Hello Again!
Hope you are all well!
I didn't tell you much about my Scotland trip! The last day before I went to the tour I went to Glasgow on a bus - about a 1hr trip. I was walking around.... there was a really nice market atmosphere in the mall... tons of ppl selling all kinds of wares from around the world. Only ended up buying an apple though (at least they're more exotic than getting apples from WA while in London!). After walking the malls, I ended up at this tea-room cakey place... Bramfords? Dinnie ken then name... tis just a guess :-) It's supposedly been there from 1924 though so maybe some of my scottish audience know what I'm talking about. I just HAD to eat a rhubarb tart... it was soooo nice! Washed it down with tons of tea... I didn't know that rhubarb was such a scottish thing Gran!
I went shopping for a jacket in a shop recommended to me by a friendly cafe lady. I know *nothing* about jackets... and I splashed out a bit, but I got a gore-tex (fabric) wind & waterproof shell. It's yellow and blue, so I look like a construction worker, and it's maybe a bit large, but it saved me some cash (I think cos not everyone will wear yellow). It's for "extreme wet weather" so bring it on, baby! After talking to some ppl later, I think I payed the equivalent it would cost in Aus.
I was soooo close to Motherwell that I just had to go. I jumped on another bus and arrived about an hour later. Armed with Pa's little family-location-flip-book I walked into the information section of the local library and got a map. Everyone was really helpful! So I got a photocopy of a map of the area, and had a look at a book written for the centenary of Dalziel(? I'm writing from memory now) high. How many of you (Gran, Aunts Isobel & Elsie + others) went to the same primary and high schools? I couldn't find anything referring to any Reid's but I read the decade that you would've been there Gran. I was tempted to photocopy the school song to send to you... but then thought I wasn't sure if you liked it or hated it! After leaving there I visited a newly established local heritage centre. They had some records - I was hunting down school yearbooks or photos, but I wasn't even sure if you had any taken, and supposedly these are kept at the school anyway.
So, off trekking I went. I found the high school, primary school and church you used to go to (I think!) and have photos of all of them... I was pretty lost there at one stage! I think I remember you mentioning the hi-rises a few times... they are pretty ugly compared to the cute old houses!
I ordered chips from a local chippy. The girl nearly died when she heard an Aussie accent (ok, slight exaduration)! It was quite bizarre! I don't think many tourists go to Motherwell!
So I hopped on a bus back to Glasgow. I arrived at around 6pm, just in time to see the George(??) square in the evening sunlight. Got some photos of this really nice building adjoining the square. I spotted the tourist info building I'd been hoping to find in the morning, at 6:30pm when it closes at 6! (typical!)
I was just walking Glasgow for a couple of hours. It's completely different that Edinburgh - I was thinking that it's strange for another city to have more ppl than the capital city, but then realised that Aus is the same!
Ohh 13 mins left... I have to write something about Poland now!
so to conclude... I spent 4hrs in a bus just before I went on a bus tour (duhh Sam), Glasgow and Edinburgh are both kewl, and Motherwell WAS interesting!
Posted by Sam at September 22, 2002 10:31 PM