Chapter 16 - Homewards...

Glasgow -> Dubai -> Home

We depart Glasgow after a fantastic day and a bit there and vow that if we get the chance, we'll try to make it back to this city for some more time in the future. There's just so much to do and see and we've only just scratched the surface.

The first leg of the homeward journey is from Glasgow to Dubai and it's an overnight flight departing on a Friday evening. Emirates do the right thing and depart on time and after a fairly smooth flight, we touch down in Dubai International early on the Saturday morning. After collecting our bags, we walk outside and into a blast furnace-like 46 degrees celsius, grab a taxi and head off to the Grand Hyatt hotel. Our rooms are very large and airy with views over the Dubai creek area - heaven!

After sleeping for a couple of hours and freshening up, we head out by cab to a huge shopping mall - I thinks it was called the Dubai Mall but since our time there was indoors or underground, I never saw a name on the building! Shopping seems to be what everyone does here in Dubai. It has a huge three story high glass wall aquarium right in the middle of the mall and a huge cascading waterfall feature. Quite kitch but still amazing. There are no sales on at the moment so we don't part with much cash (which is ever diminishing as the Aussie dollar plummets) and soon we head back to the hotel for some R & R around the pool.

Next day, we organise a private taxi to take us to the old town and to all the sights around Dubai. This city is amazing - considering that 40 years ago much of it was just desert. The gold at the little stalls in the old city is mind boggling and the grand scale of everything is stunning - but the ever-present heat at this time of the year sure is energy sapping. Time for some pool time back at the hotel, dinner at the Wok Bar and bed before an early breakfast and taxi to the airport.

This photo is not blurred - it's just how we felt with the jet-lag!

The aquarium inside the Dubai Mall

Indoor waterfall at the mall

Two random tourists acting natural

View from our hotel room with Dubai Creek in the background

Laurie and Denise cutting their 'anniversary' cake - thank you Grand Hyatt!

Gold, gold and more gold in the old town stalls

An Emirati family??

The old town market...hot!

The Jumeirah Mosque 

An upmarket Souk (market) and resort near the beach

The Atlantis hotel on the Dubai Palms development - massive!

The Burj Khalifa building - tallest man-made structure on the planet...for now!

Our flight is delayed with a medical emergency but finally, we're winging our way high above the Indian Ocean on our way to Australia. We're finally home and despite my luggage spending an extra day or two enjoying the sunshine in Dubai (it arrived at our place two evenings later), we're back in Oz and have time to reflect on what has been a fantastic seven weeks where we've visited eleven countries and in that whole time, we visited only one place that we had ever been to before.

Everyone has asked us what the "best bit" was - but it's impossible to say, as there were so many great bits. Russia was an eye-opener and exceeded expectations, Scandinavia was fantastic, Belarus was mainly flat prairie, Lithuania was charming, Scotland - travelling with our friends was brilliant and Poland, the Czech Republic and Germany were all thoroughly memorable for a range of reasons. There is hardly a place that we wouldn't return to in the future given the opportunity.

If I had to choose.....my favourite 'old city' experience was in Vilnius, Lithuania - our most memorable meal was a toss up between Copenhagen and Glasgow - the most astonishing sights were the scenery in Scotland, the Kremlin and Red Square in Moscow, most things in St Petersburg (but especially the Hermitage Museums) and the scale of Dubai.

The standout however, were the people - either those we met whilst travelling or those we met up with and travelled with on the trip. This is what made the whole journey so outstanding and unforgettable. A huge thank you to every one of you.

Till next time....au revoir, Phil! 

Chapter 15 - Scotland Update Three - St Andrews, Pitlochry & Glasgow

Aberdeen -> Pitlochry -> Glasgow

We depart Maryculter House Hotel and head off towards St Andrews which is on the coast between Edinburgh and Aberdeen. Driving into the town and we are struck by the massive grandstands that have been erected to facilitate the staging of the British Open golf tournament.

The Open finished the day before we arrived having been extended to a fifth day because of bad weather. We wander around the Old Course and check out the golf (we didn't get to play but at nearly 200 GBP for a walk up public round, our wallets certainly stayed fatter), visit the myriad golf shops (sadly no real bargains) and then explore the ruins of St Andrews Castle the old Cathedral which are truly amazing.

The temporary grandstand behind the 18th hole at St Andrews Old Course

Looking across the 18th green to the 1st tee at St Andrews

Anne and I near the 1st tee

Us again - this time on the famous stone bridge on the 18th fairway

The entrance to St Andrews Castle

Part of the castle ruin

A bee - caught in action

The tower of the ruined St Andrews Cathedral

Tower and gravestones

The main cathedral entry

St Mary's College, St Andrews

Market Street, St Andrews - the main shopping thoroughfare

The Scots sure have some interesting street names and the town of St Andrews is no exception!

Anne standing in 'Butts Wynd' Road

Hmmm...

St Andrews has a real buzz to it but soon, it's time to hit the road again and head to Pitlochry, our next destination and Craigroyston House, our rather salubrious B & B.

Pitlochry is a fascinating little Scottish town with a golf course, a distillery and a loch with it's own dam and hydro plant on the River Tummel. Everything a Scottish town should have! We do some great walks around the town and in the surrounding countryside and enjoy this isolated little Scottish gem immensely. Fantastic place to visit and a Scottish favourite of ours.

The Old Mill Inn in Pitlochry

The 'Golfing Lady' made out of sticks

Heading back to our B & B - Craigroyston House

Festival Theatre, Pitlochry

The dam on the River Tummel with hydro plant and fish ladder

The tail end of the loch on the Tummel on one of our bush walks

Anne outside a Neolithic stone dwelling

The ruins of a stoneage family circle house

Bad weather rolling in - we're in for a drenching!

After the rain - the birds come out

The church at Pitlochry

Our last destination in Scotland beckons and soon, we're on the road again towards Glasgow. We drop the car off back at the car rental place and rejoin Anne and Denise at our hotel and grab the hop-on-hop-off bus for a lightning tour of the city. There are 28 stops on the bus route so you get a sense of just how many things there are to do in this underrated town. We find an absolutely fantastic pub (called the 'Counting House') for dinner and have some un-fantastic Indian fare (but some OK beers) the head back to our hotel for our last night in Scotland.

We have all of the next day to explore the city as our flight to Dubai leaves in the late evening so we explore the Cathedral and Necropolis and then check out the People's Palace Museum and Wintergarden which is surprisingly interesting. The Museum of Contemporary Art also gets a visit but some of the artworks left me a bit confused! Then it's a late lunch of phenomenal Thai food right near our hotel.

Glasgow - a funny little turret room on an old sandstone building

Street art - a lot of it painted by an Aussie street artist

These old police call boxes are all around Glasgow

The 'Counting House' - a great pub in the centre of Glasgow

George Square (after King George III) and column with statue of Sir Walter Scott

The Museum of Contemporary Art

The Clyde Arc Bridge (locals call it the 'Squinty' Bridge)

The Science Centre

The Clyde crossing

The Hydro - Glasgow's Entertainment Centre

Glasgow surprised us immensely - we had expected a dull, working class city but instead we found a buzzing place with stacks to do and see. Finally, we pick up our luggage that was stored at our hotel and grab a cab to the airport and our flight from the chill of Scotland to the heat of Dubai. Scotland has been a revelation and a place we have thoroughly enjoyed visiting. A must visit place on any traveller's bucket list!

Chapter 14 - Scotland - Update Two - Inverness & Aberdeen

Portree -> Inverness -> Aberdeen

We depart Portree in the drizzling rain and retrace our route of two days prior before striking northwards towards Lock Ness. Along the way we stop at the Castle of Eilean Donan (the Isle of Donan - named after Donnan, a 7th century Celtic saint) which is a restored castle on a small tidal island where three lochs meet. This castle played a big part in the Jacobite uprising in the early 1700's when it was destroyed by government forces. 

We tour the castle (which was fantastic) and have a bite of lunch before continuing on towards are next destination.

Eilean Donan Castle

Me on the causeway to the castle

Looking up at the parapets of the castle

We pass Loch Ness which was a bit of a disappointment as it's just a huge body of water and there were no sea monsters in evidence on the day we were there.

Loch Ness without Nessie

Late in the afternoon, we motor into Inverness (literally the mouth of the river Ness) and pull into our B&B which is an easy 10 minute walk from the centre of the city.

The walking bridge across the river Ness to the main town

The Castle of Inverness

Looking back towards Inverness from our vantage point above the city

Dinner in town that evening was a 10 GBP burger at a boutique bar and the next morning we head back into the city to check out the Castle, the shops and the general sites around the place. Inverness is an interesting, workman-like city with many things to see and do.

Me in front of Inverness Castle

The Cathedral

In the afternoon, we drive along the coast to the small town of Findhorn where Yvonne, a sister of Ruth (one of Anne's group of school friends) lives with her hubby.

Yvonne in front of her charming house at Findhorn

Her house in the old fishing village is amazing and she takes us to the place where she works - the Findhorn Foundation. This is part of what started out as a 1960's social experiment and is best described as an eco-community that encompasses residential houses constructed using sustainable building methods and the foundation itself which is an organisation that offers residential programs in a wide range of social and personal development areas to people from across the globe. Very interesting!

Me looking at the original caravan from when the new Findhorn settlement began 

The community centre at Findhorn - all built by volunteers

An 'underground' Hobbit house - part of the Findhorn Foundation  centre

One of the quirky houses in the residential development next to the foundation

Another sustainable residence at  Findhorn settlement

Back in Inverness, we suss out a Tapas bar and have a great meal of Spanish delights. The next morning it's check-out time and we hit the road on our way to Aberdeen. We stop off at Fort George to look at the massive fort and gun emplacements.

Fort George

Massive cannon at Fort George

While looking at a model of the fort, one member of our troupe was heard to comment on the huge fornifications around this place! I must have missed something there...

Back on the road and we soon cover the distance to Aberdeen and although we had originally planned to avoid the city centre, we end up there for lunch and a tour of the old fishing village of Footdee , the cathedral and other main sights.

The fishing village at Footdee

Laurie and I with the River Dee in the background

When stopped at some traffic lights, another troupe member commented on an American Tattoo parlour we see down the street, saying that it was probably operated by the person whose name was on the window - Awar Winne - obviously from the sub-continent! It was not until we rolled a few metres forward to reveal the full text painted on the window - 'Award Winner' - that the truth was revealed.

Stained glass inside Aberdeen Cathedral

Inside the Cathedral

Aberdeen Cathedral

Then it's off to our accommodation - Maryculter House Hotel and a fantastic retreat just out of Aberdeen. This is our base for the next couple of days as we explore the countryside and castles around Aberdeen including Crathes Castle, Drum Castle and the fabulous Dunnottar Castle near Stonehaven - a bleak, desolate structure set out from the coast with steep cliffs all around. Amazing place!

Dunnottar Castle

Denise inside the castle keep

One of the main buildings of the keep at Dunnottar Castle

The ruins and parade ground

Looking back at the castle

The war memorial built in 1923

Me looking relaxed at the war memorial near Stonehaven

Stonehaven township and harbour

Drum Castle

Anne at Maryculter House with the River Dee behind

The graveyard at Maryculter House

The chapel at Maryculter that was erected by the Knights Templar in 1225

Crathes Castle & Garden

Anne and Denise in the grounds of  Crathes Castle
& Garden with manicured hedge hats on!

Soon it's time to farewell Maryculter and start our journey to St Andrews, the site of the British Open golf tournament which finished the day before we arrived.