Wallpaper a room
Do each other’s laundry
Put together IKEA furniture
Server as navigator and driver in an “other-side-of-the-road” place
What do these all have in common? Things married and/or committed couples should never do together!
Now in Scotland, we’re in the ‘do-your-own-driving’ portion of the trip. This means operating the car from the right-hand seat and driving on the left side of the road. Knowing I would be doing the driving, before arriving in Scotland I watched multiple YouTube videos on how to drive here. It all looked straight forward enough.
My first opportunity to test the straight-forwardness came on Sunday, July 20. We left the Edinburgh Waverley train station strapped in to a brand new electric Ford Explorer. Ellie preemptively chose the role of left-seat navigator. Her responsibility was to monitor the map on the 14.7 inch counsel monitor and tell me where to turn. I wasn’t prepared for the challenge of driving on the left! Multiple times I made right hand turns into the right hand lane only to have Ellie and Caroline cry out, “LEFT! LEFT!” My depth perception struggled to adjust so I’d drift too far left, hitting the curb or driving off the jagged edge of the pavement. Then there were the single lane roads to navigate; I needed to always be looking for a pullover spot so that when I came grill to grill with another car, I could backup into the pullover lane and let the other car pass.
Sunday’s travels took us to Stirling Castle, Doune Castle, the Falkirk Wheel, and the Falkirk Kelpies. I white-knuckled every leg of the drive! Driving in Scotland is not for the faint of heart!
Ernie Muller mentored me during my early years as a pastor in Naperville, IL. One thing I’ve long remembered: “When you rent a car or van for youth trips, buy all the insurance that is offered,” Ernie told me. On Sunday, July 20, I bought all the insurance offered. After giving the car its drop-off check in, the rental agent said it was a good thing I’d purchased all of the insurance; two (2) of the four (4) tires were damaged and would need to be replaced!
One other thing not for the faint of heart…haggis. Perhaps you know about haggis. Haggis is a traditional Scottish dish, often described as a savory pudding. It consists of sheep’s heart, liver, and lungs minced with onion, oatmeal, suet, spices, and salt, cooked in the animal’s stomach, though now often in a synthetic casing. It’s traditionally served with “neeps and tatties,” that is, mashed swede (similar to a rutabaga) and potatoes. Ellie and I split a haggis roll at the Stirling Castle Cafe. I don’t know what all the fuss is about…it tastes like meatloaf. Even Caroline took a bite!
Brad
Wander Tales by PC, PB, and Ellie 