2001 in Great Britain
We drove from there to Lochgoilhead. I'll admit that I did doze a bit on the drive, then again, I had been awake since the dawn of time, or so it seemed. Yet, we managed to arrive at the lodge in just enough time to meet up with Richard's friends. They had laid on a birthday celebration for his 40th. He received several gifts, most notably a curling broom with a canister of scotch inside.
Dinner was in a private room, where I enjoyed some lentil soup and fried calamari. I met and chatted with some of Richard's friends, and I must admit I am not good at remembering names. After dinner, we retired for drinks, and Richard received a birthday cake. He had some problems with the candles. Richard and Sophie then went for a walk, and I chatted with some of the other people. Eventually, I went back to the lodge and fell sound asleep.
Loch Goil |
Richard then went for his first curling match. We watched for an end, and then set off for Lochgoilhead. Making a wrong turn, we instead found some lovely scenery, where I took some pictures of the Scottish hills covered with clouds. In Lochgoilhead, we bought some newspapers and headed back for the last end. Richard's team escaped with a close victory.
In Lochgoilhead there was abject poverty. The people were so poor the postmistress had to wear a UNC sweatshirt. Oh, the shame!
Lunch was quite desired as I was famished. I had breaded haddock, and chicken soup with barley.
Richard went back to the curling, so Sophie and I went out to see the area. We went to the Rest and Be Thankful, where there was a magnificent view of a valley, and then down to Arrochar and Loch Long. Down Loch Long toward Helensburgh, we saw a MOD ship that looked like a munitions ship. Sophie is a mad driver, having learned to drive on the single lane roads of Suffolk, she took the single lane roads of the Highlands fairly quickly. Although my sleep cycle had adjusted, my stomach hadn't, and I felt queasy in the passenger seat.
Made it back to watch Richard's team escape with a win over the Province of London; the Rusty Nails were 2-0.
There was a party hosted by the Swiss where they brought some excellent cheeses, including a nice fennel-seed cheese. They also brought some alcohols (like a prune brandy?) but since I don't drink, that was not for me. After the party was a dinner dance. I was not pleased that the Drimsynie House seated the entire party at a long table with less than 2 feet per place setting, and many others were not pleased, either. We were packed like sardines.
Lentil soup, and a chicken breast stuffed with a hint of haggis were my choices. The sauce was rich. Both Richard and I were able to dispose of our mint wrappers in Keith's wine glass, too.
They had a band (well a guitar player and two singers with a backing tape) that started with Frankie Goes to Hollywood's Relax, and went on from there. I decided to bail on the band, and expected Richard, Sophie, and others to join me in the bar, but apparently something was planned for Richard and Sophie, so they were delayed. Around 11:30, I went back to the cabin to sleep. I was only about 15 minutes ahead of them, and we briefly watched some television.
The winning stone |
We went to pack, and had the award ceremony and lunch. Lunch was a cold buffet, Richard won a bottle of scotch, and things were fine. The drive down to Glasgow Airport went quickly, although I did feel carsick when I was awake. I am not accustomed to riding in the back seat of any vehicle. Checked in to Easy Jet without a problem. The flying bus got us into Luton in reasonable time.
All text and images are © Copyright 2001 James C. Armstrong, Jr.