Kilted fortnight holiday in scotland & france

[McClef]

What a wonderful ending to a wonderful journey!

[cessna152towser]

Ern, this has to be the best xmarks photothread of 2009. Thanks for the comprehensive pictorial coverage of your trip.
I love to see my native Scotland through the eyes of a visitor and it was wonderful to meet you while you were in Edinburgh. Haste ye back to bonnie Scotland!
The views of the Alps are equally beautiful, the portraits of your host piping in the Alps are very poignant, and I see that Ancienne Alliance drives a car the same as mine, a Renault Kangoo.

[Scot01always]

You certainly seem to pack ALOT of sightseeing in your time over there. And, to come home and find you are in the paper what an ending! You certainly know how to keep all of us on the edge of our seats waiting to see what you would see and do next. Glad you had such a very good trip.
Thank you for sharing,
Cheers, Leslie

[celt72]

Ern,
Thank you so much for taking the tiime and effort to post all of your pictures along with the wonderful commentary. It has given me a taste of the wonderful experience you must of had. Since I don't have the time or money to do it myself at this point, I very much appreciate the effort you put in to share this with us!

-Martin

[Oddern]

Ern, you have taken us on a fantastic journey. I have not commented on along the way, but have read the thread every day to keep up with your journey. Thank you, you have inspired many of us.

[Mael Coluim]

Posting this thread has instilled in my memory what an outstanding vacation this was. I am very grateful to those who had the vision for The Gathering and saw it through. If I had not heard Lord Jamie Sempill talk about it at the 2007 Grandfather Mountain Games, I would not had visited Scotland this summer.

This trip has only increased my desire to see more of Scotland and return as soon as I can. Of all the things I saw and did, what stand out most to me are the relationships I experienced. As you would expect my time with Redshanks, Ancienne Alliance and Lady Chrystel was exceptional in establishing bonds of friendship. My time in Edinburgh paling with the XMarks rabble experiencing the events of The Gathering made it more memorable esperience. As well as alot more fun!

Kilted Travel
You stand out in the crowd and people are drawn to you. In the airports, people sought me out going over and coming back from Scotland wanting to share or ask something relating to Scotland. I have made some new friends through those encounters. I had many requests to have their picture taken with me. Most of those came from Asian and Mid Eastern young people. Tourists in Scotland would ask me questions thinking I was local.

Being kilted posed no problems with airport security. I kept on my kilt pins, one of which is a real horse blanket pin and none caused a stir. My sgian dubh was left home. I traveled with four kilts. I had rolled kilts before in my travel bag, but this trip I followed Rocky’s advice in folding them. I found this the more preferable way. It’s quicker in getting them packed away and they folded out creaseless.

Being a advocate of wearing sock liners, I kept my hose in good condition with all the a walking I did. It’s easier to wash liners than hose. Bring yourself a pre-cut inner sole for your walking shoes. You will do more walking than you are accustom to and may need to replace it. I went about always with my raincoat and hat and was never bothered with the rain that I would encounter.

Travel Preparations
A local travel agent booked my flights and hotels. I was surprised haw much money he saved for me. I really wasn’t planning to use a travel agent, thinking I could get good deals myself with booking on line. Boy was I wrong. He was also quite helpful in getting information for me and making suggestions. (He knew Scotland.)

Before leaving home, call your credit and debit card companies and advise them you are traveling. If you don’t you may find yourself with suspended accounts because of your different spending patterns. I did. It took me 24 hours to get them re-opened.

Thanks to those of you with kind comments. If anyone would have any questions now or in the future please feel free to PM me. It was great having you along!

[MacKay71]

Wow! Thanks for the great photo journy! My wife and I are planning to go to Scotland in 2011 and this has helped us figure out what we may want to do a great deal. thanks for the tips as well!

Scott

[Scot01always]

Many times the locals you are staying with,B&B, etc. can give you more tips. Where to catch buses, where to park, where not to park ( this can be even more important sometimes!). Areas to stay away from. All you have to do is ask.
Again LOVE the photos.
Cheers, Leslie

[sydnie7]

[snip] Before leaving home, call your credit and debit card companies and advise them you are traveling. If you don’t you may find yourself with suspended accounts because of your different spending patterns. I did. It took me 24 hours to get them re-opened.

Again, excellent thread, wonderful photos, and now good travel tips!

Call your card companies RIGHT before you leave. I called a few weeks in advance, then had another interaction with one card (due to a merchant dispute). That was the card that got suspended as soon as I tried to use it in UK. When I finally got back in touch with them, they said "oh yes, now we see the note that you'll be in UK for these dates" -- the info had gotten bumped from the top of the screen by the later merchant dispute. . . so much for being organized and prepared and doing things well in advance!

[dfmacliam]

This has been a very educational tread... an excellent posting with great photos and stories.. I felt I was watching this as you experienced it.. Thank You! 2 Thumbs Up!