St. Andrew and Fife

Our 3-day overview of the Highlands concluded, we booked a much smaller, one-day tour of the area around Glasgow for today. The tour began just around the corner from our hotel, and took us to the first stop, which was the Kelpies -- those huge horse head sculptures which had been the first stop on our previous trek. Having been there just a few days before, we used the time to check out the longboats in the canal nearby.

Next stop was the village of Culross, another quaint, well-preserved collection of old buildings and a place where scenes from Outlander had been filmed. The "market cross" that marks the center of town features a unicorn, rather than the traditional cross.

Wind and rain dampened our visit, and made the cobblestones on the streets slippery underfoot. But one shop we ducked into to stay dry still had the old, open-rafter ceilings with original painted designs. A coffee shop still looked like the pub it had been a few centuries ago.

The main attraction of the day was the town of St. Andrews. It's another well-preserved place full of historical buildings. But one has never seen so many golf shops! St. Andrews is where golf was born, and the "Old Course" literally begins right at the end of one of the main streets.

Usually, the Old Course is closed to golfers on Sundays, and visitors are welcome to stroll over it. Unfortunately, a big golf tournament was underway. So (expensive) tickets were required to get onto the course, and movement was restricted by golfers, caddies, and TV crews. We got as close as we could.

Also famous here is the University of Saint Andrew, the UK's third most prestigious after Oxford and Cambridge. Prince William and Princess Kate are famous alumni. Buildings are off-limits without a student or faculty ID, but we did get as far as the lobby (and restrooms) of the main library. And visitors are free to roam the quads and green spaces. The university and the town are intermingled.

At the opposite end of town from the Old Course are two ruins perched on cliffs above the North Sea. One is the Saint Andrews Castle. Begun in the early 13th century, the castle's main task was to protect the town and the cathedral -- Scotland's ecclesiastical center. But both the castle and the cathedral were the focus of Protestant anger during the Reformation led by John Knox in the 16th century. By the 17th century it had fallen into such disrepair that the city council began using it as a quarry so that stones could be used to repair other structures.

The cathedral was a huge Romanesque structure almost 400 feet long and with the peak of the roof 100 feet above the floor. The adjacent Augustinian abbey supported the church's activities. Started in 1158, it was not completed until 1318. But in 1561, an angry mob inspired by Knox's preaching ransacked the building. What remained was abandoned and repeatedly vandalized. Nothing was done to preserve the ruins until 1826.

The churchyard remained the town cemetery well into the 20th century, with burials expanding into areas that were once interior. Many of the older gravestones have become unstable.

Before leaving St. Andrews we needed to find another restroom. Our first thought was to buy something in a coffee shop so that we could use their facilities. However, we determined that a half pint of beer in a local pub is cheaper than a cup of coffee here. So the pub got the nod.

We drove on to the village of Falkland, which is yet another quaint village filled with old buildings. This stop was brief, as the main attraction here -- a palace -- was already closed for the day, as was nearly all of the town's businesses.

A final stop was the three bridges over the Firth of Forth at Edinburgh. We had just been here yesterday at the close of the other tour. But the explanation was somewhat better from this guide. The first bridge, to the right, was built in the Victorian era as a railway bridge, considered an engineering marvel in the 19th century. The second bridge, in the middle, was built for cars and trucks in the mid-20th century. However, the traffic exceeded its capacity, so the newer bridge, to the left, with the three towers, was completed recently, in the 21st century.

After that final stop we were driven back to Glasgow, got ourselves some fish and chips, and then turned in for the night.

Lochness & Culloden

The tour bus took the group from Inverness to a boat landing on Loch Ness where most of the group paid 22 Pounds each for a cruise on the Loch. No monster sightings were reported.

The lake is the largest in Scotland (and the UK) by volume, but not by area. It's 23 miles long but only a bit less than 2 miles wide. Yet it is as deep as Lake Superior -- almost 800 feet. So it holds a lot of water.

We opted out of the cruise, and instead took a hike on a very nice trail along the lake. Obviously, beside a lake so narrow and yet so deep, the hills around it are very steep. So we got our exercise. But the lake views were probably better than what the folks on the boat got.

There were a couple of brief stops along the way, but the main event of the morning was the battlefield at Culloden. In April, 1746 the Jacobite rebels supporting Prince Charles Edward Stuart ("Bonnie Prince Charlie") were decisively defeated by a British government force commanded by the Duke of Cumberland, Prince William Augustus.

The battlefield is sacred to Scots, but also to fans of the TV show, Outlander. Although Jamie Fraser is a fictional character (who is depicted as dying tragically in this battle), the mass grave marked as containing the remains of the warriors of Clan Fraser has to be chained off. There are frequently flowers on it.

Charles was attempting to restore to the throne his father, James Stuart, son of James II of England. James II, a Catholic, had been deposed in "The Glorious Revolution" of 1688 which brought Protestants, William and Mary. Charles had taken control of Scotland, but Culloden was a military blunder that cost the lives of a couple thousand Scots and forced Charles to flee to France.

But it was the aftermath of the battle that makes it a sore spot with Scots to this day. Following the defeat, the Duke of Cumberland arrested, and often put to death, the surviving leaders of all the Scottish clans, confiscated their lands, and banned the wearing of clan tartans. This earned him the title, "The Butcher of Cumberland," and Scots seem irritated about it when they speak of it, even now.

A referendum for Scottish independence was narrowly defeated in 2014, and at least one political party here is pressing for another. We have yet to see a UK "Union Jack" flag here, but the blue and white "Cross of St. Andrew" Scottish flag is everywhere. and many signs are in the Scots Gaelic (even though a tiny minority of Scots are actually fluent in speaking the language).

After a lunch stop in the town of Aviemore, a touristy place that is one of Scotland's biggest ski resorts in winter, we drove on to the Highland Folk Museum near Newtonmore. This is an outdoor museum where many old buildings have been relocated, restored, and furnished according to their time periods. This "living history" exhibition was quite well done, and it would have been nice to have a little more time here.

Live animals, including sheep and "hairy coos" (cows) added to the realistic ambiance of the place. Buildings ranged from the "black houses" (windowless stone dwellings where people and animals lived under the same roof) to homes of the 1930s and '40s.

The final stop was the town of Pitlochry, another very touristy locale, where the quaint old stone buildings are still very much in use. We enjoyed a good bowl of soup and a sweet at a local bakery here as dinner.

This tour ended in Edinburgh. But since we had booked with the other company on a tour that was to begin and end in Glasgow, we were given railway tickets back to that city. The train was packed, but the ride was only about 50 minutes. If we hadn't gotten so turned around in the rail station we would have gotten to our hotel sooner for the night.

Isle of Skye

"Beautiful desolation" might be the term to describe the Isle of Skye. Very little grows well there. They say that when the Vikings arrived, some 1200 years ago, there were no trees on the island. In fact, most of the relatively few trees growing there now were imported from North America in the 18th and 19th centuries. There is very little topsoil above the bedrock, so what grows is mostly grasses. The thousands of sheep and cattle keep that well-trimmed in low areas. Still the mountains and hills, along with the streams and lochs, combine to make for a stunning landscape, somewhat reminiscent of parts of Wyoming or Montana.

We had a bit of trouble appreciating the beauty because of the weather. It is not unusual to have rain on Skye. Today we had plenty, along with a strong wind the played havoc with our umbrellas. Low clouds and limited visibility dampened our enjoyment, but just a little.

On the way to Skye, while the weather was still holding off, our bus made a rest stop at Glenmoriston where we got views of a very old stone bridge,

as well as a very nice waterfall,

and an ancient stone circle.

A second stop allowed us a view of Eileen Donan Castle. Eileen Donan is Gaelic for Island Donan, which is in Loch Halsh and named for St. Donan, a 6th century missionary bishop who converted many Scots to Christianity.

The first castle was built here in the 13th century to protect the area from the Vikings who had been settled on Skye for 500 years already by that time. The castle was expanded many times over the centuries. But during the Jacobite in 1719 the walls were bombarded with cannonballs and the castle was a ruin. A wealthy Scot bought the island in 1911 and spent 20 years restoring it to become the tourist attraction it is today. But our tour did not include admission.

We enjoyed lunch in Portree, despite the fact that the rain had begun by then. The town is a scenic fishing village that now appears to make most of its fortune from tourists.

From Portree we drove a loop around the northeastern part of the island, making several photo stops. But the photos were mostly grey skies and clouds. A longer stop was at the Museum of Island Life, an outdoor museum featuring thatched-roofed buildings from earlier eras. It would have been interesting, but we got soaked just walking to the restrooms, so took shelter back on the bus.

Some of the group paid money to feed the "coos" at this stop. But having lived most of our lives in Iowa, we had experienced cows before and didn't feel the need to pay for the opportunity.

Back in Inverness we enjoyed a good meal at a local pub before retiring for the night.

Highland Tour

We had booked a 3-day tour, but the company canceled at the last minute and re-booked us with another company (which we suspect has the same owner). But the new company's tour departs from Edinburgh rather than Glasgow. So they sent a taxi to collect us from Glasgow and deliver us to the first tour stop. There was some initial confusion finding the right taxi, and traffic caused some delay, but we did manage to meet our bus. I'm glad I bought the UK SIM card for my phone!

That first stop was the Kelpies monument near Falkirk, Scotland, which celebrates the mythical "super horses" of Scottish legend, as well as the work horses that long sustained Scottish agriculture and industry before the age of steam. Each head is 100' high and weighs more than 300 tons.

As our 50+ passenger bus traveled into the highlands, some wondered why passing cars were honking as they went by. The image on the back of the bus explains it.

We drove through agricultural areas, pine forests, and a number of quaint villages before reaching the actual highlands. We had a lunch stop in one such village where we found a local bakery that supplied warm cheese pies, sort of like pasties, that were a good value.

The land here explains why Scotland has relatively few people, and more sheep than humans. But it is beautiful, nevertheless. The mountains and the lochs form the narrow glens in which Scottish culture thrives.

At Glenfinnan we arrived just in time to see the Harry Potter train pass over the viaduct. This is the same train and locale used in the movies for the Hogwarts Express scenes, except that the steam locomotive is not the antique used in the films. The train only passes twice each day, so quite a crowd gathered to get the view.

Also at Glenfinnan is monument to Scottish independence in 1746. The spirit of independence remains strong today. We see Scottish flags everywhere, but almost never a Union Jack.

On the other hand, we stopped briefly at a monument to the Royal Marine Commandos, a unit formed during WW II to get behind enemy lines and disrupt critical infrastructure. Based and trained in the highlands, this unit had an understandably high casualty rate. It remains the elite of the United Kingdom's military.

We continued along the shore of Loch Ness (no monsters in sight) to Inverness. Our B&B, arranged by our original tour company, is in a very old house and quite nice. We walked into the city center and had a very average Italian meal before turning in for the night.

Glascow

After on time flights we arrived at Edinburgh, Scotland airport, and with minimum difficulty found the shuttle bus to Glasgow. Our hotel for the night was just across the street from the bus depot, and granted us an early check in.

Glasgow's main pedestrian street, Buchanan Street, began just a couple of blocks away. We followed the Rick Steves guide to see the main sites, while the sky above us alternated between sunshine and rain.

Highlights of the area include "Nelson Mandela Square," which was named when Mandela was still in prison and the South African consulate was on that street. Thus, any mail delivered to the consulate had to be addressed with the name of the famous prisoner. A pretty clever jab!

Another interesting site was the museum of modern art, featuring traffic cones on an old equestrian statue, looking like dunce caps.

With jet lag overtaking us and our feet getting tired, we entered a well-preserved old building that has been repurposed into a Witherspoons -- a chain pub. The place was packed and it was hard to get a place to sit. The beer was cheap, but unfortunately, one gets what one pays for. It wasn't very good.

Somewhat refreshed, we walked to a very good Indian restaurant and had a very good meal. But once back at the hotel, it was nearly impossible for either of us to stay awake. We crashed before 8 p.m.

Stellenbosch

​Yesterday’s program was the optional tour to the Stellenbosch wine region. 

On the way, we passed acres of townships — basic houses built primarily for black citizens after the apartheid regime collapsed and Mandela became president. Previously, blacks could not legally own property and rents were exploitative. In these areas, the homes and the lots on which they are built are owned by the residents. 

It sounds like a good plan, but the supply of such housing is far less than the demand. Thus, squatter camps have appeared around the townships, as well. These strain public services, lack sanitation, and suffer fires from illegal electrical hookups. 

Our tour leader had the bus stop in front of one of the township homes and told us that he had been born in that house. Furthermore, his mother still lives there. We could tell that he was wrestling with the decision, but he finally got out and rattled the lock on the gate to the yard.

It was still early, and Mom was still in her bathrobe, but she came to the door and welcomed our whole group into her modest home. We took no photos, but got an insight into how people live in these places. 

Stellenbosch is very much a tourist town. Many old Cape-Dutch buildings are well preserved.

We visited the large Dutch Reformed Church, which has no altar, but an enormous pulpit. 

At the first winery we got the standard tour, then lunch. The “tasting” was full glasses of about 6 different wines, so we were feeling pretty happy when we left.

At the second winery there was no tour, but still multiple full glasses. The last red wine in the series was very good, but also the most expensive at over $100 a bottle. Nevertheless a couple of our fellow travelers felt compelled to buy a bottle and share it with the group — and then another. It became a party. When we got back to the hotel, we fell immediately to sleep. 

This morning, the weather was finally clear enough for the cable car on Table Mountain to operate. Our group was among the first couple of cars to go up. 

The views on the way up and on the way down were pretty good, but at the top we were in cloud with a cold, damp wind. I’m sure it would have been very pleasant in better weather. 

Because our homeward flight is not until this evening, we returned to the Waterfront area for lunch and afternoon diversion. We enjoyed the “burger & beer” special on a sunny outdoor deck overlooking the harbor. Then we found where the harbor seals hang out, safely away from the tourists. 

Good Hope

​Today’s excursion took us out of Cape Town proper and into the “greater cape,” as it were. 

The bus took us south along the west coastline of the Cape. It is rugged and rocky and beautiful. 

The Atlantic Ocean pounds the shore and the wind is relentless. Waves of rain squalls bring intermittent showers that can be seen approaching across the water. 

At Cape Point there is a funicular up the hill to the old lighthouse, but wasn’t working. Instead, a small shuttle bus took tourists up an incredibly narrow road to where it could just barely turn around. 

From there, we climbed 60 or 70 stone steps to the top.

The lighthouse was built in 1860 and operated for 59 years. But it was largely useless because it is shrouded in clouds more than half the days of the year — a point brought home in 1911 when a passenger steamer hit a reef just off shore. 

Down at shore level we reached the actual Cape Point. In school we learned that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Africa, but they lied. That point is Cape Agulhas, roughly 100 miles to the southeast. So the signs here are careful to say, “the most southwestern point of the African continent.” Truth in advertising?

Still, the Cape of Good Hope was historically the rough spot for ships to get around. So much so that the first explorers here named it “Cape of Storms” and the king of Portugal renamed it for better marketing. There are more than 700 shipwrecks recorded here over the centuries since Bartolomeu Dias arrived here in 1488. 

We continued up the east coast of the Cape and had a very filling lunch in the little tourist burg of Simon’s Town. Then we doubled back a few miles to Boulders Beach where a flock of endangered African Penguins are protected by the South African National Parks Service. 

The protection consists of wooden walkways that allow hundreds of ticketed tourists to walk down to the beach and get close to the birds without actually stepping on their sand. 

After waiting in a long ticket line, the rain and wind began just about the time we finally got to the penguins. 

Though they were very cute, we weren’t inclined to get soaked watching them. So we took a couple pictures and headed for someplace dry. 

Back in Cape Town, we visited an old church that has been transformed into “The District Six Museum.” Our tour leader struggled to explain the significance in a coherent manner. And the museum itself had several themes going, all revolving around the struggle against apartheid. 

But the gist is that some 60,000 black and “colored” people were displaced from their homes in this neighborhood in the 1950s, 60s, and 70s, often with little more than a suitcase. Their homes were destroyed and they were forbidden to even be in the area without a work pass. Only “whites” were allowed to stay. 

While District Six was far from the only place where this occurred — it was repeated across South Africa — it was the catalyst for the anti-apartheid movement.