Gene and Jan's Long Trip Too

Arriving at Bermuda we finally found some weather to "write home" about; 80º and sunny! This beautiful, subtropical island greeted us with its scenic shores, gorgeous coves, and attractive white-roofed houses.  It looked as though every one of the 66,000 inhabitants owned a boat. Docking in Hamilton, the capital city, we were able to walk off the ship directly onto Front Street.  The island is a British Territory graced with a distinct English flavor.  With no fresh water source, the homes and businesses collect rain water that generously falls on their roofs and store it in underground cisterns.  The white roofs are coated with a lime based paint that "purify's" the water as it drains into the storage vessels.  ( No wonder rum is so popular here!) During our morning tour we stopped at the aquarium and viewed the sea turtles.  An endangered specie, injured turtles are brought in for treatment.  After recovery they are released back ...

At sunrise we entered the harbor at Lerwick, Scotland, capital of the Shetland Islands.  The temperature was a cool 50 degrees with a moderate wind and threat of rain. (We are now further north than Juneau, Alaska.)  Fishing and sheep make up the majority of their economy.  One-thousand years ago the weather was warmer and crops like wheat and barley were grown.  Today there is only a 100-day growing season and it requires two summers for cabbage to reach maturity for harvest. Our excursion for the day was to the prehistoric and Norse settlements at Jarlshof.  There we would view archaeological remains of the ancient civilizations of the Shetland Islands.  Our coach stopped for a break at the small village of Hoswick (three stores, one cafe and most important, a bathroom!).  Above, 2% of the towns population was serving coffee to warm their shivering visitors. On the scenic drive we passed dozens of Shetland Ponies.  Named after thi...

The weather was 50 degrees, mostly cloudy, and a wind of 30 MPH, just another beautiful day in Scotland!  (It's a good thing we both have short hair or we would look like Donald Trump standing next to his helicopter.)   We were at historic Urquhart Castle on the shore of Loch Ness.   Written records date the castle back to the 6th century, but in archaeology and folklore, it dates all the way back to the time of the Picts.   Five stories up, Gene Surveyed Loch Ness looking for a Monster to photograph.  No luck today. The castle protected the main route through the Great Glen that divides the Highlands.  Its checkered history came to a dramatic end in 1692 when it was blown up to avoid it falling into the hands of the Jacobite.   The castle's ruins are picturesque and impressive.  (Now quick, back to the coach where it is warm!)

We arrived in Edinburgh this morning and traveled by coach to visit the Royal Yacht Britannia docked in nearby Leith.  A top-tourist attraction in the UK, the yacht is docked adjacent to the Ocean Centre, a modern, luxury, waterfront shopping and entertainment venue.  The yacht served the Queen and Royal Family from 1954 until its retirement in 1997.  During her 43-year career, she traveled more than one million nautical miles around the globe.  In July 1959, Britannia with the Queen and Prince Philip aboard, sailed the Great Lakes all the way to Chicago. This is the Command Room of 412-foot Britannia.  The crew consisted of 20 officers and 220 hand-picked "Yatties".  The commanding officer was usually a Flag Officer or a Rear Admiral. The commanding officer's quarters.  It served as his living quarters, office and dining room. The officers Dining Room.  The evening meal was always formal attire complete with a 5-course meal and...

As we docked at the ocean Terminal in Greenock, Scotland Friday morning, the view from our balcony was not pretty. Overcast and raining! We were beginning to understand the weather cycle in the north Atlantic: Clouds-Rain-Sun, then repeat every 15 minutes.  From the port city of Greenock we traveled an hour by coach to Glasgow, a city of about 600,000 population.  On the dock we viewed the current weather forecast.  Since the weather changed every few minutes, this was really a practical way of knowing the current weather. Disembarking from the bus in Glasgow we waited our turn to enter the medieval Glasgow Cathedral.  You guessed it, it was raining!! Glasgow Cathedral, also called the High Kirk of Glasgow or St Kentigern's or St. Mungo's Cathedral, is the oldest cathedral on mainland Scotland and is the oldest building in Glasgow.  Construction started in 1136 and it is the only cathedral in Scotland to survive the 1560 Reformation. ...