Well, I guess I either haven't caught up with my sleep and/or my body hasn't adjusted to the five hours difference in time zones. I failed to set the alarm on my phone last night. We were supposed to meet Carl and Janet at 7:30 for breakfast and we awoke at 7:25. Kay and I were both showered and dressed by 7:45 and down to another great English breakfast.
After breakfast we had a little time to get our things together and board the bus which left at 9:00. It was raining this morning as we left but the forecast was for it to clear in the late morning.
The drive to Alloway, about an hours distant from Glasgow was pleasant enough with beautiful pastoral views of grazing sheep. In Alloway, the birthplace of Scotland's most famous person Robert Burns, we visited his childhood cottage, garden, church and museum. We had lunch at the museum, which was typical museum fare, enough said.
Overall the visit to Alloway was interesting but Kay and I both agreed that had we know what it would be like we would have passed on the trip and visited the Glasgow Necropolis instead.
Below are a few photos of the area.
The cottage was one room wide and included the horse and cattle stables along with three small rooms.
I found the horn drinking mugs interesting. Horn was used for many purposes.
Auld Kirk Burial Ground
Burns father was buried here, a short walk from the cottage.
An interesting tomb stone
The Brig o' Doon, sometimes called the Auld Brig or Old Bridge of Doon, is a late medieval bridge in Ayrshire, Scotland
Kay being windblown on the Brig o' Doon.
The bridge is thought to have been built in the early fifteenth century. According to John R. Hume, the bridge was built by James Kennedy, who died in 1465, but the first recorded mention was in 1512.
Some interesting facts about the bridge from Wikipedia.
It is used as the setting for the final verse of the Robert Burns's poem Tam o' Shanter. In this scene Tam is on horseback and is being chased by Nannie the witch. He is just able to escape her by crossing the bridge (over a running stream), narrowly avoiding her attack as she is only able to grab the horse's tail which comes away in her hands:
"The carlin caught her by the rump
And left puir Meg wi' scarce a stump."
The Broadway musical Brigadoon also takes its name from this site, though the musical's location is fictional.
We arrived back at the hotel around 2:45 and plan to rest until we leave at 6:00 for our "home hosted meal". This is an event which our travel company Overseas Adventure Travel, has for every trip. In small groups we visit a typical local family for a sit down meal. It is an opportunity of ask questions and learn about how "normal" middle class people in the area live.
We just returned from our "home hosted meal" and it made up for the lackluster morning. We were taken by cab at 6:00PM to our hosts home. Upon leaving the hotel the only thing we knew about our host were their names, Brandon and Siobhan.
The four of us along with a fellow guest, Juliana had a most delightful evening. Brandon and Siobhan lived in a typical middle income home. They have nine children, five girls and four boys all of whom were grown and out of the house except for the youngest, who was lookin for his own flat. Among the children, one is a dentist, one a pharmacist, one is a nurse, two were teachers and one owns party hosting business.
Brandon and Siobhan's home. They have lived here for 20 years.
We were treated to the most popular Scottish beer, Tennents.
We had an excellent meal similar to pot roast with with creamed potatoes and a pastry toping along with a side of green beans.
Desert was apple pie and ice cream with a delicious sauce.
There was great conversation where we shared our stories. Both Brandon and Siobhan were in the banking industry until the financial crises of 2008. Brandon now works for a non-government agency which helps foreign industry relocate to Scotland.
After plying us with beer, we had wine with dinner and finished the meal with a single malt Scotch and finally a cup of tea. It was a most excellent meal.
During the course of conservation we asked about the football (soccer) rivalry in Scotland. Siobhan said one of her sons wanted to be a footballer and follow in her fathers steps. He played and was the assistant coach with the Celtics. This is a book about her father.
Saying our good byes. It was a great evening. Upon leaving we were presented with a gift bag with homemade candy and other goodies.
Even the ride back to the hotel was interesting. Our driver asked if we were American. He then stated he was from Iran, but he didn't fight Americans, he hated the Iranian government. He left Iran in the 1990's and has lived in Glasgow since 2000 and considers himself Scottish. I told him his English was very good and I could understand him better than the locals!
A word about our hotel, the Hotel Indigo. It is boutique hotel in an excellent location. The rooms are typical European, smaller than we normally expect in the US, but nice.
These are the "published rates", but I checked and you can get a standard room for about 150 pounds or about $180.00 plus tax.
We leave tomorrow for Oban, the seafood capital of Scotland, I am looking forward to our meals there!
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