back to life

After the excitement of the opening ceremony I had 2 days off to relax and take in some Scottish sights.

On Thursday my hosts, Erika and George, took me on a day trip to the Trossachs National Park. Just north of Stirling this park is breathtakingly beautiful with lochs and mountains galore. We spent most of the day exploring various lochs stopping off for lunch and a cups of tea in the lovely sunshine.

On the way home we stopped off at Aberfoyle, this village at the gateway of the Trossachs has a few claims to fame. Mary Queen of Scots spent some of her childhood there and during her short lived reign she used the Priory as a refuge to hide from her cousin Queen Elizabeth I. The village boasts a tree climbed by Rob Roy to hide from the law and Robert Kirk, the man who did the first Gaelic translation of the Book of Psalms, was minister of Aberfoyle Parish.

But it’s cutest claim to fame in my opinion was the lovely sheepdog, Bess, who herded a group of ducks around an assault course…..very entertaining.

The next day I really didn’t have any plans until a fellow Clyde-sider texted me in the morning. I met Christine in the centre of Glasgow so we could soak up the atmosphere that was electric everywhere, again the weather was glorious. We had a lovely afternoon mooching around, chatting to loads of people caught up in the excitement of the games and having one or two bevvies.