Blair Castle

Hello everyone, Scott here. Yesterday most of the team went their separate ways touring with their hosts. My hosts happened to be out of town for the day so I tagged along with Caitlin and her hosts. We did quite a bit of driving around the countryside through curvy roads at a speed that seemed to be pushing the edges of safety, but we seemed to make it without incident. Well...besides the flat tire on the way back, but we're getting used to that. On one of our last GSE team meetings before we left, we drove up to Flagstaff for their Highland Games in Caitlin's Toastermobile (Honda Element) and had a flat as well. So at least I'm getting a little practice.



Our major stop for the day was at Blair Castle in Fife. It was really a gorgeous castle with some interesting history. Part of the lower levels of the castle were decorated with some cross sections of trees that were planted in 1737. They were quite massive and quite beautiful. Photography was not allowed in the castle, which was unfortunate because it was full of ornate inlaid wood, intricate weapons, clothes, tapestries, china, etc. Another interesting tidbit is that the castle boasts Europe’s only remaining private army.

After a nice lunch at the castle of haggis, neeps, and taddies (Caitlin tried a bite) we wandered outside to see our very first piper of Scotland...it turned out to be a private show for the most part as most of the crowd was attending an equestrian event held at the grounds, but it was very enjoyable anyway. We spent most of the rest of the day at a nice shopping area known as the House of Bruar and then back home to our Hosts. Another eventful day.

Important to note...

Today I learned that I should not ask where the "restroom" is - A restroom is a place in a funeral home where you can view a body before it is laid to rest. Not a place that is appropriate to pee.

Just an FYI for everyone out there..

Caitlin

Wow, well I guess it is my turn. Levi here. As the others have already been saying, what an amazing experience. The hospitality we have encountered here is nothing short of humbling. The people we have met are true testaments to the quality of individual that Rotary attracts.

One of the benefits of our being hosted by different families is the fact that we each get slightly different experiences of Scotland. So far, I have been hosted by three wonderful families. First (along with Scott) I was hosted by Jim and Judith Slater, then Jack Dempsey, and now with Graeme and Ann Bain. All have been amazing. Every one of them has tried to show me what they thought I might enjoy. As a direct result of their efforts there hasn't been a single place that we've gone since hitting the ground that I haven't enjoyed tremendously.

It has been a whirlwind so far. We've seen some fantastic historic sites like Loch Leven Castle, Edinburgh Castle, the village of Culross including its 12th century abbey, where the church is still open for services every Sunday. I've laid down on the foundations of the pillars which once held the roof of St. Andrews Cathedral. I've walked around the grass field that became, and still is, the first and oldest golf course in the world. I've been to the site of the oldest Highland games, first started after the victory over the English army at the battle of Bannockburn in 1314. I've been to the headquarters and museum of the Black Watch Regiment, a proud regiment that was started almost 300 years ago and has distinguished itself at every battle it has fought in, up to and including current combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The history here is almost overwhelming, and I feel like I could spent a year and still miss more than half of it.

On the other hand, we have seen some of modern Scotland and the industries that employ so many people. We toured Carnegie College (yes that Carnegie) where students are challenged to enrich themselves and the world they enter to seek employment. We toured the historic linoleum plant at Kirkcaldy (pronounced kircoddy by everyone I've come across). It is one of the few places in the world making linoleum. They showed us some of the intricate things they can do with the stuff utilizing high pressure water jet cutting machines to cut very intricate designs to be reassembled with contrasting colors. I had no idea...

We went to a modern laundry that services a major portion of the restaurants and hotels in Scotland. They practice "just in time" service. A logistical nightmare that they execute with aplomb.

We spent part of an evening in a local pub as a team, where we were lucky enough to be able to watch a local traditional music group have a jam session.

One thing I have immediately learned is just how rich and diverse Scotland is, much like Arizona. You could try to pigeonhole Scotland or Arizona with one sentence descriptions, but you would be doing each a disservice. And this is all in the first week!

While we have an itinerary, I don't know what our future travels will hold. But if this first week is any indication, it will continue to be amazing.

Levi

It's my turn now! Hi there it's just me, Kylee. I am having so much fun here in Scotland! This trip is like a dream. Quick, someone pinch me! You already have heard of all the places we have been so far so I'll leave all that out. Today we had our first free time away from our family's in St. Andrews, we were like kids in a candy store. After a nice cup of coffee with our Hosts we headed off to the aquarium to see the seals. His name was "Mossy-Head." We went to a fabulous cafe called West Port for lunch as a team, then split up to go sight seeing. St. Andrews is the birth place for golf, and we passed by some beautiful courses. The castle and graveyard at the end of the town over looked the rocky beaches, and was quite the sight to see.

A few days back we toured the ecology center and I had a great time. There were Fairies and Ogres, even a bunny hole the boys and I crawled through! I learned quickly what nettle was when I stuck my hand in a patch and gave myself burning warts. I'll "nettle" do that again! And the day we went to Lock Leven, the island where Queen Marry was held prisoner was amazing. We had the island to our selves and I felt like a princess playing in and around the castle! Well, we are off to our BBQ and I should be getting ready so I'll close here for now. Peace!... Kylee

Heather here! I'm finally getting a chance to catch my breath and get some thoughts together to post! It has been a wonderful trip so far and the best part is that we don't have to go home yet! We have another three weeks to go!

I've had two wonderful host families so far, the Chorleys in Dalghety Bay and the Sopers in Kircaldy. Both have taken me walking along the beach. I've found some nice shells and a fabulous fossil too. I enjoyed the cats at the Chorleys and the dogs at the Sopers and now I have horses at my new hosts' for the next few days, the Blacks. They breed Clydsedales - just a bit bigger than my little Arab at home!

So far I've been able to cross a few things off my wish list including standing in a field of wild heather. This was at the Vane Farm Nature Preserve near Lochleven Castle that Caitlin talked about earlier. It was quite a steep hike, but well worth the beautiful views.

I've also been able to visit both of my company's Scotland branches. The managers and I had a nice visit and compared notes about workers compensation in the U.K. versus in the U.S. I discovered that there is no governmental board regulating workers compensation in the U.K. and that any work injuries are covered under employer's liability insurance. The injured worker also has to prove that the employer was at fault, or in some way caused the injury in order to obtain any benefits. This is very different from the U.S. where it doesn't matter who was at fault for the injury.

As a group we have toured a linoleum factory and also a commercial laundry. I was happy to see that the laundry looks very much like my client's laundries I have toured in the U.S. We have also visited the Kirkcaldy Town House and the Kinghord Ecology center as well as quite a few other museums and art galleries.

We are so busy that I'm barely keeping up with my journal, and I have to check our itinerary to be sure of what day it is!

The food has been absolutely wonderful so far! Each of the clubs we have visited so far has fed us quite well and with generous amounts of food! It's a good thing that I've been able to take many walks on the beach so far!

Well, that's all for now. We're going to be visiting St. Andrews tomorrow. My hosts may be able to take me to a horse show later as well - I hope!

--Heather

Week One...

Hello! Caitlin here... Kylee and I are packing up to leave our host family, David and Myra Muncey, in Kirkaldy. So far, this trip has been amazing and jam-packed! My favorite adventure to this point would have to be when the Dunfermline Carnegie Rotary Club took us to Loch Leven Castle. This castle sits on an island in the middle of a lake in Kinross. We took a boat out to the island and, other than one Swiss tourist, we were the only people on the island!

Mary Queen of Scots was imprisoned here for a year (on charges of conspiracy to murder her husband) and she abdicated the throne to her son, James VI. She later escaped the island... Quite a contrast to the frolicking that our team was doing through the castle this week.

Today we all had our separate vocational days and I was lucky enough to meet the hardworking people at the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organizations (SCVO). We had a great meeting and I learned a lot about the structure and scope of the sector here in Scotland. Thank you, again, to SVCO for your time and to the Kirkaldy Rotary Club for setting all of this up!

I'll stop blabbing now... Kylee, it's your turn to talk!

~Caitlin

Orientation

Our first team activity in Scotland arrived at 10:30 last Sunday morning. We were all quite a bit travel weary but happy and excited to finally be in District 1010. We had an orientation scheduled at the Queensferry Hotel overlooking the Forth Bridges. It was a great first glance at all we were scheduled to see and do. Helen Houston a rotarian and tour guide, gave us a wonderful background on much of the Scottish history that we would be in contact with.

We had a nice lunch also in a gorgeous room overlooking the Forth bridges and set out to do our first bit of touring. We headed towards Culross, an old preserved harbour village where we learned about the value of coal there and why all of the building had red tile roofs. The coal ships needed to use something as ballast to increase their stability, and they used these tiles to keep their ships upright. This made for a rather distinct and attractive town with white buildings and red roofs set against the green countryside of Scotland. From what we've been told, most of the buildings on the coastal edges of Scotland will have red roofing, for this very reason.

We had a nice walk through the town and got to see the ruins of the abbey as well as the portions inside that are still being used for service today.

Right before we left Culross, we were allowed to walk through the palace garden which had spectacular views of the harbour and was full of gorgeous flowers and other plants. The sights and smells were quite overwhelming to the senses.

At the end of the day, we had a fantastic dinner party, barbeque style, with many of the members of the Dunfermline club. It was the most extravagent barbeque I've ever attended, with enough food to feed an army. The food, drink, and company was so much fun...it really made us feel at home. Before the night ended we had been visited by Dunfermline's newest mascot, Fergus the bear. I don't know if it was the whisky or bulky costume, but he wasn't the most agile of bears. We all had our picture taken and eventually made our way back with our hosts to cap off a wonderful day in Dunfermline.

~Scott

Touchdown In Edinburgh

After months of preparation and anticipation, our departure date had finally come and the six excited representatives from Rotary District 5510 began their month long journey and traversed the globe, making our way to our final destination, Edinburgh, Scotland.

The day of travelling was not without it's hiccups, we had a very tight connection in Newark and a late arriving plane from Phoenix to make things interesting however after Kylee flagged down an airport transport and arranged for a ride to our gate, we thought we had beaten the system. I'm not sure if the man had a horn or not, but regardless he decided not to use it and spent most of the ride yelling, "beep, beep" "coming through" and clapping his hands. We annoyed most of the people in Newark quite quickly. To be fair, some of them looked annoyed before we got there.

It was all for not, as the plane ended up being several hours delayed anyways and we grabbed a quick bite in an airport diner.

We made it into Edinburgh and ran into a slight stumble at customs but they were finally overwhelmed with our charm and decided to let us into the country. After meeting with a lovely welcome committee we quickly went our seperate ways and headed off with our first hosts. Levi an I (Scott) were extremely fortunate to be staying with Jim and Judith Slater. Two amazing rotarians, generous hosts, and great people.

The both of us decided to try to push through on no sleep in effort to acclimate ourselfs to our new Scottish time zone. We headed out for a beautiful scenic drive along a narrow windy road and stumbled upon our first touring oppourtunity. ook us to a local cranog center which was a site of excavation and recreation of how certain Scottish people lived on the river over 2,500 years ago. Their tools and methods had many parallels to our native americans. We had this fabulous tour guide who was German, but had a thick Scottish accent and he was very passionate about demonstrating his skills at building a fire from scratch.

We both felt a bit like zombies, but after a bite and some coffee, we were able to stick it out through our fatigue and had a wonderful first day in Scotland. We all anxiously await our next destination and chance to interact with the wonderful people of District 1010.

~Scott