theparkerfamily.org

Month: April 2009

  • Glen Coe

    [Glen Coe, Scotland, UK.]
    [Glen Coe, Scotland, UK.]
    [Glen Coe, Scotland, UK.]
    [Glen Coe, Scotland, UK.]
    the mountains around Glen Coe are officially on my list of most beautiful places on the planet. there is an strange quiet and sadness that permeates the landscape, which might be why it’s (erroneously) translated as the Valley of Weeping.

    for those playing along at home, Glencoe is where several dozen of MacDonalds (ancestors on my maternal grandmother’s side) were killed in their own home by the guests who had accepted their hospitality, because the MacDonalds had not yet pledged their allegience to new monarchs William and Mary.

    (yes, THAT William and Mary.)

    it really is stunning here — so stunning, we’re going to stop again on our way back from the Isle of Skye, too.

    See All the Photos on Flickr:
    Glen Coe, Scotland

  • so, a funny thing happened

    [Castle Stalker, near Port Appin, Scotland, UK.]
    so, a funny thing happened at the car dealership.

    i rented a car from whatever the nationwide/generic car rental place was, and the only thing i asked for was for it to be an automatic. i’ve done the wrong side of the road thing before, but had little interest in doing it on hills with a clutch.

    turns out that the only automatic that they had on the lot was a Mercedes E-Class Wagon, which the guy described as being worth more than his annual paycheck (it costs $49,250 in the States).

    he gave it to us for the rate we already agreed to for what we thought was going to be a crappy Scandinavian four-door, and tossed in a GPS to boot. the lady sparkler said to decline the insurance to use our own, and i drove the really expensive car off the lot like a scared little boy.

    when we got back to the apartment (we’re in a two-bedroom for our stay in Edinburgh) i made my wife call our insurance, just to be sure we were okay. it went something like this:

    We just rented a Mercedes wagon, and want to make sure it’s covered under our insurance.

    What do you mean when you say that you don’t cover “certain” luxury vehicles — like what, Ferrari’s and Lambroghinis?

    So, I started walking back to the rental place — and told him either to give us insurance or to walk over and pick the car back up himself.

    Long story short, we got insurance — and my parents just got upgraded from riding around in the back of a Ford Mondeo for a week.

  • Lochabre

    [Laird's Woods, Lochaber, Scotland, UK.]
    friends of my father’s gave him deed to a piece of land in Scotland for his birthday. granted, it’s only one square food but apparently that’s enough to give him the title of “Laird” within the Scottish aristocracy. it turned out to be right on our road to the Isle of Skye, so we swung by and saw his plot.
    See All the Photos on Flickr:
    Lochabre, Scotland

  • Castle Stalker and the Trossachs

    [Castle Stalker, near Port Appin, Scotland, UK.]
    [Loch Linnhe, Scotland, UK.]
    See Slideshow of the Photos on Flickr:
    Castle Stalker and the Trossachs, Scotland

  • Dunstaffnage Castle

    [Dunstaffnage Castle, near Oban, Scotland, UK.]
    [Dunstaffnage Castle, near Oban, Scotland, UK.]
    [Dunstaffnage Castle, near Oban, Scotland, UK.]
    See Slideshow of the Photos on Flickr:
    Dunstaffnage Castle, near Oban, Scotland

  • St. Conan’s Kirk

    [Robert the Bruce, St. Conan's Kirk, Scotland, UK.]
    See Slideshow of the Photos on Flickr:
    St. Conan’s Kirk, Lochawe, Scotland

  • Stirling Castle

    [Stirling Castle, Stirling, Scotland, UK.]
    [Family, Stirling Castle, Stirling, Scotland, UK.]
    [Monument to Wiliam Wallace, Stirling, Scotland, UK.]
    we’re on our way out west. we had one little hiccup when we hit the highway — couldn’t decide if the speed limits were in kilometers/hr or miles/hr, which makes a big difference — but at least driving on the wrong side of the road is old hat after three weeks in australia.
    See Slideshow of the Photos on Flickr:
    Stirling Castle, Stirling, Scotland

  • Holyrood

    [Holyrood Palace, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK.]
    [Holyrood Abbey, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK.]
    [Holyrood Palace, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK.]
    Holyrood is both Edinburgh’s Central Park and the home of the monarchy in Scotland. Besides the natural aspect, Holyrood made the list because Queen Elizabeth spends a little over a week here each summer. I’m starting to realize that i’m a bit of a Royal Watcher.
    See All the Photos on Flickr:
    Holyrood, Edinburgh, Scotland

  • Edinburgh Castle

    [Edinburgh Castle, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK.]
    [Edinburgh Castle, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK.]
    [Edinburgh Castle, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK.]
    [Royal Mile, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK.]
    See Slideshow of the Photos on Flickr:
    Edinburgh Castle, Scotland

  • Old Edinburgh

    [Sir Walter Scott Monument, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK.]
    [Canongate Kirk, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK.]
    [Views of Old Town, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK.]
    [Old Town, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK.]
    we’ve landed, taken the train up to Scotland, and have made a couple of forays into Edinburgh. my father has already struck up a rapport with the locals (well, the locals involved in the restaurant industry) and Scotland is just a beautiful as described. all is well with the world.
    See All the Photos on Flickr:
    Old Edinburgh, Scotland