Monday, June 16, 2008
Sorry to all who have been reading this blog that it is getting ready to come to an end. The trip was wonderful. I promise I will get around at some point to adding pictures from our last two days in Edinburgh. In the meantime, here is a link to 500 of my photos from the trip for you to view. Enjoy.
Scotland Photos Click Here
Scotland Photos Click Here
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
After leaving Focabers we had a nice long drive to Melrose by way of Sterling Castle. Unfortunately, we did not get to sing in the castle as planned because they were unveiling the plans for a new rennovation project and apparently there were people in attendance more important than us. Boy did they miss out! We still got in free however and I think most of the kids were okay with having the extra free time. We had plenty to tour the castle, the old towne jail, and of course the shopping malls of Stirling. We actually got our first drops of rain today, but barely enough to force us inside and only for 20 minutes or so. Then it was off to Melrose where we will be going on a hike and performing tomorrow. I don't have too many good shots of the group at Stirling Castle yet but I will track some down. In the mean time there are a few shots of the castle. I am certainly trying to represent as many people in the pictures as possible but it is proving to be difficult. Bear with me. In the meantime we are having a great time.
Monday, June 9, 2008
Yesterday we took a tour of the Battlegrounds, where our youth all bought plastic swords and ran through the fields recreating scenes from Braveheart. Just picture Gettysburg and change the accents and the uniforms. We also celebrated our last night in Inverness with a cookout at one of the host homes. Everyone had a great time rolling down the hills, wrestling, and just visiting with each other. There was lots of great food, and ice cream and it was sad to see our new friends go, especially for the boys who had done a little romancing over the past two days.
We sang twice yesterday in Inverness, once during morning worship and once in the evening. We are headed to Focabers where we will sing again and have another ceilidh tonight, now that we know all the moves! We will also be stopping by the cashmere factory on our way. Isn't Father's Day soon??
Saturday, June 7, 2008
This morning we left Elgin and set out for Inverness, just a short hour drive away. We arrived just in time to tour the city and have lunch before meeting our boat ride on Loch Ness. The two hour boat ride took us across the lake to Urquhart Castle. Although our attempts at spotting Nessie were unsuccessful we did have plenty of time to play on the grassy hills surrounding the castle. And by play, I mean roll down, slide down, somersault down, push people down and throw people down. Parents, we apologize now for all of the grass stains, but the entertainment was well worth it.
After the castle we returned to Inverness to meet our host families, grab a bite to eat and prepare for tonight's ceilidh (caley), a typical Scottish dance similar to our square dancing. Tomorrow we will sing a shortened program in the morning and then the full length program in the evening at Crown church in Inverness, and will gather for a bbq on the beach in the evening.
Friday, June 6 and a day sightseeing in Elgin. Above are pictures of the cathedral from 1270 mentioned in the last blog as well as pictures from the Biblical Garden. There are a group of volunteers that decided one day to create a garden that would include every plant mentioned in the Bible. Today in the garden you will find most of these plants and placards that indicate where they are to be found in the Scriptures. They have also incorporated statues and other Biblical characters into the grounds representing many famous stories and parables. After our tour of the cathedral and the garden, our choir was asked for a sneak preview of the performance, and so they sang for a small audience in the gardens.
After the gardens, we took a short walk over to the Elgin Youth Cafe. This is a place where local youth can come to hang out, get help, stay out of trouble, etc. The boys got to play Wii, foosball, ping pong, pool and don't worry everyone got to check their facebook accounts! I took lots of pictures so that we will be able to convert the chapel basement into a replica of this great space. After lunch it was off to the Abbey.
At Plusgarden Abbey we had a chance to tour the grounds and the real treat was getting to speak with one of the monks. It was one of the same monks that the group met in 2000 on a boat in Iona and Bob and several of the monks recognized each other! Such a small world. He shared a little about himself and about their way of life and then asked again if our group would sing for them. So the choir gathered around again, in the Abbey and sang as the monks all perpared for worship. This was a place truly built for sound and even Gary Adams was nearly brought to tears.
The first performance/worship service was last night and was a huge success. The choir sang before a packed house at St. Giles church and fellowshipped with tea coffee and shortbread afterwards. It was a long and busy day but nice to get in a routine again.
Today it will be off to Inverness where we will tour the town, take a boat tour of Loch Ness, and have a cookout and Ceilidh (dance).
Friday, June 6, 2008
It is 6:15 am local time, Friday June 6. We arrived yesterday safe and sound, all luggage and people accounted for. Our buses and their drivers were waiting to collect us and take us on our way. Upon arrival we found the hottest day of the year thus far here in Scotland, an unbearable 72 degrees and sunny, with a slight breeze. You can imagine our discomfort.
Our first stop was Scone (skooon) Palace where we had a chance to tour the grounds, eat in the underground cafe, listen to bagpipes, get lost and found again in the hedge maze, and of course...play with the peacocks. The palace was consturcted in 1808 for the Earl of Mansfield and was the former locale for the crowning of the Kings of the Scots. Presently, the current generation of Mansfields still live underneath the palace and use the estate for entertaining purposes.
From the palace it was off to our first overnight destination, the small, quaint town of Elgin (elginn as opposed to eljin). After a three hour drive and nap, we arrived to find our host families waiting on us. We quickly dispersed and went off to our homes for the evening. At 11:00 pm local time when I turned the light out, the sun was still setting.
Today, Friday, we will be touring around the town of Elgin with a stop at the ruins of a cathedral built originally in 1270 but destroyed by Alexander Stewart sometime in 1390. Tonight is our first choir program and we will find out how many youth actually forgot to bring black socks or made it with only one shoe. Continue to pray for us, but rest assured we are all safe, sound and quite happy.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
All have arrived safely at Gate A21 after two gate changes, and most importantly, Barbie is safe and sound. Doug and Pilot Moore are here with us to make sure we get the best treatment possible!
It's now 8:47 pm Atlanta time and we are finding out that we have somehow escaped the comfort of southern hospitality. That's right we are at New York's own JFK airport where the bagel sandwiches are $18 and the and the restaurants close at 8:00. Thankfully we are safe and sound inside the friendly confines of the Delta Club Room. Outside it's a gorgeous 66 degrees and raining and we are headed shortly to meet our connecting flight. Our next post will come from the other side of the pond.
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