Newsletter #39 - March 11 to 18, 1960
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Newsletter No. 39
March 11 to March 18, 1960
Mailed from Paris, France 3/24/6O
Received in Philadelphia 3/29/60
Greetings:
Today [March 12] was
certainly a hurried one as we had an early breakfast and
were on the road by 7:30 AM. We drove through Ireland today
as if we were being chased as we wanted to catch the ship at
Larne by 4.30 PM. It is the latest cars will be taken aboard
even though they do not sail until 6:50 PM. Our reason for
wishing to sail today was there would not be another ship
leaving for another two days and we did not wish to stay in
Ireland that much longer because the weather is terrible. We
drove in rain most of today and went through many small
Irish villages but only one was of real interest. It was
Limerick, a city near Shannon Airport and in the Shannon
Valley and River area. Here we saw the Castle of King John
and the ruins of a 6th Century Abbey and a lovely Cathedral.
Some of the other towns we passed through were Ennis, Gort,
Athlone and Cavan.
Ireland has very little traffic and
often for miles we met no cars but you cannot make very good
time on their narrow winding, curvy roads. We feel we saw
most of Ireland's top scenic spots and we are now very
anxious to explore the sights of Scotland. Ireland is one
country I do not feel I'll have to visit again as we were
really unimpressed with its countryside.
We are now safely back in Scotland
after a delicious meal aboard the ship called "Princess
Margaret" and a much smoother trip than on the way over. Our
fare round trip to Ireland, which included the car, was
$64.00 and although we are glad we saw this island we feel
it was money foolishly spent just to kiss the "Blarney
Stone" as its other attractions left us cold. Perhaps the
bad weather had something to do with our poor opinion of
Eire. We probably should have stayed for St. Patrick's Day
but I wanted to be in Edinburgh for a flower show instead.
Today [March 13] we saw
many interesting sights and places. We first drove along the
Scottish coast to Girvan and then Turnberry situated on the
sandy Turnberry Bay, which is noted for its motor racing and
its golf course. Nearby we visited a beautifully situated
Castle on Culzean Bay which has gorgeous grounds very well
landscaped, a swan pond and a view of grandeur from any
angle. The first two floors of the Castle were furnished and
open to the public and contained furnishings from the Adams
Period as well as Louis XIV and XV, Chippendale, Queen Anne,
Hepplewhyte, Victorian, etc. and also contained some very
famous paintings. The top part or third floor of this
exquisite Culzean Castle has been presented to our President
Eisenhower as a Scottish residence and he has been there
several times. (I am sure this Castle has one of the most
picturesque settings I have ever seen.)
We next visited the quaint village
of Alloway where we saw the Robert Burns Cottage which is
now used as a Museum and is a simple thatched roofed home
where he was born in 1759. About one mile from this cottage
we saw the Brig O'Doon (bridge aver the Doon River) which he
wrote about in his Tam O'Shanter poem. This is a lovely
stone arched bridge in a beautiful area where a handsome
monument of Robert Burns has been erected. Burns was
Scotland's greatest poet and this area of Scotland is called
Robert Burns Country. In the city of Ayr, a popular holiday
resort and seaport, we viewed the "Tam O'Shanter" Inn, an
old thatched building associated with Burns and the bridges
of many of his poems.
After leaving Ayr we drove along
Scotland's Western Coast for another 100 miles and viewed
many lovely vistas and striking scenery until we arrived at
the thriving seaport and industrial center of Glasgow,
Scotland's largest city. Glasgow is on the River Clyde
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and many famous ships such as the Queen Mary and the Queen
Elizabeth were built at shipyards on this river . In Glasgow
we saw their tremendous Glasgow University which is situated
on Gilmore Hill and consists of many large old castle like
structures of great antiquity. We also saw the Glasgow
Cathedral, a magnificent structure, the Art Gallery and
Museum and the ancient mansion known as Provand's lordship
on Castle Street.
Today [March 14] we left
Glasgow in fog which made photography impossible and such a
shame as their ancient outstanding buildings are most
unusual. (This same heavy mist was in the city yesterday
when we arrived so we'll have no pictures of Glasgow's
charm.) We drove through the cities of Clydebank and
Dumbarton end were soon on the shores of Loch Lomond where
we drove along its sylvan banks for at least 40 miles. This
celebrated lake is beautiful but our weather was gray and
cloudy with light rain during the entire trip. We also drove
along Loch Leven and saw Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in
the British Isles; our entire trip today was among lovely
forests and mountain scenery where we saw much snow, but
none on the highway. After leaving this mountain area we
drove for quite a distance along the scenic lake called Loch
Ness and were soon in the city of Inverness, the capital of
the Highlands. We arrived in this city rather early so we
did quite a bit of sightseeing after we found our hotel.
This highland city is very old in history and is at the head
of the Moray Firth situated on the banks of the River Ness
and has a lovely Castle near the river overlooking the city.
On the outskirts of Inverness is the Caledonian Canal and
about 6 miles away is Castle Stuart. Tomorrow we plan to go
to the extreme northern end of Scotland (if the roads are
open) where we hope to see the rugged, wild, sparsely
inhabited region of the Highlands.
[March 15] The Motor Club
gave us the go ahead for driving the 150 miles north to John
0'Groats, we started out this AM rather early as it was 320
miles of driving over narrow, curving roads. We are staying
in Inverness another night as there is only one decent road
in this area which meant we had to return by the same route.
We first drove to Beauly where we saw the ruins of a 13th
Century Abbey in the vast Caledonian Forest and then we went
on to Dingwall and saw an obelisk and several, monuments. In
the town of Golspie we viewed Dunrobin Castle and grounds,
in Helmsdale the ruins of the Castle which was the scene of
the poisoning of the Earl and Countess of Sutherland, in
Berriedale the ancient Castle of Berriedale which was once
the stronghold of the Earl of Carthness, in Wick the ruins
of Castle Girnigoe and then we arrived at John 0'Groats
which seemed like a deserted place in the mist and light
rain.
From John 0'Groats we drove along
the northern coast to Thurso where the United Kingdome's
Atomic Energy Authority is established. Along this coast we
saw Barrogill Castle which has again reverted to its ancient
name of Castle of May and is now owned by Her Majesty, the
Queen Mother. Later we drove through the Carthness moors and
the wilderness of the Highlands which must be really
gorgeous in August when they claim it is covered with purple
heather. Today we saw hills, rolling plains and high cliffs
facing the North Sea and the Atlantic and in many areas we
saw great sandy beaches and interesting sheltered glens and
bays. We feel it was a day we will always remember because
of the wild beauty of these northern Scottish Highlands.
Scottish Castles of which we have
seen many, have figured prominently in the ballads, history
and literature of this country and many were built for
military purposes rather than for homes. Many of their
castles have fallen into ruin and those which have not are
either domesticated into livable homes or open to visitors
at a fee, but the turrets and embattlements still seem to
stress their original purpose.
After leaving Inverness today
[March 16] we drove to Nairn, a well known bathing
and golf center on the Moray Firth, and then drove over the
Cairngorms, the highest mountain group in Great Britain.
From a distance these mountains look flat and uninspiring
and more like a plateau carved and rounded by the weather
but when you drive over them you realize their height and we
were even lucky to drive over them as the passes were almost
blocked with snow and were only opened yesterday after
having been closed for three months. The mist was quite
heavy and it blew almost like a hurricane, but we managed to
get through. We saw quite a few skiers in the Grampian
Mountains but
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there was no Alpine sunshine as they
have in Switzerland and Austria.
Our next place of interest today
was Balmoral Castle in the valley of the Dee, which was
built for Queen Victoria in the years 1848-55 in the lovely
Highland Country which she loved. The Castle is in the Scots
Baronial style with a massive tower and several wings and is
built of light grey granite which is found in this area. It
has been a Royal Residence for almost a century, but only
during summer months.
Next we drove to Aberdeen which is
called the "Granite City" because most of its buildings are
made of this stone. It is a large city and has a fishing
trade as well as being a paper manufacturing city. From
Aberdeen we drove inland again in order to see the famous
Glands Castle which is near Dundee on the Firth of Tay. This
was the childhood home of the Queen Mother and one of the
finest and most picturesque castles in Britain. Princess
Margaret Rose was born at Glamis Castle in 1930 and it is
the seat of the Earls of Strathmore. In this same area is
the birthplace and countryside associated with James Barrie,
the novelist. Tonight we are staying in an ancient little
Cathedral City beautifully situated in the richly wooded
valley of the Tay and from our hotel windows we can watch
the swift waters of the Tay River go madly along. The small
towns name is Dunkeld and it has a picturesque Cathedral
which is quite old and famous.
Today [March 17] we drove
to the City of Perth, the former Capital of Scotland and at
one time the residence of Scottish kings. Here we saw the
site of the Blackfriars' Monastery and St. John's Church
where John Knox preached his famous sermons against the
Roman Catholic Church. Perth is a city of many fashionable
homes as is St. Andrews the home of the "Royal and Ancient
Game of Golf" on famed St. Andrews Golf Course by the ocean.
This city impressed us immensely with its Castle on a rock
Overlooking the sea, its fine University founded in 1412
(Scotland's oldest) and its beautiful churches and Martyrs'
Monument. Another inspiring place we saw and visited today
was Falkland Castle built by the several King James. It was
first built by Mary, Queen of Scots father and French
mother, Mary of Lorraine and Mary, Queen of Scots was born
here. Our town guide at this Castle was very informative and
made the place sound so glamorous. About 2:30 this afternoon
we arrived in Edinburgh, the Capital of Scotland and an
outstanding city situated on a high crag dominated by
historic Edinburgh Castle and overlooking the Firth of
Forth, the shores of Fife and the distant outline of the
Highlands. Edinburgh has been called many things; it has
been called Auld Reekie, owing to the smoke which hangs over
the city, and it has been called the modern Athens, because
of its many Doric, Ionic and Corinthian columns and its many
buildings that might be mistaken for temples and because of
unusual Calton Hill which is crowned by a group of classical
monuments reminiscent of the Acropolis in Athens. But to us,
regardless of what name you call Edinburgh, it could be
considered a tourist's paradise as you pass from picturesque
corners to unforgettable views, from lovely gardens to
scenes of grim tales of long ago, from ancient churches to
modern shop fronts and from historic pasts to a present day
Scottish Spring Flower Show which we viewed for about 2
hours in lovely Waverly Market. (We planned to be here
today, St. Patrick's Day [March 17], for this
annual, event.) This flower show was very nice but does not
compare with the annual shows we have seen in Philadelphia
and Washington.
Today [March 18] is the
last day of another newsletter week and we are still in
Edinburgh enjoying its many shrines and places of interest.
We saw the Scottish National War Memorial which commemorates
those who fell during World War I, we saw the old St. Giles
Cathedral, erected in the l4th Century with its unusual and
ornate spire, we vent to Holyroodhouse which is Scotland's
most important Royal Palace and the official residence of
Her Majesty the Queen when she is in Edinburgh, and we
visited Edinburgh Castle, the most notable landmark in the
city. Another lovely area of Edinburgh is the square where
the huge and magnificent Sir Walter Scott Monument stands.
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Anyone who has visited Edinburgh will also remember "The
Royal Mile" which is composed
of the Esplanade, Castle Hill, Lawnmarket, Parliament
Square, Outlook Tower, High
Street, Canongate Street, High Kirk of St. Giles, the Mercat
Cross, the Cenotaph, the
John Knok House, and, last, the Palace of Holyroodhouse, all
being in Old Town in
almost a straight line.
We left Edinburgh about noon and
drove through Southern Scotland into the border
country and the beloved countryside of Sir Walter Scott
which is a land of green
hills, wooded slopes, rolling moors, castles and neat and
prosperous little towns
and villages lying in sheltered valleys . This is called the
Lowlands of Scotland
but is really not low or flat and contains very beautiful
mountain scenery. (Lowlands
and Highlands of Scotland are really southern and northern
Scotland) Tonight we are
back in England but we must tell you that we enjoyed every
minute of our 7 days in
picturesque Scotland even though we had 7 days of cloudy,
gray, dull weather and we
certainly would welcome a chance to return during a summer
or autumn to again view
the many attractions and unsurpassed views Scotland offers
the tourist.
In case I forgot to mention the
Scotch broom which grows wild in many areas of
Scotland and the lovely pines which abound everywhere, they
made the countryside
quite unique. I sure wish I could send home a Scotch broom
plant for every member
of my Garden Club as I am sure they would find it quite
handy to have as background
material when doing some of their floral arrangements. The
English Holly in England
and Scotland is also very outstanding and the leaves look as
if they have been
waxed to a high luster. The foliage and green plants on
these British Isles are
outstanding and prolific and although I am not a covetous
person I would certainly
like to be able to grow same of the unusual plants I have
enjoyed here during these
past four weeks.
Until I write again next week, we send
our regards and best wishes to you all.
Fondly,
Meredith and Charlotte
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