Just Passing Through

We only had a short stay in Northern Ireland but it was memorable. After getting off the ferry from Scotland, we drove into Belfast to our next Airbnb. So far every one of our hosts has been fantastic and it has been fascinating seeing their corner of the world through their eyes. Spending some time visiting has helped us understand how things work as well as given us some insight into the history and culture of each area. Hosts are also great for helping plan your sightseeing since they know the lay of the land better than anybody. Our host David was very helpful and it was very enlightening hearing about his years as a firefighter in Belfast especially during the Troubles in the 70s and 80s. It gave us an inside view of life in this beautiful but, until recently, divided part of the world.

We visited the Titanic Museum which does a wonderful job of not only telling the story of the ship but also explains the world of the workers who came to Belfast to make it the incredible shipbuilding hub that it was. We walked the downtown streets and found some narrow alleyways that led to some interesting pubs. Pub food is always delicious and is a great alternative to more expensive restaurants.

Who would have thought that rocks could be so interesting? Well, The Giant's Causeway is one rock show that you wouldn't want to miss. An ancient volcanic eruption created about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns which have been eroded into different heights. Some can be walked on while others form the sides of the surrounding cliffs. It's an amazing experience that we shared with a bazillion other tourists since this is a UNESCO World Heritage Site (and on every bus tour in this part of the world). Legend has it that the rock formations were built by an Irish giant named Finn MacCool so he could meet a Scottish giant named Benandonner who had challenged him.

We were surprised at how much of Northern Ireland there was to explore. We drove past beautiful beaches and many castles including the Donluce Castle on the northern coast. Before we left this beautiful country, we stopped in Londonderry, a city known for being the only walled city in Ireland. It also was home to Bloody Sunday and other conflicts during the Troubles. There are stories around the wall about the various sieges the city withstood over the years as well as stories about the events during the Troubles in the 70s and 80s. The people of Londonderry are very proud of their history and seem to have emerged as a prosperous, thriving city. You know that they feel very connected to England by all the Union Jack flags that fly throughout the city. This is definitely a part of the world that needs more than just a brief visit to see it all.

Scottish Funsights

We saw many strange things in Scotland. Wherever you go, there is almost always something written on the pavement. Often it is safety warnings as well as traffic directions. This applies not only to sidewalks and streets but also highways. Yet another reason to drink coffee. Do you really want your picture with this guy? We loved the creative wording on signs. Is this really the best name you could have come up with? And we weren't that surprised that everybody tried to cash in on the Loch Ness legend. Fishing in the middle of your downtown is a great way to start your day. As we were getting ready to leave on the ferry to Belfast, the sleet was coming sideways and yet these poor souls were trying to drum up business for their car wash. It's sad that drones are getting such a bad name, isn't it.

A Peaceful Lake Retreat?

Since the 1800s English people have looked to the mountainous region of northwest England as a retreat. It has gone from being a place to get away from it all to being a giant tourist trap. If you stay away from the towns and off the main roads, however, it is still an amazing place for hiking and many other outdoor activities. We enjoyed dipping into this part of England before heading west to catch a ferry to Belfast, Northern Ireland. It was yet another fabulous sunny day and we saw as much of the region as we could. It is famous for its lakes, forests, and mountains. Some parts are covered with extremely thick lush forests while others are barren rocky mountains. Our strongest memory will probably be of the narrow roads we had to drive on (stop me if you've heard this before) as we did a little wandering into the more remote parts of the area. The locals just fly on by while the tourists cringe and grab the steering wheel tightly waiting for the inevitable scraping sound that doesn't materialize. Stress free driving it is not!

The First First Hole

Scotland never ceased to surprise us. When we arrived in Aberdeen, we found ourselves surrounded by massive grey walls in our neighbourhood. We soon learned that Aberdeen is also known as the Granite City because so many of its older buildings were built out of granite. And yet the city has a reputation for being the greenest city in Scotland. Must be the suburbs.

We drove south along the coast towards the Dunnotar Castle which was another one of those 'oh wow' sights that are becoming quite common for us. All along the way we kept commenting on just how green and prosperous everything looked. We never realized how much of Scotland was rural with farm machinery constantly turning up on the roadways. When we arrived in St. Andrews, I had to take a walk along the road beside the Old Golf Course (which is known as the First First Hole in golf) and see the famous bridge on the 18th hole. After a few pics (which every group of golfers as well as tourists stopped to do on the bridge) I watched some golfers try to handle the infamous Road Hole (the 17th).

We stayed outside of Edinburgh with our first Mennonite Your Way hosts of this trip. Stewart and Jan McIntosh were so welcoming and allowed us into their home for a few days. From their hometown of Kinghorn, we took a bus into Edinburgh where the world largest Fringe Festival was taking place. We walked through the crowds and enjoyed some of the street theatre. The Edinburgh Castle is quite imposing as it looks over the city and is the head of the Royal Mile which leads down to the Queen's residence of Holyroodhouse. Climbing up to Arthur's Seat is a great way to get a fantastic view of all of Edinburgh. Although the city was packed with people, the beauty of the city especially the architecture was easy to see.

After our day in Edinburgh of wall to wall people, we decided it was time for something completely different. We went to visit the Doune Castle (site of Monty Python's Holy Grail movie) near Stirling. It was fun imagining the different scenes from the movie being filmed along the outside walls of the castle. From there it was a short hop to William Wallace's monument which towers over the countryside at 67 metres. He is the biggest hero in Scotland together with Robert Bruce who during different eras fought to keep the English at bay. By the way, Braveheart (the movie) is seen by the Scots as being a very loose interpretation of the real story. Stirling Castle was at the centre of every Scottish government and was constantly fought over. The Stirling Bridge was a crucial connection between the two main regions in Scotland and therefore very strategic. Scottish history is everywhere and they are very, very proud of it here. It seems like the whole Scottish identity is wrapped up in their struggle to be free of the English.

We said good-bye to our wonderful hosts Stewart and Jan and headed south. Before we left Scotland, we stopped in at a few more sights. First we visited the Falkirk Wheel which is an amazing engineering feat. In order to raise or lower boats in the intricate canal system throughout Great Britain, many locks had to be built. Instead of using a series of locks in Falkirk, they created a humongous rotating wheel that consumes the energy needed to boil eight kettles of water to power its motors! It's the only rotating boat lift of its kind in the world and, of course, when we were there, it malfunctioned and so we didn't get to see it in action. Tied in with the canal theme, horses named Kelpies used to be used to pull the barges. As a tribute to them, two 30 metre 300 ton stainless steel horse heads were built in Falkirk. The term kelpie actually originated in Scottish mythology as a shape shifting water spirit that looked like a horse.

People have always believed that walls create security (sound familiar?) so during the reign of the Roman Emperor Hadrian, a wall was begin in 122 AD across the northern border of England. Hadrian's Wall stretches for over one hundred kilometres and most of it is still visible (although not as imposing). We visited Hadrian's Wall and the Roman fortress that was guarding it in the quiet countryside. Today only sheep seem to be guarding it.

We stayed in a wonderful Airbnb in Eaglefield just north of the Scottish border. The next town over was the small town of Lockerbie which became famous on December 21, 1988 when the wreckage of Pan Am Flight 103 crashed there following a terrorist bomb attack aboard the flight. We paid a quick visit to the memorial.

As we prepared to leave Scotland, we thought back to all we had seen and realized just how much we had learned about what Scotland really is like. It is not all highlands although they are pretty significant. It is very agricultural and the fields filled with sheep are everywhere. We found the people to be extremely friendly and proud of their heritage. And we were glad to have driven through it so we could see it up close (although those one track roads made it a little too close at times).