Wait, that's not all! Friends and Fine Art in the RVA.

Weary from international plane travel as I was, my Maneuvering was not to end. After arriving home to the heat and humidity of the Old Dominion, and immediately wishing I was back in Scotland, I turned around the next day and drove to Richmond, or RVA as the cool stickers now proclaim.

One of the 4, LJP, was up from Down South and although we had recently gathered at Reunions, plans were laid for another meeting. He had flown in on Saturday as I was flying home, so I attempted, key word attempted, to recover from jet lag and threw some clothes in the truck and headed south on Sunday.

The first order of business was sustenance, so we returned to a favorite of mine, the Burger Bach.  I may have mentioned this to some of you, but do yourself a favor and check this place out if you are in Capital City. A "New Zealand inspired gastropub", they make some delicious burgers and beef alternative burgers, I recommend the Kiwi Chick. Their french fries are spectacular with a wide variety of dipping sauces. I recommend the Cilantro Sauce. Bellies full, we retired to DCV's residence to meet up with CRE2. We caught up and told stories for several hours before decided to head out again, this time for dinner.

For the evening we chose Mekong, a Vietnamese restaurant with an extensive beer menu. It was quite good, I got the shrimp clay pot, once we got our food that is. It did take quite a long time to get the main course, but we survived with drinks and appetizers. Although, at one point I thought CRE2 was going to stroke out after trying to explain to the server that he wanted a Captain and Coke. The waiter kept repeating a "Captain Martin and Coke?" before CRE2 had to resort to writing it out long hand. I know CRE2 likes his Captain Morgan, but he'd been better off with a simple "rum and coke".

I must apologize to my friends because I was barely conscious during dinner and by the end I almost had to resort to propping my eyelids open with toothpicks. I knew I was in trouble before then, when during the drive down my eyes started to cloud over with sleepiness. After finishing at Mekong, we returned to DCV's and I truly passed out almost as I walked through the door.

The next morning I awoke earlier than usual because I was still on Scotland time. People told me that the jet lag coming back wasn't as bad as the trip over but my experience was the opposite. Perhaps it is due to my attachment to Scotland!

BEB made us a spectacular American breakfast (no blood sausage here!) that we enjoyed in their back garden. LJP went out for a run and DCV and I drove around looking for trouble. Finding none, we returned to the house, got cleaned up and then decided to visit the Virginia Museum of Fine Art.

No, that isn't a typo, we decided to visit an art museum. As A-school classmates we all developed an appreciation of art, all for different reasons. Here are some of my favorites from the museum:

The Virginia Museum of Fine Art. Be sure to check out the sculpture garden and the water features as well.

Appropriate for visiting architecture admirers.

Allegory of Marital Fidelity

 

One of the first wings I gravitated to was the Paul Mellon collection of British Sporting Art. I developed an appreciation of American Sporting Art after visiting the National Sporting Library and Museum in Middleburg, Virginia. This is also well worth a visit if you're out in Virginia Hunt Country.

The Caledonian Coursing Meeting, probably my favorite in the collection.

These equine and livestock sculptures were quite impressive.

Buddha watching Buddha. Meditate on that!

The Jerome and Rita Gans Collection of English Silver is fascinating. The intricate engravings are amazing!

No, not an exhibit. This was lunch, a pesto mozzarella wrap that was fantastic and in the cup at the top, a chocolate mousse. Yep, that's how I roll.

After grabbing lunch in the Museum cafe, we hit up the Art Nouveau and Art Deco collections. This bedside clock was a favorite and reminded me of an A-School professor we all had.

A fantastic bedroom set.

The writing desk to go along with the bedroom set.

I would like this to be in my living room.

Frank Lloyd Wright, always a favorite.

"Time and Tide Wait for No Man"

Who doesn't like some Louis Comfort Tiffany?

Bierstadt has long been one of my favorite painters. This painting may seem recognizable to some, especially my co-workers. It's of Harper's Ferry back when it was in Virginia.

Part of the Confederate Widows and Orphans Home on the grounds of the VMFA.

 Suitably cultured, we returned to DCV's residence again and planned the rest of the day's adventures. Despite the heavy rains earlier in the day we managed to squeeze out some pool side time at Lewis Ginter. Well fed, cultured and rested, I had to take my leave from good friends to return home.

Thank you all for tuning in to these episodes of OnManeuvers, I'll be back again, hopefully soon!

FAQs and Thoughts on Scotland

Some of the more frequently asked questions that I've been asked over the past two weeks:

Q: Did you buy a kilt?

A: Nope. Do you know how expensive kilts are? They cost a pretty penny, or pound as it were, and I wasn't about to buy a cheap novelty kilt in the tourist shops on the Royal Mile. I did however do a little research on where to buy a kilt for my next visit, so if you'd like to donate to the "Buy Justin a kilt fund" feel free to PayPal me a pound or two. Another reason that I didn't buy a kilt is I wasn't certain which tartan to get, so I'm researching that now in preparation for the next visit. There's a chance I might not be able to wait, so you never know when you might see me in a kilt! Somewhat related to this question are the bagpipes. Bagpipes are also quite expensive, but there was a shop just off the Royal Mile that made bagpipes and they had an advert above the door for practice chanters which may have been less expensive. All food for thought for the next visit.

Q: Did you drink some good Scotch?

A: But of course! As you can see from the Edinburgh days we did go to the Scotch Whisky Experience (in Scotland there is no e in Whisky). I'm partial to Macallan and had a wee dram several times during the week. I also rather like Balvenie, introduced to me by Ron in Skye. Sadly we didn't stop at any distilleries, although we passed right by Dalwhinnie in the Highlands and were near Talisker on Skye. A stop at a distillery will be on the itinerary.

Q: Did you eat haggis or blood sausage?

A: Yes on both accounts. Neither of them are that bad, although of the two, I'd probably have haggis again.

Q: How was the weather? Did it rain a lot?

A: The weather was great! It seemed to alternate rainy and sunny days for the whole week. I rather enjoyed the windy, cool, rainy days in Scotland, especially in the Highlands. It made it seem more real.

Q: Did you see any castles?

A: Yep, Edinburg, Stirling, and Eilean Donan were all visited and we saw the ruins of the Castle Garry.

Q: Could you understand them?

 A: Absolutely, although I do operate on a 3 second comprehension time delay when listening to a Glaswegian. I recommend the book "Xenophobe's Guide to Scotland" to help with culture and comprehension.

Q: Did you meet a nice Scottish lass?

A: Several, but none that I could convince to emigrate back here. Seriously I did find it difficult to meet a true Scot because it seemed like everyone was there on holiday. Most of the wait staff or B&B owners were Scottish or English though. It seemed like everyone we encountered was from somewhere else and I certainly can't blame them, because everyone should visit Scotland.

This trip was sort of last minute for us as our usual trips are planned out at least eight months in advance. This time though at the beginning of the summer we had a thought to squeeze in a trip to Scotland and Iceland at the summer's end before our next big trip. Usually we alternate domestic and international trips, with domestic on even years and international on odd years. Last year was the epic road trip to Canada for me that started this blog. While still on the same continent, I counted it as international. This year however we didn't do a domestic trip, probably because schedules didn't work out and we haven't figured out other US destinations to explore.

I mentioned Iceland as part of this trip but we couldn't make it work and it was probably for the best. The eight days we spent in Scotland was barely enough to cover the country and a few days in Iceland would have been great I'm sure, but would have likely left us disappointed that we didn't have more time in that country. If you are planning a trip to Scotland, a week is the bare minimum I would say. Two weeks would be ideal, but understandable finances may limit the duration of your stay.

Which brings me to my next comment, Scotland is expensive. With the exchange rate things are bound to be a little more expensive, but I was surprised at how expensive things were, in particular food. For the most part our lodging expenses were reasonable even with the exchange rate and the clothing was fairly reasonable as well, but the meals seemed to be an order of magnitude higher. If you do go, budget at least 25% more than you think. That way, you'll leave room for the extras, like tweed coats at Bruar or whisky from a distillery. Just make sure to put the whisky in the checked bag!

Edit:  I forgot to mention two post trip thoughts. The first is that I need to work on my photography skills, especially with the DSLR. D was a great resource on the trip, but I need more practice to develop muscle memory when taking pictures. Many times I found that the picture I had just snapped was over exposed because I didn't realize what setting my camera was on. My little Canon Point and Shoot, an older beat up SD880IS Elph, really works well for those shots of my meals or for when a DSLR would be obtrusive. I really wish someone would make a smaller, Elph sized, DSLR that can function like a point and shoot with a manual setting as well. Maybe in time technology will get us there. If anyone knows of an existing camera model, please let me know.

In addition to wishing that I had more time to see other areas of Scotland, I wish I had time to get some runs in. My running group would have enjoyed run reports from around the Mall and up Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh or around Broadford in Skye. Pretty much everywhere we went, there was a location where I could have put a few miles in. Sadly I brought my shoes and clothes, but with all the sightseeing, I was frequently exhausted by the time we returned to our lodging. I've consoled myself with the fact that we probably walked the equivalent of a marathon while in Edinburgh in addition to our hikes on Skye.

I can highly recommend using D's services as a travel planner. I really left a lot of it up to him and basically just showed up in Edinburgh. He picked great places to stay and researched the best places to eat and visit. I recommend the B&B experience, especially on Skye, the Highlands and other Isles. The Glengarry Castle Hotel was also very special to me. Edinburgh is of course a must do, and I think our itinerary of flying in to Edinburgh, exploring there for a few days before heading to the rest of the country was ideal. If you have more time that we did, I would say adding Glasgow, Inverness and more of Skye to your trip would be fantastic.

While I mentioned above that I didn't feel that I was able to meet many true Scots, I was around lots of interesting and dynamic people. I've already mentioned about how it felt as if every country was represented there on holiday. Some of you may know how much I like to people watch, and Scotland is prime territory for this activity. Spaniards, British, Indian, Norwegian, Dutch, Chinese, French, Italian were all represented at some point on our trip, but especially so in Edinburgh. This was most likely due to the International and Fringe Festivals so if you can plan a trip that coincides with these events, do it. After your city time, get out to the Highlands and to the Isles. It's here where you are more likely to meet a true Scot and the rural environment makes a great counterpoint to the urban.

I'll close with the quote from the Scottish mountaineering book that Ron bid us farewell:

"Later as we walked across the summit plateau it became very clear to me that it is only the true self that transcends the personal that lays claim to immortality. On the mountains it is the spiritual side which we subconsciously develop and when we fail in that all other success is empty. For we take our pleasure without joy and, thereafter, the ache of boredom warns of a rusting faculty."  

My comprehension of this quote is fluid, but reflecting back on the time we spent in the high places in Scotland, Storr, Quirang, and the Highlands, I begin to understand.

Day 8, I return home a Scot

We awoke early and tucked in to yet another great breakfast in Scotland. I chose a cheese and onion omelet that was fantastic. The cheese reminded me of the cheese D had on his cheese melt back in Edinburgh. During breakfast I got to talk more to Glenys' husband Ian who is a bit of a railfan and travels all over Scotland to photograph the many different types and ages of train equipment. He also had some information and DVD about a coal fired steam yacht that plies the waters, Lochs and canals of Scotland. Called the Puffer, it looks to be a lot of fun and a possibility for a future trip.

And tea, don't forget the tea!

Wish I had time to watch this.

We loaded up and left slightly ahead of schedule, stopping in Fort William for our first fuel up of the trip. We had done about 600 miles to that point and only needed a few gallons to get us back. The fuel economy of the Mondeo was exceptional, but I would expect that for a Euro diesel. I'm pretty sure D returned it with 9 miles of range left in the tank!

Yes, no naked lights please.

I spotted this Series I the previous day. It was apparently at a hotel for a historical vehicle rally of some sort.

Nice Mini!

Leaving out of Fort William, we followed the shore of Loch Linnhe before turning inland near Onich. From there we traveled more or less due east to reach the mountain sports town of Glen Coe. Along this trip we saw an advert for canyoning, a sport we enjoy, with Vertical Descents. Oh crap, I just looked at their website and they have all sorts of cool activities.

Barely captured on film, this is the Glencoe Mountain Rescue station. The Hi Lux you can barely see was pretty cool, I think.

Uh-oh, keep your eyes open.

Beautiful mountain scenery around Glen Coe and the Grampians.

Reminiscent of Wyoming in places.

We paced this inter city train for a short bit.

This lovely Hi Lux was spotted at a rest stop.

After Glen Coe we ascended through the Grampians and some beautiful scenery that reminded me of parts of Montana and Wyoming. We eventually reached Crianlarich where we went anti-clockwise around Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park. It definitely looks like yet another spot worth a return trip. Not long after we came upon Lix Toll. I'll let the pictures do the talking and you will figure it out.

It's fairly safe to say I was in heaven, although none of these were legal to import in to the US. And Mom breathes a sigh of relief.

After that, we continued through Callander and Doune where we made a short stop at a woolen mill. It was okay but it was no Bruar so we continued on. We met back up with the M9 at Stirling, saw the Castle from another vantage point and motored on in to the airport. We quickly found the appropriate drop off point and said our good byes. D and K were to continue on to Edinburgh for several hours before returning to the airport and flying to London where they would spend the night and fly home the next morning.

The other side of Stirling.

I made it through security and in to the departures terminal. While there I took advantage of some shopping opportunities and even some whisky tasting. I did the tasting in preparation for buying a couple of single malts to bring home. It's a good thing that I asked how much I would be allowed to bring home because the nice lady recommended that I not buy it there as security would confiscate it in Amsterdam. It's a good thing, because sure enough, I was screened a second time there. But, I'm getting ahead of myself.

Make it happen. Great slogan.

Til next time Edinburgh.

The fire training facility at the airport.

The Firth of Forth bridges.

The flight to Amsterdam Schipol was unremarkable, but once we landed I swore we were driving/taxiing back to Edinburgh! We taxied for, no lie, 15 minutes to get to the other side of the airport. Once off the plane, I had to walk at least a full mile to get to my departure gate. And of course, once I got there they were already boarding but not before we all had to go through screening, again. This time they made me take off my belt when I've never had to do that before. We went through the body scanners and they patted us down anyways. Thoroughly disgusted with airline travel, I made it on the plane with no other issues. The seats were nice as the layout was a 2, 4, 2 and I had a window seat. I was flying KLM this time and was slightly disappointed to find a different selection of movies and that I wouldn't be able to finish Haywire. Nevertheless, with an 8.5 hour flight time I was able to watch four movies. Safe House (not bad, see it), Young Adult (Meh, it's okay, rent it), What to Expect When You're Expecting (Surprisingly good, see it) and Friends with Kids (Not terrible, rent it) were all finished and I got 15 minutes in to Men In Black 3 before landing.

Cool rainbow around our shadow.

 

Landing at Dulles with a window seat was fun after doing some evasive turns over Maryland to avoid thunderstorms with lightning (!). That was the first time I've seen lighting from up in the air, thankfully we avoided any strikes. We descended and approached Dulles along a path that I clearly recognized. For you NOVA readers, we came across the Potomac at Algonquian Park, then along Dranesville Road and Rt. 28 in to the Manassas area before turning on final approach coming over the Dulles Expo Center landing on 19R.

Customs and Passport Control wasn't bad and I quickly found my bag on the carousel. Not having a cell phone (damn non-GSM Droid) I had to use the pay phones. First though, I had to find a place to get quarters as I left all US coinage at home. The newsstand was able to help, but we had to wait for someone to buy something so she could open the drawer. Then I had to try five phones before I found one that would accept the coins and make a call. I quickly reached Mom and Sister who graciously provided taxi service. Of course the first thing I noticed was the heat, whew, I really wished for the weather back in Scotland.

Another great trip! Great fun, food and friends! I'll be back shortly with a wrap up post.