A change from Cuba or a dive vacation. This year we are touring Scotland.
We landed in Edinburgh airport May 16th, and somehow they opened the wrong door and the Toronto flight filed off into the departure lounge, down the escalator and out onto the streets of Edinburgh.
We totally bypassed passport control and luggage retrieval. We realized something was wrong very quickly and notified the authorities. They immediately went into "high alert security mode" and quickly rounded us all up and shuffled us off into a corner of the airport. After an hour or two we were processed and allowed to leave.
I'm sure somebody will be fired for that security risk!!
We started our tour off in Lockerbie Scotland, my fathers birthplace but more recently famous for the Lockerbie bombing where on December 21 1988 Pan Am flight 103 exploded in the air above Lockerbie and the debris fell from the sky and littered the streets. All passengers on crew were killed as well as 11 people on the ground.
The people of Lockerbie have erected a memorial garden for the lost souls and thousands of American tourists flock there every year to pay respects to their lost loved ones.
I retraced the steps of my father during his childhood. Visiting the house where he grew up which was situated on a very large estate. His father was grounds keeper and later game keeper for the estate.
The estate covers thousand of acres, and years ago it was a self suffient community. There was a blacksmith house, carpenter house, farm house where all the cattle were raised, approximately 20 gardeners, a laundry house, etc. All of this was in place to make sure that the Laird and his family were comfortable.
Unbelievable by Canadian standards but all of the estate workers enjoyed a very comfortable life and by the standards of the day the estate workers were very privileged. They had cricket teams, football teams, a private school and a commity center for dances etc.
The house where my father grew up is now just a ruin, in fact the present Laird has let the estate go downhill, all except for the "Big House", it's still quite intact.
The tradition has always been that the Laird would send his sons to England to be educated, and the present Laird is no different. His sons attended Eaton, a very prestigious school in England, and the oldest son attended Eaton with Prince Willaim and apparently has remained close friends with him.
It was all very interesting to see a different way of life and to retrace my fathers steps.
This week we are off to the Highlands of Scotland, a much harsher and tougher way of life for the Scots.
Topic: Scotland 2007 (Read 2894 times)