SCOTLLAND, 1978

AFTER TRAVELING AROUND ENGLAND FOR A FEW DAYS,  WE WENT BACK TO OUR HOTEL IN LONDON...THE STRAND HOTEL, AND FROM THERE WE MADE OUR NEXT PLANS.

WE TOOK OUR BRIT RAIL PASSES AND TOOK A MOST LOVELY TRAIN RIDE TO SCOTLAND!..........I REMEMBER IT WAS A VERY LONG TRIP...HOURS, AS I RECALL, AND WE STARTED OUT IN THE MORNING OR AFTERNOON, AND ARRIVED AROUND 5PM, WE HAD BOOKED A HOTEL WHILE STILL IN LONDON, SO WE KNEW JUST WHERE WE WERE GOING........

AS I SAID, THE TRIP WAS LOVEL;Y.........RELAXING AND BEAUTIFUL..........WE ENJOYED THE GREEN SCENERY....THE MOUNTAINS...ALL SO BEAUTIFUL, AS WE GAZED OUT THE TRAIN WINDOW...........

WE ATE SNACKS AND SANDWICHS ALONG THE WAY.......TRAIN TRAVEL IN EUROPE /GREAT BRITAIN, IS A PLEASURE, I MUST SAY!

IN THOSE DAYS, THERE WERE A LOT OF "BACK-PACKERS" THROUGH EUROPE.........A LOT OF YOUTH, TRAVELING AROUND, ON A LOW BUDGET.........MOST WHO STAYED IN B&B'S, OR HOSTELS. AS FOR US, WE ALWAYS STAYED IN VERY GOOD HOTELS, USUALLY THE BEST, IN MOST CASES..........

BUT I WILL ADMIT, I ALWAYS CARRIED ARTHUR FROMMER'S TRAVEL BOOKS AROUND WITH ME, ALONG WIITH FODOR'S TRAVELS...........ARTHUR FROMMER GAVE YOU A LOT OF GOOD IDEAS, AND PLACES TO GO TO.......

I TRAVELED WITH MY HARD LIGGAGE, AMERICAN TOURISTER, WHICH I LOVED AND HAD THE WHOLE SET........I SOMETIMES HAD TRAVELED WITH OTHER SOFT LUGGAGE I HAD.........ONCE WHILE IN ITALY, MY SOFT SUITCASE BROKE, AND I BOUGHT A BEAUTIFUL PIECE OF ITALIAN LUGGAGE FOR THE TRIP HOME..............YES, IN THOSE DAYS I WAS OBCESSED WITH LUGGAGE , AND HANDBAGS............ALWAYS HAD TO HAVE A NICE NEW LEATHER HANDBAG FOR MY TRIP, AND WHILE IN DIFFERENT COUNTRIES I ALWAYS BOUGHT TONS OF NEW BAGS     :)

THROUGHOUT THE TRIPS, I CARRIED MY 35 MM CAMERA, AND A MOVIE CAMERA....THE OLD FASHION ONES, BEFORE THEY HAD CAMCORDERS!

SO, WE LOVED TO TAKE PiX, OUT OF THE TRAIN WINDOW!

FINALLY WE ARRIVED AT OUR DESTINATION.....IT WAS A TOWN NEAR TO EDINBOROUGH, BUT AT THIS TIME. I CANNOT RECALL IT'S NAME.

THE HOTEL WAS A BEAUTIFUL, OLD, POSH PLACE...SORT OF LIKE A MANSION.......IT WAS ON THE GOLF COURSE.......A VERY FAMOUS, EXCLUSIVE TYPE OF PLACE..........IT WAS FILLED WITH PEOPLE!............OUR ROOM WAS VERY LARGE, WITH HIGH CEILINGS, ANTIQUE FURNITURE, AND GAVE YOU A SPOOKY SENSE, AS IF THE PLACE WAS HAUNTED!...........BUT I JUST LOVED IT!....HERE WE WERE IN THIS BIG MANSION -TYPE HOTEL, LOCATED AMONGST THE MOORS AND HIGHLANDS............WE  WERE IN A PLACE THAT MADE YOU FEEL AS IF SHERLOCK HOLMES WAS OUT THERE WALKING AROUND, AMONGST THE MOORS AND HIGHLANDS!

AFTER ARRIVING, WE WENT TO DINNER IN A MASSIVE DINING ROOM..........EVERYTHING THERE WAS EXQUISITE!......EVERYONE WAS HAPPY AND FRIENDLY........YOU WERE TREATED LIKE A QUEEN!

AFTER THE DINNER, A DESERT TROLLY CART WAS BROUGHT TO OUR TABLE...........SO MANY DELICIOUS THINGS TO CHOSE FROM!

AFTER DESSERT, WE WALKED OUTSIDE..........YES, WE ACTUALLY WALKED AMONGST THE MOORS AND HIGHLANDS!.......IT WAS NOW DUSK, AND I'M NOT SURE IF IT WAS THE LONG TRIP, OR OUR IMAGINATION, BUT IT SEEMED AS IF BOTH OF US WERE IMAGINING SPIRITS AS WE WALKED AROUND OUTSIDE.....SO, WE DECIDED TO GO BACK INSIDE!

ONCE BACK INSIDE . WE SAT IN ONE OF THE MANY LOUNGES....THAT WERE PARLORS, IN THIS BIG MANSION........WE SAT AND TALKED TO THE MANY FRIENDLY PEOPLE, AND SIPPED A COOL DRINK.

I WAS AMAZED, AS IT WAS 10PM, AND STILL LIGHT OUT.......I SOON LEARNED THAT BECAUSE WE WERE VERY FAR NORTH, IT GOT DARK AT A VERY LATE HOUR......

WE SOON WENT TO BED, BUT I HAD A HARD TIME SLEEPING, AS I FELT A LITTLE SPOOKY IN THIS PLACE!

THE NEXT DAY, WE WENT TO EDINBOROUGH, TO TOUR THE FAMOUS "EDINBOROUGH CASTLE."

WE TOOK A TAXI THERE, AND WAS LET OUT ON THE FAMOUS, "ROYAL MILE,"..........THE ENTRANCE WAS BEING GUARDED BY A FRIENDLY FEMALE GUARD, WHOM WE TOOK A PIX OF!

THEN WE WALKED ON THE "ROYAL MILE," AND SOON CAME TO THE CASTLE.............EDINBOROUGH CASTLE IS EMMENSE, AND THERE WAS SO MUCH TO SEE!...........WE SPENT THE WHOLE DAY TOURING AND WALKING AROUND THE CASTLE!

LATER, WE WENT TO THE TOWN, AND LOOKED IN ALL THE SHOPS THAT SOLD KILTS, AND SCOTTISH PLAIDS......WE DID SOME SHOPPING, AND BOUGHT SOME THINGS TO REMEMBER SCOTLAND BY!

THAT NIGHT , WE DISCUSSED WHAT WE WOULD DO NEXT.....I WANTED TO GO FURTHER NORTH, IN SCOTLAND, TO THE TOWN OF INVERNESS, TO SEE THE LOCH NESS MONSTER............I WANTED SO BAD TO SEE NELLIE, THE LOCH NESS MONSTER!.....SCOTLAND WAS ALREADY A MISTY, DAMP, FOGGY, SPOOKY PLACE, FOR ME...AND I WANTED EVEN MORE!

HOWEVER, BECAUSE IT WOULD TAKE TOO LONG TO TRAVEL THERE AND BACK, WE DECIDED TO LEAVE SCOTLAND IN THE MORNING, AND TAKE THE TRAIN BACK TO LONDON............

THEN, FROM LONDON, WE WOULD BOOK A FLIGHT TO GO TO IRELAND.........OUR LAST STOP ON THIS TRIP!

THE PEOPLE IN SCOTLAND, THAT WE MET AND TALKED TO, EVEN ON THE TRAIN, WERE SOME OF THE NICEST PEOPLE IN THE WORLD!..................

I WAS A LITTLE SAD TO LEAVE SCOTLAND...........BUT IT WAS "ONWARD WORLD!"...............SO MUCH TO SEE AND EXPERIENCE!!!!!!!!

NEXT STOP, IRELAND.............TO KISS THE BLARNEY STONE!

..................FRAN