Off to Glasgow - Detours are not always a bad thing.

Though most of us were ready for some real sleep, we became fully awake when we were met with the cool, brisk...no, frigid, blustery, Glasgow morning air. The short walk to the bus felt a bit longer than short and the residue from the rains of the past few days was still puddling along the curbs and in the 'car park' potholes. The bus was a welcome sight!

Loaded up and warming up, students and their daybags were quickly on the bus. We met Davey, a true Scot, and our delightful bus driver. The kids warm up to new people quite quickly which makes a trip that much more fun!

Terry, who probably thought we would NEVER arrive, was happy to get the day moving along. We dropped him at the airport 'Holiday Inn Express" (Does that sound funny to anyone?) to pick up his bag and while we waited, we had our first experience with the airport security. The guard was gracious however, and let the bus remain parked at the curb for Terry's quick run in and back out. I guess we see the same thing at the Orlando Airport where they monitor traffic at departure and arrival lanes, but we think of it as keeping traffic moving. We are not quite as accustomed to keeping vehicles out because of what they might be carrying. (There was no danger, but evidently Glasgow experienced a car bomb a few years ago)

Since our morning was a 'flex time' schedule, we were not sure what to expect but it turned out that Terry had a full day ahead for us and even let us see a good bit of Glasgow. (Flex time, because you have to expect that the flights will be delayed, so we made no promises for Glasgow sightseeing.) We were thankful that God gave us a nice tailwind coming across the Atlantic, so even though we arrived early and had a fair amount of wait time for the changing of our 'fashionistas'....we still had quite the early start. Nothing opens in Glasgow til 10 AM, so we were not sure what we would actually see. Departure from the airport was around 9 AM (or for those in the US...about 4 AM in your snuggly beds!)

The bus had massive windows, great for sightseeing and photography, tables for four, and a few backward facing seats. (It takes someone with a 'strong constitution' to sit in a backward facing seat!) It also had a nice intercom so EVERYONE could hear Terry! (unless they were sleeping, of course!...day sleeping...what a WASTE of a great trip!)


Leaving the airport was quite a trip! We passed through the airport about twice after we left. It is funny the way a lot of the journals indicated that Davey was lost, but actually, he was continually encountering detours due to the flooding and trees blocking roads. It would be as if the exit to SR 417 were detoured back though the airport and then through SR 436 to Underhill and back to SR 417. Crazy, but we get that stuff during hurricanes, and what they had just experienced in the previous few days had been hurricane force wind and rains. But it was ok, because it was still VERY early!

We got to see a bit of the country side before getting into Glasgow, but I will lump all of those photos together. 

The kids kept asking about schools. We saw a few but only captured a few shots from the road. The school has children already at recess! School goes until around 4 PM. 

Lovingly known as THE ARMADILLO, this is the Clyde Auditorium. It is located right beside the River Clyde, which is the main transport thoroughfare that runs through Glasgow, making it such an important city. It does not show here, but the building is shiny and silver!

*****

Detours often lead you to the most remarkable places. Spencer had mentioned to me throughout the planning time that he was so excited to go to Scotland because of his ancestry. He did not tell me until right before the trip that they were from an area called Renfrewshire. This is located about six miles west, just outside of Glasgow, which is in the central Lowlands. I thought it was so neat that we were actually in the AREA of his ancestry! Now...take a look at the photos below

Formerly known as Renfrewshire, the town is now known as Renfrew and our detour took us right through it!

Many of us tried our best to get some great shots, but from a moving bus, you get a lot of movement that was not intended! We saw a lot of things with the name of Renfrew though.

Minus the graffiti, the photo would have been a bit better, but this was one of many Renfrew roads, streets, or lanes!

I did find that there is something else special about good ole "Renfrewshire." Far back in history, the area was known as "The Cradle of the Royal Stewarts."  In 1397 it became the County Town of Renfrewshire. The CURRENT Barrow of Renfew is His Royal Highness, Prince Charles, the Duke of Rothesay. (back in Jolly olde England, His Royal Highness is more often referred to as The Duke of Wales)   Evidently the family is still a large landowner!

And of course, you want to know more!
The History of Renfrew by J.A. Dunn
www.Renfrewshire.gov. uk

I guess the message here is that you can plan your day, but if you leave God in charge of where you are going, you might just get some really swell surprises! Spencer may or may not descend from British Royalty, but he is a child of the only King who really counts!  It really pays to be flexible when you travel because you just never ever know what God has in store for your day!

Blessings!