May 5, 2006

Scotland - Day 1 (addendum 1)

Great Scot

What really struck me on our first day, was how utterly different everything was. The signs, the roads, the look and feel of everything were setup in a way that we were not ready for. As an example, the road signs are principally based upon where the road ends up, instead of highway numbers like it is here in the US. So, if you don't know the area pretty well and the names and directions of the towns that surround your location (like us on that first day), you are in for a number of wrong turns. One quick aside, while the roundabouts in UK may be more efficient for keeping traffic moving, they simply scared me to death. Each time that I approached one (whether it be a "major" or "minor" roundabout), every muscle in my body clinched.

One thing that I was very pleased to note on that first day was how welcoming and kind the people that we met were. It was obvious that we were visitors (given the glazed over looks of exhaution and bewilderment), however, people went out of their way to assist us. Additionally, unlike the people we later saw in London, the people that we came across in Edinburgh had a happy countenance. I think it must be the haggis (or perhaps it is something else)!

2 comments:

Nomos said...

Great Britain sounds absolutely horrifying, what with all the traffic and roads.

While in Scotland, did you get around to playing golf?

Amy Witt said...

Congrats on the drivig. My father drove a van from London to Edinburgh and we hollored and yelled from the back seat the whole time...watch out, turn here, stop..it takes a great man to do it. I would not give up those memories for anything.