Bill’s Business Trip to the United Kingdom
September
23 – 29, 2009
Bill made his first trip to Europe
to attend a work conference in England. After 12.5 hours of flying he ended up only
working 1 full day. Uh huh, sure, business trips are just so terrible. The rest
of the time he spent checking out London and then taking a quick trip up to
Scotland to visit his brother Leonard and sister in-law Cheryl who are there as
missionaries for Calvary Chapel. While in London he had the experience of
renting a car and driving on the opposite side of the road. He said that after
figuring out the roundabouts it was pretty simple. In the words of the great
Chevy Chase in European Vacation, “Hey kids, look there’s Big Ben!” In Scotland
Bill checked out Loch Ness for any signs of “Nessie” and Leonard made
arrangements for Bill to stay one night at Kilravock (pronounced Killrock)
Castle, the Rose family ancestral home, which is now a bed and breakfast.
Tourist season being over it was very quiet and the weather getting kind of
dreary toward the end of his stay. All the same, he was glad for the
experience.
Click on the picture for a larger version.
London
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Historical but still operative, Victoria Station |
Buckingham Palace Gate (I’ll bet this is pure gold plating) |
Victoria Memorial in front of the palace |
Ornate gate to Buckingham Palace |
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Cool statue in front of the Victoria Memorial (a gift from New
Zealand) |
Another statue at the Victoria Memorial |
The Queen’s pad |
View facing the mall in front of Buckingham Palace |
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Grandiose entrance to Green Park |
Wellington Arch |
World War I & II Memorial |
World War I Memorial |
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A cool old building near Victoria Station |
A park near Victoria Station |
Inside Victoria Station |
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Scotland
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A view of the Moray Firth (entrance to the North Sea) from
Leo’s house |
Some of the locals |
Some of the local transplants – Leo and Cheryl |
Urquhart castle on Loch Ness |
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Loch Ness picture |
A wing (animal stable) of the Kilravock Castle where I spent
the night |
The front lawn of the castle |
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The British flag flying high in the sky from the castle |
The one photo Bill took from inside the castle before the staff
told him “No pictures inside the castle sir.” |
The main tower (built in the 14th century) of the
Roses of Kilravock Castle |
The Roses of Kilravock Castle |
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The Kilravock Arboretum |
Another shot of the main tower |
Beautiful views from the castle |
The castle dove house |
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A cool entrance into the castle stable area |
The room where Bill spent the night at the castle |
Coat of Arms for the Rose Clan |
A plaque from a bridge in Scotland was embedded in the castle |
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A cool castle bell |
Longhorn (and long hair) bull in Scotland |
More info on the Kilravock Castle bed & breakfast |
Ullapool Scotland (a west coast tourist town, once a herring
port) |
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Cool boats in the harbor at Ullapool |
Ullapool stores |
Another shot of Ullapool harbor |
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