Scottish Football

This past weekend Lynn and I drove down to Glasgow for a weekend visit with our friend Helen. It was a fun-filled weekend with good friends, giving me the opportunity to take part in a couple truly Scottish experiences - a Scottish Football match and a Burns Supper. This blog is Part 1 ... the football match.

We went to the Glasgow Celtic / Aberdeen Dons semi final match at Hampden Park with two more Aberdeen friends - Pauline and Louise. We donned our Dons scarves (Pauline loaned me one) and walked through the streets of Glasgow on the way to the Park with huge crowds of mostly Aberdeen supporters. Police were situated on just about every street corner in an attempt to void any unruly confrontations between Celtic and Don fans. There were lots of fans drinking pints at local pubs along our walk - no alcohol is sold at the stadium, so fans drink up prior to the start of the match. Not sure if the approach of not allowing alcohol sales during the game helps much ... it just means fans get intoxicated before they arrive at the Park.

A street vendor was selling various Aberdeen memorabilia, including sheep masks. The gals informed me that since Aberdeen is seen as being farm country ... the other teams' fans call Aberdeen fans sheep shaggers. I couldn't resist buying a mask. (That's me with it on in the photos with Louise, Pauline and Helen).

We arrived at Hampden just before the start of the match. As we took our seats, it was clear we were surrounded by a mostly male group of Dons fans. The language to say the least was quite colorful ... a lot of four letter words ... especially when the Dons quickly fell behind in the match ... within the first 10 mins, Celtic had scored 3 times. Before halftime, Aberdeen was down 0 -4, and several of their fans near us had walked down to the pitch and tossed their Dons scarves on the track in disgust. On a positive note, the weather was relatively good in Scottish terms ... it was dry with temps in the high 30s ... so with my long underwear on beneath my jeans and turtleneck, I was comfortable.

They separate team supporters in the stadium to avoid violence in the crowd. About a third of the stadium seats dedicated to Aberdeen and 2/3's filled with Celtic fans. I was soaking in the atmosphere ... the Celtic sections were waving flags, singing songs/chants ... quite the scene.

The Dandy Dons played better in the second half, scoring one goal and keeping Celtic scoreless, but they still lost 1-4. We left the Park with about 5 mins remaining in the game in an attempt to avoid walking through the streets with disgruntled Aberdeen supporters. All in all, I enjoyed the experience and would possibly go again if the opportunity arises in the future. But I don't think I'll ever become a season ticket holder or an avid follower.

The Big Freeze

HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO YOU ALL!!

I can't believe it has been over a month since I've created a blog entry. I have had good intentions of getting something posted, but alas it has taken me coming down with a horrible flu virus to get to sit down and write this. This bug has really pounded me - I've been in bed for 4 days ... today I've at least migrated to the couch.

Anyway, this has been touted as the "Big Freeze" December here in Britain. It has been the coldest December on record - lots of snow, many days with temperatures not getting out of negative degrees Celsius, icy roads - which has translated to school closures (Lynn was at home "working" for a week straight) and all sorts of transportation issues - airports closed, trains not running, hazardous roadways, etc. Thankfully, we've pretty much been staying around home here in Tarland and have not been too adversely effected by it all.

It has all been a learning experience for me - shoveling snow, digging out snow-buried cars, clearing ice off windshields, driving on snowy roads, building wood burning fires in the fireplace - to name a few new "skills" I've acquired.

Lynn, Tux and I have been on some marvelous walks/hikes during these snowy days. I'm sharing a few of my favorite shots, so you can appreciate the beauty that comes with this "freeze". Tux doesn't seem to be fazed at all by the cold. He absolutely loves romping around in the snow and it is such a joy to watch him having so much fun!

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and enjoy all the special times this season brings!

Lanzarote Holiday - Part 2

So, the first day we rented our yellow tin can, Lynn and I headed to the northern part of Lanzarote. Our first stop was at the very northern tip ... Mirador Del Rio - one of Lanzorate's most spectacular panoramas. It is a gorgeous viewing area where you look out over to the island of La Graciosa - the view was stunning at an altitude of 475 metres. From there we headed to Cueva de los Verdes, which is part of a spectacular system of underground grottoes. It is one of the longest volcanic galleries in the world (6 km). We took an hour tour underground in this huge tunnel/cave created by volcanic eruptions between 3 and 5 thousand years ago. Our last stop was at Los Jameos del Agua, which is very similar to Cueva de los Verdes - another volcanic tunnel created by the eruption of La Corona Volcano. It was a lovely spot with beautiful palm trees surrounding a beautiful blue pool - made you want to jump in!

As we headed back to Puerto del Carmen, we decided to stop off in a tiny harbor village called Puerto Calero, which a couple of Lynn's friends had recommended we see. There was some sort of international boating regatta going on that week, so the place was hoppin' with sailors (not the military kind). Reminded me a little bit of Newport Beach. We stopped into a little cafe for a snack - our first taste of Canary Potatoes, which were superb! They are like new potatoes and are served with two types of yummy sauces - they went down well with a glass of rose wine. A wonderful end to a brilliant day!

October Holiday in Lanzarote

First off, my apologies for the delay in getting another posting up. The month of October flew by and now we are almost in the middle of November already! Part of what kept me busy in October was the fact that Lynn had 2 weeks off - so we took advantage and spent a week in Lanzarote, one of the Canary Islands off the coast of Africa. When we were trying to decide where to go, we asked some of Lynn's friends where we could be the most guaranteed to experience warm weather and sunshine - the resounding response was to head to Lanzarote. And they were right! We had beautiful sunshine every day (except the day we left) and temperatures in the 70s and 80s. It felt like being back in So California! Wearing shorts and sleeveless tops again were just what I needed. It was the perfect holiday destination for us after a relatively non-existent summer in Scotland.

We were staying at a hotel just outside of Puerto del Carmen, which is on the south side of the island on the coast. Our first night we were in a less than desirable room - on the ground floor next to a heavily used walkway and our balcony looked out on to another section of the hotel. Thankfully we were given the option to upgrade to one of their suites the following night, and I think we ended up with one of the best rooms in the entire hotel. Top floor, at the west end of the hotel, looking out on to the beach. We loved just hanging out on our balcony, reading books, soaking up the sun/view, sipping a wine/beer ... it was marvelous!

Many people go to Lanzarote to sit by the pool or on the beach all day to work on their tans ... but that wasn't the way Lynn and I wanted to spend our time. We wanted to experience the island and what it had to offer. One day we rented bikes and rode to the capital city of Arrecife along the coastal boardwalk. Two other days we rented a car - well, I think it was a car ... it was a Chevy and felt like we were riding in a tin can on wheels! But, hey, it got us from point A to point B without any issues on very little petrol.

In the interest of being able to post more photos, I'm going to create two more blog entries of the 2 days of exploring Lanzarote via the rental car ... stay tuned for the next entry ...

Castle Fraser

We woke up Sunday morning to sunshine and blue skies, so we knew we wanted to be out and about for the day. Since we have memberships to the National Trust of Scotland, we decided to go visit one of the local castles - Castle Fraser. The good news with this castle, as with a lot of the Scottish castles, is that there were two woodland walks on its grounds ... so we were able to stretch our legs and Tux had a terrific time running around and exploring. Between the two walks, Lynn and I stopped in at the tearoom and had a cup of tea/coffee and shared a "fancy piece" (ie, piece of apple sponge cake) and then we did a quick self-guided tour of the 16 rooms within the castle.

As we were leaving the castle grounds, we saw a hot air balloon group preparing for an evening launch. Lynn, her sister and 2 friends did the same ride about a year ago, on the same type of beautiful evening ... sunshine/sunset, blue skies and slight breeze.

All in all, it was a super day enjoying one of the historic sights of Scotland!

Lonach Gathering & Highland Games

Last Saturday we attended the 169th annual Lonach Gathering & Highland Games at Bellabeg Park in Strathdon. What an amazing experience! This is a true Scottish tradition. The day starts with the March of the Clansmen at 8 am where, carrying pikes, axes, and standards, they visit prominent households in the area claiming wee drams of whisky at each stop. Dressed in full highland gear they march over the hills for 6 miles. With a wee dram at each stop it is no wonder they continue the tradition of being followed by a horse and cart should any feel the need for a wee rest.

At 1 pm (and then again at 3 pm), this huge group of clansmen march into the Bellabeg Park arena being lead in by a large (bag)pipe band. What an experience to witness! Other events of the day at the Park include Highland Games (throwing the hammer, tossing the caber, etc.), best dressed Scotsman competition, highland dancing, bagpipe competition, tug of war, and the hill race (people of the general public register to run up a local hill - what stamina they have to have to compete!)

There are also tents set up all around the arena where various vendors sell their wares (food, drink, candies, clothes, kilts, etc.).

We lucked out with the weather - there were a couple bouts of showers when we had to break out the umbrellas but in general it was fairly clear and the sun even came out a few times! Thankfully it was dry during the two clansmen marches, so I was able to really "soak" it all in!

Morven Climb

Well, Lynn and I had said that before the summer was over we wanted to climb the "hill" that the street we live on references - Morven (we live on Morven View). Since last week was Lynn's last week on her summer holiday, we were running out of time. Friday we woke up to fairly clear skies, so we decided that was the day to tackle Morven. Lynn packed up a picnic lunch for us and some snacks and waters, plus some winter-type gear (hat, ski gloves, buff, jacket, water-proof pants) for when we made it to the summit. Good thing Lynn knows how to prepare for a hike like this!

So we set out to begin the climb from the Ballater side of the hill. Everything was going along really well for the first hour or two. I was using a walking stick and was in the lead on the trail with Lynn and Tux behind me when I got quite the shock. Right beside the trail and inches from where I stuck down my stick, I saw TWO Adder snakes, which are poisonous and basically the only dangerous thing you can run across hiking in the UK. On previous hikes I had asked Lynn about how often she has seen one - and she said she had only seen one once. So, needless to say, I was quite surprised when I ran across 2 at the same time, sunning themselves next to our trail. Nothing happened, thankfully, but I was sure nervous for the next hour or so that we hiked ... wondering if we would run across any more ... I was mostly worried about Tux, since it would be serious if he was bitten.

Once we were through the wooded areas of the climb, we could see that our trail was going to come to an end ... and the last bit of the ascent would be just climbing through heather, tall grass and bogs. Not what either of us really wanted to deal with, but we didn't have any other option if we wanted to make it to the top. Tux, on the other hand, was having the time of his life! He was romping around all over. My spirits took another dip when I stepped into a bog with my left foot and sunk in up to my knee - having my left foot soaking wet for pretty much the remainder of the hike was less than desirable. Lynn has the patience of a saint listening to me whine about the conditions of the hike! I had basically had enough when the summit was getting close - we stopped for a snack and took some photos of the terrific views - and then we started on the final climb.

When we reached the top, we found a book in a Tupperware container where fellow hikers who had come before us signed, dated and commented on their hike. We both jotted down our entries in the book. Lynn started to take a video of the view at the top when the clouds quickly started coming in - since we didn't have a trail to follow back down, Lynn thought it was best that we start our descent before things got too clouded over. We took a little different direction down in the hopes of catching a road we saw in the distance for part of the journey down. Unfortunately, the way we went ended up being more wet and boggy, but we managed OK. The trek down was less eventful. I did get a bit nervous as we approached the area where we saw the 2 Adders ... turns out there was one coiled up there at that point - I assume it was one of the 2 we had seen earlier. Tux stopped on the trail right next to it, oblivious to the fact that he was inches from a snake - we quickly called him away and thankfully he moved on with us. After being on this hike for 8 hours total, I was very happy to see our car. We are very happy we accomplished the goal of climbing Morven, but I don't think I'll be volunteering to do it again any time soon.