by John Graham

Created on: July 12, 2008

Scotland

Scotland is always wet and cold. I can guarantee that. Yahoo weather station showed rain every day leading to our trip and apparently for weeks afterwards, so we packed Mackintoshes, galoshes, sweaters, and umbrellas.

However, we landed in full sunshine at temperatures in the upper eighties and learnt two dreadful lessons. Yahoo hasn't a clue about the weather abroad, and Scotland, because it is always wet and cold, has never heard of effective air conditioning. In the first week I spent a lot of time in my underwear crouched in front of a fan in a room of the Glasgow Marriott. No! Not all Marriott Hotels are equal.

Still, it got better.

We rented an automatic Mercedes a new 5-door version called a Baby Benz. It was ideal for travelers and the rear storage was big enough for one average American case, a little soft-sided carry-on and some odds and ends. A second case had to be carried on the back seats so if you aim to carry four in this car make sure that they don't need many changes of clothing. Nude would be good.

Edinburgh was full of kilts and expectations both for the World Cup qualifying soccer match against Italy and fireworks on the last day of the annual celebrations. The match ended in a disappointing, but honorable, draw and the fireworks from the castle above the city were superb. Honor was upheld all around.

Most notable in the city though was the National Gallery below the castle, which, although small, contained a very comprehensive collection of Flemish masters and more from the Low Countries. Steen, ter Borsch, Reuben, Rembrandt, and others were well represented. Including too the first painting known by Jan Vermeer, showing how well he matured in subject and style in later years. This was his only religious painting.

Glasgow too was blessed with an excellent gallery: the Hunterian, which contained a great collection by Whistler as well as more Flemish paintings. Afterwards we found how intertwined Scotland had been with Belgium throughout history so these collections made sense.

Adjacent to the Hunterian we visited the Charles Rennie Macintosh home. He was born a year later than Frank Lloyd Wright and they both practiced architecture and design over the same years. Their designs of houses, furniture and fittings are almost identical and yet neither biography refers to the other so it is difficult to see who influenced whom.

Immediately out of Glasgow the highlands of Scotland begin. Ben Lomond, a small bump in terms of the Rockies, looms

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