Welcome To Scotland (June 23rd Update)

My flight to Glasgow was as uneventful as you would want a flight to be and we even arrived about 20 minutes early. Also arriving without incident was my luggage and my bike. My arranged meeting with my hosts (Gary and Fiona) also went seamlessly. Oh, and it was sunny. Not just a bit sunny, but really sunny. I’m not going to lie, I wasn’t expecting that.

My hosts aren’t Warm Showers hosts but rather friends of my brother … actually, the original connection would be friends of a friend of my brother. Either way, they have been unbelievably great on so many levels.

From picking me up at the airport, to driving me around town to pick up some of the necessities that one can’t just carry onto a plane, like stove fuel … and peanut butter. The fuel I needed was methyl hydrate but in the UK it’s called methylated spirits … and it’s purple. No, that’s not really critical information but when has that ever been the criteria as to what I include in these updates? I also bought some insect repellent to (hopefully) ward off the nasty midges I’ve been told hunt Scotland’s outdoor enthusiasts.

My first day in Scotland also included a bit of a walking (and driving) tour of Glasgow. In between all that activity I assembled my bike and took a nap. The assembly of my bike was done while Gary and Fiona went off to register their “Brexit” vote. It would seem I picked quite a significant day to arrive in the UK.

In addition to all the aforementioned help Gary and Fiona offered, Gary also thoroughly reviewed a map of Scotland with me. As I mentioned before, any time I’ve looked at a map of Scotland my route has changed. That tradition continued. Except in this case, it wasn’t so much that my route changed but rather I was given more insight as to things to see along my route … okay, and maybe my route changed a bit in the process. If nothing else, I’m less certain as to what my route will be but I’m okay with that. It’s good to have options.

The evening ended with a fantastic dinner of salmon and beans and mashed potatoes. Actually, the mashed potatoes had a specific name – they weren’t JUST mashed potatoes – but they were just SO good. There was also beer from the Isle of Skye (which I hope to visit at some point). Oh, and there may have been ice cream too.

Yup, it was a good day. A very good day.