| We started our 2 week European adventure with a long day of travel. Since we thought it was rather masochistic, we took photos of ourselves along our many stops and layovers. Here I am in the cab on the way to the airport. Notice my "just woke up at 6:00 am" fresh and happy look! |  |
| After 5 hours or so in a metal can, we landed at Newark Liberty International. Unfortunately, we weren't stopping here for some home cooking. A quick stop in a toilet that didn't lurch, and we were off to our flight to London. |  |
| The London flight was supposed to be our sleep time. I was introduced to melatonin for helping regulate sleep. You take one the night before you travel before you go to sleep. Then, you take one on the plane when you want to sleep. I was out like a light. Cindy, unfortunately, was unable to sleep, but read a really great book, Big Over Easy by Jasper Fforde. Here we are about to start our 6 hour layover in Gatwick Airport. |  |
| Six hours is a long time. There were no towels in the bathrooms, only those electric hand dryers. I'm all for environmentally sound bathrooms, but when you need to wash your face, you need a towel, any towel. Fortunately we were able to buy a little cloth from a pharmacy in the mall-like waiting area of Gatwick. A pleasant surprise when we boarded our short 1 hour flight to Scotland was this fantastic seafood salad and tea. British Airways does it up right! This experience convinced us that we should try and take a proper tea before leaving the UK. |  |
| Finally we arrived in Aberdeen. It was raining and cold. For someone who lives in San Diego, this is fantastically refreshing weather. Charlene, our host, met us at the airport, had a wonderful dinner of local lamb waiting, and took us on a fine garden walk before shooing us wearily to bed. |  |
| Scotland is very far north, so far north in fact, it only gets dark for 4 hours during the summer. This fact did not hinder my sleeping, but did impact Cindy's. We decided lots of walking would help us sleep better the next night. Our host's apartment is on the campus of the very old University of Aberdeen. Here I am posing infront of King's Chapel, one of few stone structures to feature the crown-topped belltower. Allegedly some king gave 2 or 3 pence to help finance the chapel's construction, which converts to about 4 American cents. Beat that Bill Gates! |  |
| Cindy being "crowned" by the King's Chapel. |  |
| As we continued walking around Old Aberdeen, we also saw the old cathedral. The courtyard is a graveyard wth headstones dating back centuries. The cathedral itself is a prime example of why they call Aberdeen the Granite City. It's a beautiful structure, but the stones retain the coolness of the Scottish weather. |  |
| What do Aberdeen, Scotland and Atlantic City, New Jersey have in common? Of course, they are both beach towns and here's the picture to prove it! Notice the lack of people in bikinis and surfers and stuff. The North Sea is typically a bit cool for swimming. They say that the beach is usually busy 1 or 2 days a year. |  |
| One of the main industries that makes Aberdeen one of the most prosperous Scottish cities is oil. You can't see the platforms from the shore, but you can see the various support ships in the harbor, and the influence in the local history. The maritime museum tracks Aberdeen's sea faring traditions from its humble beginnings as a fishing and shipping town, to the modern day oil juggernaut it is today. This is an illegally taken picture of an oil rig Cindy took. |  |
| If you want to see Aberdeen, the best way is by taking the cheesy tourist bus. It loops throughout old and new Aberdeen and gives you some pointers as to what you are seeing. It also means you don't have to walk. Here is my lovely wife, about to collapse from extreme tiredness. |  |
| After a brief rest, we headed out for one last sight for the day. Beyond the cathedral, there was a large public park with gardens and flowers and lots of geese (and geese poop). Self portrait infront of a lot of green! |  |
| And here I am in the garden. You can see the spires of the cathedral poking out of the treeline in the middle. I wore my green camoflage shirt this day, but it was quite cool, so I wasn't able to conduct any covert exercises. |  |