Why did I have to be in Glasgow tonight you might ask?  Well, when I arrived here this past Wed., I had intended to stay with Amanda until leaving for the Scandinavian portion of my trip in late May, early June.  With the exception of renting a car perhaps and touring the highlands for a few days, I had thought I’d be staying put for awhile.  That all changed the second day I was here after a walk to a local shopping mall.  Amanda had been working of course, so I decided to get some exercise and go for a walk.  Upon entering the shopping mall there was a travel agency called Thomas Cook whose windows were just plastered with all types of trips to places like Spain, Cyprus, Turkey and Greece.  What caught my eye more so than the destinations themselves were the prices.  Some of them were as low as 100 pounds!  Upon returning that evening, I told Amanda about my thoughts of leaving for a week to go to such a place as Turkey or Cyprus thinking she might be a tad bit upset as I had just arrived and perhaps she had wanted to spend some time with me. Quite the contrary though.  She told me I should do it as she had such busy week next week and it would be a big help if she could work 18 hour days without worrying about “how I was getting on”.  (that is Scottish for “how I was doing”)  Anyway, to make a long story short, she looked up a phone number for me on the internet and said I should call it the next day to see if I could get a good rate for a flight on Sunday night to someplace.   

Well, the next day was Friday and I found myself on a bus to a small village called Oban.  (Oh – Bin)  I had had two invitations from bed & breakfasts to come and visit Oban which is located on the west coast of Scotland.  Oban is considered the gateway to the Scottish isles.  Amanda and I had originally intended to go there on Saturday morning but seeing as she had a big event at work on Friday night ( I teased her that she had a date…) she encouraged me to take a bus on Friday and she’d drive up on Saturday.  So I did.  As it turned out, it was a great decision.  Amanda dropped me at the bus station in Edinburgh on Friday morning at nearly 6:30 am and I caught a bus shortly thereafter for Glasgow which cost all of about 5 pounds.  Arriving at 8 in Glasgow, I had a choice of a bus for Oban which would get me there at 11 or one which would leave Glasgow at 12 and arrive there at 3.  Seeing as my room wouldn’t have been ready until 3 anyway and I needed to find a part for my computer, I opted for the later arrival and had nearly four hours to kill in Glasgow.  There was a “left-luggage” facility in the station (most train and bus stations have them) so I paid 3 pounds for a 24 hour period (per bag) and began my walk into Edinburgh.  The streets were quite busy as you can imagine, as Glasgow is a considered a big city in Scotland.  The weather was crap to be quite honest.  One minute there were horrendous winds, the next respites of sunshine, and even still showers and occasional downpours.  I must be honest with you in saying that I only can find myself wondering how the locals here accustom themselves to the weather here. 

            Anyway, to make long story shorter, I quickly found what I needed for my computer and spent some time searching for a nice cigar.  That would be easier said than done.  After accomplishing the latter, I then found a shopping mall and in it, travel agents like the one in the mall near Amanda’s home.  It really didn’t matter where I went, to be quite honest, as long as it was cheap and warm. Ok, hot.  The girl who helped me was so nice.  She must have answered 100 questions all the while thanking me for compliment after compliment for her service.  When all the dust had settled, I had a ticket for an island off the coast of Greece in my hand and thoughts of warm, sunny beaches in my head. I phoned Amanda and she sounded flabbergasted when I told her I had bought a ticket to Greece only after a couple of hours from her seeing me off. 

            Once I had taken care of business in Glasgow, it was off to Oban on the western coast of Scotland.  I had not heard of Oban until only a few months ago when Amanda had told me that was one of the places she wanted to take me when I got here.  So, I jumped on the internet and found several hotels and B&BS in and around Oban and sent inquiries asking if they might host Amanda and I during our visit.  I’d say that I was somewhat disappointed with the response, but two very, very lovely establishments responded back agreeing to my offer of an exchange of services for a night’s accommodation.  One was called the Thornloe Bed & Breakfast right in Oban; the other was the du na mara in a small village just outside of town called Benderloch. 

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The bus ride into Oban took three hours and upon arrival, the small village was alive with activity.  Mostly tourist, people were all about the main street which was bordered on one side by quaint shops, pubs and stores of all varieties, the other with the harbor of Oban itself.  Like an idiot, I only had written down the phone number of the first B&B and would try to rely on my memory for the directions.  “Get off the bus, turn right down the street and just past the Oban whiskey distillery would be store called Regeta. Take a right on that street and the B&B would be right up the road.  Well, you can imagine how stupid I felt as I hiked up the hill with my bag (on wheels thank God) in tow upon seeing B&B after B&B!  They said I’d see the observatory and I’d know their place by that.  So, there I was in the rain asking local after local where the observatory was.  No one seemed to know.  Finally, I broke down and knocked on a door and asked if they’d call the B&B for me.  It turned out they were very close and within a minute or two I was being greeted by the owner, a lovely lady named Valerie Bichener.  I think she was quite pleased with my intent to do some digital panoramas for her and after showing me to my room on the third floor, we proceeded to shoot two panoramas for her.  One was of the breakfast room where I would have a wonderful breakfast the next day, the other was from the neighbors garden across the way of the B&B Thornloe itself.  Funny thing about England is that everyone calls their “yard” their “garden”.  I’ve always thought of a garden consisting of things like tomatoes, carrots, beans, corn, etc.  But over here, their garden is, well, their yard.  After I finished their shots, I decided to walk into town.  Aside from the weather being anything but friendly, I briefly walked from one shop to another.  At one point, I saw a sign for a “happy-hour” with 1 pound scotch whiskeys.  I walked in and upon doing so, almost wished I hadn’t.  It was obviously a pub for locals and after fighting my way through the smoke, I found my way to the bar and ended up having a nice whiskey – Oban of course.  The rest of the night was pretty uneventful.  I returned to the hotel for a little bit and then went out that evening to try out some nicer pubs if you will.  It would have been an enjoyable evening, but the weather was the shits!  One moment gale force winds were blowing off the water, the next down pours were doing their best to soak me, and while yet other moments the sky would open up to a beautiful display of stars.  I must have found myself back to my bed that night about midnight.  The B&B was very quiet as I was the last one in.  I grabbed a copy of Bridget Jones’ Diary and fell asleep with the sound of the TV on in the background and thoughts of travels to come in my head. 

            The next morning, after a nice breakfast, I left my luggage there for a bit while I walked the town.  Amanda would be coming in later in the morning or early afternoon so I spent time just walking about.  Oban is a very small town and one can easily walk it from one end to the other in about 10 to 15 minutes.  There is a very nice tourist office with a plethora of information about the local area.  The area is a paradise for those who enjoy the outdoors.  Ferries leave and arrive regularly from the harbour, dominating the landscape as they do the same.  Had I the time, it would have been nice to visit such nearby islands as the Isle of Mull.  Anyway, I returned to the B&B Thornloe to get my bags and said farewell to Valerie and her husband Alan.  As I walked down the street, I couldn’t help to turn around and take another look at their lovely B&B.  In comparison to the other nearby B&BS, there was none. 

I found a nearby bus stop and waited nearly an hour for a bus to take me down the road to Benderloch where I’d find du na mara.  I was greeted upon my arrival by the most delightful of couples, named Suzanne and Mark.  Suzanne being from England originally and Mark from Edinburgh (pronounced ed-in-burrow, NOT ed-in-burg).  I came to learn that the two of them had met in Hong Kong where they were both working as architects.  They returned to England with the intent to buy a home near the water and ended up finding this gem of a home right on the water with their own beach.  In total, the home is situated on 28 acres of land, some of which is leased to farmer for his cattle graze upon.  Anyway, they gave me a quick tour of the immaculate facility and shortly thereafter I shot a panorama of the guest room for them.  Quite a relaxing atmosphere, their place is absolutely ideal for an evening of peace and quiet after a busy day in the nearby countryside.  I called Amanda on her cell and she was still an hour or so away.  So, being a tad bit tired, I opted to go upstairs and catch a wink – or two.  Amanda arrived shortly thereafter and together we went into town for a Chinese dinner before coming back for a nice, relaxing evening at the dun na mara.  We were able to sleep in til nearly 9:00 and then were treated to a wonderful selection of various breakfast items.  Amanda had a traditional Scottish breakfast of bacon, ham, sausage, scones, and eggs I believe, while I had a baked egg and spinach dish.  Quite tasty!  Shortly after breakfast, we said our farewell to Mark and Suzanne and began our journey back to Edinburgh.  We did stop briefly in Oban to do the obligatory window shopping and a walk around the harbor. 

            The drive home took us the way of both Perth and Stirling, the latter the spot where Mel Gibson, I mean George Wallace ( J ) defeated the British army.  We stopped for a brief lunch at one point and then it was back on the road.  The scenery was quite spectacular, passing one loch after another all the while looking at sheep and highland cattle grazing on the ever so green hillsides. 

            We got home around 4 and while Amanda cleaned house and began laundry, I started packing what I thought I’d need for the week ahead.  Let’s see I thought, perhaps all I’d need were some shorts, sandals, a few shirts, a swimsuit, toiletries, and my basic computer and camera accessories.  It only took me about a ½ hour to pack and once done, I helped Amanda by vacuuming the house.  It was the least I could do. 

            With all that being said, I think that pretty much brings me up to date on this leg of my trip.  Here I sit at nearly 1 in the morning in Glasgow airport at the Starbucks.  All around me are empty tables with the chairs stacked upon the same.  Occasionally, someone will walk by, but more times than not it is an airport employee and not a fellow traveler.  I’ll be anxious to see what type of people are on my flight, as I know they will be just like me in that they will be looking forward to landing in a warm and sunny place known as Greece.  I find myself having to occasionally pinch myself to remind me that this is not all a dream.  I just can’t imagine that after arriving only a few days ago thinking I’d be spending nearly a month in Scotland; I’m on my way to Greece!  By the time I get this up on the internet, I may well have been in Greece or back already as I’m not sure when I will be able to transfer this from my laptop to the internet.  Hopefully, they will have internet cafes there. 

            In closing this journal entry, please let me wish you well…