Travel Hero

here

Do you have a travel hero? Someone whose list of passport stamps and adventurous zeal inspires you to do more with your life? 

I have several, but one of them is my dear old Dad. It's his birthday today and I can think of so many things I'm grateful to him for. One of the biggest is the sense of adventure he has that has inspired so many family trips and excursions, so many moments where he pushed me to do something I was afraid to do. As hard as it's always been for him to see his little girl go gallivanting off into the great wide world, he's always pushed me to live out my dreams. If he hadn't supported my idea to study abroad in India - an experience that completely rocked my world - I don't know if I would have even gone. As he gets older - I mean more distinguished - he's become committed to seeing all the places on his extensive (and exotic) bucket list. From his solo Scotland trip last year to plans for Patagonia or Tibet in the fall, this guy's checking boxes and taking names. And that's how I want to live my life - always on the look out for the next great adventure...

Love you, Dad!

E.

Scotland Part 4: Edinburg

Time for the last leg: Edinburg. Gotta admit, Dad got home from his travels last week and I am just now writing up the ideal itinerary (though I gave him a rough, no pictures copy before he left.) What can I say, time got away from me. Doesn't take away from the fun of running through the highlights of a city I've never been to.

Edinburg from here.

So now: Places to visit in Edinburg (though I hear they call it Edinborough):

1. Edinburg Castle

The Castle from here via Pinterest

The formidable castle, which perches above the city and can be viewed from almost any (outdoor) location, has been witness to much of the history of the island. The first permanent structures were erected on this volcanic peak in the early 1100s -- since that date, the castle was the prize of seemingly every conflict in the country. It flip-flopped between the Scots and the English (It's mine - No, It's mine!!) during the 14th century and housed prisoners of war from every corner of the globe during the days of the British Empire (including American revolutionaries/traitors, depending on what side you were on.) Cool cool cool.

2. The National Gallery of Scotland

 

Images from here.

Lord knows I love me some museums. The National Gallery has mostly art, but that's ok because it has some of my favorites: Monet, Seurat, Singer, etc. The above pieces are by Hepworth, Derain and Seurat. Great way to spend a rainy day or a sleepy afternoon after tramping around all morning.

3. Greyfriars Bobby

Greyfriars Bobby Monument from here

The story of this little Scottie dog will surely warm your heart. A faithful friend to his master all his life, Greyfriars Bobby remained steadfastly loyal even after his master's death ... and spent his remaining fourteen guarding his friend's grave day after day, leaving only for food and water. When the dog died, he was buried near the grave of his master, so that they could keep each other company for eternity. Tear. Although the story has been disputed, it's still pretty darn sweet. A memorial to the loyalty of Greyfriars Bobby sits in downtown Edinburg.

4. Walking the City: Old Town, New Town and the Royal Mile

Edinburg seems to be a great town to just walk around. The Old Town and the Royal Mile are made up of historic buildings, with lots of tourist sites and ambiance. New Town is, expectedly, more modern and hip. Some of my favorite days traveling have been spent just walking around; I like to give myself a target to find (a museum, site or neighborhood) and take some time getting there, exploring the neighborhoods around it, and find a different way back. This is especially fun to do in a city where you can watch history change under your feet (from cobblestones, to bricks, to concrete). It really feels like you're taking a journey. And it's truly the best way to get a sense for the locals and their day-to-day life.

5. Day Trip: St. Andrews

Finally, I think Dad should visit the birthplace of golf at St. Andrews. He likes golf, and thinks it's important (he said he would only pay for me to go to college if I took golf. PE here I come.) A short train ride outside of Edinburg, the town not only houses the famous golf course and a golf museum, but also a beautiful university where one future king of England did his studying and romancing of a future princess.

* Fun fact: put-put (or miniature) golf was also invented here as a lady's answer to the sport of golf. As it was deemed unfeminine to swing a club above one's elbow, ladies took to putting the ball around miniature courses. Of course, back then it was on lovely manicured lawns that mimicked the nearby golf courses. It wasn't until the sport got popular in the US that it became the put-put we know today. During the Great Depression, manicured lawns were hard to find but random junk was readily available, so thrifty business owners made creative obstacles for the putters out of whatever they could find laying around. There was backlash, and still is, from the fundamentalist put-putters, but the tacky version has taken hold of our hearts to stay.

That's all folks, hope you've enjoyed this mini-trip to Scotland! Anybody itching to go now? Or traveling somewhere else fun soon? There's nothing better than having a trip in the works...

Scotland Part 3: To tour or not to tour...

After taking in all the sights and sounds of Glasgow, the next step on my itinerary for my father's trip to Scotland was a group tour of the Highlands. That's right, a tour.

Now for many of you, that may invoke an image like the one below.

From here.

Actually, for me, this is missing the key item of touristas everywhere: the fanny pack. But I digress.

In actuality, I think tours can be kind of fun. Under the proper circumstances.

Which are:

1. You are travelling alone in a place where you are unfamiliar with the customs, culture, geography or language and may get yourself in trouble if you go it alone.
2. The tour actually takes you to places you would like to see, and does not fill your itinerary with stops to the historically accurate Q-tip factory or the culturally irrelevant miniature statue replica studio.
3. The demographics of the tour are such that you can a.) find some cool people to hang out with or b.) plug in your headphones and tune out your companions completely.

When I travelled to China on my own in 2010, I took a tour from this company and had a phenomenal time, mostly because it fit all of the above qualifications. I was alone in a country that I probably would have struggled to get around on my own. Although we did make some pit stops at the jade factory and the teeny tiny terra cotta warrior makers, these stops were somewhat interesting and didn't outweigh the time we spent at more interesting places, like the Forbidden City and the Great Wall. And finally, I travelled with a group of interesting people, some of whom had, like me, just life Korea after teaching English. We had a blast. As another note, traveling with a tour can sometimes be a great way to save coin. My trip was very reasonable, and because of the group rates the company had access to, we stayed in wonderful hotels, ate at great restaurants, and went to some really fun shows (Chinese acrobats? have you seen them? incredible). So for me, definitely the right decision.

@ the Terra Cotta Warrior Factory, Xi'an, China
Photo is mine

Dad wasn't sure he wanted to rent a car (and I wasn't sure I wanted him driving on the wrong side of the road and getting himself killed), so I did a little hunting for him on tours. On the Lonely Planet website, I came across the link to Viator tours and some short, small group tours of the highlands: Iverness, Glencoe, and even, yes, Loch Ness!

Nessie from here.

(Apparently the boat window has a sticker on it to make it appear that "Nessie" is following you around the Loch.)

The tours were all a really good deal (from $59 for one day to $315 for a three day trip, with hotel.) There's even a Halloween themed tour of Edinburg that takes you to all the sights associated with murder, plague, and general death and haunting.

But, alas, the fish did not bite. Dad was afraid after taking a short walking tour in Glasgow populated mostly by octogenarians that he wouldn't be able to handle two or three days of touring at an aged pace. So,  he deviated from the itinerary and skipped over to Edinburg.

So tomorrow, the sights of the city!

Scotland: Part 2 Glasgow Sights

Back to travelling vicariously! For the first two days of his trip, Dad is tramping around Glasgow, Scotland. Here are some of the sights I recommend he visit:

Glasgow Cathedral, from here.

1. The Glasgow Cathedral. Every European city worth it's salt has a gorgeous cathedral to boast about. If you can't look across the skyline and see the jagged, craggy precipice of a bell tower or the sweeping limbs of buttresses, then you're probably not in Europe. So you might want to check on that.



Kelvingrove Art Gallery, from here.



2. Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum. How neat is this head installation by artist Sophie Cavein? The museum also has "stuffed" animals, you know, the taxidermy ones. I love those, for some unknown reason.

Willow Tea Rooms, from here and here.

3. Willow Tea Room. Designed by architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh in the early 1900s, these tea rooms served as haute meeting places as the bars and taverns of the city lost favor in the wake of the temperance movement. His work reminds me of Frank Lloyd Wright, my architectural crush. They seem to me of a similar work ethic as well - Mackintosh, like FLW, liked to design all the details, down to the cutlery and china.

Artifacts from the Hunterian Collection , from here.

4. The Hunterian Collection, University of Glasgow. I love a good historical artifact collection, and the Hunterian has some great items. I'd be tempted to steal the map, above, which was created by a Jesuit missionary in the 17th century at the request of the Chinese emperor. Old maps are my jam! I just saw one on shopgoodwill.com for $1,000. It came from the Indianapolis store, so I feel extra robbed that I can't have it. The coin is currency used in Egypt under the rule of, can you guess? Cleopatra! That is so not what I imagined she looked like, but the portrait was approved by the Pharaoh herself. The museum also has a 330 million year old shark fossil. You know I'm down for that.

Tenement House from here.

5. The Tenement House. This is a fully furnished, historically accurate exhibit of life for the poor to middle class at the turn of the 20th century. I love me some living history, as you  may have read, and it's nice to see the normal people represented in history, not just  nobles and aristocrats. Don't worry, he'll get to see plenty of castles, too.

On top of all that, I suggest he get a couple good nights of rest to recover from jet-lag, visit any loud and fragrant taverns, and buy me souvenirs.

Check back in next week for the rest of Dad's highland adventure!



Scotland: Part 1 - Glasgow

My dad is currently somewhere on his way to Scotland (I think he might have backtracked a bit to the Houston airport, but the general momentum is towards the East.) It's been fun playing travel agent for him, because he hasn't had much time to plan --he really needs a vacation! I'll share bit by bit what I have planned for him, and maybe what he actually does, in the coming days.

So, onward to the land of the Scots!

Day One: Glasgow

Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland. Often overlooked for it's more historical brother, Edinburg, Glasgow is a hotbed of museums, shops and modern culture. Speaking of modern, check out the hotel Dad's going to be staying in (I can't take credit for this one, he found it on his own): Citizen M.

The lobby at Citizen M is a collection "contemporary living rooms." I love the styling of the bookshelves.
From here.

And here is the room - small, but so modern and compact. You can even choose the room's color theme and adjust the "ambient lighting."

Guest room, from here.

I love that this hotel is nothing like what I expect when I think Scotland.

Which is this:



From here, via Pinterest.

Doesn't this remind you of Charlotte and Trey's apartment from Sex & the City, with all the ducks?

Anyone out there been to Scotland and have any travel tips for the region? I'm living vicariously through this trip and the internet this week... Cheers!