Scotland Travel Journal ~ Celtic

On the same Saturday as our visit to Glasgow Cathedral and the Necropolis we attended the Celtic v. Hearts game at Celtic Park Stadium. It is our tradition when traveling with Josh and Laura to attend at least one futbol (soccer) match. Josh has a good source to secure tickets for us and they are always tickets that include special seats and hospitality.

Celtic won the game and after the game we decided to wait around to see if Josh could get his Jersey signed by a U.S. Player who is on the Celtic team.

Success! It was fun to greet Cameron Carter-Vickers and congratulate him on his performance in the game.

Our time at the stadium was complete and now we hoped an Uber could pick us up and get us to our dinner reservations on time.

We made it with 5 minutes to spare! The Ox and Finch is a Michelin star restaurant with small plates on offer that were all very interesting and out of the ordinary. We enjoyed our time.

It was the end of a very filled first full day and only full day in Glasgow.

We had breakfast on Sunday at the Ivy again before we packed up and journeyed to Stirling for our next big adventure.

I had some extra shots of our time at the Ivy from Saturday morning.

The rest of these photos are from Sunday morning the 15th of September.

While waiting for our uber to Stirling, Laura was able to search out the music this Piper was playing and get a video and photo of him. It was a bucket list item for Laura. She got a few more of these moments, too.

Goodbye Glasgow. We enjoyed our stay.

Waiting for our Uber ride to Stirling.

At every turn and every new experience we thanked God for His goodness to us.

Scotland Travel Journal ~ The Necropolis

On Saturday the 14th of September after viewing the inside of Glasgow Cathedral we walked outside to improving weather and decided we shouldn’t miss the hike up to the Necropolis to view the John Knox Memorial.

The Necropolis is a Victorian garden cemetery full of wonderful architecture, sculpture and fascinating stories.

Adjacent to Glasgow Cathedral, the Necropolis was modeled on Père-Lachaise in Paris. It is estimated that something in the order of 50,000 burials have taken place here, with around 3,500 tombs.

Built in the Classical Revival architectural fashion, the Necropolis was established by the Merchants’ House of Glasgow in 1831. A monument to John Knox, which was erected in 1825, dominates the hill.

Our walk to the top of the 2nd highest hill in Glasgow where the monument to John Knox was placed was our good introduction to the climbs ahead of us on this trip.

The history of William McGavin can be found here.

The story about how this monument to John Knox came about can be read here.

The inscription which has worn away can also be read in full at the linked site.

The Reformation produced a revolution in the sentiment of mankind the greatest as well as the most beneficial that has happened since the publication of Christianity.

In 1547 and in the city where his Friend George Wishart had suffered, John Knox, surrounded with dangers, first preached the doctrines of the Reformation. In 1557 on the 24th of August, the Parliament of Scotland adopted the Confession of Faith presented by the Reformed Ministers, and declared popery to be no longer the religion of this kingdom.

John Knox became then a Minister of Edinburgh, where he continued to his death, the incorruptible guardian of our best interests.

The weather was moody and cool which made the hike to the monument pleasant and atmosphere appropriate.

On our way down we walked another path to see a smaller memorial to Wallace.

We walked to the hop on hop off pick up spot and waited for the bus for our overview of Glasgow. Here are some random things that caught my eye.

Across from the bus stop while we were waiting.

The Doulton fountain is the largest fountain ever constructed in terracotta. Queen Victoria forms the apex of the elaborate three-tiered structure. Below, four groups of figures represent the peoples of Britain’s colonies in Canada, South Africa, Australia and India. Built to commemorate the 1887 Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria by the Royal Doulton Company.

Our next event on this day will wait for another post.

If Death My Friend and Me Divide ~ Hymn

If Death My Friend and Me Divide

If death my friend and me divide,
Thou dost not, Lord, my sorrow chide,
Or frown my tears to see;
Restrained from passionate excess,
Thou bidst me mourn in calm distress
For them that rest in Thee.

I feel a strong immortal hope,
Which bears my mournful spirit up
Beneath its mountain load;
Redeemed from death, and grief, and pain,
I soon shall find my friend again
Within the arms of God.

Pass a few fleeting moments more
And death the blessing shall restore
Which death has snatched away;
For me Thou wilt the summons send,
And give me back my parted friend
In that eternal day.

Words: Charles Wesley, Short Hymns, 1762.

Scotland Travel Journal ~Glasgow Cathedral

We made it all the way home on Thursday the 26th of September. We fly out of Seatac Airport (Seattle) which is a good five to six hour drive from our home in Colville. Since we were traveling with Josh and Laura we find it easier to drive to their home the day before our flights and drive and park at the airport with them. Our flight home from Scotland arrived Tuesday evening and we would be in no good shape to then drive the 6 hours home so we spend another night at Josh and Laura’s before we attempt our final drive home. There were dust storms predicted on our route home for Wednesday so we put off our travels home for one more day and had a very nice drive with great weather conditions on Thursday. Taking the extra day made it possible for us to see Katie and Andrew, too, which was good.

Looking back I see that I covered our flight and arrival to Scotland well here. I even had the energy to post a few details on our first full day which was Saturday the 14th of September here. From here on out in Scotland the days were full of activity and I had no energy to put words together or match those words up with photos. Our internet connections were slower and slower, too. Some of our days and the events and experiences we had deserve a post all to themselves. I might be done with my Scotland Travel Journal by November!!

Our lodgings in Glasgow were at Native Glasgow. The central location worked well for us.

A photo for any Dr. Who fans out there.

On Saturday September 14th we had breakfast reservations at The Ivy for 8:30 and their webpage said we should dress ‘smart’. We dressed as smart as we could and walked over to the restaurant which was very close to our hotel. It was a wet and drizzly beginning to the day.

After breakfast we walked over to George Square to catch a hop on hop off bus.

George Square is named after King George III. Laid out in 1781, today Glasgow Square is home to the headquarters of Glasgow City Council, and showcases an important collection of statues and monuments, including those dedicated to famous scots such as Robert Burns, James Watt, Sir Robert Peel and Sir Walter Scott. It is also the square where people gather for major events and to let their voices be heard, aka protest.

Our first hop off spot was St. Mungo’s Cathedral (Glasgow Cathedral).

This medieval cathedral is thought to have been built on the site of St Kentigern’s tomb and marks the birthplace of the city of Glasgow.

One of Scotland’s most magnificent medieval buildings, Glasgow Cathedral is the only one on the Scottish mainland to survive the Reformation of 1560 intact.

Glasgow Cathedral is built on the site where St Kentigern, or Mungo, is thought to have been buried in AD 612. St Kentigern was the first bishop within the ancient British kingdom of Strathclyde, and the present cathedral was built during the 13th – 15th centuries.

Admire carved stone bosses on the ceiling of the Blackadder Aisle, and one of the finest post-war collections of stained glass windows in Britain.

My people looking up in awe of this amazing structure.

One of my interests in this trip to Scotland was gleaning information connected to the Reformation and the Covenantors of Scotland like John Knox, George Wishart, Patrick Hamilton, The Two Margarets, Jenny Geddes, and others. We would learn much about the early martyrs of the church throughout our stops in Scotland.

This stone reads…

“Here lies the corps of Robert Bunton, John Hart, Robert Scot, Matthew Patoun, John Richmond, James Johnston, Archibald Stewart, James Winning, John Main, who suffered at the cross of Glasgow, for their testimony to the covenants and work of reformation, because they durst not own the authority of the then tyrants, destroying the same, betwixt 1666 and, and 1688.

Years sixty six, and eighty four,
Did send their souls home into glore,
Whose bodies here interred ly,
Then sacrific’d to tyrrany;
To covenants and reformation,
‘Cause they adheared in their station,
These nine, with others in this yard,
Whose heads and bodies were not spar’d,
Their testimonies, foes to bury,
Caus’d beat the drums then in great fury
They’ll know at resurrection day,
To murder saints was no sweet play.

I love the eagle lecterns in the United Kingdom.

The Unicorn and the Lion (Scotland and England), the Thistle and the Rose.

We looked up a lot but it was also good to look down on the amazing floors.

Stand Sure is the inscription on the Sword.

The Crypt of St. Mungo’s was another layer of amazing architecture.

The weather outside improved and we decided to make the journey up behind the cathedral to view the Necropolis and specifically the monument to John Knox.

This is already way too long of a post and I will save the Necropolis for another day. Thank you so much for journeying along with us on this most amazing experience we enjoyed. Thank you to Laura for sharing all her photos with me. All my posts will be a mix of both her photos and mine.

Thanks be to God for His amazing goodness to us in our travels.

Back in the ‘States’

We are back from the bonnie land of stairs and steps and elevated castles. We are not all the way home yet but our air and foreign travels are complete for another year. I have lots of photo sorting to do. It will take a while for my brain to be able to compose all our wonderful experiences. It is not trite for me to say that God abundantly blessed our time and our travels. We are thankful for our trip and thankful to be safely at Josh and Laura’s home. Now onwards to our own country bungalow. Cheers!

Postcard from Friday the 20th of September

The internet connection here at our apartment in Edinburgh is painfully slow so this will be the last postcard until we reach home again.

If you are a golfer, you will know the significance of this spot in St. Andrews.

After a couple nights (Thursday the 19th and Friday the 20th) just a little north of St. Andrews in St. Michaels we returned our rental car to Stirling. Josh did an amazing job of navigating all the roads, wide and narrow. We had a beautiful stop on the way to Stirling and the future posts are piling up! From Stirling we took a train into Edinburgh and taxied to our apartment in the hub of new town. Our stair conditioning has really paid off for us. We are having a Scottish Reformation tour today meeting our guide at St. Giles Cathedral.

We fly home on Tuesday. Hope all is well stateside!

Day by Day ~ Hymn

Day by Day

Day by day and with each passing moment
Strength I find to meet my trials here;
Trusting in my Father’s wise bestowment,
I’ve no cause for worry or for fear.
He whose heart is kind beyond all measure
Gives unto each day what He deems best –
Lovingly, its part of pain and pleasure.
Mingling toil with peace and rest.

Ev’ry day the Lord Himself is near me,
With a special mercy for each hour;
All my cares He fain would bear, and cheer me,
He whose name is Counsellor and Pow’r.
The protection of His child and treasure,
Is a charge that on Himself He laid,
“As thy days, thy strength shall be in measure,”
This the pledge to me He made.

Help me then, in ev’ry tribulation
So to trust Thy promises, O Lord,
That I lose not faith’s sweet consolation,
Offered me within Thy holy word.
Help me, Lord, when toil and trouble meeting,
E’er to take, as from a Father’s hand,
One by one, the days, the moments fleeting,
Till I reach the promised land.

Words: Karolina W. Sandell-berg (1832 – 1903)

Karolina W. Sandell-berg was born in Sweden. She wrote 650 hymns and was known as the Fanny Crosby of Sweden.

HT: Cyberhymnal

Thursday the 19th of September

Our Thursday travels took us south from Barras along the North Sea for some miles before we cut inland to see Glamis Castle.

This Castle is still a residence so photos were not allowed on the inside. We had a wonderful tour guide who took our group through the several of the interior rooms. We enjoyed coffee and tea at the castle and found some fun treasures in the gift shop.

Our next stop was Carnoustie Golf Links to see if Josh could book a tee time. There were no tee times that would work for him. We enjoyed lunch in the Rookery at the Links and I had a bowl of Cullen Skink, a first for me. More about that in a later post. We researched golf courses closer to our lodging for the next couple of nights and found St. Michael’s Golf Links about 5 minutes away from our inn. We stopped there and secured a tee time and clubs for Josh to play early on Friday morning. When in the land of golf a game of golf is a bonus for a golfer!

We checked into our country inn and then enjoyed a leisurely dinner at St. Michael’s Inn before we called it a day.

Wednesday the 18th in Scotland

On Wednesday the 18th of September we left Pitlochry and drove the ‘Snow Road’ A93 through the Cairngorms with stops at The Lair, Braemar, and on to Dunnottar Castle on the North Sea. We stayed near to the castle at a B&B that was wonderful. I’m posting this after we moved on south. More postcards to come.

Pitlochry, Scotland

We’ve had two beautiful day in Pitlochry. We arrived for their best summer weather! This is where we are staying for two nights. We ate at the Old Mill in the village center. The time difference between our home and Scotland is throwing me for a loop with my posts. When I get home I’ll double back and fill in all the details of our trip. Cheers!

The Happy Wonderer ~ ellen b.

To honor and encourage