Ben Lomond - Summit Hike (Sunday, March 25)

An adventurous co-worker and rugby player from my office, John, invited me to take a 5 1/2 hour hike up 3200-foot Ben Lomond with him last Sunday. He'd been keeping an eye on the weather, and figured we'd have a decent chance of enjoying some nice views of Loch Lomond and the edge of the Central Highlands. The starting point of the hike lies on the eastern shore of the Loch, about a 45-minute drive from Glasgow.

In the interest of mixing things up a bit, we decided not to take the ordinary and relatively gentle sloping route to the top. Instead we just started hiking up the side of the mountain, knowing that we'd eventually intercept a less-travelled route along the opposite end of the munro (mountain). Our route allowed us to climb three progressively higher peaks as we ascended.


The shore of Loch Lomond with our destination in the background - Ben Lomond, Scotland's most southern munro, then draped by a bit of cloud cover.

The obvious disadvantage to not following the established trail route is that certain obstacles, like fences and sheer-sided ravines with nearly vertical 200-foot drops, blocked our path and forced us to make certain adjustments to our hiking rhythm. Here's John scaling one of the numerous fences that came between us and our mountain.


This ravine slowed us down a bit as well. At this spot, the quickest way to get down to the streambed below was by sliding down a downed (and thankfully branchless) tree trunk like a firepole.

Before long, we had a clear path to the top. North view over Loch Lomond, with intermediate peak Ptarmigan on the right.

Stones spread out along boggy parts of the trail allowed us to keep our feet at least partially dry.


Almost to the top. You might not be able to tell from the small picture, but on a larger version you can see people slowly making their way toward the summit along the ridge, looking like ants climbing up the back of a dog.

Approaching the summit - southward view over Loch Lomond. The wind was ferocious.

Sucking air as I reach the top. The land and snow visible behind my shoulders is at least a thousand feet lower.

Northwesterly view from the summit toward the "Arrochar Alps" of the Central Highlands.

Edinburgh, Scotland (Saturday, March 24)

The sun came out on Saturday, so I decided to make my first trip to the Scottish capital. As I walked across the lawn at my condo complex en route to the train station, the resident groundskeeper, Willie (seriously, that's his name!) casually asked where I was headed. I mentioned Edinburgh, and in customary Glaswegian (and Simpson-esque) fashion, he responded, "the woon good thing aboot Edinburra - the rood ootta toon." Ah, the rivalry between Scotland's two great cities.

The train ride from Glasgow Central to Edinburgh Waverly only took about 45 minutes, so before long I was making my way up the stairs out of the station toward the Royal Mile and Edinburgh Castle. As I popped out of a narrow corridor onto the Mile, I was struck by the "crackin" architecture and cobbled streetscapes, but also stunned by the throngs of hyperactive tourists racing between giftshops looking for tartan and whisky. I was aware of Edinburgh's reputation as one of the world's most beautiful cities, but I just didn't anticipate those kinds of crowds this early in the season. Adding to the mass of humanity were huge groups of kilted locals smoking in huge groups outside the pubs (Scotland's national football/soccer team was playing Georgia), and lots of police officers busy blocking cars from driving on the street since a parade of 10,000 Orangemen were marching over the Royal Mile (via a parade) to protest the prospect of Scottish Independence. I quickly made my way up to the Castle esplanade so I could take my token pictures and then move to a more subdued part of the city.

Calton Hill provided relief from the crowds as well as great scenery, but I found real sanctuary on Arthur's Seat, a mini-mountain right on the edge of town with a 360-degree panoramic view of the city, the sea, and the distant Highlands.

Royal Mile scene: Statue of philosopher David Hume and St. Giles Cathedral.

Obligatory shot of distinctive Edinburgh Castle.
The Wild West meets Edinburgh's old
world buildings. The mesa in the background forms a portion of Arthur's Seat.

The new Scottish Parliament building at Holyrood, constructed within the last couple years.

The stone path leading to the top of Arthur's Seat was a welcome diversion from the throng of tourists, drunken soccer fans, and marching Orangemen.

Northeasterly view over the Firth of Forth and Leith from the summit of Arthur's Seat.

Sunset over Edinburgh as seen from the lower flank of Arthur's Seat. Edinburgh Castle on the left, Calton Hill on the right.

St. Patrick's Day 2007 - Belfast, Northern Ireland

By the end of work on Friday, I still hadn't made plans for St. Patrick's Day, but I decided it would be fitting to celebrate the holiday in Ireland. Dublin would have been my first choice, but I didn’t want to bother with finding a place to stay on short notice and dealing with the massive crowds. Instead, I figured a day trip to Northern Ireland would be a good substitute since access is quicker and easier from Scotland. It’s still Ireland – the difference being Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom, while the Republic of Ireland (including Dublin) on the south portion of the island is an independent nation.

I got up early Saturday morning and drove two hours to the Port of Stranraer on the southwest coast of Scotland, where I boarded a StenaLine ferry to Ireland. A couple hours later I was exploring the streets of Belfast, a city infamous as the center of the past Troubles between nationalist and loyalist forces and fueled by Protestant-Catholic sectarian conflict.

I had enough time before my return ferry to Scotland to get a flavor of the city and experience a bit of local culture. It’s clear that a lot of capital has been invested in recent years to revitalize the city, but there are still plenty of run-down areas and places you’re not going to see advertised in tourist brochures. The deep-rooted hostility and tension between Catholics and Protestants was palpable, and is still a major factor in the lives of the local residents.


A nice little message in the center of one of the roundabouts en-route to Stranraer. I would have loved to stay and count sheep, but I had a wee ferry to catch!

Is that Dolly and her lambs Dolly and Dolly? Sudden appearances of towns (like Lendalfoot here on the Southwest Scottish coast) on the carriageway offer prime photo opportunities as drivers are forced to slow down from highway speeds to near-crawls as the roads wind through the narrow streets of town. By the way, I have yet to see a single carriage on the carriageway. Does anyone drive those anymore? The last one I knew of turned into a pumpkin.

The StenaLine ferry at port in Stranraer just prior to departure. As usual, I made my usual appearance by sprinting across the parking lot and through the terminals in order to get on-board in time.

The cruise ship-like interior of the ferry. Even though the trip was only a couple hours long, passengers had access to several on-board restaurants, slot machines, a video arcade, several bars, quiet lounges, and a gift shop. Unfortunately the exterior windows were made of semi-opaque plexiglass, and didn't provide much access for taking photographs of the sea or the hills surrounding Stranraer and Belfast Harbors.

My first site of Belfast as the ferry approached the harbor. (I've been seeing a lot of shipyards lately). It was an overcast and rainy day, so I didn't see much of the famous green Irish landscape.

The gantry crane on the left is either "Samson" or "Goliath," one of two massive cranes built for the Harland and Wolff Shipyards. The slightly larger of the two is as tall as a 35-story building, and has a span longer than 1.5 (American) football fields. The Titanic was built at this shipyard.

This green-haired Scotsman disembarking the ferry is ready to PARTY!

St. Patrick riding his snake through the streets of Belfast.

Locals headed toward the free concert at the Courthouse plaza after the parade. This procession of "regular people" occurred sooner than I expected. The entire St. Patrick's Day parade only had about 10 entries, and they were almost all schoolkids. Worse yet, there were no firetrucks, and no one threw candy.

Belfast City Hall - an impressive architectural landmark.

Austin Powers paying a visit to City Hall.

All right, I looked up "academical" and verified that it is a legitimate variation of "academic." It just looked too much like something George W. would make up.

The famous Crown Liquor Saloon on Great Victoria Street. I poked my head inside to see the elaborate woodwork and architectural features (very impressive!), but opted to avoid the crowd and looked elsewhere for a St. Patrick's Day drink.

The Europa Hotel in the background has the dubious distinctive of being the most bombed hotel (30+ times) in Europe (maybe behind the Sarajevo Holiday Inn, but who's counting?). That was where I knew I'd find my perfect pint of Guinness.

Following Irish protocol - Guinness in the pub! Yes, it does taste better from the tap in Ireland - even from the Europa bar. Soon after I sat down, a retired couple local to the area joined me at my table and we chatted it up for over an hour. It was interesting to hear their perspective on living in a region notorious for decades of violence and guerrilla warfare. They also explained to me that St. Patrick's Day events in Northern Ireland (as opposed to the Republic of Ireland) are somewhat subdued affairs in many places because the day is viewed by many Protestants as a primarily Catholic celebration.

Despite similar links to Linfield, observers won't find a similar greeting for those visiting McMinnville, Oregon. There are also similarities with Norway, but this ski mask-wearing guy with the assault rifle isn't training for the biathlon.

This particular mural subtly hints that I'm entering a neighborhood (likely Protestant) associated with a loyalist paramilitary group (i.e. traditionally loyal to the Queen of England).

...fortunately this happy mural on the other side of the street of the "Sandy Row" mural put me at ease and made me feel welcome to the neighborhood (yeah, right).

Some local neighborhood kids posing for a photo on the other side of town. Apparently visitors are unusual to this neighborhood, as the kids were quick to spot me out and run across the street to ask where I was from. I figured I was in a Catholic neighborhood by the looks of the green Celtic Football Club jersey worn by the boy on the right. Glasgow's Old Firm football teams, Celtic and Rangers, have a strong following outside the city, and as I mentioned in an earlier post, are strongly supported along sectarian lines.

Some newer development along River Lagan, which flows through Belfast. The sign explains the Classical-Celtic symbolism of a nearby sculpture and the "celebration of diversity of culture that exists in our global village."

Week Five (Mar. 4-10, 2007)

I had an opportunity on Thursday night to attend my first European football match: Glasgow Rangers FC vs. Osasuna FC (Spain) at Ibrox Stadium in Glasgow, just across the Clyde from my flat. I got to the game a few minutes late, and by then, visiting Osasuna had already scored a goal. The score remained 1-0 until the final minute, in which the Rangers scored a dramatic game-tying goal. The home-crowd activity enlivened at the end of the game to something close to what I anticipated; unfortunately, since the home team was losing for the majority of the game, I missed out on a lot of the singing and chanting that normally accompanies the cheering throughout the game. I did hear quite a few disgusted, "You're just a bunch of wankers!" jeers directed at the home team in thick Scottish accents, though.

The game ended in a 1-1 draw, which seemed odd to me until someone explained how the final team rankings are based on the results of a multi-game series, where each team plays each other at home and on the road.

Since the draw was a better outcome for the Rangers than a loss, the crowd that had remained in the stadium for the entire game left happy - and I was able to witness a bit of the legendary soccer "hooliganism" in the city as fans (probably leaving the pubs as opposed to the stadium) made their way home after the game. Nothing violent - just young yahoos being obnoxious in the subway. One train I passed seemed to have been commandeered by singing street punks smoking, drinking and kicking the doors to the beat of a team song!






The "Old Firm" rivalry between the Glasgow Rangers and Celtic Football clubs has historically been exacerbated by sectarian tensions between Protestants and Catholics. Both teams have been promoting messages of tolerance in recent years in an attempt to reduce that element from the competition. This "Blue Guide" accompanies Rangers season ticket passes and contains "Pride over Prejudice" guidelines for cheering for the Rangers in a positive and sportsmanlike manner.

The campaign for tolerance clearly visible at the game.

This week I received the keys to this Toyota Celica for my use while in Scotland. This is no Mr. Bean car. I'll primarily use it on weekends since it's not practical or economical to try to drive and park at work downtown. My use of the car will be restricted by the fact that petrol (gasoline) costs equiv. US $7/gallon. Big gas-guzzling SUV's are not a common sight in Glasgow.

Swanky black leather interior of the Celica. Takes a bit of getting used to sitting on the right side of the car and shifting gears with my left hand. Oh, I guess I have to drive on the left-hand side of the road as well.

This weekend I practiced driving around my Partick neighborhood, which presents plenty of challenges in narrow & windy roads, lots of pedestrians and enough roundabouts (non-signalized traffic circles) to make an astronaut dizzy.

Oslo, Norway Pictures (Outdoor Rec)

If only I could use Norwegian words in Scrabble. I always get those letters.

Picturesque Norwegian winter scene just off the ski trail.

6000-year old rock carving of a deer (and stick person below) near the shores of Oslofjord - earliest evidence of human settlement in the region. Apparently there were about a dozen other images on this rock outcropping, but they were covered in snow and I wasn't about to try to expose them.

Participating in the Norwegian national pastime.

Power breakfast at the hostel: Traditional Norwegian fish dishes.

Oslo, Norway Pictures (The City)

On the night of my arrival, I eventually saw this sign in the darkness pointing the way to my hostel. The walk through the empty snow-covered field reminded of a scene out the movie "Fargo." I wondered if the footprints led to a chipper-shredder out back.


Public warning that Freddie Krueger prowls the streets at night.

Sinnataggen - Little Angry Boy at Vigelandsparken. Poor guy probably just wants some pants - it's freezing outside.

Majorstuen Station - Nicely located for easy access to the mountains and forest.

Norway's Royal Palace. No time for tea with the King on this visit.

Portion of the Domkirke Cathedral, first consecrated in 1697.

Older buildings in Oslo. Steeple on the right is a portion of the Domkirke, currently being renovated.

Sentralstajion in Downtown Oslo

Cosmopolitan Downtown Oslo