Ryder Cup

The USA took on all of Europe this weekend in the 2014 Ryder Cup played at Gleneagles course in Perthshire, Scotland. The tournament is played every two years and this is the first time it has been played in Scotland (the home of golf) since 1973.
While I know a little about golf, for me to provide commentary on the skill of the players or strategy of the captains would be futile. However, I do know that the U.S. lost, I was accompanied by three kind and patient men, and that the weather wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Most of all, what I noticed was the enthusiasm for one's countrymen. I couldn't believe the extent some people went to show their colors, so I thought I would provide you with a visual.

Isle of Skye

So far, all of our travels have been plane, train, ferry, tram, bus, taxi and even a narrowboat. Now that we have a car, we feel more like natives because we are out of the city and blended into the countryside. During our drive, we saw many large blue signs proclaiming "YES" which were remnants of last week's referendum on whether Scotland should secede from the United Kingdom.

Our first stop was for three nights on the Isle of Skye located about 4 ½ hours north of Edinburgh. Skye was named after the word for "cloud" and our first evening the island seemed ensconced in a rain cloud.

We arrived at Waterside Cottage which we shared with our good friends from Pittsburgh, Doug and Katie Johnston along with their baby daughter and Doug's parents. The cottage sits on the bay in the town of Bradford. The next two days the six of us and baby drove around the island enjoying the beauty of the mountains and the tranquility of the water all around us. 

We also visited the one distillery on the island, Tallisker. (I volunteered for baby duty and skipped the tour since I am not much of a whiskey drinker.)

Our last day we had blue sky and sun so we all took a hike down the Sleat peninsula to the lighthouse. Leave it to my husband to pack a swimsuit. When we reached land's end and the beautiful white sandy beach, he took off his clothes and jumped into the clear, but cool, water.

Back at our cottage that evening we built a fire and enjoyed a cup of tea and Scottish shortbread. We enjoyed our time on this scenic island, but were ready for our next move in anticipation of what brought us to Scotland… the Ryder Cup.

Edinburgh, Scotland

After our lovely boat trip, we said goodbye to Casey at London's Gatwick and flew to Edinburgh, Scotland. First, I can't say enough about British Airways. Their staff is so polite and goes out of their way in customer service. Unlike airlines at home where staff acts annoyed by passengers, these employees treat every passenger like they are flying first class.

We rented a car at the Edinburgh airport and were happy it included a navigation system. It is hard enough driving on the left, but with the steering wheel on the right and the added stress of a foreign city, it was a relief to have built-in directions. Our hotel, The Caledonian, was located downtown and we were lucky to have a view of Edinburgh castle from our room.

We spent the next morning touring the castle. It sits high on volcanic rock a far reach from would-be attackers. The oldest part dates back to the twelfth century. The palace itself was built in 1430 and it includes the bedchamber where Mary Queen of Scots gave birth to James VI, who later became King of England. We strolled through Old Town, the medieval mile long street that links the castle with Holyrood, the royal residence which was cozier than the large palace situate on a windy rock.
We could have spent more time in this city, but we were anxious to get out to the famously beautiful Scottish countryside.

A Long Story

This is a long story. It begins about forty years ago, spans three generations and ends with a very long, narrow boat.

Once upon a time there was a pastor by the name of Harold McConnell, fondly known as Dr. Mac. As part of a pulpit exchange he was sent to Bournemouth, England. It was there that he and his wife befriended another fine couple, Betty and Ramsey Hall. Their young daughter, Pip, traveled with her parents to America to visit their good friend Dr. Mac after he had returned to his home in America. Later, Pip returned to America for her gap year and thanks to Dr. Mac she was introduced to the Jones family in Washington, PA where she served as their nanny.

Many years later, Pip returned to Washington, PA with her husband, James, and baby daughter, Georgia. Dr. Mac, having been widowed, was now married to Sally. Sally's oldest son, Abe, and his wife (that's me) had a baby daughter, Casey, the exact same age as Georgia. As the story goes, Abe and James are equally wild, crazy sports fanatics… and they become good mates and their two families become dear friends.

Now fast forward to my sabbatical and know that I would not travel to Europe without planning a visit to see Pip and James. Abe, Casey and I landed at London Gatwick and were met by Pip and Georgia. We piled into the Range Rover with our luggage and started driving toward our destination. Soon it became evident that we were NOT going to the Crowley home in the village of Ropley, we would not see Pip's parents nor the other three Crowley children, and we had been kidnapped in Europe! (Almost like the movie Taken except I didn't have Liam Neeson trying to rescue me.)
Imagine our surprise when we stopped at a dock and met our narrowboat, Kate!

The Crowleys had hired a boat for three days and nights to motor the Kenneth & Avon canal from Bradford-on-Avon to Bath. Kate is a 70' boat that sleeps six and has all the comforts of home, yet the interior is only six feet wide!

 
The waterway has 200 years of history when merchants carried their goods from Bristol to reach the Thames at Reading. As we headed west to Bath we passed through several locks, aqueducts, and swing bridges which are engineering marvels. Casey and Georgia became quite skilled at operating the locks and swing bridges with James at the helm and Abe at the bow. The first night we motored for about 2 hours and then moored for the night. We ate a fabulous dinner prepared by Pip and watched a lightning display then fell asleep as the rain fell softly all around us.

The next morning was beautiful and we pulled open our rooftop which made the dining area alfresco for breakfast. All of the boats that passed by were envious that they didn't have a skylight like ours. We spent several hours motoring the canal to the ancient town of Bath, which, by the way, has the second deepest lock in England. Before reaching the river (which was reportedly wicked that day), we moored up and walked into town. Having such an excellent spot, we stayed there for the night.

We learned that Bath was hosting a rugby match against Leicester Tigers the next day and the guys were able to purchase tickets. Since we needed to head back to our point of origination, we motored back for a few hours, moored, and took a train back to Bath for the match. I used the time to go with the girls to the Bath Thermae Spa for the afternoon. (Oh yes, another spa and this one has an open-air  rooftop pool with views of the city and surrounding countryside.)  www.thermaebathspa.com


We were all in good spirits since Bath won the match 45-0 and the girls and I were refreshed at the spa.   The six of us stopped at a pub near the canal where we had authentic British pub food, then hiked back to where Kate was moored for the night.

I never slept as well as I did those three nights on the boat. We all had an amazing time experiencing life on a narrowboat and the scenery of the English countryside. The Crowleys outdid themselves this time!  But, most of all, we enjoyed spending a few days with our good friends and seeing what good friends our daughters have become. If only the world had more men like Dr. Mac spreading his good humor and love for humanity… there would certainly be more peace and understanding in the world. This is not the end of this story.   To be continued...

Bordeaux, France

We spent a night in Bordeaux on our way to England to visit our friends, the Crowleys. We arrived by train from St. Jean de Luz, dropped our bags off at the hotel and went exploring. Our hotel was located a distance from the city center, in an area near the University. The streets were filled with students and after bypassing several fast food eateries, we settled on a small café with outdoor tables.
Knowing that we only had a brief time in Bordeaux, we had to experience the one thing we knew put the region on the map. We drank some Bordeaux wine. Sorry, but that is all I have to say about the city since we were only in town such a short period of time.  Oh yeah, after 3 days at the beach, Casey had great beach hair!

At this point I have officially been on sabbatical for three weeks. The office and work is becoming a distant memory and those nightmares I was having about having to show up for a court appearance or client matter are coming to an end. Casey is with us, so no need to worry about her. And Lincoln? He is doing fantastic.
Lincoln has been in Boulder for one month now and he just loves it. In fact, he even sent us a message telling us how much he loves his university and thanking us for sending him there. (Plus, he got an "A" on his first math test.)

Lincoln is my only son so I don't have anyone to compare him to… but I think he is pretty special. Since he was 15 years old, he has been coming up with business ideas and marketing them with more knowledge, skill and confidence than most adults. I know that he will do well in wherever his college education takes him. People continuously ask me if I am worried about him being so far from home and I honestly answer that I am not. He loves the outdoors and Boulder is exactly where he should be. When your child is happy, then all seems right with the world.
So the only thing left for me to worry about are the cats. Thanks to Cassie, I know that they are in good hands. Cheers!  I am off to my next adventure.

St. Jean de Luz, France

Still in Basque country, we passed the border into France on our trip between San Sebastian, Spain and our next destination of St. Jean de Luz, France. (Once a haven for Pirates.)  The train only went as far as the border because Spain intentionally has a different gauge than France. Surprisingly, we did not encounter any immigration checkpoint at the train station and walked right out the door and to the closest bus stop where we caught a local bus the rest of the way into St. Jean.

Once again,  this stop was my pick and from my research I chose this cute resort town with a French flair. I never imagined this town would be so picture postcard perfect!  We spent two nights here but stretched it to three days because we liked it so much.  In fact, I think it is unanimous amongst the three of us that St. Jean has been our favorite stop.  The weather was perfect and the beach was not too crowded since it was late September. Just like a beach vacation at home in September, most of the tourists were mature couples or families with mostly pre-school children. 

 We stayed at Hotel de la Plague which was right on the beach. We had a triple room with plenty of space for Casey.  The hotel was also right next to many shops and restaurants.  Unlike the restaurants in Spain, these were more French than Basque and they all closed much earlier than the ones in the cities we just visited. Obviously, seafood was their specialty and I had the mussels in white wine sauce which were fantastic!

In the mornings we enjoyed the footpath that stretched 15 miles along the beach and connected St. Jean with the French surfing capital, Biarritz. We took long walks enjoying the crashing waves on one side and cute whitewashed homes with red tile roofs that dotted the rolling hills on the other side. After the long hot days in bustling cities like Barcelona and Madrid, St. Jean was quaint and relaxing.

 We loved the old town with its narrow streets and compact hub located close to the beach. The town's claim to fame is the church where the wedding took place for the daughter of the King of France and son of the King of Spain since the town is located midway between Paris and Madrid.

The French influence was evident in the cuisine.  Of course we started the day with a Nutella waffle at a small outdoor cafe by the beach and ended our day with a Creme Brûlée!