Noel McRae was nice enough to share this account of his recent trip to Scotland. I know you will enjoy reading it, and maybe he and Georgia will even show you a few of their favorite pictures! ~Ann
Our Scotland Trip
Scotland was an experience that Georgia and I will treasure. We spent three weeks visiting areas that our ancestors came from or were involved with. From palaces to the McRae Castle we gained insights into what life was like centuries ago.
We planned the trip on our own. I drove the car while Georgia worked at keeping me on the "wrong" side of the road. We have vivid memories of narrow, curvy roads where we wondered if there was enough room to safely pass the on-coming vehicle.
We spent a lot of time in small more remote areas of the Scottish Highlands, hiking, and seeing small - sometimes tiny - villages.
The contrast of extreme wealth in enormous palaces to the simplicity of thatched cottages had a real impact on our perceptions of how life used to be. A highlight was to find my uncle's name on a plaque of WWI McRae heroes. This was something I had heard about for a long time. After a search at the McRae castle I found it on an outside wall.
We have lots of stories and pictures to share. We have commented that, like so many things in life, one can hear about the experiences of others, even see pictures, but until one experiences some of the sights, smells, and life, it is very difficult to feel the impact with much empathy. Seeing a picture of the Grand Canyon is nothing like standing on the edge and looking across. When we share our Scotland stories with Mike and Marilyn Perry, who have recently visited Scotland, we know they can more fully appreciate our experiences.
Georgia and I now feel like we have a little more feel for our Scottich ancestors.
No comments:
Post a Comment