Last Stop: London!

We landed in London with 3 days until my final flight of the entire trip - the return flight home to San Diego! But there's no way we'd just relax the final few days before we left Europe. Our first day, we went to the Green Market, which was probably one of my favorite attractions in London. Built under an old railroad bridge that was a notoriously sketchy place to be, the market is a collection of artisan cheese makers, smoothie carts, fruit stands, restaurants and other street vendors. 

Above, the street vendors all set up. We snacked at many of them... And below, mom and dad caught mid-bite.

Big Ben was nearby and of course, a must-see. Known officially as the Elizabeth Tower, Big Ben is actually the nickname for the Great Bell, the huge bell inside the tower but by extension, the whole tower seems to have adopted the name.

The tower is part of the greater Palace of Westminster, which originally housed the royal family when it was built some five hundred years ago. Today, it is home to the British Parliament. Across the street from the palace, is Westminster Abbey, where coronations and royal funerals have taken place for nearly 1000 years! Despite its historical significance, I somehow managed to have zero photos of it... 

Somewhere in our blur of London sightseeing we took a river cruise on the River Thames, which runs through the city center. Along the river are many bridges, including the London Bridge, made famous by the old children's song. I have to say, London Bridge was pretty underwhelming to look at and appeared to be nothing more than an ordinary concrete bridge. The bridge does have a long history beginning with its Roman origins around the time of Christ. Apparently, the builders of the modern design, built in 1973, decided not to pay an homage to its storied past...

Above, under the London Bridge and below, the Gate Bridge, several hundred yards down the river. In my opinion, a much more beautiful bridge.

Enough of making fun of the London Bridge, we moved on to check out the Tower of London, a historic castle situated on the edge of the River Thames. Founded in 1066, the castle is a collection of towers and buildings constructed over several centuries. From the beginning, the castle was a symbol of oppression as one of its earliest occupants was William the Conquerer, who based on his nickname alone doesn't sound like a particular benevolent leader. Later the castle was used a prison and sometimes execution area, though the actually number of executions held here has been greatly exaggerated in history. More commonly, prominent figures that had fallen out of favor were held here in a relatively nicer prison than enjoyed by commoners. Today, some of the graffiti left by the prisons historical "guests" can still be found on the walls.

Above, the Tower of London, which is in fact not a tower at all. We were lucky enough to be there for the commemoration of the end of World War I, thus all the incredible flowers. The castle is now home to many museums and a bitchin collection of royal armor collected over hundreds of years. Impressive stuff! Can't imagine having someone suited like that charging at me with a club and sword...

The more modern side of London is a miles long strip of shopping and restaurants. It was amazing how many people were flooded in the streets for blocks and blocks on end. I haven't been to New York in many years but I would imagine the crowds are very similar. London even had a huge plaza with flashing billboards and TVs that would've been very reminiscent of Times Square.

Above, the famous double decker busses of London and below, the best photo I could muster that captured some of the bustling streets... As usual, photos don't do it justice.

Not all of London is historic, above is a modern take on an old city. As with most major cities and especially in Europe, space is at a premium. We had a beautiful hotel but our room was pretty cramped, especially compared with Scotland. I could almost play footsie with my parent laying down in my narrow pull-out bed...

Below, our hotel...

At some point in history, London has been the capital of most parts of the world as the British had colonies all over every continent. To see a map of former British territory is actually pretty fascinating and eye-opening. Despite losing its hold on much of its former colonies, London was and is still a music capital of the world, producing such bands as The Rolling Stones, The Who, Cat Stevens and more recently, Coldplay and Florence and the Machine. One street in London, lined with studios, music shops and live venues, seems to have given start to a staggering high number of these famous musicians. We stumbled upon the street and found the building where Elton John "sat on the roof and kicked off the moss" while producing a few of his biggest hits.

In walking so many miles around London, you see museums and churches and buildings that you can't even remember what they are. Below, mom and dad pose in front a couple of buildings I should know the names of...

After running ragged with my parents for the last two weeks, it came to end my wayward wandering and head back to the United States. Spending time with my parents on their first ever trip to Europe was definitely one of the best highlights from my nearly six months of living from a small suitcase.

There's no way to recollect all the memories and places I was fortunate enough to experience and I am so grateful for the chance to have seen so much of the world. It's hard to know exactly how to end the blog - or at least this chapter of it - especially without getting too sappy, so I'll end with this; if you're thinking about taking such a trip, do it! It has been the best decision of my life.

25 pounds lighter and all pearly whites on my way to London Heathrow for the flight home!

Downtown Edinburgh

Before we left Scotland, we made a last day trip, this time to the capital of Edinburgh. We decided to drive the relatively easier roads to the airport and take a tram - this would give us practice getting to the airport at 5 am the next morning and avoid the congested roads of the big city... After seeing the non-stop busses, one-way streets and utter chaos typical of urban centers, we were so glad we didn't attempt to drive.

Edinburgh is a bustling place yet it still retains much of its historic charm. Many of the churches, cobblestone streets and old buildings have been very well preserved and restored. One interesting thing we noted was that many churches and historic buildings had been repurposed for commercial enterprise and we're now restaurants, meeting halls and storefronts. Below, we ate lunch in an old chapel.

We also toured the Edinburgh Castle, which was built in the 12th century though many of the buildings that still exist today date from the 16th century on. Perched high up on an abutment, the castle is surrounded by steep cliffs on 3 sides with a river below. Hard to believe that the castle could've been besieged by an enemy. Today the castle houses many history and military museums.

Above, a photo of the castle I borrowed from every castle.com and below, a connection of armor and weapons at the castle.

Below, the view from the castle would've given the army plenty of warning as to approaching enemies with a clear view of the surrounding land and sea.

Many historic buildings make up the skyline of Edinburgh's Old City. Below, a church and monument in the distance.

The old church below has been repurposed as a conference center. This was long the main shopping and tourist street below that lead up to the castle entrance. We tried fudge and most importantly got wool scarves bearing the MacFarlane clan plaid. Glad we opted not to get kilts...

Scotland was a blast and when people ask me the impossible question of what my favorite place or experience was, I rank Scotland right up there with any other place. 

Below, always on the lookout for a microbrewery, we obviously found one in St Andrews. Cheers to next time!

Back to My Roots

The MacFarlane clan traces their roots back to Scotland and one of my favorite days from all of my traveling was the visit to our ancestral lands near Loch Lomond in eastern Scotland. But before we paid respects to our ancestors, we decided to honor our modern overseas brethren by attending a "football" match or a soccer game as we might say in the states. We were lucky enough to be in the country when the Edinburgh Hibs took on the Glasgow Rangers FC team.

Not only are the two teams bitter rivals but the cities themselves are also longstanding foes. The cities have been rivals forever with the modern rivalry stemming from a blue-collar, impoverished Glasgow versus a white-collar Edinburgh. Separated by just 45 miles the ill will is very real - even in 2014 a man from Glasgow sued a business in Edinburgh because he felt discriminated against by his choice of condiments. One city prefers ketchup and another mayonnaise for their fish and chips and charging this man $0.25 for ketchup in Glasgow ignited old tensions between the two cities - thus triggering the lawsuit.

The teams and fans are divided too along religious lines; one fan base is Catholic, the other Protestant. The Edinburgh Hibs even attract a strong Irish following, further fueling tension. After a huge fight at the stadium several years ago, there is no longer alcohol for sale and visiting fans are kept strictly divided by a strong showing of riot police - at least 50 cops partitioned the small but noisy "away" section. When the home team lost 4-0, it got ugly though profanity with a thick Scottish accent was actually quite endearing.

The coolest part of the game was probably catching a fan bus from St Andrews to the Glasgow, a 2.5 hour trip, with a bunch of die-hard Rmagers FC fans. We took in the full local experience, drinking beers with the club members before the game at a local pub adorned with posters of former Rangers FC legends all over the walls. They even taught us their fight song, which the fans sang amongst many other enthusiastic chants at the game. I have to say an NFL game does not come close to generating the same passionate enthusiasm as European professional soccer.

Above, the visitor section completely surrounded by police in yellow jackets and several rows of empty seats. This was not done out of abundance of caution. When the visitors scored a goal, it looked like a riot might break out over there!

Several hours drive from Kilconquhar, the MacFarlane clan traces their roots back to the late 12th century near Loch Lomond and the town of Arrochar. Over the centuries, the MacFarlanes had their ups and downs, at one point claiming Earldom of Lennox but after the entire family of the clan chief was murdered, fell into cattle thievery. During times of prominence, the MacFarlane clan had an army of four hundred men which fought against England under the Scottish crown. On our visit to Arrochar, we found the old clan meeting house ruins, dated several hundred years old surrounded by the graves of many clansmen, including that of William MacFarlane, the last government recognized clan chief who passed in 1866. Today, the clan chiefship is dormant, though it seems their is a movement only to have it restored. Exploring our ancestral lands and studying family history was without a doubt one the highlights of my entire trip.

Above, dad and me at a moment erected on the ruins of the MacFarlane clan former meeting house. And bello, mom and dad lead a hike near Arrochar. While beautiful, the cold was bone chilling and I can't imagine having to survive a winter here back in the 1400s...

Below, another shot of Loch Lomond. There is a tiny island on the lake that houses the remains of a small castle that was once property of the clan. Today, the island is completely overgrown and you can't see the castle from shore.

There was also supposed to be a MacFarlane clan museum in a bar out near Arrochar but all that was left of the museum was the sign out front.

On the way to Loch Lomond, we stopped at the William Wallace monument, a huge tower built to honor Scotland's most famous hero. After leading the Scots to an impossible victory against the English at the Battle of Stirling Bridge, Wallace rose through the ranks of the Scottish army. At the time, he was a young and experienced soldier of humble origins, yet his forces beat an English army that vastly outnumbered them. Ultimately, Wallace was captured, brutally tortured and killed for treason against England. If you've seen the movie Braveheart, you know his legend and reputation was well-earned.

You can climb to the top of the monument and inside is a museum. The view from the top looks out across the countryside. Below, the view from the monument looking down at the site of the Battle of Stirling Bridge.

Scary Roads in Scotland

After our puddle jumper from Paris, we touched down in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Arriving just before sunset we headed over to our rental car, feeling a bit nervous about driving on the "wrong side of the road" as Scots drive on the left. How hard could it be!? Well, turns out pretty hard... It was incredibly scary making turns, driving through roundabouts in traffic, and navigating what would otherwise be routine driving- also our directions from Edinburgh to our small timeshare out in the country were terrible, turning what should have been a 1.5 hour drive into 3...

Dad freaking out inspecting our car... The steering wheel is on the wrong side! Luckily we calmed down for a few minutes before panicking again pulling out of the rental car lot...

We finally made it to our timeshare in Kilconquhar, a small hamlet of about 300 people and checked into our huge 3 bedroom house on the estate property. The main lodge was an old castle built in the 12th century and is the possible birthplace of Robert the Bruce, King of Scots in the early 14th century and one of Scotland's most famous warriors. 

The morning after our harrowing drive to Kilconquhar, this was taken out our living room window. Being in such a small town in the countryside, driving would be our main form of transportation for the next several days, though it never got much more comfortable. Getting around really became a team sport, with dad at the wheel, me giving turn by turn directions and basically teaching a driving lesson from the passenger seat and mom closing her eyes and praying in the back seat...

Don't see phone booths around too much any more...

About ten minutes down narrow country roads from Kilconquhar is the Firth of Forth, the huge estuary where the River Forth flows into the ocean. Along the Firth, are a few quaint port towns that seem to stand timeless against the harsh, gray weather. A one lane highway connects these towns along the coast until you reach the North Sea, the road turns northward and you arrive in St Andrews. We followed the highway, leisurely stopping in the small towns to enjoy their quiet charm and snack on some must-have fish and chips.

Looking at Elie from its harbor at low tide. And below, boat repair is pretty easy when you have 15 foot tide swings...

Above and below, the old stone buildings of Elie. They could have been built 15 years ago or 500- it's hard to tell. To me, their ageless stone masonry was some of the coolest architecture I'd seen.

We stopped in Pittenweem for lunch and then at Crail to check out their old castle. Below, mom and dad stand at the shore on the Firth of Forth at Crail with the castle on the hill above.

Above, small town port life on the Firth of Forth.

Arriving to St Andrews in one piece was a nice relief and we walked around the city, checking out the old church, castle and obviously, the golf course.

Above and below, the Cathedral at Saint Andrews built in 1158. It fell into ruin in the 16th century when Catholic mass was outlawed in Scotland and looks much the same today as it did then after it fell into disrepair.

We also explored the St Andrews Castle, a ruin on a bluff stretching out into the bay. During the 12th and 13th century, the castle was a major stronghold that the Scots and English seemed to trade back and forth depending on the won its control. In the 16the century during the Scottish Reformation, it was a center of religious struggle. During one battle, the outsiders dug a mine to try to get inside and sack the castle but the defenders dug a counter-mine and stopped them in their tracks. We got to go below ground and check the tunnels out. Not for the claustrophobic!

Similar to the point I made earlier juxtaposing France with Peru during the 16th century, it was also interesting to compare mainland Europe with Scotland. While France, Italy and Spain went through the amazing times of discovery, art and architecture during Enlightenment, Scotland was still building simple stone forts and fighting gruesome wars over subtle differences in the interpretation of Christianity.

But it's not all death and darkness in Scotland. We visited the famous St Andrews Old Course, perhaps the best known golf course on earth. Above is the new clubhouse and hotel and below is the renowned old clubhouse on the left side of the photo and view up the 18th fairway. The Scots we met were always baffled that we weren't in their country to play golf - seems like that was the only reason they fathomed Americans would be there. Glad we didn't play though, as the 10 foot deep sand traps on the Old Course would've been quite humbling...

While known as having terrible food, to me Scotland was heaven as I found they had excellent pub food consisting of fried fish, mashed potatoes, meatloaf and fries (or chips as they call them) all over the place with such unique dish names such as "mince and tatties." On one of our visits to St Andrews we ate some food to go on the famous of their university. With the old buildings and stone architecture it felt more like Hogwarts in Harry Potter than a world renowned institution.