Hello from Scotland

Hello from ScotlandJ

Kia ora from Glasgow!!!

J I’m staying with my friend Angela J She’s originally from Seattle but has been here about three years and has become a very good friend. We met each other in Wales in May at a Singles Retreat we both went to. Thanks for having me AngelaJ and for being such a great guide around Glasgow… and showing off the surrounding areas that you love and have wanted to go and visitJ hee heeJ

·       Glencoe

·       Oban

·       Stirling Castle

It’s been amazing weather here in Scotland!!! Glorious sunshine every day!!!! Thanks GodJ

OK…now for an (attempted BRIEF) overview of the last couple of weeks…

Well last week was all about the OLYMPICS!!!

Mon 30^th July: Margie and I went to Eaton Downing to watch the rowing….go New Zealand. Was devastating watching the girls have to deal with their broken paddle…they’d been doing so well… overall there was some great crowd support for the Kiwis (hard to outdo the support for Team GB though!!!) It’s wonderful the way sporting events like this tie people together and build such a wonderful sense of community, even if it’s just a shared interest or the fact that you have some link be it through someone you know or somewhere you’ve been. I’ve taken my Silver fern flag in my daypack when I’ve gone into London and it’s made me so proud to be KiwiJ.

Sat 4^th August: spent the afternoon in London soaking up the Olympic atmosphere. Chris was up from Wiltshire, so meet him, (his cousin)Maryisa and Colin and wandered around Southwalk…it was another glorious summer dayJ…yes summer finally has arrived! …There was lots of entertainment including dancing and singing celebrating Iraq Day. We walked and enjoyed the sights and sounds of London in full swing / later biked along the Thames and ended up down by London Bridge where the big Olympic rings hang so boldly and proudlyJ After the others left I stayed and as night fell it was the next best thing to actually being at the Olympic Stadium, as I could sit watching the track and field events on a large screen next to the Tower Bridge. The atmosphere was ecstatic…especially as Great Brittan took away three gold medals in one evening!!!! What was so pretty was also watching the Tower Bridge light up in Olympic colours and then at 10pm seeing the whole bridge flood lit. It was an amazing backdropJ There was so much activity happening there that I didn’t get a train home until after midnight….all the bridges were lit up along the Thames and it was a wonderful experience. There was also a Media Live Centre where you could watch different countries doing their live stream broadcasts of Olympic coverageJ Canada was especially fun to watch.

The rest of that week

…was spent catching up with friends before I went away on my epic eight weeks of travel…

Tuesday I met Maryisa (Chris’s Mum) in Oxford. We had a lovely time together doing the ‘Hop on Hop off’ open bus top tour and visiting an art gallery she thought I’d enjoy (which I did!). It’s definitely a place to come back to again..with it’s cathedral’s and universities, it’s steeped in literature and history. Thanks MaryisaJ I loved spending time together and you are all like family to meJ.

Speaking of family… the previous week and first week of the school holidays….I went out to visit James and Cathy Newbigging, really good friends of mine form Christchurch. It was so wonderful spending time with them….I stayed the night….and it was like being back in Christchurch, NZJ… Cathy knows me so well and I really appreciated being able to just hang out and spend time with her… and be part of the Newbigging clan…including sitting around the bonfire in the evening toasting marshmallows... J.

I feel so incredibly lucky that despite being so far away from all the rest of my family and friends in New Zealand (yes very blessed to not be totally by myself because here I do have Margie and Brian and PaulJ!) I have people here in the UK who make me feel incredibly loved and cared for. Thanks everyone!!!

This week:

"As the train got further and further away from London I felt freer and freer … finally I’m doing what I came over to do…to travel!!!!! Two of my foremost aspirations are to go up to Scotland and then across to Norway:-)...come and share the experience...!"

 Mon 6^th Aug: I arrived in Glasgow and have been staying with my friend AngelaJ and her housemates William and Rønnaug (Rønnaug is from Norway…and her uncle lives in Ørsta, the next villiage from Volda, where I used to live and will be going next monthJ!!!)

My itinerary:

This week Glasgow and surrounding areas (Angela has done such an amazing job showing me around…when I researched bus trips up through the Highlands she’d already taken me to some of their key places!!!!)

Tue 7th Aug: Angela and I took a lovely drive out into the Highlands and enjoyed a wonderful afternoon at Glencoe. Glencoe is known for its beauty and has a lot of history attached to it, including a massacre that time has not let people forget. Memories run exceedingly long here in Scotland! We donned our hiking boots and went for a walk…Angela had to put up with me constantly saying “This is so much like New Zealand!” …there was even fern growingJ.

From Glencoe we drove to the beautiful lakeside village of Oban and had dinner. The craziest sight was seeing two Jacob sheep being off loaded and lifted onto a small boat bound for an island. Asked what was special about the Joseph sheep (with it’s four horns and long tail …yes four horns and long tail!) the reply was, “The patterns on their coats!”…implication…they’ll make nice rugs one day!

Wednesday 8th Aug we took a walking tour around Glasgow and listened to the World Piping Championships ‘build up’ in Georges Square….before taking the train across to Edinburgh

             …wow….Edinburgh is such a pretty city!

And there’s so much happening…the Fringe Festival is on and I can’t wait to go back there next weekJ.

In Edinbugh I also met Sam (from Invercargill) who complimented me on my distinctively Kiwi jade stone pendant. “Kia Ora!” I saidJ He was recognisable as Tangata WhenuaJ by his huge tattoo, pendent and brown skin. “Yhay for Kiwi’s!” J…when you run into a fellow Kiwi and you’re both far from home  you’re all family!!! Angela commented on it later…she thought we must’ve known each other…he introduced us to his partner and son and it was hugs and kisses on the cheeks all roundJ

Thursday 9th Aug I took the bus into Glasgow and explored by myselfJ….did the Glasgow version of the ‘Hop on Hop off’ bus tour then really enjoyed going through the Kelvingrove Museum and Art Gallery. The two Art Galleries I wanted to see was that (Thur) and the Burrell Collection at Pollack Park (Sat), between them I saw some wonderful examples of French Impressionist paintings. It was so yummy!!! Seeing them inspires me and I want to have a goJ.

There was Scottish Highland dancing back at Georges Square and then a band called ‘The Jiggers’ who entertained us with wonderful Scottish music and had some of the (80 year old Grannies) up doing a jig of their own!!!

Friday 10th Angela and I went to Stirling CastleJ. I learnt more about William Wallace, Mary Queen of Scots and lots of other things of great historical significanceJ.

Most of all though I enjoyed the magnificent views of the lowlands from the castle and just the amazing weather we’ve been having ever since I arrived!!! I especially enjoyed chilling out in the sun in the ‘Queen Anne Garden’ which hosted a quartet band all afternoon under lovely blue skies…(believe it(!!!) or notJ it’s been raining something terribly in Scotland the last two months so it’s been such a blessing have such glorious weather!)

Saturday 11th Aug I borrowed Angela’s bike and rode to Pollack Park. I had such a blast exploring the grand expansive grounds. I found lovely flower gardens and herb/vegetable gardens, had a picnic by the river outside the amazingly grand historic house (that Angela actually volunteers at) and enjoyed getting to know some of the locals (…when I can make out what some of them are saying!!!) I’m loving especially hearing the children talk and their accentsJ.

The Burrell Collection was an amazingly housed collection and sometimes even though you were inside it felt like you were outside in a forest…I really enjoyed the selection of paintings there that included Degas and Manet paintings and Rodin sculptures.

Sunday 12th Aug I’m looking forward to going to the West End of Glasgow. This is the very trendy arty area of Glasgow. It has lots of cool vintage type  shops and cafes… and is also home of the Botanic Gardens.  There have been some beautiful gardens I’ve been to (Stirling castle, Pollack Park and Garden) that make me think of Nana and how much she would love these places. So I treasure these places and the lovely special memories of similar places I’ve been to with herJ.

Looking ahead: 
Next week…Monday13th I’m going across to Edinburgh and shall enjoy exploring Edinburgh and experiencing more of the Fringe Festival, and of course the Edinburgh Festival.

                      Shall keep you posted on my next

                      adventuresJ Good night/Good

                      morning!!!  Kia OraJ

                                                  XXX