and so on, and so on

We made it to Scotland ... after speaking through Skype for several months with Robbie, we managed to get our bodies to his very spot. We met in Glasgow, drove to Oban, ferried to the Isle of Mull, and then back to the mainland, to Ft. William, drove some more by Glencoe (site of a ghastly, brutal massacre of the local clansmen and women and children in the 1600's) and Lock Tay, to Pitlochry and then south to Edinburgh for four days. We visited many museums, castles, cathedrals, and Tourist Information offices. We ate a lot of pub food with occasional splurges in ethnic food (tapas, Indian food, quiches)and drank a lot of Scottish ale. We walked a lot and could because the days lasted til 11 o'clock at night. Lots of smokers in Scotland judging from the number of cigarette butts on the ground throughout the cities. Lots of proud Presbyterians too. We attended mass on the feast of Pentecost at St. Mary's cathedral in Edinburgh. It was Confirmation Sunday! so sweet to see children from all parts of the globe there with their families and blessed by the community. Lots of Poles, and Scots and Irish (I'm guessing), and Indians, Africans, French, Spanish. Beautiful to come to the table together. We were blessed by being there among them. Anyway, that was a highlight for me... but also sharing meals with Pete's sister Amy and John and with Robbie's flatmate, Jim from Orkney. and with all the kind people who fed us while we were on this pilgrimage, including the many people we engaged in conversation with through the week and a half. The docents, waiters, bartenders, the taxi drivers, shopkeepers, innocents who provided directions, B&B owners, Scotland is a beautiful strong proud place and we were blessed to get a taste of it together. Thanks to all who helped us get there!! (I saw in the faces of the older women, the faces of my grandmothers and greatgrandmothers. Mine is resembling theirs more and more every day!)