easily found our way
back to the Fraser. TI’s getting
much simpler finding our way
around Glasgow and this is only
day 2! Our map is already in
shreds!

Marina was in the mood

for a pizza dinner, so we
decided to walk in the
neighborhood to see what we
could find.
 Merchant City, the area where we are staying, is more or less the SOHO of Glasgow.
Beautiful old buildings, markets and lofts have been gutted and converted into classy, attractive
restaurants, cafes and shops.

Just around the

corner from the hotel we
stopped at Merchant’s
Square. It is a lovely old
building (once the home of
the city’s fruit market) which
is ringed around by various
eateries: Scottish, Italian,
Indian, Steakhouse, and
Spanish. Inside is a covered
courtyard, ceiling adorned
by tine white lights, and all
the restaurants have
“outside seating” inside.

Marina tossed the pizza idea out the

window when she saw a menu for the Spanish
restaurant “El Sabor”. So that’s where we decided
to eat because she wanted a Paella (of course
forgetting, I suppose, that we were in Scotland NOT
in Spain). Unfortunately, “El Sabor” (meaning “the
flavor” in Spanish) lacked sabor. We ordered a tapa
of tortilla (decent), a mixed salad (miniscule), and
vegetarian paella which hardly even looked like a
paella in color and consistency, let alone taste like
one! We barely touched it! The bus-boy noticed
and asked what we thought. Marina
feels badly letting people know when
something is disagreeable or
disappointing, but I told him it certainly
was not a paella like those in Spain. To
which he commented that he knew… he
himself is from Valencia, he just started
working at the restaurant, and although
he cooks (his mom sends ingredients
from home) he’s not the cook here.. He
did say if we wanted good paella he’d
invite us! I replied that in a week’s time
my Spanish husband could make me a
wonderful paella, but thanked him kindly. Marina laughed when I pointed out how again I
“befriended” a totally “random” person. That seems to amuse my daughters!

We returned to our room around 9:00 and suddenly

Marina was frantic to share the events of the day (meeting the
guys!) with someone other than me. Having free US calls on
our calling card, she dialed home (to speak to Malka) and left a
lengthy message before dinner and an even more desperate
one after. She finally got in contact with her BIG little sister
after Pepe called us back, and an hour later he had to hung up
the phone on the girls. In the end, even though she got
Kasfia’s #, she didn’t call her friends and by 11:30 it was –NO
MORE PHONE CALLS and lights out!

Sunday 4/12 Wow… I slept well and woke up easily at 8:30 with the alarm. Marina,
well, that was a different story. It was going on 11:00 by the time she was dressed and had a
sip of juice and half a chocolate croissant. Our original plans were to just go shopping being as
its Easter Sunday and we thought all but the mall would be closed. CHANGE OF PLANS. I called
“City Sightseeing Glasgow” the double-decker hop-on-hop-off bus tour and found that not only
were they running, but all museums were open as well. So,
around 11 we left our room and headed to George Square,
which, now that we know our way around, is a stone’s throw
from the Fraser. We ran across the street and caught a bus just
as it was pulling out. What a great deal this turned out to be.
We saw the West End, the East End, the North and the South.
We saw sites we didn’t even know existed and easily reached
places I had wanted to see. Our first stop was People’s Palace
and Winter Gardens which were just across the way from the
Barras, our first stop yesterday.

The People’s Palace was

built in 1898 for the working-
class people of Glasgow’s East
End. It is now a social history
museum telling the story of the
Glaswegians from 1750 to the
present. It was very interesting
and not at all boring. Outside
the building is the Doulton
Fountain. It is the largest terracotta fountain in the world and is topped with a figure of Queen
Victoria.

After a nice visit to the museum, we again boarded the bus, sitting on the upper level.
We have been so lucky with the weather. Again, NO RAIN, lots of bright sun (occasionally
hiding behind clouds) and very mild (for Scotland) temperatures. Up on the bus it did get chilly
with the wind, but the
sights were spectacular.
Glasgow is an amazingly
well-preserved city!

Our next stop was

quite a distance away,
one we certainly would
never have walked, and
thus affording us visits to
otherwise unplanned
stops. We got off at the
Clyde Auditorium which
is an Armadillo-like
structure that houses

conventions and concerts. It is on the banks of the

River Clyde which is spanned by a very interesting

bridge (The Clyde Arc Bridge) nick-named “the
Wink”. We walked along the river and crossed a
foot bridge to the Science Center. It is another
very modern structure and supposedly a great
hands-on museum, but we opted to do more “out-
door” sights. So after taking a picture of Marina in front of a gate with one of her favorite
physics formulas displayed (that one’s for you Mr. Schorn!) we crossed the river again and
walked to the Tall Ship, the Glenlee.

Marina was keen to visit the ship and so

we did. The Glenlee, a 3-masted barque, is one
of only 5 sailing ships still afloat to have
originated from the River Clyde’s shipbuilding
days. She was launched in 1896, went around
the world 4 times, was bought by the Spanish
Navy in 1921 and in 1992 was rescued from the
scrap yard and brought back to Scotland. We
spent about ½ hour visiting the decks, betting a
bit “barfy” on the lower one below the water

level (even though the boat wasn’t even

moving, and basking in the sun on the upper
deck.

Once finished there, we awaited our

tour bus, which conveniently comes to every
stop at 20 minute intervals, and headed North
to Glasgow University. Although we didn’t get
off there (no time for everything!) the
university
architecture,
and that of the amazingly impressive Kelvingrove Art
Museum nearby, was nothing less than spectacular. We
continued on the bus until we reached Renfrew Street, which
is near the Synagogue. We walked up a very steep hill and
actually found ourselves right next to the Temple. I had
hoped it would be open so could take interior photos
(something I couldn’t do on Saturday/Shabbat) but the gate
was locked. I think I heard a sigh of relief from Marina. I
must say though, she’s been a great sport, trekking around the city like a real trouper! So
passing the Synagogue, we went down the hill on the other side, around the corner and
towards the Tenement House (Museum). The stoop next to the Tenement House

On the first floor of a traditional tenement building is the former apartment of Miss
Agnes Toward who lived there from 1911-1965. The house contained all her personal
belongings and gives a good idea of what this type of living was like for many people of Glasgow
(although she was middle-class and many other tenement-dwellers had far worse living
conditions. Marina asked me to purchase the accompanying Tenement House Book (no photos
allowed inside) so we’ll learn more about it all when we can sit down and read. Being that
today is Easter, and being that the girl who sold us our entrance tickets probably thought
Marina was just a wee-one, there was an Easter-egg hung/quiz. She passed splendidly and was
rewarded with a large Cadbury chocolate egg (which I’ll probably devour without her help)
which more or less (less really) makes up for the nearly $20 we spent to see the 4-room flat!

We walked a bit more and stopped at the bus stop down the road from where we had
gotten off. Oh yeah, on the way to the bus we passed the Glasgow School of Art (Architect
Charles Rennie MacKintosh’s architectural masterpiece). I wanted to go in for a tour, Marina
was “sight-seed-out” and was pining for the internet café, so hopefully we’ll get back to this
sight before we leave for America, although I somehow doubt it.

We sat at the bus stop with two young Scot-guys who, to me, seemed more drunk or
hung-over than not… and who were not shy about talking about their drunk escapades while
simultaneously dripping curry-sauce from some curry-on-potato-on-a roll concoction one was
eating. Marina laments not taking a picture four our scrapbook-to-be.

We took the bus back to the original stop and both agreed today was hugely successful.
We made a b-line for the internet café. Marina, being the brain that she is, had no difficulty
putting the coins in the machine and getting her code, and Marina, being impatient, couldn’t
wait a minute to help her mum. The actual internet café was closed (no helpers) today for the
holiday, but accessible through Nero Café (coffee shop) I didn’t have exact change to buy m8iy
internet minutes so first I purchased a good cup of coffee. Then I proceeded to take my change
to the machine where I lost the pound-fifty because I
didn’t know what the hell I was doing and Marina was
other-wise engaged on line. Oh well, I decided to leave
well-enough-alone and write in my journal instead.

For dinner we decided to try TGI Fridays (oh…

we are eating SO SCOTTISHS this vacation). We tried
yesterday but there was an hour’s wait. Tonight it was
only ½ hour, so we put our names down and took a
stroll along Buchanan Street. It was the typical fare for
Marina- Mozzarella sticks, but when we asked for
tomato sauce, the pointed to Ketchup. Very British I
suppose; that and the baked beans they served with
the mozzarella sticks! Al in all though, much better dinner than the fancy-schmancy Spanish
dinner last night!

To end a packed day of sight-

seeing, after dinner we quickly stopped
by our room dropped of some things and
went right out again to the Sarmanka
Kinetic Gallery /Theater for a 7:00 show.
We had NO idea what it was we were
going to see. We had looked for it on
Friday and totally passed it by as the
entrance was a grungy door of a grungy
building with unobvious signage on a
“other-side-of the tracks-like” street.
Well, today we knew exactly where to
go. Marina was still a bit freaked out about the location and at first didn’t like the thought of
having to ring a bell to get in. I think she felt better when she saw other people outside. We
were buzzed into a most creepy-looking hallway and had to walk up a flight of horribly old and
scary stairs with a metal-caged lift in the center. We had to then ring another doorbell and
were let into a studio space packed with bizarre and some-what frightening/disturbing kinetic
(moveable) sculptures.

The word “Sharmanka” comes from the

Russian word for hurdy-gurdy, a hand-cranked
street organ / music box. The artist is a 70 year
old Russian Jew who immigrated to Scotland 15

years ago. Some of these works date back to his Russian years, some more recent. They are
composed of carved wooden figures and every assortment of junk, antiques, lights and motors
and they are incredibly articulated. There was a rather impressive-sized crowd in this “hidden
treasure of Glasgow”. When the show started, the lights dimmed and one by one the pieces
whirred and came to life, accompanied by either haunting or melodic music. We, the audience,
had to walk around the darkened studio as each piece was individually illuminated and
animated. I would not call it happy art, but it certainly was a uniquely impressive show of one
man’s sense of creativity. The show lasted about 45 minutes and when we got outside, it was
still light for our short walk home. What a great full day we had today, and now, 9 p.m., Marina
is already in bed! It’s up early tomorrow as we head to Glamis Castle.

Marina as bug-eyed as this

troll!
 Monday 4/13 For all her going to bed early, apparently Marina didn’t fall asleep until
1:00 a.m. and was no happy camper when the 7:30 alarm sounded. None-the-less, we were
out in the streets by 8:10 heading towards the Queen’s Street Station to catch our 8:40 train.
Marina gets to travel free (off peak or Holidays – today was a bank holiday) on the rails being
that she’s “a kid” but even cuter was, due to the fact we shared a ticket and couldn’t go
through the turnstile, the station employee pointed me and my wee-one through another
entrance. She actually called marina a wee-one!!!

The train ride to Dundee was very easy. The train was comfortable, clean and with a
table in front of us. The scenery was also very nice for the most part and we were able to see
verdant pastures spotted with fluffy sheep. Ninety minutes after leaving Glasgow we arrived in
Dundee. Now, prior to coming to
Scotland, I had contacted Glamis Castle to
find out about transportation there. I was
told “take the train to Dundee and then a
bus, about ½ hour trip, to the castle.” We
got to Dundee at 10:00 and it was damp
and cold, kind of the weather we had been
expecting but had luckily been avoiding.
The cold was coming off the River Tay that
was beside the station. Teeth chattering I
asked a station attendant how to get to
Glamis. The look he gave made me know
this wouldn’t be so easy. He said we’d
have to first get to the bus station (about a
5-10 minute walk) and then catch a bus
(that he thought wouldn’t leave until
NOON, two hours away!) and then transfer
to ANOTHER bus. That was not in my
game-plan what-so-ever. Outside there
were taxis lined up so I asked one driver
how much it would be to the Castle. He
politely pointed me to the first cab in the line, saying it was only right that I asked that driver
first. So I did. We were told the fare was 24 pound (about $36). What choice did we have? For
two years Marina has been pining to see this one particular castle. It was now or never, so of
course we hired the cab. The drive was lovely, through hills and fields, blue skies and green
meadows. The driveway itself leading to the castle from the road was a mile long. I
commented out loud that just to get back to the road to find a bus or cab would be a feat in
itself, and then our lovely driver, Charlie, made us an offer: for 40 pound round trip he’d
actually wait for us while we visited the castle. That was a deal too good to pass up.

We had arrived around 10:30 but the tour wouldn’t begin for ½ hour so Marina and I
went to the gift shop where we had to purchase the obligatory, by Marina of course, Glamis
Castle book! She’ll probably never read it (like the tenement book) but I began to read it on the
train back and it really covers everything we saw on the tour. Besides, taking photos inside the
castle was prohibited.

The tour lasted about 50 minutes and took us through maybe 10 rooms in this
enormous castle. Some rooms were medieval, others were Victorian, and others dated to years
in between. All in all, to me, it was “just a castle”
and the day, with train, cab, entrance and book cost
about $131, but if it was important to Marina…..
 That’s Charlie in the taxi

Charlie took us back to the

train station and I gave him a nice
tip (not customary here in Scotland)
and after picking up a piece of rich
chocolate cake at the coffee shop,
we were back on the train at 12:52.

Between Dundee and

Glasgow there is another city,
Stirling, which boasts a nice castle
(our first cab driver told us about
that one). I was game to stop on the
way back but Marina nixed the idea.
She wanted to shop in the city
instead. So after getting back to the
Queen Street Station, we spent some time at the mall and then again headed back down
Buchanan Street, that wonderful, long, pedestrian strip.

Marina still had about 45 minutes left on her internet ticket, so I dropped her at the café
instructing her NOT TO MOVE, and I headed down the street to the Willow Tea Room (a replica
of MacKintosh’s tea room across town) and then to The Lighthouse – Scotland’s Centre for
Architecture, Design and the City. This second stop was actually very interesting and contains
the MacKintosh Center with an overview of his work, history, art, design and architecture. The
40 minutes I had (while Marina was on the computer) were not enough. So after verifying that
I could come back in with my ticket, I literally ran down the block to the internet café. Marina
was a bit blue since her time was up and she was also tired, but we went back to the Lighthouse
and stayed until nearly 5:00.

The one glitch, or hiccup, in the day, which could have been disastrous is when I
“misplaced” my pocketbook containing our money, bank card, credit cards, cash, phone card
and key-card for our room. Being as the weather is unpredictable, we’ve been carrying coats
AND sweatshirts all day, every day. I’ve also carried a tote-bag which usually contains the
sweatshirts and water, then my pocketbook which rests on top of the tote back but always has
the strap around my arm, then a camera on my neck, in my coat pocket or in one of the bags
and today, to top it off and make things worse, I also was carrying a “souvenir” bag containing
shortbread, some sexy-guy-in-a kilt magnets for Marina’s friends and a Scottish flag for Malka
(ha-ha, inside joke). All day I was thinking how HORRIBLE it would be to lose my purse… almost
came true! The Lighthouse building was designed by MacKintosh in the late 1800’s and was
used to house the Herald Newspaper. It has a tower which can be accessed by a circular
stairway going up at least 5 floors. Marina and I took a look at it and said, “Nah… no way are
we climbing that!” But it did make for an interesting photo looking up from the center. So, I
put my stuff down to shoot the picture only to realize about 10 minutes later as we were
getting ready to leave
the building that my
most important
possession was
missing. Of course,
Marina’s main concern
was that the camera
was gone! I sent her
back to the tower to
look as I frantically ran
down 3 flights to the
lobby where I had last
taken my wallet out to
pay for Marina’s
admission ticket.
Luckily, Marina had
found it where I thought it might be. Could have been a disaster had we actually left the
building at 5:00 when it closed… but from now on I’m leaving at least 2 of my credit cards in the
safe in the room! Is this photo worth losing a pocketbook over?

The visit to this museum satisfied my MacKintosh quota and after seeing pictures and
videos from his other sites, including the Glasgow School of Art, I no longer have the need to
see them in person.

Marina was getting hungry and again was in the mood for pizza, but when she saw
McDonald’s opted for a burger, fries and mozzarella sticks instead. Fine by me; I finally got
some protein (she calls it fake protein)
in the girl! We took a brisk walk back
to our room and now, 6:47, she seems
to be fast asleep for what she said
would be a nap.

And so ends day 4 in Scotland!


 Notice the Scottish flag with the Golden Arches

Tuesday April 14 We went to sleep at a decent hour and were up around 7:30 for a full
day in Edinburgh. We caught the hotel shuttle to the train station. I almost felt “guilty” about
not walking; pretty strange considering that back home we never walk anywhere! We arrived
at the ticket window just in time to get the 8:30 train but since today is a work-day, in order for
Marina to travel free, we’d need to wait for the 9:15 train. Considering what transportation
cost yesterday, I didn’t stop to re-think a savings of $30 today, so… we waited.

Again, the train ride

was smooth and
comfortable, but the sky
was grey (uch ... and we left
our sweat shirts in the room
for the FIRST TIME today!)
so it wasn’t so nice to look
out the window (I’ve been
writing the whole trip
anyway.) At one point,
Marina wanted to throw
out her chewing gum. I
gave her a piece of paper to
put it in but (spaz)
somehow it never made it
into the paper. After looking on her pants and seat we figured it must be on the floor
somewhere! 40 minutes into the trip she discovered the gum sticking her shirt-sleep to her
arm. Genius!

Okay, we finished a busy day in Edinburg and since we bought an off-peak ticket weren’t
able to take the 5:30 train home. No big deal (at least for me because I can now write about
the day) but Marina is moping. I’ve given her the Edinburgh Castle book (yeah, we bought yet
another book!) to occupy her time until our 6:30 train.

Today really was the first day where the sun didn’t shine for more than a few minutes,
the one day I didn’t wear a scarf or a sweatshirt (I thought layering THREE shirts would be
enough – NOT!) IT’s the first day Marina put on her knit hat I’ve been carrying around, so, as
soon as I had the chance, I bought a wool scarf (smells like a farm and sheep piss but did the job
and kept me warm) and a cap that says Scotland with a little flag (I’ll gift it to Marcus) but also
says “made in China”!

We found our way to the tour bus here and boarded at Waverley Bridge just down the
road from the station. We opted to sit inside for today’s tour. Edinburgh is a city very different
than Glasgow. It is very large (it is, after all, the capital of the country) and much more modern.
There are a great deal of very large buildings, much more grandiose in scale to the majority of
those in Glasgow. And the sites are much more spread out.

Last night, after reading about the city in our Frommer’s Tour book, we decided to focus
our attention on two major sites: Edingburgh Castle and the Palace of Holyroodhouse, both on
extreme opposite ends of the city from each other.

At first we had thought we’d stay on the bus for the entire loop, but when we say how
large the city was, we got off at stop #7 (out of 12) and visited the castle.
 The castle is located on the top of an impressive hill, Castle Rock, the remnants of a
great volcano formed 340 million years ago, which makes the castle so impressive and a perfect
site for a fortress rising 134 meters about sea
level. It is surrounded by medieval cobbled
streets filled with loads of tourist shops and
pubs. The castle covers many years and much
history and is more fortress-like, with auxiliary
buildings, than Glamis Castle which was more
residential (at least the parts we saw. In the
Middle Ages it became Scotland’s chief royal
castle. Throughout the centuries various
additions and buildings were added. Today, in
addition to walking around, taking in spectacular
view of the city below and the formidable
architecture, inside we saw: the Great Hall (16th
century), the Royal Palace (15th century), the
Scottish National War Memorial (18th century)
and exhibit on the Honours (Crown Jewels) of
Scotland: the crow, the scepter, the sword –
which after learning the history were amazing to see!, an exhibit on prisoners of war kept in the
castle and we witnessed the firing of the 1:00 gun which is fired from the castle daily (except
Sundays, Good Friday and Christmas). Within the castle walls are many more museums that we
passed up.

From there we started walking down the

Royal Mile which is the old shop-lined street. We
went in search of the perfect memento, but I just
bought a box of Edinburgh Rock which is a candy
indigenous to the place. For lunch we had fish ’n
chips and I had asked for a free sample of the
traditional dish, Haggis (made of sheep stomach and
guts and G-d knows what else!) I guess they forgot
about that part of the order and I must say, I’m a bit
relieved! The café was in a weaving mill, so we were
able to see how the tartan fabric is woven (for all the
kids and uniforms that all Scottish castle/palace
employees seem to wear!) We also stopped at St.
Giles Church while waiting for the bus.

We took the bus and went to the other side of the

city to the Palace of Holyroodhouse. Its location is
very interesting. In front of it is the Scottish House
of Parliament, a very UGLY modern building designed by a Spanish architect (it was really
hideous!). To the side is an ultra-modern cocoon-shaped building which houses “Our Dynamic
Earth” a new museum about… the Earth?? The backdrop to that is the Holyrood Park and the
incredible Salisbury Crags, great cliffs covered in lush green (many people were actually walking
up!) and beyond that, Arthur’s Seat (at 823 feet) which is supposedly a blow hole for the
volcano. So the palace is a big contrast to its surroundings.

Palace Gate & Salisbury Crags

With the price of admission we were given an audio guide which proved to be very good and
useful. We did NOT buy the book and afterwards Marina said we should have because I
believe, this was her favorite sit of all. Oh well… The Palace was established by King James IV
at the beginning of the 16th century and is next to the ruins of an Abby founded in 1128. The
audio tour took us through many rooms with beautiful wood-paneled walls, intricate plaster
ceilings, fabulous tapestries, and ornate furniture, led us outside to the ruins of the Abby and
into the palace gardens. This palace is still
frequented by the Queen of England but
luckily, she was “out of town” today or we
wouldn’t have had this great experience.
 In front of the palace In the garden beside the Abby with Arthur’s Seat behind

By the time we finished there and caught the bus, it was already 4:30 (most places close
at 5:00) so we went back to stop #1, ran to the tourist info office where I got Marina a Scotland
(what else!) tote bag for her to carry her books next year (I swear, I think this year’s physics
notebook won’t fit!) and then she wanted more McDonald’s protein!! (Who am I to deny her
that?) And then it was 5:30 and as I previously wrote, we had to wait an hour for an off-peak
train.

Once back in Glasgow we RAN through the streets to get back to tcatch tonight’s 7:30
installment of EastEnders.. And we did, maybe only missing a minute or two! Now I’m sitting in
the nice lobby of the hotel with a good cup of coffee, being banished from our room. Marina
wanted to call Ziggy but can’t talk with me in the room. A few minutes ago, phone call
complete, she came to get me… and when I asked about tomorrow’s plans… uh-oh… they
hadn’t made anything concrete! Kids!!! Okay, coffee is finished as well as today’s journal entry
so upstairs I go! Yikes, tomorrow is our last full day in Scotland! 

Wednesday 4/15 Today is a grey day in weather and in mood. I set the alarm for 8:20
since we had planned to stay local, but was awakened before then when I heard Marina taking
a shower. She was up before me… that’s a first!!! (Turns out, later she confessed, she was
anxious about seeing the boys again today) She called her friends to confirm the day’s plans
and upon finding out that they’d be here between 1 and 2:00, we headed out towards the
internet café. On the way, we accomplished all last minute shopping (Pepe, Malka & Marcus,
mission accomplished, a shirt for Marina, got candy for Marina’s friends on the way back). Of
course, when it came to me… well, I might have to go back to the shops later on my own. I did
buy myself a Turkish Delight candy, wrapped in its bright purple foil, because I was so fond of
this sweet 30+ years ago. I can’t recall what it HAD tasted like or WHY I loved it so, it has an
interesting perfume flavor to it, but I’m saving the wrapper for old-time’s sake!

At the internet café, we each purchased 2 hours of time. I hadn’t been on since last
Friday (basically 5 days of mail to sort through) so it actually took me longer than Marina since
it was only about 5 a.m. in the US and none of her friends were awake and her Scottish friends
were on their way to visit her. After an hour there, we picked up a burger for Marina and now
we’re just hanging about
waiting…. Oh!!!! The phone
just rang, the mates are here.
Time to go…

It is now about 7:30

p.m. and we are back at the
internet café. It was supposed
to have closed a few minutes
ago but Marina is still typing
away. I don’t know what time
it was when the guys showed
up, but it seems that they actually arrived to Glasgow EARLY today and spent a few hours
walking around or riding the elevator up and down in the mall??? In addition to Ziggy and
Mike, Stu and Billy tagged along today as well (Marina didn’t know Billy at all, and had only
once “spoken” to Stu.) No one had any plans (and I wasn’t going to drag them around touring
again since I’ve seen about all there is to see walking distance) so we headed towards the St.
Enoch’s Mall which Marina and I had not yet seen. These malls look so big from the outside,
but have so few stores inside.

On an aside: I must say, the clothes displayed throughout the city are so attractive and
there seems to be a lot of high end fashion. People are also really nicely put together (the
girls), doing themselves up well and with funky hair styles that caught Marina’s eye. People
don’t just have long straight boring hair like we see back home. What is eye-catching is mod
and colorful (a lot of pink, real red, blue, purple hair in adorable cuts! Maybe because we are in
the city… Okay, back to the day.

I let the kids walk ahead of me or behind me and then I left them in the food court while
I explored (not much to see but my feet started aching form my boots) When I got bored in the
mall, I told them I wanted to go back to Primark, the store we had been in earlier in the day. AS
I shopped there, the kids went across the street to a music store and shortly thereafter, they
came back looking for me. By now Ziggy was passing out from exhaustion (he had been on the
computer until 5:30 a.m. and his friends showed up at his house a bit later!) so we went back to
the mall to get him some coffee. After a brief stop
there, we
went back
to our
room.

One of my
“stalker
pictures”
of Ziggy
 Billy Ziggy Marina (wee-one) Stu Mike

We agreed to walk the boys part-way

back to Central Station and then we’d
head up Buchanan Street to the internet
café, but we were all so engrossed in
conversation that we over-shot the mark
and ended up by the station. Marina
handled the “good-byes” better than I had
expected. I was more “moved” by the
near-conclusion of our vacation.

Marina and Ziggy by the Station.

“Mom, why didn’t you get closer?”

“Marina, you didn’t even ASK me to take a

picture… I was being nice and thoughtful! “
 We strolled back to the internet café to finish off the day and as many minutes as we
could prior to the 7:20 closing. Considering this is a major city, it is striking how things close
down so early… stores are shut around 5!

Back in our room we tidied up, packed and

went to bed early.

Marina being contemplative

Thursday 4/16 We woke up early even though we had nothing planned other than to
take a walk to a bakery to pick up a muffin for Marina’s breakfast, use the last 20 minutes we
each had on the internet and see where the morning would take us.
 I had reserved the shuttle to the airport for
noon. During the morning walk, I noticed the Center
of Modern Art but it wasn’t going to open until
10:00 and it was only 9:00. When we finished on
line, I walked Marina BACK to the hotel and then
walked BACK to the museum where I spent about an
hour.

The weather was again overcast, windy and cold

today. Now we’re sitting on the airplane taxiing
down the runway as we head towards London and
then home, and the SUN IS SHINING BRIGHTLY! The
sun came in with us last week and will see us off as
we leave Scotland.

What a great trip it

was!