Edinburgh

On Friday the Band went to Glasgow Green to practice for the big competition.  Bob had breakfast with Nathan, Orson and Liam and then Bob and I spent time at our hotel and shopped and went out for lunch.

We went over to the train station to catch the 4:30 train to Edinburgh.  There had been a problem somewhere with a train blocking the tracks and some of the trains were cancelled.  The first one to go out was the 4:30 to Edinburgh and it was crowded - some people having to stand all the way.  It was about fifteen minutes late in starting.  We did get to Edinburgh and walked over to the hotel where Tim and Lois Hironaka were staying.  We spend an enjoyable three hours with them and then caught the train back to Glasgow, arriving about ten p.m.

Street in Edinburgh

We had supper here

Waverly Train Station

Dunfermline

Thursday after band practice we all piled into the coach and went to the other side of Scotland to Dunfermline.

We visited Dunfermline Abbey and the church that was built on the ruins in 1818.  Robert the Bruce was buried at the Abbey and his remains were found wrapped in a gold cloth.  They reburied him in the new church below the pulpit. St. Margaret (Queen Margaret) was also buried there but her remains have not been found.

Grave of Robert the Bruce

Next we walked downtown and found a Subway where we had lunch.

From Subway we walked to the Andrew Carnegie Museum. The house where he was born is part of the museum.

The BBC had arranged for the band to be filmed as part of a documentary so we went by coach to Pittencrieff Park for the filming.  The park was originally Pittencrieff Estate and because of his humble origins Andrew Carnegie was not allowed in it in his youth.  After he accumulated riches he bought the estate and turned it into a public park.  It is huge and had several playgrounds as well as a Tea House, and Pittencrieff House Museum.  It was beautiful.

Band being Filmed

Man in Red Jacket is Star of the Documentary

Locomotive in the Park

The Band

Pittencrieff House Museum

We arrived back in Glasgow late in the evening.

Ceolry

Last evening we attended a concert called Ceolry featuring the Greater Glasgow Police Scotland Pipe Band.  It was quite spectacular especially the solo numbers.  There was also a female singer who sang Gaelic folk songs.

It took place in the Royal Glasgow Concert Hall.

on 

Our hotel is close to Buchanan Street.  Here is a photo of a statue of Mr. Buchanan with a pigeon on his head.

August 12 and 13

Yesterday was a quiet day.  While Nathan and the boys went off to Edinburgh, Bob and I relaxed.  We went out to supper at ASK Italian and it wasn't bad except for the dessert.

Today was another quiet day.  We did a bit of shopping and relaxed some more.

There are telephone booths everywhere and even internet booths.

North to Inverness and Back to Glasgow

It is pouring rain as we sit in Nathan's dorm room and listen to the Edmonton Pipe Band practise in the courtyard.  Nathan, Liam and Orson have gone to Edinburgh.  It has been raining quite steadily since Sunday.

Yesterday we left at 8:00 a.m. on the bus.  I must say the bus is very uncomfortable for people with long thighs.  Our first stop was Blair Atholl.   From Wikipedia:

"Blair Castle stands in its grounds near the village of Blair Atholl in Perthshire in Scotland. It is the ancestral home of the Clan Murray, and was historically the seat of their chief, the Duke of Atholl, though the current (12th) Duke, Bruce Murray, lives in South Africa. The castle stands in Glen Garry, and commands a strategic position on the main route (now the A9 road) through the central Scottish Highlands."

Castle from the Parking Area

We toured to castle, saw the many pictures of the Murrays and looked at the genealogical charts of the Murrays.  Unfortunately we couldn't find our family records on the charts.  Even though it poured rain, there were hoards of tourists there.

In Front of Picture of Sir John Murray of Tullibardine

Castle Ballroom - Only place we were allowed to take pictures

Liam and the Antlers

Back to the bus and on to Aviemore for lunch.  Most of us had deep-fried Pizza and the others had fish and chips.  From Wickipedia:

"Aviemore (ⁱ/ˌæviˈmɔər/; Scottish Gaelic: An Aghaidh Mhòr) is a town and tourist resort, situated within the Cairngorms National Park in the Highlands of Scotland. It is in the Badenoch and Strathspey committee area, within the Highland council area. The town is popular for skiing and other winter sports, and for hill-walking in the Cairngorm Mountains. "

Waiting for the deep-fried Pizza

Next stop -  Culloden Moors.

We spent time learning about the Jacobite uprising and the attempt to put Bonnie Prince Charlie on the throne - either the throne of the United Kingdom or at least back on the throne of Scotland. The battle of Culloden was the end of the Stewart Kings.

Does it look like a battle field?

From Culloden we drove to Loch Ness and stopped for a short time at Urquart Castle.  The castle was built from about 1230 A.D. and was abandoned in 1692.  The rain stopped long enough for photos.

We went to Inverness and had supper.  Bob and I  went to "Jimmy Chungs" a chinese smorg restaurant but Nathan, Orson and Liam ate at McDonalds.  Orson was delighted to find Ginger Beer and bought two giant bottles of it.  He hasn't been able to get Ginger Beer since he left Nova Scotia.

Inverness from Jimmy Chungs

Castle Behind the Modern City

Ginger Beer and Golds

We arrived back at the dorms at 11:00 p.m. and then walked to our hotel - a long day.

Sunday

This morning we skipped the Perth Highland Games and caught a taxi to Church in Paisley.  After church we went by taxi to North Lanark where we visited with a family that Nathan knew when he was here. 

Nathan and the Wark family

North Berwick

I should have known it was going to be a bad day when I woke up at 2:00 am and couldn't get back to sleep.  I got up at four and had a bath and still couldn't sleep.

We walked over to the dorms in time for a quick breakfast.  We caught the bus at 6:45 a.m. and were off to North Berwick Highland Games.  We watched the boys in their first round of competition.  Just as the band marched onto the field, I fainted over.  Nathan caught me and put me on the ground and when I came to there were three medics wanting to give me oxygen.  We missed the whole performance.

I slept most of the afternoon as well as you can sleep in a bus seat and then watched the grade ones perform.

It was amazing to see so many bands competing.  In Orson and Liam's grade there were at least 30 bands. 

The day wasn't totally bad.  The Ogden Pipe band got a first in one of their performances.

We arrived back in Glasgow about 8 p.m.

Bus of the Summerside Pipe Band from P.E.I.

Judges Stations

Liam and some of the band hiked to the top after their performance.

Practice time

Mass Band