good talk

From Edinburgh, I took the bus up to Aberdeen, a city of 200 thou.  I got-in Sat. afternoon, and things were kind of closing, and I didn't get a chance to see much, but I looked-around as best I could for a few hours.  I had been to Inverness and Loch Ness (there were tourists from all-over scanning the loch, I said this was by design, that the Monster wanted foreign food) long before, but also wanted to go to the much larger Aberdeen, in part because my parents met at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland during WW 11, where my father was an officer in Tank Ordnance, my mother took some test and wound-up as a secretary there.  They got married in Feb., 1942 after knowing each other only 7 months (war luvuh), my older brother was born in Feb. 1943, but by that time, my father was in North Africa, Bob (Robert, Jr.) was "3" when he and my father saw each other for the first time.  Sometime I'll return when I have more time, my trip was winding-down, looked like a fine place.  Took a bus to Glasgow, a real luxury-bus, wide-seats, lots of leg-room, they served you snacks, sort of hated to get-off.  It was Sat. Nite and you couldn't find a hotel-room for any price, I was lugging that heavy bag all over.  I eventually took a taxi, theirs have lots of leg-room, space for my bag, to another hostel, and I was lucky they had space.  This time it was only 20 pounds, and 4 pounds yet again for breakfast, the groaning buffet table, and more delicious haggis.  This time the room was with 12 beds, I got-in at midnight and all the Lads were sacked-out like good boys.  I'm not fussy, and was happy to sleep to maybe 6 A.M., got-up before everybody else and showered, etc.  Got to breakfast and ate-up a storm.  Went to Glasgow Cathedral, it was Sunday morning and they were having a Service, and I sat-in on part of that while ogling this fine edifice.  Took the bus to Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, and viewed their Arms and Armour, Natural History, and Works of Rembrandt and other of the Old Masters, Van Gogh, Renoir, and their particular prize, Salvador Dali's "Christ of St. John of the Cross."  Nearby, was The Hunterian, at the Univ. of Glasgow, I saw scientifice apparatus used by James Watt and Lord Kelvin (the first ultrasound-machine) and impressive European, including Scottish, Art.  They also have the largest permanent collection of the American, James McNeill Whistler.  I really enjoyed Glasgow, and Scotland in general, as all of you would.