Scotland, Eve of Departure
Scotland 2022
Departure Eve 09/19/2022
I don’t know anyone that was not adversely impacted by the Covid Pandemic. Two years is a long time to have your life’s plans altered. Linda and I traveled to Scotland in June 1999 with my brother and sister- in- law, Larry and Pat. We flew into Edinburg, rented a car, and started touring the United Kingdom. We played golf, searched for the Loch Ness Monster, stopped in Inverness, and visited St Andrews. We then turned south toward England. We stopped along the way at Hadrian’s Wall. I knew it was famous, I just wished I had paid more attention in my history classes. We spent the next week touring all the landmarks around London with Linda’s cousin, Cynthia and her husband, John. A great trip. Friendly people and beautiful scenery. Tomorrow we will board Delta and begin our trip to Edinburg after a two year delay. We will be traveling with Harry and Amanda Kearley. Harry will be the driver, I will be his navigator. (I will operate the GPS).
Scotland has a long and violent history, beginning with the Celtic settlers over 2,000 years ago. It is still ongoing today as they continue to debate their independence from the UK. Rick Steves asked a Scotsman if he was British first or Scottish first. The gentleman told him he was Scottish first and Scottish second. The feelings run deep. I don’t think they have ever forgotten the Battle of Culloden, near Inverness, in 1746. It did not end well for the Scots. More about this later when we visit the battlefield.
On our trip we will drive down to the Lake District. Linda and Amanda want to see Beatrix Potter’s house. (famous for writing Peter Rabbit stories). Harry and I want to see it, also. The first recorded history of Scotland was made by the Romans. Roman Emperor Hadrian had Hadrian’s Wall built in AD 122. This was a defensive wall to protect Britannia from the unconquered Caledonia to the north. Caledonia became Scotland. The Wall did not mark the border between England and Scotland, all of it was located in England.
I will leave you with two thoughts. The Scottish Flag is a blue St. Andrew’s cross, the flag of Alabama is a red St. Andrew’s cross. The official state animal of Scotland is the Unicorn. I will try to get pictures.
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