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Welcome to our July Newsletter.
A Happy Canada Day (July 1) - and Independence Day (July 4) to our Canadian and U.S. friends.
 
Enjoy not only the day but think a bit about the freedoms we have and make light of the problems. The majority of the world is envious of our life style and sadly, most can’t even imagine what we have.
By the way, if you didn't receive last month's newsletter you can scroll down to it at the end of this one. We had all kinds of problems getting through to our 'shaw.ca' clients. Of course our service provider said it wasn't their fault and shaw.ca said it wasn't their fault. We diddled and fiddled ad nauseum and finally it seemed to start working again. (We think!)
July 1 is an auspicious day in Scotland.
On this date in 1999, the Scottish Parliament reconvened after a ‘recess’ of 292 years! (talk about holidays for politicians).
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The independent Scottish Parliament had recessed in 1707 with the Union of the Parliaments between Scotland and England. Actually they had voted themselves out of office - as did the English in order to reconvene as the new Parliament of the former independent Kingdoms.
In the latter part of the 20th century the people of Scotland voted in favour of a ‘devolved’ parliament which gave them authority over certain affairs excluding defense and foreign affairs and the new Parliament was officially opened by the Queen on July 1, 1999.
We were fortunate to be be there for the big day which was complete with a parade, concerts on Prince’s Street and in the Gardens, a big ceilidh in the old Assembly Hall and some great fireworks which woke all the babies, started the dogs barking and set off all the car alams for miles around. It was great!
Stone of Scone is a 'Fake'!
The Stone of Scone, sometimes called the Stone of Destiny, upon which Royal Bottoms have sat on coronation day for some 712 years is a ‘fake’.
 The real or not real Stone - in either case, it's had many a Royal Bottom sit on it
So says Scotland’s First Minister, Alex Salmond. The First Minister, who is the equivalent of the Premier of a Province or the Governor of a State made the statement recently just before the release of a movie staring Robert Carlyle which chronicles the adventures of some University Students who actually ‘borrowed’ the Stone from beneath the coronation throne in Westminster Abbey back in 1950.
Salmond, who is something of a Scottish historian, claims that when Edward I of England took (stole) the Stone from Scone Abbey in 1296, he came away with nothing more than a hastily put together chunk of Sandstone and that the real sit upon is still in hiding.
 The imposing ruins of Dunstaffnage Castle where the Stone of Destiny was said to have been kept at one time.
It’s a commonly held view among many historians who have studied the centuries old episode of Scottish history.
Many legends and stories exist of the stone sometimes referred to as ‘Jacob’s Pillow’ which dates back to Old Testament times. It was said to have eventually been given to a Celtic Prince as part of a wedding dowry for an Egyptian Princess. Over centuries the stone travelled with the migrating Celts across Europe to Ireland and then to Scotland where it was used as the Scots Coronation Stone until it was lifted by Edward I.
One of the common reasons given as to why the present piece of sandstone is not the original is that a coronation stone would be a lot more ornate and decorative than the existing stone. Also the size of the present stone would preclude any King or Queen from sitting on it without their knees being alongside their ears which might seem a bit ‘unroyal’.
History shows that shortly after returning to Scotland with the Stone, Edward I immediately sent teams back north seaching for something. It’s believed that he became aware that he had nothing but a fake.
The present coronation stone was returned to Scotland in 1996 in an attempt by Westminster to assuage the independence movement which was steadily growing.
 Scottish Crown Jewels which can be seen along with the stone at the Castle.
This stone, whether fake or real has been the stone upon which Royalty has sat for the coronation for more than seven centuries. It can be seen along with Scottish Crown jewels in Edinburgh Castle. (And surprise - you can see it if you join us on our Scottish journey from August 17 -30).
Christmas is a-coming...(Please don't start screaming)
Nuremberg is a paradox.
This vibrant city boasts Europe’s oldest Christmas Market (which we’ll be visiting in late November, early December on our Christmas Markets journey); it is the place where Gingerbread was first invented; some of the earliest printed books come from here; it is home to the annual International Toy Fair (it is known as ‘The City of Toys’) - and it is the place of the Nuremberg War Trials and the City where the largest Nazi rallies were held.
 The Christmas Angel in Nuremberg
Allied bombing killed 6,000 citizens and virtually destroyed the city during World War II but the people of Nuremberg pulled themselves together following the war and rebuilt this ancient city so that today, old Nuremberg is indistinguishable from its medieval roots.
The spirit of the people showed itself soon after the war. In 1948, amidst the rubble and devastation which had not yet been cleaned up, the Christmas Market which dates at least to 1628, reopened in the main square in front of the totally destroyed Church of Our Lady.
Wandering through the main square last November, one would be hard put to know that this was a rebuilt city. The ancient cathedral and so many other medieval buildings were painstakingly rebuilt based on old plans and the old ways. We had half expected to feel something from the more recent bad past, but it wasn’t there. Just the feeling of an upbeat city looking forward and not back. The ghosts of the ugly past have been exorcised.
 The Reichstag where many of the Nazi rallies were held during Hitler's time.
Being in the heart of Bavaria, Nuremberg is ideal for checking out the fascinating countryside. During our three days here we’ll visit Bayreuth where Richard Wagner live and composed and where many of his operas were produced. We will also pop in to Bamberg - which some of you will remember from last year. This is one of the most charming medieval villages we have ever come across.
And you will be delighted with our other stops in Frankfurt whose Christmas market goes back to at least 1393 and, of course, the fabulous city of Vienna where we’ll take in a Mozart and Strauss concert following dinner in the Orangerie of Schonbrunn Castle. Frankfurt boasts the largest Christmas Market in Europe that dates back to the 11th century and features a skating rink where you can rent a pair of skates and twirl about for a while.
 Frankfurt Christmas Market
Our Christmas Markets & Music tour goes from November 24 to December 5. All four star centre of city hotels. Price: $3,775 per person sharing. Single supplement is $770.00.
If you have ever wanted to experience the build up to Christmas with all the old European traditions, then this one is for you! You won’t be disappointed. When we returned from our last year’s Christmas Markets tour, Bev told her Dad that she had ‘‘just been in a fairy tale for two weeks’.
That’s it for now. If you have any comments email us or call us at 1 800 773 7093.
Talk to you next month,
Andy & Bev
Welcome to our June newsletter. We're in Scotland as we put the June issue to bed and we get ready to come home for a bit before heading back over in August. This month we're filling you in on what's been going on with our Wales and Northern England tour as well as our Scotland journey. Enjoy!
.jpg) Some young friends we met along the way
Wales - A Constant Surprise
No one visits Wales for any length of time without coming away amazed and somewhat humbled by the beauty of the landscape of this proud little Celtic nation.
From the seaside town of Llandudno with its Victorian Pier and seafront to the rugged slopes of Snowdon and the stark beauty of the Pass of Lanberis Wales has a remarkable variety of scenery and places.
Canals with their narrow boats, narrow gauge railways that once hauled slate from the depths of mountains and now carry tourists, rolling hills and wondrous valleys all within a small area.
We loved it and we also loved a new find - Lake Vwrnwy (pronounced Vernwee) in central Wales. It’s not easy to find. Even Jimmy our driver who has navigated some pretty strange places with us over the past 12 years, was heard to mutter: “Are we there yet?” after following a single track road for a few miles. But then suddenly there was the lake and sitting up a cliff overlooking the water was the hotel.
.jpg) Bev and our puppy (used by the hotel instead of Do Not Disturb signs for each room) on our balcony at Lake Vyrnwy Hotel
A remarkable setting, a remarkably friendly and helpful staff and rooms overlooking the length of this lake which helps provide the water supply of Liverpool. If you didn’t want to come out and play with us the next day, you could, like Jane, stay behind, rent a bike and circle the lake then go clay pigeon shooting. You could also go pony trekking or fishing or just laze around on the deck overlooking the water and soak it all in. Quite a place.
It was a good tour including our visit to Aidensfield of Heartbeat fame which is, in actual fact the village of Goathland.
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The famous Scripps Garage in Aidensfield
This is not a village which has let fame go to its head. In fact the day we popped in there was a charity market raising funds for local activities including tables of brick a brack (a lot of brack here) a second hand book table, old collectibles and other stuff. Very real and very down to earth.
It was great fun discovering some of the Beatles story in Liverpool which is the European City of Culture for 2008. Even managed to find The Cavern, an old pub, still functioning, where the boys played before they made it big.
 Marian and Jane hangin' out with John outside The Cavern
Putting your foot in it
If you really want to put your foot in it, then go to Dunadd in Argyll, about 35 miles south of Oban.
Climb a certain hill of about 200-300 feet, search out a flat rock with a footprint carved in the rock and step in it.
 Bev placing her foot in the ancient Scots Kings footprint
You are then standing in the footsteps of kings. This was the site where the first Scots crowned their kings before Scotland had a name. This was the place where the king would place his foot in the carved out footprint where others kings had stood in times past.
This is Dunadd, a fortress where the Kingdom of the Scots began in about the third or fourth century a.d.
The Scotii, a tribe from the Glens of Antrim in what would become Northern Ireland had been trading and visiting this corner of what would become Scotland since boats were invented. After all it was but a short sail of maybe thirty miles to this fertile and almost empty coast.
Soon the visits became longer and took on a permanent basis and atop a small hill, a fortress was built, a footstep was carved in a rock and the sacred boar symbol of the Scotii was carved in the same rock.
The kingdom was called Dalriada, after their previous home in Ireland and over centuries the Scots became more and more powerful, eventually moving further and further to the north and the east, meeting up with the warrior race of the Picts. And in 848, under the reign of Kenneth McAlpine, the union of the Scots and Picts took place and Scotland began to take on a more distinct and single personality.
Dunadd and the sacred footprint are still there. A lonely hill sitting in the Kilmartin valley looking not unlike many of the other hills in the area. It is an old valley. Scattered throughout the length of the glen are many, many ruins of sone age and iron age burial chambers and standing stones, all predating the arrival of the Scots by more than two thousand years.
These tombs and stones were ancient monuments when the Scots first came.
This is Scotland at its earliest. There are untold layers of history and people in this glen along with forgotten stories and great events of earlier civilizations. And there are so few to see it.
When we were there just a few short days ago we were alone with our guests. We climbed the old hill, puffing our way upwards, pausing to notice the fragments of old fort walls and the well - but in truth happy to stop and catch our breath. We had this remarkable site to ourselves and our thoughts.
It was a very special time.
Old Castles - Older Mysteries
You won’t find any signposts for Finlarig Castle. The only way you’ll find it is by meeting up with one of the few who know where it is. Which means that if you want to see it you’ll have to come with us.
It’s located up a bit of a slope in an old Oak wood well off the main road that runs through Killin in Scotland.
 LaVerne & Bev checking out the ruins of the castle and the beheading pit
A total ruin, Finlarig is partly covered with vines and well hidden in the woods. It has a gloomy aspect which is perhaps appropriate considering it was owned by Black Duncan of the Cowal.
Some of the gloominess might also come from the fact that this is one of the few castles in Scotland that still has its beheading pit. It’s a stone lined rectangular pit where the unfortunate would enter and have his head removed. The pit conveniently allowed the blood to drain away without leaving a visible mess.
Also nearby is a gallows hill for those who weren’t privileged enough to have the right of beheading.
Black Duncan was a Campbell who sat in judgment over those who lived on his lands in the 17th century. These old clan chiefs or close relatives of the chiefs had the power of pit and gallows over all those on their lands. The power of life and death and the virtual control of their lives.
We’ve been to Finlarig before but this time was a bit different. While wandering around the old overgrown ruined castle and chapel, just a few days ago, Bev started finding some interesting stones that were obviously not part of the castle ‘scene’. Large boulders which at times seemed to be set in a circle very similar to standing stones (except these stones were now more than about two or three feet above ground).
We wandered through the woods discovering more and discerning a definite pattern which apparently had nothing to do with the castle or chapel.
The mind started dancing about the centuries. This was an old oak grove on a hill. Druids often established sites on oak covered hills. Perhaps this could be the remains of an old Druid site which had in turn been built over with the castle and chapel. It was also common for Christian sites to build over Druidic sites.
In any case, we’re delighted with our little find and we will be doing some research on the site. We’ll let you know what we find out.
Old Things in Fortingall
Out in the field across from our hotel in Fortingall in central Scotland is a mound where an old woman would bury victims of the plague. And not far from that mound are the remains of stone age and iron age burial chambers and standing stones.
Also in the neighborhood are the ruins of what was believed to be a Roman trading fort. That old fort has some interesting stories drifting about the ruins.
Local legend says Pontius Pilate was born here.
The Pilate story has been a part of the folklore of Fortingall since - well, since the Romans left. Pilate’s father was supposedly a Roman official in charge of the trading fort and he is said to have married a local Pictish woman with young Pontius being the end result.
When the fort closed up shop, Pilate and his family headed back to Rome.
Far fetched? Maybe, but keep in mind that trade was carried on with the Celts and Picts for a long time with many nations including the Phoenicians, the Greeks and Romans to say nothing of the Gauls and other European civilizations. Besides there is evidence that the local chief Metallanus did in fact manufacture and trade tin with the Romans.
Beside the Fortingall hotel is a yew tree said to be five thousand years old which would make it the oldest living thing in Europe. And just beside this old tree is an old church which in turn is built on the ruins of an old Druid site.
Scotland is an old world filled with far more than bagpipes and funny people running around in kilts saying ‘Hoots Mon’. There is a rich and deep history as old as any other corner of the world and where that history is so easily visible.
Come discover it with us in August and take in the famous Edinburgh Military Tattoo. It’s a great time to visit. Tourist numbers are way down and the pound, while not down against U.S. currency, is at its lowest against the Canadian dollar in many a year.
Update on Culloden
The new Culloden Visitor Centre is up and running. Many more exhibits and interpretive panels and interactive boards including a fascinating digital diaorama of the battle itself.
There is also battlefield room where you stand in the middle of the battle with all four walls around you alive with an excellent depiction of the battle. Not for the squeamish; but an amazing recreation of a terrible few minutes in Scottish history.
We’ll be there in August.
Give us a call to book or with any questions you may have.
That’s it for now.
All the best,
Andy & Bev
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