Tuesday, June 4 (on to Scotland) (no pictures yet)

As planned we started with a visit to the new Titanic museum.  The 4 corners of the building are built in the shape of the bow of the ship and are also the same size as the bow – giving you an immediate feel for the size of the ship.  There are 7 sections to the exhibit, covering 4 levels which trace the history of the ship from design and construction, through the launch, preparation for the voyage, her sinking and the search to find the remains.  We had a little over an hour and half to visit, but for the record you definitely need longer to really appreciate it.  I did not read all the information they had and still had to skip the information on the search for the shipwreck (which looked like it was very interesting). 

We were taking the ferry across to Scotland so had no chance to stay longer than planned.  It seemed a bit odd to spend all that time reviewing the fate of the Titanic and then get on a ferry and leave from the same port that ship left from.  We had a great day for the ride across with sunny skies and calm seas. (I’ve heard from my sister about all the rain and flooding they are now experiencing in Switzerland.) Once the bus pulled onto the ship we were free to go up to the passenger areas to relax.  It has been a long time since I’ve been on a ferry and this was very luxurious.  They had a movie theater, several dining areas, an iPad lounge (wall mounted iPads for you to use to surf the web, etc), mini casino, arcade areas, and plenty of comfy chairs inside in front of picture windows if you just wanted to relax. 

I thought I had seen a lot of sheep in Ireland until we got off the boat in Scotland.  They explained that Scotland has a human population of about 5 million, and a sheep population of 12.5 million.  So as you can guess, the drive through the countryside looked a lot like Ireland – lots of green with white fluffy bits walking around.  Don’t get me wrong, it is still very beautiful and there appears to be no lack of abbey and castle ruins around either.

We drove from the west coast over to the east coast, passing through Glasgow and the area known in Scotland as Silicon Glen (electronic and software company concentration) on our way to Edinburgh.  We arrived at the hotel about 5 PM and had about and hour and a half before the planned entertainment for the night.  Jenny and I headed out to tour around the hotel area.  Edinburgh has an ‘old town’ which dates from the 1200’s and the ‘new town’ area which is only about 250 years old.  We are staying on the edge of the old town and the architecture is stunning.  We had just enough time to duck into a shop or two before returning to the hotel.

The excursion for the night was held right in the hotel so that made it easy.  It was another dinner/entertainment type of venue.  As dinner finished the show started with bagpipes and Scottish dancers.  It was very entertaining and a nice way to spend our first night here.