Scotland – It is wee bit away from home!

Well today it became official, I got on the plane(s) and ended up in Milngavie, Scotland. If you wonder how to pronounce the city’s name, it is “Mil Guy”, how we get that pronunciation, I will never figure out. I arrived about 23 hours after I drove out of my driveway. If anyone is curious, the travel was a short flight from Amarillo to Denver on United, then a 5 hour wait and switch to British Airways for the flight from Denver to London, then from London to Glasgow, a little over 4500 miles as the crow flies. It is amazing but I made it and my one suitcase made it also!

I love to pass through airports, not because it is proof I am getting somewhere, but it is that I love watching the people. Who are they, where are they going, are they different from us. The questions are endless and it is a great way to spend extra time waiting. I will even spend time imaging who certain people are and what they do in life. I know, my grandchildren think I am crazy when I do that. But you should try it, it is a really fun game to play in your mind.

When I arrived, I did the thing I almost always do when I am trekking and get to a town, I spent an hour or so just walking around the old city center just to see the places and people. The people here are just normal, except they have a wild Scottish accent, I think three times already I have had to ask people to repeat their statements. The town looks a little run down and a lot of empty storefronts in that small city center area. I know from the traffic on the roads, there are a lot of people in the area and I assume this town is like all, the businesses have moved away from the old downtown.

I did check out the entry to the pathway, official starting point to West Highland Way (WHW from now on). It has a stone obelisk and a metal cutout sign above it. I am excited to get on the trail tomorrow. Tonight I am slightly tired and also trying to determine how to adjust my internal time clock. Coming to Europe is not bad as there is only a 6 hour adjustment, but it is still an adjustment that first day. It feels like I am sleep deprived from the limited sleep on the overnight flight, but also excited and energized for being in a new place. The two of those added together means I will crash when I do go to bed tonight and tomorrow my internal clock will quit fighting my mind and body.

As you can see, I am just rambling the thoughts that come today. I look forward to placing one foot in front of the other tomorrow. I will by then have turned the everyday worries and pressures of life and work off in my mind and my focus will be on covering the necessary ground tomorrow to get to a new place to relax, wash my clothes, eat, sleep and then do it all over again on the following day. A tough life, but somebody has to do it!!!! Finally, I will say the views from the airplane coming into the Glasgow area were amazing, beautiful hilly country, green as far as the eye can see and small farming patches with hedges dividing them from the world. If those views were just a taste of what I will see, this will be one amazingly beautiful outing…