Glasgow and Edinburgh, Scotland

We ventured up into Scotland while we were in Lancashire.  We spent a day in Glasgow and one in Edinburgh.  Each took 2 1/2 - 3 hours to get to, each way, so they were long days but worth it.

We were in Scotland prior to the Scottish vote on independence from the UK.  The only English speaking station we got in France was British news and it was very much the hot topic in England up until the vote, so we heard a lot about it for over 2 weeks.  Scotland can only vote on the independence issue once a generation, every 25 years, and it was a pretty close split per the polls.  It turned out not to be as close as anticipated but still within 10 points so there is a pretty strong independence movement in Scotland.  What I found interesting was that they lowered the voting age to include 16 and 17 year-olds for this special election because it would impact them so much.  There were some forums specifically for that age group that we saw and I was impressed with how seriously they took the issue and how thoughtful their questions were.  They showed a sense of maturity that I sometimes find lacking in this country.  Maybe I'm jaded.  Glasgow was particularly for independence, the YES people, but couldn't quite carry the country.  We passed a YES rally on our way back to the car park to get our car.



Glasgow is a pretty modern city.  There aren't a lot of "old" buildings left.  We went to the Glasgow Cathedral and the Necropolis near it.  Glasgow grew quickly in the early 1800's to the 2nd largest city in the UK, from 70,000 to over 200,000 people.  There were immigrants from Ireland and the Highlands looking for work and the city couldn't keep up with the speed of its' growth.  Conditions were bad with many poor ghettos, disease, and deaths.  They didn't have room to bury all of the people so they had to make rules about how they could be buried to help with sanitation.


Those that could afford to were buried on the highest hill in Glasgow, which became the Necropolis.  It is something to see.  It is a high hill that is wound with paths of headstones and mausoleums.  We saw necropolises in other cities but this one was the biggest.  People take their lunch to the top to eat while they look down on Glasgow.  The views are the best in town.

We spent another day in Edinburgh at the Edinburgh Castle.  It is another complex up on top of a hill looking out over the city.  It is literally built on rock and it is interesting to see how the buildings seem to just grow out of the stone foundation.  It was the official residence of the Scottish monarchy and houses the Scottish crown jewels.  Mary, Queen of Scots, was crowned there when she was 9 mths old and had her son there.  She was housed there while under arrest by Queen Elizabeth I, too, so she spent a long time in that castle.

We also went to the Palace of Holyroodhouse, which is the official Scottish residence of the British Queen, but we got there too late to go inside.  Drove around the city a little, had dinner, and then headed back.

Lancashire, England

Not the lake we stayed on

We left Paris on the Eurostar to London.  This is the high-speed train that goes through the Chunnel.  The trip only took 1 hr & 15 minutes.  We also got a nice meal with wine and dessert on the train.  Another really cool train experience.  In London, we took the metro out to Heathrow where we picked up our next rental car.  From there, we drove north to the Lancashire area.  We actually stayed in Dock Acres next to Carnforth. 

Our timeshare was on a lake (with swans and geese) and the weather was warmer than usual.  One maintenance guy said they were into their fall season and doing fall chores but the weather was more summer-like.  We expected rain but lucked out and had some clouds, some sun, and very little rain.  Carnforth has grocery stores, restaurants, and gas stations so we were all set.  Laid back a little there.  It is in the Lake District and a very pretty part of England.




We spent a day in Lancaster.  There is a royal palace there that was a prison until a couple years ago.  It looked like a prison, too.  It is still the court.









There was also a nice church started in 1094 (Lancaster Priory), although the current structure is mostly from the 1700's, and picturesque streets and buildings.



We drove around the area on some narrow streets, again.  Went down one wrong one and could barely pass the car coming the other way that told us we had to turn around and go back to get where we were going.  Also went over a pass that had a restaurant from the late 1400's at the top.  Went through little villages along lakes and went across one lake on a cable ferry.

Went into Bowness-on-Windermere which is the little village where Beatrix Potter grew up and wrote her Peter Rabbit and other tales at Top-of-the-Hill (her home).  There is an attraction there called "The World of Beatrix Potter" which has a McGregor's garden, tea room, and lots of recreations from her books.  We didn't go through the attraction but I did hit the gift shop.

We also visited Lowther Castle  & Gardens.  It is being preserved/restored by private donations but as a mix of old and new.  They have made part of the castle area safe and have a café and shop.  They also have extensive grounds which they have reclaimed from cement and chicken coops, and which you can hike and picnic on.





In the south Lake District, we walked around Hawkshead which is where Wadsworth grew up.  Had cake and tea in a little restaurant there.  It really is a pretty area.

Paris

We did actually make it to Paris.  Decided against driving and took the train from a neighboring village/town.  Got there in the dark with the other commuters and took the train ride into Paris which was actually shorter time than driving.  From the train station, you go down a level and get on the metro.  Very convenient.

We went to the Louvre first.  Didn't go in as you could spend days just there but we did go into the courtyard.  That place is massive.  I can't even imagine what it looks like inside.  I wouldn't even know where to start, there is so much. 

Headed to Notre Dame next, walking along the river.  Came to the place where all the locks are left.  There are signs telling you not to leave locks.  Seems the weight of all those locks is threatening the integrity of the fence.  Interesting, though.  And no, we did not leave our own lock.





Notre Dame is very big and very beautiful, just like all of the cathedrals we saw all over Europe.  I could just imagine Quasimoto running around the top.





We tried to get to Saint Chapelle next, which is known for its' 12th century stained glass windows, but got there 6 minutes after they closed for lunch (1:00 - 2:15 PM).  Didn't want to wait the hour or more until they got back so moved on to the Pantheon.





Eiffel Tower was next.  Doug went to the top, I didn't, and it took him almost 2 hrs to get his turn up and down.  The first elevator wasn't bad as it stops at a large section at the base.  Since the top is so much smaller, the line for that elevator wound all around the base and took all the time.  It got colder while he was up there and, since I didn't know his status, I was watching the crowd for his return when he was still waiting for the elevator.  Finally got a text that he was just on his way to the top when I was starting to feel I might have missed him.  I spent my time watching the people and the troops patrolling the area with assault rifles.  Heard lots of American English but never approached anyone to ask where they were from.

Our last stop was the Arc de Triomphe.  It is true about the traffic.  Just one big area around the Arc that has twelve streets coming into it.  Cars come in, move to where they need to be, and then exit.  I don't know how they know what they are doing.  You really have to be watchful.

The Arc is very impressive.  Everything we saw in Europe was impressive, with very few exceptions.  Huge, elaborate, just awesome.  I keep repeating myself but I don't know what else to say about them.  We've all seen pictures but things are even better up close and personal.

It would have been nice to have stayed long enough to see the Eiffel Tower or the Arc de Triomphe lit up for the night but we still had the train ride back so we didn't stay for that.  We ate at an open-air restaurant by the Arc and then headed back to the train station on the metro.  Then had the train ride back to our car and the drive back to our timeshare.  Was a fast, superficial brush through Paris but at least we made it.

Normandy, France

Doug's desire to go to France came from wanting to visit the Normandy beaches, which we did.  It was about a 2 hr drive to get to Caen.  Caen was recommended on the website as the start of the Normandy war experience which includes several museums, the beaches, lots of memorials and statues, and the cemeteries.  There is a large museum in Caen that covers the whole 20th century.  We were time limited so we went through the part leading up to WWII and during the war. You could spend days in the area doing it all justice, but we only spent one afternoon.  So we concentrated on the Caen museum, Omaha beach, and the American cemetery.

The museum is very well done and really brings home the cost of the whole war in devastation and lives.  There were displays and movies and memorabilia.  Very well worth the time.

France really promotes the Normandy area as what it is, a very pretty part of France.  The beaches are beautiful and the scenery picturesque.  We were told that the only ones that come to visit for the war perspective are the Canadians, Americans, and Japanese.  I found that very generalized and incorrect as we heard many languages there, including French.  It is like Berlin and the wall period.  Berliners, for the most part, are past it and just "Berliners", not east or west.  But it is so much a part of their history that you can't, and shouldn't, ignore it.  I think Normandy is the same way.

By the time we got to the American Cemetery it was getting late in the afternoon.  They have a very nice museum there as well, but we pretty much breezed through it so we could get to the cemetery.  It is just as moving as pictures you've seen.  I could have spent more time there but we were shooed out after about 30-45 minutes so they could close for the day.  Like I said, you could spend days viewing all of the memorials and such.  They even do tours that are just the war area.