On Sunday we had a great continental breakfast (a la Sainsburys) and then headed north through the picturesque lake district. We stopped to have a picnic along the banks of lake Ullswater and shared a bit of our crackers with some brave ducks. We couldn’t get over how clear the water was, and how fortunate we were to have fabulous, sunny weather of 25C.
We were anxious to hit the ‘old country’ though and so we headed into Glasgow (after some arm twisting of my dad who prefers to avoid big cities altogether). We got about an hour of shopping done before the shops closed, but my parents were chuffed because they found their kilt towels, while I was able to score a travel skirt for £5 on discount at millets (a camping store), which is just as well because I brought way too many warm clothes with me and didn't account for actual nice weather! The city itself had some neat architecture and a river (clyde) down the center, though there were so much construction and cranes that it was somewhat disappointing. I made Dad drive around until we found the concert hall called the armadillo, which is modelled after the Sydney opera house.
My mood was soon lightened when we arrived at our hostel for the evening. We literally stayed in a manor (though to us it was a castle)! It had turrets, and pointed roof structures and even a conservatory out back. It too was on a hill, though this time overlooking the "
bonnie, bonnie banks of Loch Lomond" (listen to the song at this link).
Inside, there was a grand staircase leading up to the first floor of rooms, and then a spiral staircase to the second floor. Of course we were on the second floor and Syd counted all of the stairs up to our room - 74 steps! Needless to say we tried to make every excuse NOT to go up there unless we absolutely had to (i.e. to sleep) to save our breath a bit! The place has been used as a hostel for 75 years, and prior to that it was owned by an entrepreneur – John Martin – who made his fortune in tobacco and whose family lived there for 120 years.
We made dinner in again, and then Syd and I took another hike. The woods surrounding the manor were dense and we came upon a bog in the middle that Syd bravely walked a few steps on before realising that if he took even one step more he’d be knee deep in it.
My favourite room in the manor was the upper hall that had a fabulous fireplace, and a side room where there was a tartan carpet and couches and satellite TV. We actually didn’t watch any tv but sat in the empty dining room instead and broke the rubber match…by getting out butts kicked by the parents with 2 more games of euchre – doh!
On Sunday we had a great continental breakfast (a la Sainsburys) and then headed north through the picturesque lake district. We stopped to have a picnic along the banks of lake Ullswater and shared a bit of our crackers with some brave ducks. We couldn’t get over how clear the water was, and how fortunate we were to have fabulous, sunny weather of 25C.
We were anxious to hit the ‘old country’ though and so we headed into Glasgow (after some arm twisting of my dad who prefers to avoid big cities altogether). We got about an hour of shopping done before the shops closed, but my parents were chuffed because they found their kilt towels, while I was able to score a travel skirt for £5 on discount at millets (a camping store), which is just as well because I brought way too many warm clothes with me and didn't account for actual nice weather! The city itself had some neat architecture and a river (clyde) down the center, though there were so much construction and cranes that it was somewhat disappointing. I made Dad drive around until we found the concert hall called the armadillo, which is modelled after the Sydney opera house.
My mood was soon lightened when we arrived at our hostel for the evening. We literally stayed in a manor (though to us it was a castle)! It had turrets, and pointed roof structures and even a conservatory out back. It too was on a hill, though this time overlooking the "bonnie, bonnie banks of Loch Lomond" (listen to the song at this link).
Inside, there was a grand staircase leading up to the first floor of rooms, and then a spiral staircase to the second floor. Of course we were on the second floor and Syd counted all of the stairs up to our room - 74 steps! Needless to say we tried to make every excuse NOT to go up there unless we absolutely had to (i.e. to sleep) to save our breath a bit! The place has been used as a hostel for 75 years, and prior to that it was owned by an entrepreneur – John Martin – who made his fortune in tobacco and whose family lived there for 120 years. 
We made dinner in again, and then Syd and I took another hike. The woods surrounding the manor were dense and we came upon a bog in the middle that Syd bravely walked a few steps on before realising that if he took even one step more he’d be knee deep in it. 
My favourite room in the manor was the upper hall that had a fabulous fireplace, and a side room where there was a tartan carpet and couches and satellite TV. We actually didn’t watch any tv but sat in the empty dining room instead and broke the rubber match…by getting out butts kicked by the parents with 2 more games of euchre – doh!
1 comment:
Keep up the good work.
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