Disappointed, Surprised, Scared.....

Disappointed, Surprised, Scared.....

In keeping with the same story line since I have returned from the United Kingdom....Well, Scotland.....

I was surprised at several things.

Yes, Deb and I had been to Scotland before, but we never went above Loch Lomond. We never left the lowlands.

Disappointed?

Few things, not many, but a few.

- We did not make the Orkney Islands. The ferry system was so bad, and so few ferries running, we just could not book a trip over. They ran 2 times a day. Basically back and forth.

- I was surprised at how touristy some places were. I guess with Outlander, the TV show, the amount of people traveling to Scotland has caused it, especially to the castles and sites shown on the TV show.

- It was a bit warmer than we expected. We got hot at night several times. We are not used to a duvet as cover, and while I am sure they are wonderful in the winter, they were too much for September.

Surprised?

- I was shocked at the number of Chinese on the Isle of Skye. They even had buses painted in Chinese symbols for the visitors from the Far East. There were so many Chinese in places, I could have sworn we were in Hong Kong.

- The Scots don't drink whisky like I expected. Yes, they drink beer, but their favorite "hard" liquor is gin. They drink gin and at pubs, bars, the amount of gin bottles outnumbered whisky bottles 5-1.

- I was surprised at how friendly I found the people. Just glad to get that Yankee Dollar probably. I am sure some just wanted to speak to a person with a bad Southern "twang" and some looked at me like, " People really do speak like this."

- I was surprised that there were not as many castles as Ireland. In Ireland, some folks had castle ruins in their backyards.  Don't get many wrong, plenty of castles, just not as many.

- We were surprised at how many bales of hay there were in the eastern section of the nation. And how much land was growing beets, for sugar production. Yes, there were sheep, hell, we even saw some orange sheep( They are dyed to prevent theft), but we were amazed at how much of the country was in cattle production.

- Condoms in the men's rooms. I mean, every man's room. I know I have blogged on this earlier, but you know, we need this in America.

- I expected to be "wowed," but the Scottish landscape was simply amazing. 

Scared?

-The only time I felt afraid was on the roadway. The one line highways and people still driving 60mph is unnerving. I know they are use to it, but you know, stopping on a dime with a 400 foot drop to your left, and pulling into a cutout to allow a greyhound sized tour bus pass.

If you are considering traveling overseas, and you are afraid of the entire "Europe" trip, try Scotland. They do speak the language, you can rent a car without an International Driver's License. Their food is not strange. You don't have to get a breakfast with haggis. They have stuff like waffles or pancakes with bacon, or Eggs Benedict. Or just a plain Danish and coffee. The dinner type meals are not that strange. It is stuff you can get here, and every place has a hamburger or a chicken sandwich on the menu. There will be a chicken breast in cream sauce with mashed potatoes and vegetable on the side. And the "chips" ( French fries) are so much better than anything you can get here. They all take Visa and Master Card ( No Discover sadly)...There is wireless internet, better internet in more rural places than here, and better service.