(this narrative began from when I first landed in London on September 3, 2016)
Wednesday
September 21, 2016:
Today, we left our hotel, the Novotel, in Liverpool
for “The Beatles Story” exhibit. We had
to be there for 8:30 am, so we left our hotel at exactly 8:20 am. This exhibit was a full and complete story
about where in Liverpool the members of the Beatles: Paul, John, George, and Ringo, were born,
educated, when they met and became friends, and became famous musicians by
1963. I have no idea how old they were
at that time, but I was only eleven years of age. I figure that they were at least ten years
older than me. At 9:45 am, we left “The
Beatles Story” exhibit and headed north and drove for a couple of hours towards
Glasgow, Scotland, our final destination for today.
First, we headed for the village of Grasmere,
England, which is the home of poet William Wordsworth. It’s a tiny little village where we were to
stop for lunch and a bathroom break.
Lunch turned out to be quite the challenge. A lot of people (both in our tour group and
others) waited patiently in a little café in a queue to put our orders in, pay
for our food, and get served. I’d say
half an hour in that queue was what it took.
I ordered what turned out to be a very delicious tomato and basil soup
that came with ciabatta bread and some other lady got my order by mistake, but
didn’t tell the manager – she just ate it!
So, it took a little bit longer for me to get my order finally and the
manager apologized for the mistaken delivery (I had changed tables due to the
fact that this lady took my original table).
Anyway, I finished lunch on time with a few minutes to spare and thank
God, I’d been to the bathroom already!
When we got back on the bus to leave, John Hood, our
tour director, gave us each a sample of Grasmere gingerbread (apparently, this
village is famous for its gingerbread). Then,
we left for Gretna Green, Scotland, the place where the blacksmith used to wed
runaway couples. During this very scenic
journey, we were to go through the tranquil Lake District, which turned out to
be spectacular! Tiny villages were
interspersed with lakes that were beautiful, set in the hills and valleys of
Scotland. Due to the rolling hills and
green lush landscapes, I have been completely mesmerized. Finally arriving in Glasgow, Scotland, now
we’re checked into The Glasgow City Hotel, which is currently undergoing
refurbishment and will eventually be renamed Double Tree by Hilton Glasgow Central. Aside from the refurbishment, it’s a lovely
hotel, just like all the others have been.
I’m having a great old time travelling around the British Isles with my
tour companions and with John Hood as our tour director and Joe as our driver.
Tomorrow morning, we are to wake up at 6:15 am, have
our baggage out the door by 7:00 am, have breakfast at 7:00 am, and leave at
8:00 am. We will be heading first for Fort
William, then for the Isle of Skye, and finally for Inverness. I signed up today for the next excursion (#
8), which entails a boat cruise on Loch Ness and visiting Urquhart Castle. That excursion will happen two days from
today, on September 23rd.
Tomorrow, we are either crossing to the Isle of Skye in North Scotland
on a FERRY or driving across the bridge to the Isle of Skye, depending on the
weather. We will visit the MUSEUM OF THE
ISLES while there, and then trace the shores of Loch Ness on the way to
Inverness.
copyright 2016 - Anne Shier
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