Halo from Scotland

Beginning in April of 2022, my partner and I set sail on a transatlantic cruise from Florida, USA, to Barcelona, Spain, with plans of slow-traveling and backpacking through Europe while writing.

Early September – Brisk breezes whipped off the Irish sea as we embarked upon our journey from the Northern Ireland coast toward Scotland. They felt heavenly. We traveled from Belfast to Glasgow by motorcoach, which boarded a ferry. The coach then proceeded to Glasgow along hilly, twisty-turny country roads.

I suspect our driver may have been an aspiring Nascar driver, judging by the speed he took those curves. Seriously, I had trouble managing a sip from my water bottle without dumping it into my lap or slinging it across the aisle.

A jovial lady behind us on the bus chattered endlessly, pinching her face through the crack in the seats to provide detailed commentary on all the (blurry) sights we sped by while onboard our luxury “race bus”.

(Oops … water may have splashed into her face as well.)

Did I mention that the Scots are so friendly and helpful?

Ok, so let me come clean and get this out in the open now. <Gaze shifting left and right, making certain I’m alone>.

The Scottish accent is the sexiest damn thing in the entire world. There, I’ve said it.

I took every opportunity to ask for assistance for the sole purpose of hearing that sexy brogue. Our hotel bartender couldn’t have been much over 25, and there I was draped over a barstool, drooling over that thick, Scottish brogue.

Of course, I purchased a beer. I couldn’t just allow him to provide sightseeing tips without buying something, right? I mean, I asked him a minimum of 20 questions.

All the while,visions of Jamie Fraser danced in my head.

But, I digress. Let me share our pics of Northern Ireland! There are many locations where scenes from the Game of Thrones series were filmed. Here are a few of them:

Now, for our Scotland adventures. We didn’t get to stay as long as I would have liked. It wasn’t Mr. Rogers’ favorite place. I think because he is the budget conscious one, and let’s face it, the UK isn’t a cheap destination. Plus, he had a sour taste in his mouth over the rail strikes, and he didn’t care much for the Irish or Scottish food. Me, I liked more of the food than he did, but I understood his point. There is just something about Scotland. I could live there!

Once in Glasgow, we excitedly explored the city sights: A 19th-century tall ship, the Glenlee (the museum director gave us some excellent historical information…will come in handy for a future ‘high seas’ adventure we’re working on), and the adjoining Riverside transportation museum. Loved the carriages, trolleys, and displays of vintage clothing. We also stopped by Glasgow Cathedral and the Necropolis Cemetery.

“Outlander” did a lot of filming in Glasgow: The Glasgow Cathedral’s crypt posed as an 18^th-century hospital for Claire. The Necropolis Cemetery is behind the cathedral. George Square is near where Claire and Frank were married (meant to represent Westminster).

… AND, I had to throw in a pic of Glasgow’s trash crisis. The garbage collectors were on strike. They must have came to a resolution, because we did see things being cleaned up as we were leaving…