At the ferry post, as everyone was waiting (which was late), I found myself sitting next to this gentleman- a tall nice looking 40-something year old, holding a dolly with a washing machine. As I was staring at him dubiously, he gave me a kind and gentle smile and said "Hello." As I was searching for my ticket while the ferry boat was in sight, I couldn't help but wonder why he is carrying a washing machine to Glasgow.
At boarding, I found myself walking in at the same time with that gentleman. Let's call him Bill. We somehow started conversing, after waiting for the kitchen to open, we ordered some good Scottish ferryboat food. I had chippy's (which is fish and chips,) and Bill had the curry dish. We had a great conversation, and I finally asked him, "What's up with that dolly you are bringing on the boat?" He explained that it's German, and it would be more expensive to fix in Jura, and that's why he's bringing it to Glasgow, for better pricing. You know how the Scots are...
So we walked outside, enjoyed the beautiful sights, along with the local beer. Me and Bill just casually talked about life, family, my reasons for being in Islay and Scotland, and we developed a quick friendship. As I was sipping on the great Islay ales, and more of the Islay mist. Bill offered me a ride to Glasgow bus station, because in a car, it would take two hours, in a bus, 3 1/2 hours. I felt comfortable with him, he was trustworthy, therefore Ms. Operetta took on the experience!
On the ride to Glasgow, me and Bill continued to talk about Scottish life and history, he enlightened me, as I was dazzled with the sights on the road to Glasgow. He showed me the Inveraray Castle, which was beautiful. The ride was so relaxing, all the fresh air I took in made me sleepy (this city girl wasn't used to all the freshness). Bill explained that since I wasn't used to receiving so much fresh oxygen into my body, it's only natural that I would nod on and off. Bill turned on one of the UK's most awesome radio station(that I can't remember), which played a majority of American music. I remember that Mariah Carey song,"Obsessed" was jamming on the dial, while I was taken away with all of the amazing site's I was experiencing. Only at that point I was thinking about back home.
At the point, when we finally reached the Glasgow bus station, Bill dropped me off, we said our goodbyes, and we continued our individual journey's, and that was the last I heard of "Mr. Bill." What a sweet gentleman, just like his fellow Scotsmen.
Next, I bought a ticket to Edinburgh, and I noticed one thing about the other Glas Girls in the city: that night got chilly, and these girls were dressed up to the nines- stilettos, short skirts, no stockings, they were ready to go out... it was cold, and those Glas Girls were something to see!
After that, I jumped on the Scott rail to Edinburgh, and where I finally had time to go to the Fringe Festival! Therefore I dropped off all of my luggage at the St. Andrews bus station where they have secured lockers, and I walked over to the Assembly to purchase my ticket, and of course, it was all sold out. So I walked a few blocks over to Udderbellys for any last chance tickets, and of course there wasn't. Therefore I walked into the only free show that was left on a Saturday night.
The comedians were funny, and I especially liked the woman from San Francisco. She talked about how the "Lothian" buses are out to kill you, because the street signs on the ground are always telling you to "LOOK RIGHT! LOOK LEFT!" She said, "being ADD, I have a hard time, and I very confused about where to look whenever there wasn't any signs on the street"! You have to visit Scotland to understand(ha-he)!
My personal note: in Scotland, the streets are very curvy and narrow, sometimes, when you think you can cross the street, here comes the Lothian bus, coming at "180" miles per hour, trying to kill you if you don't cross fast enough. The San Fran comedian said that she started to follow the old Scots when they cross, because they know ultimately when it's safe.
Another personal note: if you don't know how to cross the street like a New Yorker, you might get hit. Even once I thought I was crossing safely, and a Lothian bus came racing down the street and it stopped two feet in front of me, and I screamed and dashed back across the street for my life!!!!!
Afterwards, I walked over to the bus station to pick up my luggage, and went to this bar that was attached to a hostel, and had a few pints of lagers, where I met some really cheery Scottish boys. Very livid, and feeling very spirited. We had a great time, taking shots, smoking fags, meeting new friends, into the wee hours of the morning. Afterwards, I headed across the street to the Express 100 to the airport. It was time to get to LONDON BABY!
At the airport, I had a 3 1/2 hour wait before my flight. I got on the Internet, and laid down with one eye open at all times. Next, the boarding time... I checked my things in with easy Jet airlines. One thing that I find that I didn't like at all is that they require you to bring only one item on the place. Even if you are a woman, the check-in agent told me that you can only bring one item, and for the first time in Scotland, this was the only person that I've encountered that was a bit rude, to my surprise. You cannot carry a item with a purse, which is discriminating for women. Their maximum weight for one piece of luggage only is 20 kilos, which is lighter than the normal American weight of 50 pounds for luggage. I had to take several items out, to check into the airport lockers facility, which cost me more money, but not as expensive as the charges Easy Jet wanted to apply. After experiencing this, I can say that Easy Jet is the European Southwest Airline's, some call it the 'Sleazy Jet,' I like to refer to it as 'Dizzy Jet.'
On the flight, I must say, that the staff was extremely professional, helpful, and pleasant. One thing I did notice when I was boarding, I saw several women boarding on the plane with their purse and a friggin carry-on! That pissed me off, but the flight went very smooth, it was delayed only 10-15 minutes, and I couldn't believe I was finally in London Town.
To be cont...............
**For pix on this adventure, become a fan on my FaceBook page. Click on the above icon located on the above right column**
Fringe Festival info:
http://www.edfringe.com/
St. Andrews bus station info:
http://www.scotland.org.uk/guide/St_Andrews_Bus_Station
***I would like to thank all of the lovely people at the St. Andrews bus station and the friends I've met along my travels who made my experienced richer***
SLAANDJIVAA!!!
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