On Sunday, the team enjoyed some more bus adventures courtesy of the Stranraer club. David, Hugh, Hew, Jock, and John took us south to the Mull of Galloway to see the lighthouse and the cliff from which we could see Belfast, the Isle of Man, the cost of Scotland and (on a clear day) England. The weather turned out beautifully, and after lunch we saw some incredible images as the sun shone done on the green hillsides. From the lighthouse, we went to the Blandoch Distillery and had a tour through the building and an explanation of the entire process of making whisky. Of course, we did a little taste-testing too. After that, we headed to Wigtown to see a bit of the book festival there. Somehow we ended up sampling wine there too. We also filled our time on the bus by singing lots of songs, and we managed to come up with quite a few that we all knew, and some others that might be best never to learn :o) The club treated us to a great meal Sunday night and more socializing at David and Barbara Campbell's house. Monday will be a fairly relaxed day with just a lunch Rotary meeting to attend and give our presentation, some free time after that, and another get-together with the club in the evening.

Belfast

On Saturday, we were treated to an afternoon in Belfast. We rode the ferry for two hours each way from Stranraer right into the Northern Ireland city. As soon as we arrived, we jumped on a city sight-seeing bus (sitting on the top deck, of course) and took in the first part of the tour which included a view of the docks where the Titanic was constructed and made its departure, as well as Campbell College where C.S. Lewis attended school. Probably the most interesting (and eerie) part of the tour was venturing into the northern part of the city where "the troubles" had their greatest impact. Murals have been painted to give memory of the time and there is still evidence of the destruction that happened from all the fighting. Construction and rebuilding is happening all over Belfast, from what we could see.

Close to the centre of the city, we hopped off to get a late lunch and did some shopping and wandering around before catching the ferry again back to Stranraer. That night, most of the team took in a unique 21st birthday party that was supposed to be an Audrey Hepburn theme. Somehow kilts go with everything, though, so that's what quite a few of our hosts wore :o) We did our best to learn some of the traditional Scottish dances.

Our day in Belfast

East Kilbride

September 26, 2008
Our team has had a very enjoyable time in East Kilbride. Wednesday we were taken into Glasgow for a day of sightseeing and riding the Clockwork Orange. First we walked around the University of Glasgow and looked in the Hunterrian museum. A combination of fascinating and unsettling materials were in the museum, since it is in honor of a famous anatomist who paved the way in a lot of medical research. The fetuses and various body parts were on display as evidence.

For lunch we took in A Play, A Pie, and A Pint at the Oran Mor. “When Clarence Calls” was the name of the play performed and it was set in the basement of an old church that has been converted into a pub and theatre house. Very fun! The rest of the afternoon was taken up at the National Piping Centre and a walk down Buchanan Street, a major shopping centre in Glasgow.

Thursday consisted of touring Edinburgh, where our team toured the Scottish Parliament. We were able to meet with Linda Fabieni, who is a MSP (Member of Scottish Parliament), sit in on a meeting in the discussion chamber and also tour the building. It was extremely interesting to learn of the unique architecture and how the building was designed.

After our tour, we enjoyed a casual lunch in a pub on the Royal Mile, which consisted of the Scottish favorite meal: fish and chips, cheeseburger, and yes more chips!

While Archie, our host, toured Robin around a local golf course, Frank took the four team members on a shopping tour of the Royal Mile. After a very long time in Edinburgh traffic, our group met up at the Forth Bridges at Queens Ferry (Forth road and forth rail).

Although Friday was a transition day, our team enjoyed a wee bit of down time. Our team had some free time in the morning to visit with each other over coffee even catch up on a round of golf. We also enjoyed a lunch meeting with the East Kilbride Club, where we had en enjoyable meal and took the opportunity to take a few photographs.

Late afternoon we continued on to meet our Stranraer Club hosts. We were met with open arms and an exciting itinerary. Saturday our hosts will take us to Belfast Ireland for the day.

Until next time,

East Kilbride

Monday Sept 22 marked our transition day into the East Kilbride Club. We spent the day touring around the town, visited the Farm museum, and even had time to toss a good luck coin into the Rotary Wishing well. Tuesday evening, we were treated to an enjoyable dinner at Denise and Barry's home for a haggis meal. Wayne and Ally, a new friend, had the opportunity to enteratin us on the beautiful electric grand piano.

Today, Wednesday, our group spent the day in Glasgow touring the University, National Pipe museum, and walked through Buchannan Street, one of the most popular shopping streets.

On Saturday morning, our Prestwick hosts delivered us to the Chestnut Hotel in Ayr where the team had a couple of days on our own to wind down, relax, and spend some 'us' time. The weather was beautiful on both days, giving us lots of opportunity to walk around and see the town. Saturday, we went to Robbie Burns' house, the Brigadoon, and the monument established in his honour. Ate a delicious dinner at the hotel before taking in a few pubs and doing a little dancing. On Sunday, we all did a few different things. Sarah mostly hung out at the hotel, did some reading and relaxing, Leah and Wayne walked into Ayr to do some shopping and looking around, Robin took in Burns' house since he missed it the day before, and Ryan did a coastal walk to Dunure Castle. For dinner, we enjoyed some Indian food in Ayr.

More pics from Arran

Scenes from Arran

Our day in Arran

On Friday (Sept. 19), we took the ferry to the Isle of Arran for a day-long trip around the island. Our bus driver, Peter, took us quickly over the twists and turns of the usually narrow road with stops for coffee, lunch, and some other sightseeing. Gillian Bussell, the president of the Arran Rotary Club, shared lots of information on the island's history. Arran Rotarians Tony and Douglas also joined us, along with Arthur and Mike Kelly from the Prestwick Club. Among the highlights were a stop at Brodick Castle, the Isle of Arran distillery, and Arran Aromatics where we took advantage of some special deals.

The Rotary Club of Prestwick

Photos from Day 1 in the Prestwick Area

Leaving Strathendrick and Arriving in Prestwick

The above 3 images were from our arrival day in the Strathendrick area, Sept 14. We were greeted by President Bill Stoddart and his fellow Rotarian, who took us for a wonderful lunch at Duck Bay Marina. It was a warm day, and even the sun peeked out for a moment!

September 16, 2008
Tonight our team was hosted by Sarah and my host family, Bob & Fiona, for a lovely dinner at their home. On top of enjoying a lovely meal, we were entertained by our new friend Bob, who played his pipes for us. Even Wayne had an opportunity to try the pipes.

September 17, 2008
Today was our travel day to the Prestwick area. We were picked up by Michael Litton and Matt Train, from the Prestwick Club. They took us on a lovely tour of the promenade of the coastal towns, while Ryan had his vocational day. We toured the Larks pencil and enjoyed a coffee in the harbor.

September 18, 2008
Today Wayne visited the Glasgow Herald and Sarah enjoyed a few hours at an educational institution. The rest of us enjoyed a cultural day touring the Culzean Castle, Kirkland Cemetery and a quick 3km walk through Peden’s Cove, where we discovered beautiful red sandstone steps. We rewarded ourselves with a pint of the local brew at the Failford Inn, which is a popular local pub. Our evening was wrapped up with dinner and a presentation at the Club. Jim Copeland was also present to accept a donation from the Prestwick Club for the Wheel Chair Foundation.

Friday will be a day trip to the island of Arran, where we will enjoy touring the “mini Scotland” and visiting with the Rotarians of Arran.

Until next time,

Falkirk Wheel

Pictures from Stirling Castle