MicahJohn

Yesterday we hiked along the river that runs right past the house where we are staying. Throwing rocks in the water is always fun!

We also did a lot of reading together. I like stories!

Today we drove from the East side to the West of Scotland through the highlands. Beautiful!

Our first stop (other than quick photo stops) was Glencoe. The closest comparison that comes to mind is the heart of the Colorado Rockies. My apologies for slacking in the photo department.

Second stop: Ben Nevis, the highest point in Scotland. Judah (not feeling well), Mom, Dad, and Baruch, decided to take it easy today. The rest of us set off, not planning to get to the top, but just wanting to have a fun hike and see some sites. Asher and I got halfway. He was starting to get tired (so was my ankle). We turned around. The most beautiful thing we saw (in my opinion) was a lake high up seated on a saddle between two peaks. I assume Nan, Gabe, and Seth made it to the top  because they’re not back yet and I’ve been sitting here getting water, eating, writing emails, writing this post, etc.

It is true; the town we are staying outside of is called Rattray. I was enjoying morning runs through beautiful Scottish hills until two days ago when I was looking too much at the Scottish hills and not enough at the ground. I managed to step in a ditch hidden in the grass. I’m limping less. By God’s grace my ankle is healing quickly.

Also pre-ankle-meet-ditch, Baruch and I went on a fun hike along the bottom of a river gorge. At this stop we have enjoyed a relaxed pace of life. Our self catering accommodation has a nice large living room with a big window opposite a warm fireplace. We have done a lot of hanging out in the living room reading books out loud, singing a little, and playing a few games.

The fire starter they supplied us with is nice! It is a grill type pipe on the end of a hose connected to a propane tank. Nothing like a torch for starting fires.

Yesterday we went and saw a camera obscura. It was a room with a large camera lens in the center of the roof. A nice old guy with a fun Scottish accent told us about the countryside we were seeing as he rotated the mirror above the lens.

We also took a tour of the Dun House. We got to see a boot bath. Basically a bath shaped like a shoe. I don’t know if the purpose was to keep you covered up while you bathed or to keep in the heat, or what, but it was fun to see. We also saw some fun plaster work around the walls and ceiling of some of the rooms. Again, guides with Scottish accents are fun to listen to.

Another thing that is fun about being as far north as we are in the summer is the lack of dark nights. Even at their darkest, the nights posses the dim gray of deep twilight. It is a bit disconcerting. The ol’ circadian rhythms get a little out of wack. It is hard to think of bed when it is still light outside. Our rooms have both internal wooden shutters and heavy curtains, so our rooms can still be made dark.

Driving from Brecon to Edinburgh we stopped at Powis Castle. I very much enjoyed the garden and wood. The garden came down in terraces from the castle. There were fun formed bushes and pleasant secluded areas.

Inside was also worth the look. There were very helpful volunteers throughout the house. I learned what a drawing room is. It is the withdrawing room, where the ladies would withdraw after dinner while the guys stayed behind to smoke and drink.

Also on the way up to Edinburgh we stopped by Lyme park the house on the grounds was the one used for the outside of Pemberly in the BBC Pride and Prejudice. By the time we got there though the house and garden were closed, only the wider park was open. A glimpse of the house was available though a nice big fence. It started to pour down rain which brought an end to my enjoyment of the park.

We’re far enough north that darkness just about takes forever to truly set in. As we approached Edinburgh we drove through beautiful valleys in an extended twilight. I was a fan.

Saturday morning after a good Scottish breakfast of fish The four oldest Fickett boys went to the National Gallery of Scotland. Later in the afternoon we met up with the rest of everybody and went kilt shopping. I mainly just sat around. I’m not much for shopping.

This morning we attended mass at an Anglican church. The prayer book had helpful enriching explanations of the readings on the left page opposite the readings on the right. I enjoy a sung liturgy from time to time. Their organist was quite good. All in all a good reminder of the grandeur of God.

We’ll see if I get this and the last entry I wrote posted any time soon. Sorry to leave you all hanging.

Sorry. I haven’t stayed on top of this the last few days.

Our last day in London we went to All Souls church in the morning and then went to Speakers Corner (where Jay Smith goes on Sunday afternoons). Speakers Corner is hard to describe. Speakers corner is a space in the park where people can go and say pretty much whatever they want. There are a lot of crazy folks, a lot of angry folks. Some people wear costumes to help attract a crowd. There are a number of very sharp muslims who know both the Koran and the Bible quite well. There are a number of people with Jay Smith who work to answer their objections to Christian belief as well as confront them with places of weakness in their own belief.

After Speakers Corner we swung by Buckingham Palace.

Monday we left London for Wales. Tuesday we had a very nice sit-around-and-read-while-the-rain-falls-outside day. Yesterday we went and saw an old castle and a few bits of the Welsh coast. We also went to a museum telling the story of one of the leaders in the Welsh revival.

Today we hiked up to one of the highest points in the national park we’re staying in. It was a pretty steep walk with pretty views along the way. The view from the top, however, was nonexistent. The top was in thick cloud. I’d love to get to see the view sometime, but it was fun to get to walk right into the clouds.

We’ve spent the last few days kicking around London. Mom found an online offer for a three day transit pass (that lets you use any bus, underground, or train) together with a one day London Pass (that grants you free admission to a number of the London sites).
Friday we spent the afternoon at the British Museum. We saw the real version of a lot of things often featured in textbooks. We saw stuff that was around back in the time of the Israelite exodus. We saw stone writings that once deciphered confirmed what the Bible has said for years but some scholars had doubted. It is hard to explain what it was like, because what it was like was seeing the real thing instead of textbook pages. And here I am creating another page, not the real thing.

Saturday was the day we used our London Pass. The five oldest boys got a jump start on the day checking out the Southwark Cathedral. We then met up with the rest of the family at the Tower of London (above). One of the hard things was the shear volume of things to be seen. I could have easily spent the whole day at the tower.
Next we went to the Tower Bridge. We went up on the walk ways and down in the old engine rooms where we saw the steam engines that raised the bridge in the past.

We then saw, heard, felt, smelt, and even tasted in the air a gun salute for the Queen’s birthday.
(picture coming)
Next we saw Saint Paul’s Cathedral. Wow! Everything was so beautiful, so grand, so ornate, so mind-bogglingly huge. Some of us climbed 434 steps to look out from a balcony up near the top. Today, I can barely climb the steps up from the underground train.

From St. Paul’s we went to Kensington Palace. We got to see the rooms of William and Mary the first king and queen to take up residence there. I think my favorite part were all the large paintings hung on the walls, as well as the scenes painted on some of the ceilings. In both Kensington and St Paul’s we were not allowed to take photographs inside. Bummer!

We next went to Westminster pier, hopped on board a boat and cruised down then up the Thames. It was nice to give the old feet a break.


Walking around we came across a phone booth and all piled in.

We also saw this!

Well church is about to start, so I guess that’s all I’ll say.