Another Day of Grace: Glasgow

Showing posts with label Glasgow. Show all posts

Monday, June 12, 2017

Continued from...
Part 1 - http://anotherdayforgrace.blogspot.ca/2017/02/my-journey-to-scotlands-cities.html
Part 2 - http://anotherdayforgrace.blogspot.ca/2017/03/next-stop-edinburgh-scotland.html
Part 3 - http://anotherdayforgrace.blogspot.ca/2017/03/72-hours-in-city-of-edinburgh.html
Part 4 - http://anotherdayforgrace.blogspot.ca/2017/03/a-real-introduction-to-history-and.html
Part 5 - http://anotherdayforgrace.blogspot.ca/2017/03/the-haunted-graveyards-and-underground.html
Part 6 - http://anotherdayforgrace.blogspot.ca/2017/04/a-tour-of-edinburgh-castle-and-solo.html
Part 7 - http://anotherdayforgrace.blogspot.ca/2017/04/farewell-edinburgh-hello-highlands.html
Part 8 - http://anotherdayforgrace.blogspot.ca/2016/11/making-my-way-to-lovely-isle-of-skye.html
Part 9 - http://anotherdayforgrace.blogspot.ca/2017/05/so-long-for-now-beautiful-isle-and-onto.html
Part 10 - http://anotherdayforgrace.blogspot.ca/2017/06/lessons-in-scottish-history-and.html

My last morning in Scotland was hectic despite the fact that, thankfully, the hotel fire alarm did not go off during the night. I quickly showered and was disappointed to discover another issue with the room; a shower door that only closes half way and therefore results in the entire bathroom being flooded. I had to pass it off as not my concern as I was in a rush to catch my plane. Besides, there were so many issues with the hotel room that I just couldn't be bothered to deal with the front desk anymore by that point.

I ate a quick breakfast before checking out and made the five-minute walk to the airport. How on earth a five-minute walk turns out to be actually twenty is beyond me. There I was walking while half asleep, cold and carrying all my luggage after being told the hotel was a five-minute walk from the airport. That's quite the exaggeration. In case you're wondering, I gave this hotel one star on Trip Advisor and I don't even think it deserved that for the inconveniences I endured. I wish I could say my misfortunes that morning ended there but sadly, things only got worse.

I checked in for my flight and made it through security with more than enough time to find somewhere to relax and have a coffee. I went to my gate and checked my flight status, found a Starbucks that wasn't too crowded and, with my hazelnut latte in hand, took a seat in the corner. I was about half way through my latte when I noticed that my shopping bags with the scarves I had bought for my sisters and my coat were nowhere to be found. Thinking I might have left them near the counter when I was ordering my coffee, I asked the barista if she had found anything but she hadn't. I raced through the airport backtracking ever step I took since I arrived, asking anyone who would listen if they spotted the items anywhere. I spoke with a security guard, a woman working in the duty-free shop and even someone at the main security area. No one had found anything. By this time I was hysterical. The scarves were not cheap and I made a significant effort into finding just the right ones.   The coat was one of my favorites and it too was not cheap.

I frantically wandered around in circles looking everywhere. I'm must have roused suspicion in some people as I was getting some strange looks. I was also worried that if someone found the bag unattended, I could be in some trouble. When I spotted two police officers chatting near an exit, I approached to let them know the situation but didn't make it to them because something on a nearby bench caught my eye. There, sitting in plain view surrounded by people waiting to board their plane was my untouched belongings. I bolted towards the items and grabbed them from the chair while loudly exclaiming "I must have left this here hours ago". The look on the faces of everyone in the vicinity said it all; who is this crazy woman grabbing unattended belongings from an airport bench and why is she talking to herself. Thankfully, no one alerted security and I boarded my plane soon after without incident.

The winds must have been in our favor that morning because it took an hour and a half less time to fly from Glasgow than it did to fly in. The only eventful thing to happen on that flight was a flyover of of a large and snowy landmass. I looked out my window at a large white landmass and could see waterfalls and a river and mountains. My mind went blank as I tried to figure out what the landmass could be. Iceland? Newfoundland? Nope, Greenland! Now I guess I can say I've been to Greenland...or at least that I saw it from above.

I arrived in Halifax earlier than anticipated so I had to wait a few hours for my shuttle back to Cape Breton. Other than a bit of bad weather in the Scottish Highlands, one bad hotel and the fact that 9 days in Scotland wasn't long enough, the trip was perfect in every way and I hope to return to Scotland again in the near future.

Monday, June 5, 2017

Lessons in Scottish History and an Eventful Final Night

We arrived at the Battlefield of Culloden in the early afternoon and started our tour with a walk-through of the indoor museum and exhibit. I didn't know all that much about the famed and brutal battle but after I did that walk-through, I knew everything there was to know including just how devastatingly brutal the battle was. I was particularly disturbed by the 3D movie that was shown on all four walls of a fairly large room at the end of the exhibit. It was a very realistic reenactment of the battle. Standing in the middle of that room with scenes of the recreated battle happening all aroud me made it seem like I was right there in the middle of it all. After brushing up on my knowledge of one of Scotland's most famed battles, I stepped outside onto the actual battlefield where, On April 16th, 1746 around 2000 men lost their lives in a relatively short amount of time.

There were quite a few people wandering the battlefield that day but despite the crowds, it seemed eerily quiet. The kind of quiet that caused goosebumps to form on my arms and the hair to stand up on the back of my neck. Against a gentle breeze, I slowly walked along around that vast stretch of land where so many lost their lives. A hand-held device and headphones with dialogue about the battle was handed out to everyone before they began their walkabout of the battlefield. I took one with me but didn't use it. I separated from the group and walked the battlefield alone, at my own pace and without the noise pollution of a robotic-sounding guide in my ears. I felt this was the best way to get a feel of the place and to envision what transpired in that exact spot almost 300 years earlier. As I walked, the realization hit me that the Battle of Culloden is not only a part of Scotland's history, but also a part of my history.

Before heading to our final destination, we made one more stop at the location where The Battle of Bannockburn took place in 1314. We got a brief history of the battle, the battlefield, the huge statue of Robert the Bruce and a lesson in the historical inaccuracies portrayed in the movie Braveheart.

It took about an hour to drive back to Glasgow. I requested to be dropped off there so I wouldn't have to travel from Edinburgh to catch my plane the next morning. After saying goodbye to Andrew and the rest of the group, I exited the bus into one of the cities busy squares where students and workers on lunch break hang out and tried to find a bus to take me to my hotel near the airport. I figured it would be easy to get there from downtown Glasgow considering how easy it was to travel from the airport to downtown when I had first arrived in Scotland. Alas, that was not to be. It took me over an hour to find the right bus stop and than to find the right bus. And that was just the start of my travel woes that evening.

I booked a room at the Ramada Glasgow a few weeks in advance of my trip and was in contact with staff several times before I boarded my flight to ask general questions about directions and the like. I confirmed my booking before arrival and even received an email from the hotel with the name "Ramada Glasgow" in the email and I was told the hotel was only a few minute's walk from the airport. That evening, I got off the bus near the front of the airport and went inside to ask the help desk for directions to the hotel. I was provided with a map and some vague directions before going off into the night. I followed the directions and watched for the landmarks marked on the map and followed it exactly to the spot where the hotel should be...and it wasn't there. I walked around some more thinking I took a wrong turn. How hard could it be to find a hotel in such a small area, right? I walked and walked and walked until I was exhausted and frustrated beyond belief. It started to rain. It started to downpour. I got wet. I was starving. All I wanted to do was check in to my hotel and and rest up for the long journey home the next day. I started walking in the other direction. I turned down another road and another and I tried to find someone to ask for directions but no one was around. I started to get a little scared as it was getting darker and I was alone in the rain in an area where there weren't a lot of people in a foreign country where I didn't know anyone. Finally, I spotted a service station in the distance. I walked towards it.

When I finally arrived at that service station, the young man at the counter had no idea what I was talking about. He did, however, tell me to check with the delivery driver who was pumping gas because he would probably know the area best. I don't normally approach strangers in this manner while traveling but I was desperate and willing to do anything just to get in a warm, cozy, dry bed ASAP. I asked him if he knew where the Ramada Glasgow was and he did! I also normally don't take drives from strangers while traveling but my desperation caused me to have a lapsed in better judgement. Fortunately, he took me straight to the hotel, or at least to where the hotel used to be. We stopped in front of a Courtyard Marriott and he swore up and down that this had been the Ramada Glasgow not long ago. He was so sure of it, he told me to wait in the car while he went inside to ask someone where it was. This is when I discovered that the Ramada Glasgow had changed its name to the Courtyard Marriott. Once I knew for sure I was in the right place, I thanked my driver profusely and entered the hotel lobby ready to rip a piece of someone but I was too tired to fight it. I checked in and was finally headed to my room in preparation to unwind for the evening. Except, that is not exactly the way things went.

I thought that not being able to open my room door with my key card and not being able to get the lights working in the room would be the only minor things I would experience that evening. Boy was I wrong. My first mistake was realizing I was hungry and going downstairs in search of something to eat. I didn't feel like having an entire large meal so I went in search of the convenience store that was listed as one of the amenities of the hotel. When I was unable to locate it, the lady at the front desk informed me that all that was left in the store that evening was in the room behind her - a bunch of empty shelves. My stay at the Ramada Glasgow - or should I say the Courtyard Marriott - wasn't off to a good start and it didn't end there. After I had to shell out more money than I wanted to order a meal from the hotel bar and restaurant, I sat down to enjoy what should have been a peaceful meal after the hellish evening I'd experienced. That peace was shattered before my fork even made it to my mouth by the sound of a fire alarm going off and staff running around in a panic seemingly not knowing what to do. While some staff members ran around like chickens with their heads cut off, I approached the front desk to ask the scared-looking receptionist what was going on. All she told me was she didn't know, it was being looked into and the alarm had been going off like that all day. Lovely. So much for a good night's sleep. Fortunately, the alarm only went off one more time and I was able to sleep soundly until my alarm went off at 5am.

Friday, March 3, 2017

Next Stop: Edinburgh, Scotland

*Continued from My Journey to Scotland's Cities, Highlands and Islands http://bit.ly/2k61UAl

After getting instructions from a lady at the help desk in the arrivals area of Glasgow International Airport (she suggested take a bus/train combination to Edinburgh), I made my way to the front entrance of the airport to find the #500 bus to Queen St. Station in downtown Glasgow. The moment I walked out the door, a blue bus with the #500 was just pulling up. I rushed over and bought a ticket and was on my way. Much easier than I thought it would be and I didn't get lost like I usually do. The trip downtown took about twenty-five minutes and allowed me to see some of the city. Upon arrival and in an equally-easy manner, I was able to find a ticket booth where I bought a train ticket to Edinburgh Waverley Station, find the right train and board.

I was surprised by how easy this whole process was. Actually, it scared me a little. I was almost expecting something to go wrong. It's rare that things go this smoothly for me when traveling. In less than an hour, I made it from plane to bus to train and was headed for Edinburgh. Although I was dead tired and the seats on-board the train were very comfortable, I was unable to sleep a wink. Instead I drank coffee all the way there which I'm sure didn't help with the jet lag and lack of sleep. There wasn't much to see along the way except homes, industrial parks and lots and lots of sheep.

The train ride only took about an hour and before I even had a chance to settle down and relax, it was time to disembark at Waverley Station in downtown Edinburgh. When I booked my trip, I didn't know if I would be taking the trail but I still sent directions from Waverley Station to the Travelodge on St. Mary's St. where I was staying. once I was off the train, it didn't take long to realize that I would need to access those directions. The station was much larger than I thought it would be and I, very quickly, became hopelessly lost. The directions were of no help.

Waverley Train Station

I wandered around that train station for just over an hour trying to find the right exit onto the right street. When I found it, it took another twenty minutes to find the right route to my hotel. It was during this time that I had my first experience with genuine Scottish hospitality. Several people who noticed I was lost offered to help me and one person even offered to walk me straight to my hotel! Once I got on track and new what direction to go, I walked another ten minutes. As I walked, I couldn't help but notice how warm and sunny it was. Everyone back home told me the weather in Scotland that time of year was much like home - cold, damp and horrible. I was wearing my cold weather clothes while walking with all my luggage so I was sweating bullets in no time. I arrived at my hotel room with plenty of time to explore the city on that first day. It wasn't until my arrival at the Travelodge that I realized how central it was - right around the corner from the Royal Mile, the main tourist street in Edinburgh.

Checking into the hotel was a breeze. The only peculiar thing about check-in was the fact that no one at the front desk knew how to say or spell my last name even though MacEachern, so I've always been told, is an obviously very Scottish surname. Oddly, this would not be the first time I'd experience this on my adventure around Scotland. It seems that it's not as common of a name as it is across the pond in New Scotland. Once in my room, I quickly unpacked, grabbed a shower and set out to explore the city. I probably should have caught up on sleep seeing as I was jetlagged and hadn't slept in almost two days but I felt wide awake. I'm not one to let a little jetlag and lack of sleep get in the way of my travels; plenty of time to sleep at home!


My hotel room at the Travelodge in Edinburgh - simple but clean and comfortable.

Thursday, February 2, 2017

My Journey to Scotland's Cities, Highlands and Islands

For some reason, this fall my family and friends were more accepting of my travel plans than they usually are. I didn't get any off-the-wall comments like "what are you thinking traveling somewhere so dangerous?" or "you are so crazy traveling all the way over there by yourself". I guess to them Scotland didn't seem like such a dangerous destination compared to, say, Mexico or Costa Rica. They encouraged me to go and said things like "you are so lucky" and "have a great time and take lots of pictures". I was quite surprised. Maybe they're finally getting used to my just-getup-and-go way of life. Maybe they're warming up to the idea of me traveling to far-flung destinations by myself after seeing me return unharmed time and time again.

I didn't have much time to plan this trip. My work schedule was up in the air, car repairs drained my bank account and I just couldn't decide where I wanted to go. I started researching potential destinations for my next trip months before. I would choose one, make plans and something would come up to derail them. All I knew for sure was I wanted to avoid Central America and the Caribbean only because I've already spent a lot of time in that region and wanted to try somewhere different. Greece was my first choice. When that didn't fall through, New Zealand was my chosen destination. That got derailed too. Finally after researching, planning and cancelling, I settled on my final destination; Scotland.

I've wanted to visit Scotland my whole life partially because I am half Scottish and partially because everyone I know who has been there tells me how beautiful it is. Since my finances were pretty much depleted from car repairs and surprise expenses, I decided to cash out my hard-earned AirMiles for this trip. If you didn't already know this (as I do now), AirMiles are pretty much useless for flights from Canada to Europe. I say this because I was able to search return flights to Glasgow and Edinburgh for under 600 bucks on various dates. When I searched with AirMiles, I was able to find return flights that would only use a quarter of my miles (about 3500 miles) and set my bank account back 850 bucks in taxes and fees. Yes, you read that right. It's cheaper to fly from Canada to Europe with cash only. Save your AirMiles for domestic flights which only carry fees of about 200 bucks or less. This was a disappointment to me because, as any of you AirMiles collectors know, these miles were set to expire on December 31st (that has since changed and now the miles carry no expiration date). I did have another option available to get an almost free flight to Europe and that was my WestJet Dollars. I used my expiring AirMiles to order a new tablet and a pair of snowshoes.

Everything came together perfectly at that last minute. Before I knew it, flights were booked, hotels were booked and a 5-day Highland and Isle of Sky tour was booked. I even managed to find some advanced tickets to enter Edinburgh Castle without having to wait in line. Early on the morning of September 15th, I hopped on a shuttle to Halifax Stanfield International Airport to catch my flight that evening. I was lucky to only have to share the shuttle with one other non-chatty, non-annoying traveler so I was able to catch up on sleep that I knew I wouldn't get on the plane.

I made good use of my 7-hour layover in Halifax by charging my gadgets in the onlyoutlet I could find, catching up on text messages, eating fast food, reading, rearranging my carry-on luggage to make it the right size to be taken on-board, booking my return shuttle, exchanging currency, chatting with the lady trying to get people to sign up for a credit card, twiddling my fingers and staring at the ceiling. When it was time to check in, I made a silent plea to the luggage gods asking them to please, please let me board the plane with two pieces of carry-on luggage and a purse. The ticket agent looked at my bags and asked if that was all I was taking on-board. I said yes, asked no other questions and pretended not to be surprised when she asked me to proceed to security. I quickly walked away before she could change her mind but couldn't help but smile at the realization that I had finally done it; I, a former over-packer, had managed to pack all of the necessities needed for a 9-day, transcontinental voyage in two carry-on bags.

Flying with one of my favourite airlines, WestJet, is always a pleasure. Besides a bit of turbulence, the flight was uneventful and I arrived in Glasgow almost an hour ahead of schedule. As I walked off the plane and headed straight for customs and immigration (which was a surprisingly quick process that day), I took great pleasure in not having to worry about waiting for checked baggage! With the last leg of my journey to the Old Country complete, I set out to start the next journey; an overland trip to the city of Edinburgh. This was a part of the trip I didn't plan ahead of time. All I knew was I had two options; a train or a bus. I didn't care which one I took as long as it was affordable, safe and quick. Welcome to Glasgow, Scotland. Next stop....the city of Edinburgh.