Spain, Switzerland and Scotland 11/2008

Spain, Switzerland and Scotland - Sunny , Nov 18, 2008

Journal November 5-18, 2008   Newark-Madrid-Geneva-Edinburgh

Responding groggily to our 2:30 am alarm, we set out for the Seattle airport. Boarded our on-time flight to Newark en route to Madrid. Wait a minute, the plane lands in Chicago. We need to change planes. Yes, it’s a rush to another terminal. We fly to Newark after waiting almost 2 hours for a landing clearance due to heavy rains. We dash from the plane to catch our international flight. Hope trumps reason. We COULD make the flight IF it’s delayed. No such luck. No other planes to Spain that night.

No reimbursement for hotel not meals. No chance for Mike to lead the Nov.7th morning meeting in Madrid. (THE reason we changed our tickets and itinerary to go to Madrid en route to Edinburgh). Sorry for the self-absorption, but no chance for me to be taken to a lovely restaurant in Madrid as a guest of a presenter! Bummer.

I start my journal on a day of hours spent in the Newark Airport with breaks for prayer that our evening flight happens and we awake in Lisbon in time to catch our flight to Madrid in time for Mike to make one part of the 9-1:30pm meeting!

MADRID

Hotel Rave: The Hesperia

We hang out at the airport all day and do make the evening flight to Madrid. Lovely service in business class, but one addition I did not appreciate. I awoke with a major bruise on my left eye. How did this happen? Did someone poke me with a sharp object while I slept? I have no clue. It doesn’t hurt. It isn’t pretty. Souvenir. We meet our driver upon arrival and are zoomed to Hotel Hesperia on a main boulevard in downtown Madrid. Mike, with little sleep, walks into the conference room and facilitates a discussion of European service needs as they apply to Roche Pharmaceuticals.

I pretend I’m awake and walk to the Prado Museum to see the Rembrandt exhibit. Three different staff people warn me that a cab or bus would be advisable. I choose to stroll 35minutes down the lovely Avenue Castanada, with its splendid fountains and sculptures. These working fountains enchanted me when I first visited Madrid in 1964. We are so fond of Barcelona, that it overshadows this early delight, but I still admire this sophisticated old city with its’ patrician airs. My walk was fun even though my constant companion was secondhand smoke from each doorway en route. There are more smokers here than in the states, especially women.

The 40 Rembrandt works were displayed alongside some by Rubens and other painters who influenced Rembrandt. Each time you see a fine artwork, you appreciate it more. Never overly fond of the dark Dutch paintings with their jarring shots of light, I could admire the subtleties thanks to an excellent narration on my recorder. Seeing Christ in the shadows as Peter betrays him, noticing the angst on St. Stephen’s face as he was stoned to death, etc. Rembrandt’s self-portraits and the portrait of St. Bartholomew were my favorites.

I walked back to the hotel full of jet lag and ready to have a light dinner and then to crash! Unwisely, I love duck pate’. This elegant small hotel has fabulous food. Thinly sliced duck with mango sauce on rye toast=heaven. Throw in a glass of Spanish Roja wine and I forgot my weariness for a moment. We slept fine and headed back to the airport for our flight to Geneva after a scrumptious huge breakfast buffet. Guy and Rosemarie Bonnard, friends since the 1970’s in DC., met us there. We drove around Geneva and had lunch at La Perle du Lac at our request. We remember this tiny place on Lac Leman. We drove along the lake admiring the parks, sculpture, mansions, and charm of it all. Rosemarie was surprised that my favorite place is Geneva.   She is fonder of Lausanne which, to her, is less formal and pretentious. She was not surprised that my second favorite is Bali. The latter is her #1.

LAUSANNE

Speaking of dreams come true, their home on Lake Geneva (Lac Leman) seems idyllic to me. It belonged to Guy’s grandfather. There is a large side yard and small swimming dock. Rosemarie’s gardening prowess is evident everywhere including flowering plants inside. Large trees, irregular coastline, lapping water, surrounding Alps- Wow! The dining/living room is washed with sunlight; the gorgeous floral stained glass window adorns the staircase. They restored everything they could from the 1903 home. We slept on the third floor. Their children: Karine, Leslie, and Vincent are grown and living in Switzerland. Each week Rosemarie takes the train to Berne where she works and sleeps in an atelier shared with 6 other artists. She has a show the end of this month. Her paintings add beauty and uniqueness to her home.

She loves to swim right off a little stone step into the lake. Amazing.

There is a path along the lake which we followed, passing a new community center, parks, and lake properties. The autumn leaves were colorful. We ate dinner at a nearby polytechnic college. A fancy restaurant housed in the same building as the student cafeteria, it specializes in game. We ate medallions of: deer, stag, and mountain goat. The deer was so tasty and tender; we wondered whether it was farmed, not wild. It was a heavy meal including a smoked meat salad and spaezle. Thoroughly fed, we slept well and late. Our first sight was a breakfast table with golden braided egg loaf, homemade jam, Swiss bacon, and mandarin oranges. We shared pictures of family and recent trips. At our request, they showed us photos of the September wedding of their son, Vincent. He was married in an old stone church nearby. Guests could walk to Bonnard’s home for a garden reception. Then, they had a dinner in a huge old hotel.

After breakfast, I toured Rosemarie’s ‘studio’ room. Wish I had taken a picture of it. Artistic people’s digs are intriguing. She saves plant pods, found objects, created objects, in process objects, etc. She is preparing a book chronicling her feelings about maternity.

We set out in the light rain to tour the golden vineyards of Valle. This is now a UNESCO Heritage Site as the vines are hundreds of years old and so picturesque terraced on steep hills culminating in Lake Geneva and surrounded by snow-capped mountains. People are allowed to walk among the vines once the grapes are harvested. Some grapes remained along the border, perhaps to make ice wine, Guy speculated. This area is his childhood home. Rosemarie grew up in Zurich.

We walked along the lake to a bakery named ‘Vincent’s’ where we bought sandwiches to eat by the lake and pastries to enjoy with coffee when we returned to their home to pack. Our lovely visit culminated at the nearby train station where they said   “Au Revoir” and we set off for the Geneva Airport. We stayed the night at a very new, VERY stylish Hilton decorated in black and Plexiglass. The transparent Plexiglas sink and counter were elegant and impractical. A narrow counter sent everything sliding into the sink!

Just now we will approach our gate in hopes of a smooth journey from Madrid to Zurich and on to Edinburgh, a fine walk-around city we visited in 2000.

SCOTLAND

Here is a beautiful country about the size of our Washington State and with just a few more people. This reminded me that we too are sparsely populated when we look at it this way. Scotland has 2/3 of the landmass of England, but 1/10th of the people. Astounding splashes of deep, deep green distinguish Scotland and attest to its rainy weather.

EDINBURGH

Restaurant raves: Home Bistro, Wedgewood, and Vittoria!

We’re staying at Ten Hill Place,   an inn used by visitors to the Royal College of Surgeons nearby. It is very pleasant here. Our room has a view of King Arthur’s seat atop the mountain. We climbed there last trip, so are content to savor the memory. After a good night’s sleep, we walked much of Edinburgh on our first day. Past Edinburgh Castle with Mike’s ancestor, Queen Margare’s chapel atop. Autumn leaves brightened the landscape along Water Leith near the 12th c. Dean Village. I love the old stone buildings –  so much character. Dean Village was a grain mill town. Some of the old millstones remain. After following a narrow path along the water, we found a lunch spot then continued our trek. This included another look at the beautifully decorateds Scottish National Portrait Gallery. Mike’s ancestors are nicely portrayed on a mural surrounding the wooden balcony. A print of the mural is available as a poster. What we really hope to find are reprints of the family portraits at Holyrood. (later found some on Google Image!)

We continued on to Princes Street where the ultra-friendly Scottish Archives staff welcomed us to a ‘tasters’ session. This is a fun way to market their services. None of the stuffiness and complicated rules of our national archive staff! At the end of both two-hour tasters, they give a lecture highlighting resources.   We sat for a while and searched for John Tillery. Later that week I searched for the various forms of O’Melveny on the slim chance that the reason the Irish don’t recognize our name is that it is Scotch-Irish. No Maolfhiona, Maolfiona, Melvena, O’Melvena, nor O’Melveney to be found. Looked for another ancestor, Susan McKee, but couldn’t find one with proper dates. Hope to get to Ulster one day where O’Melveny history may be found. Plus would like to go further north in western Ireland in County Mayo and claim that castle near Mollina mentioned in William O’Melveny’s history!

The Royal Museum of Scotland was next. We checked the history books in the museum shop. No portraits of these early kings and queens. I was impressed by the helpfulness of all whom we consulted during the day, with special thanks to the shoe repair shop man who took time to recommend some sites. He loves the Royal Museum and advised that, once we entered this newly restored museum, we may choose never to leave.

Museums just keep getting better and better. They displayed gorgeous ancient jewelry on the wrists and necks of robot looking mannequins. Families gather in the Discovery Zones on each floor to visit the exhibit-related interactive stations. Not much in the museum on the early kings and queens. Lots of attention to Mary Queen of Scots and later royalty. Two exhibits were especially engaging and fresh: One was a panoramic sized screen showing early settlements, then morphing to show the next group of inhabitants, their housing, etc. The other was a video interviewing 20-30 Scots asking them what they liked and didn’t like about being a Scot, what makes them unique, how they feel about Edinburgh, etc. Fascinating kaleidoscope.

There was a speakers’ dinner served in the wood paneled library of the Royal Surgeons College. Portraits of notable surgeons lined the hallways. The Harry Potter books and films change us. I now contemplate conversing with these staid looking notables! I enjoyed talking with people from Brazil, UK, Slovakia, and the USA. Yes, people are very hopeful of better relations with the USA now that we have a new administration. We had a lovely stew, potatoes and ratatouille. Perfect for a coolish windy night.

On to the Malt Shovel, a pub with live jazz at 9pm. Although I prefer talk radio to music stations, I love the holistic experience of live performance. Hope to visit more pubs during our stay. How fabulous that they are (since 2006) SMOKE FREE!

Yesterday I stopped at the Scottish Storytelling Centre where I learned there was a monthly gathering that very night! Out goes the scientific meeting’s reception in Edinburgh Castle. I joined the group for stories from 7-9pm. The theme was “Stars and the Moon “  so I told “The Song of the Stars”, an Algonquin poem with native sign language. Michael Krewes? was the host and told 4 stories very skillfully. Others did traditional songs and stories and one told an original story. There is instant camaraderie among storytellers and story lovers. That, plus they make their hot chocolate with chocolate chips- yum.

The center shares space with the John Knox museum. He stayed in this home of Mary of Scots’ goldsmith to be near St. Giles Church where he was the pastor. We peeked into St. Giles one evening, just before the 6pm service. After hearing the booming organ and seeing at least 100 choir members walk past us, we decided to stay for some of the service. Their excellent voices soared to fill the church with sound. Glorious! However, when we decided to leave quietly, we were mistaken. A church official needed to unlock the door so we could exit. Blush!   The exhibits in Knox’s home effectively told of the antagonism between Queen Mary and John Knox-both sincere religious leaders. It was very interesting for this Catholic to see Knox’s good points. He had reason to question the infallibility of the popes of that time. I hadn’t really thought about that and also that superstition was alive and well. I had always dismissed this criticism of Catholics worshipping statues. Museums today embrace technology and we are the beneficiaries. I am happy for today’s children that they can approach the facts using a variety of media. We heard the roar of the protesting crowds and actors reading quotes from Knox’s sermons.

Edinburgh is a wonderful town for bookstores. We walked right past Harry Potter’s Blackwell bookstore each day as it’s near our hotel. We also saw the pub where Rowling wrote two of the books. (Elephant …) At night it is a wonderful place for those who like spookiness. No wonder their terror tours are so popular. Complete with mist, fog, rain, wind, an underground town and narrow closes. (outside corridors)

We walked along George Street where there are fine shops. I did a little Christmas shopping, then stopped at Jenners coffee shop on the 5th floor. I had asked a shopkeeper where to find the best scones in that neighborhood.

I’ve seen traditional currant, plain scones, and treacle scones. Haven’t opted for the latter as my taste of treacle in London was so very sweet. My favorite so far is the currant and cherry scone.

On my walks in the newer section of town, I hear some fierce battles of the car horns. A truck stopped to unload, blocking traffic. The truck driver was so annoyed by the 5 minutes of non-stop honking at him, that he got back into his cab and used his horn to beep a rhythm of sound right back before he moved on and eased the congestion.

The purpose of our trip is for Mike to present at the European Association of Tissue Banks. The British Tissue Bank Association is a co-host.

Each of our evening receptions is in a different historic building. Last night we listened to a Scottish choir sing “Amazing Grace”, “Auld Lang Syne” and many others. The Merchants’ Hall has a gorgeous painted ceiling with delicate plaster flowers in intricate patterns. They sang in madrigal style. It reminded me of Teresa and Brendans’s participation in Madrigal evenings in Spokane. There was a whiskey tasting, but we both refrained. It was great chatting with friends from Australia, Germany, Ireland, etc.

Edinburgh is a hilly town. I decided not to take my running shoes (called ‘trainers’ here). No problem. I’ve done miles and miles of walking. I love to investigate the narrow passageways, alleys, and winding paths.   It’s nice to take a break from my usual exercise regimen.

Now that we’ve made no-cancel reservations for a bus tour of the Western Highlands, we learned last night that taking the train is the preferred way to see the whole Highland area. It goes right along the Western coast near the Isle of Skye . Maybe some of you can try this one day? November is not a tourist month. Cold, rainy, windy with some things closed for the winter. The good news is that the places that are open, are uncrowded on weekdays.

Toured Holyrood Palace for the second time and almost had the place to ourselves. This is a must-see as far as I’m concerned plus they are adding items all the time. The blood spot from Mary Queen of Scot’s lover stains the floor, the furnished rooms are interesting, the fact this is used for Royal functions to this day, is compelling. Next to the palace is the Queen’s Gallery, showing one part of the Royal Collection every 6 months. This week it was Italian Baroque. I was lucky because I had just seen Rembrandt and Rubens’ use of light and now could see Caravaggio and others’ interpretations.

Stopped on Princes Street to pick up my companion’s husband’s kilt set for tonight’s ceilidh (said kaylee) held at The Hub- Edinburgh’s Festival Venue. It was once a huge gothic church. I loved the large stained glass window on the upper balcony. It portrayed two doves and three white ghostlike figures. The walls and ceiling were painted in bold blue and red banners- very elegant.

About a dozen men wore kilts to the dinner dance. The Scots demonstrated some traditional dances to a live band consisting of drummer, accordionist and keyboarder. Very nice. The band played waltzes and polkas- not our specialty, so we enjoyed watching for a change. Before dinner, an actor presented a Robert Burn’s poem while stabbing a haggis. (It looked like a human heart!). However, when we tasted haggis with smashed turnip and potato it was good- a little bit like beef hash. Salmon and berry trifle completed the meal. At our table we had Brazilians, Quebecquois, Australians, and Eastern Europeans.   Many of our foreign friends have lived in the USA for a time and speak English very well. True mundivagrants! I’m impressed.

Another walk to Holyrood, so Mike could see it. Aferwards we had a particularly fine lunch at Wedgewood on the Royal Mile. Later,   Mike watched the friendly rugby game between Scotland and South Africa on television. South Africa won.

WEST HIGHLAND TOUR by Scotland Explorer Tours.

In 2000, during our last stay in Edinburgh, I took a Highlands Tour and mostly saw the fogged inside of a bus window on a rainy stormy day! So, imagine my exhilarated state when I saw the first really blue sky on our trip. There were just 8 of us: 2 Italians, 1 Swiss, 2 Poles, and one more.

Throughout the day we drove past private forests, generally planted by Japan and nearby Norway. They are not the native Caledonian Pine, but another evergreen. Unlike the native forests, these are very dense and incapable of sustaining wildlife. We stopped at Argyll National Forest, walking near “Rest and be Thankful”, an oasis for those who hiked up this mountain. Scots are natural poets!

Wales, Ireland, Scotland, England do share lovely countryside, stone fences, sheep grazing, and green pastures. Scotland adds rushing streams, 33,000 lochs (lakes) and the beaming Scottish pride of our young guide.

We saw the outside of several castles: Stirling, Kilchurn, and Inveraray. The latter belongs to the Campbells, who forced an entire village to relocate down the road so they could have this particular castle with its view. I’d say Kilchurn’s position on Loch Awe is more enviable. As we drove along, we saw traffic signs with Gaelic names in yellow alongside the English terms.

The guide, Matt, drew a parallel between Mary Queen of Scots and Princess Diane. Both were beautiful and maligned by some of the nobility, yet adored by the commoners.

I was charmed by the village of Luss, right on Loch Lomond. We got off the tour bus, and then strolled down a narrow lane lined with one-story stone cottages. To our delight, a older woman emerged from her front door and cheerfully wished us a “Good Morning”. What a lovely spot! The swans nearby and all through the UK are plentiful and protected by Elizabeth I’s decree.

Ben Lomond (my sister, Peggy, used to live in Ben Lomond, CA) loomed above us. Some snow had fallen on the mountains the previous week. ‘Ben’ means ‘mountain’ in Gaelic. Heather covers much of the land and mountains, now brownish in winter.

We stopped in Loch Fein, famous for its seafood and in Killin with rippling falls in the middle of town. As we drove past President Eisenhower’s ancestors’ graves, I thought of his starting the People to People program that sent us to China and Mongolia.

Our last stop was a visit with a long-haired highland cow named ‘Hamish’. We drove by the 15th c. castle at Doune, the site of “Monty Python and the Hold Grail”. This movie evokes memories of long ago. I was hosting a baby shower for a neighbor. I asked Mike to take our young children to see this movie because I thought it was a comedy. Yes, I wanted them out of the house during the shower. I had no clue about the violence! They returned home with bloody anecdotes- oh my! The town of Doune has a pistol factory which supplied the gun that started the American Revolution. The expression “Armed to the Teeth” came from this town with its River Teith.

We roamed the old city then had Cumberland sausages (good!), mashed potatoes, and brown gravy at Dean Brodie’s Tavern. He was the inspiration for Robert Louis Stevenson’s   Dr. Jekyll and Mr.Hyde.   Brodie was a respectful citizen by day and a renegade by night.

After 8 days walking around this charming city, we set the alarm for 3:30am in order to fly back home with an airport stop in Copenhagen. Home sounds very, very good!