Connecting

After a long, protracted day of travel, I was finally on home soil and it was time to make connections. One of my favourite parts of returning to Scotland. 

From Glasgow airport it was a short jaunt over to the Paisley Heritage Centre to finally meet Peter and Iain in person. These gentlemen have been an incredible resource and support for those of us researching our Paisley ancestors and have faithfully joined our drop in group each moth of answer questions and offer suggestions. And of course their banter makes the hours just so much fun. 

From the Heritage Centre it was over to Airdrie to visit my cousin in hospital. I have been so incredibly worried about her. Just seeing her put my mind and heart at peace. Honestly connecting with family is just so soul restoring. We just had a stolen hour together but it was full of laughs and sharing memories.

After leaving the hospital it was back to the business of getting to my destination. 

The Culprit

Fortunately the flight was both uneventful and quiet. The 108 drunken footballers fell asleep shortly after takeoff. It was lovely following the sun rise as we flew across Ireland. 

Once we landed and had been welcomed to Dublin, we were told that the reason for the delay in our flight out of Toronto last night was due to President Biden’s arrival in Dublin yesterday. Flights were grounded until the President and his entourage had arrived and were safely on their way. 

We were able to get a decent view of Air Force One and the accompanying security planes as we taxied to the gate this morning. 

Best Laid Plans

I like to arrive a few days ahead of a tour. This allows me to see parts of Scotland I haven’t yet seen, visit attractions or connect with family and colleagues. 

This time I am flying Aer Lingus. Primarily because the price was right and the airline is reputable. I fly from Toronto to Dublin and then Dublin to Glasgow. There’s an over stopover on the way to Scotland. Essentially enough time to get from one gate to the next. 

I’m scheduled to arrive in Glasgow at 8 am so made plans to connect with family and colleagues before heading to Edinburgh. After all, check in isn’t until 3, so plenty of time. Or so I thought. 

Thirty minutes before I was going to leave for the airport, I received an alert that the flight was delayed by an hour and that I should call the airline about connecting flights. Knowing I had a tight squeeze between flights, I called the airline. They had no information about the delay. After 15 on hold, I was told the next available flight from Glasgow is 10:30 instead of 6:30. Aaarrrrggghhhh. 

That then meant rescheduling my entire day. Thanks, Aer Lingus. Of course they don’t care.

I made it to the airport and through security with relative ease. Then I bed-lined to my favourite airport pub, Fionn MacCools. First pint went down a treat. Now I’m ready to “roll with it”

Traveling is always an adventure but not always stress free. 

Scotland, here I come. Even if several hours later than planned. 

Are You Packed Yet?

Quite honestly, if I had a fiver for every time I have been asked that question in the past 10 days, I would be close to having my airfare paid. I never pack ahead of time. Ever. I gather. 

I gather together the things I want to take and I start piles that will eventually make it into the suitcase. Gifts to take, things I need for the plane - a book, a blanket, phone charger, passport. I have a small bag with toiletries and another smaller bag with electronics (chargers, adapters, cords, camera cards). All of this eventually makes it to where I will pile it all together so that I can transfer it all into my case and carry on the day I am heading to the airport. Then in less than 15 minutes, I can have my case packed. Clothes and the piles all go in and the zipper gets zipped and the case sits by the door until I am ready to leave. The last thing to get organized is my carry-on. Laptop, book, wallet, charger cords and snacks and I am good to go. 

Everyone seems to stress when I say I haven't even started packing and here we are the night before I fly out. But, regardless, it will get done and I will be ready and I will be at the airport well ahead of time. So I get through security, have a wander through the shops and then I can pull out my book and read. A luxury I don't often get anymore. 

Yes, I hate packing. And while my system doesn't work for others, it surely works for me. 

Now, repacking to come back home - completely different story and often a time of complete chaos....

Organize and Share your Family History

Join Clare Wilson and I in July to learn tips for organizing and sharing your family history. We will run 4 sessions, one each week for 4 weeks in July. We will alternate between Organizing and Sharing. All four sessions for one low price of $17cad (about £10)

Learn more at: https://www.genealogytoursofscotland.ca/

Watch the promo video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikB_ipHoihM&t=12s

National Unicorn Day

 

Today is National Unicorn Day. This magical species is actually the ancestor of the modern-day rhinoceros, rather than the modern-day horse. And the Unicorn was much bigger and much heavier. These animals were thought to have lived 35,000 years ago, before the Ice Age. 

In modern times, the Unicorn usually appear as magical beings and resemble a white horse, with a large horn in the middle of its forehead. Some will be shown with wings, which is inaccurate. The winged horse is actually Pegasus. 

The national animal of Scotland is the unicorn. It was first shown on the royal coat of arms by William the Lion back in the 12th century. The British coat of arms has both a lion and a unicorn, symbolizing the union of the crowns in 1707.

 

 

Less than a week to go!

 

In less than a week I will be heading to Scotland for my last genealogy tour. The emotions are bittersweet. I have been so incredibly blessed by the trust of my tour participants. I have been so humbled by their joy, their tears, their surprising discoveries. Many tour participants became repeat offenders and still others became friends. Friends to me but more importantly friends to each other. Some really amazing, lasting friendships have occurred on these tours, and I am so thrilled to have had some small part in bringing those kindred spirits together.

 

Knowing I am not likely to get back to Scotland for a while is also bittersweet and I fear that the next visit may be for a funeral rather than for a catchup with family. Out of the original 21 living children of my grandfather, only 7 remain. They lived the memories I grew up surrounded by. I know that those memories will live on through my family history but seeing the joy in their faces as they recount them will be forever vanished. And that saddens me more than words can describe.

 

I will be in Edinburgh for four days then over to Glasgow for a week. Then I will be spending four days in Dublin before I head back to Canada. I was supposed to go to Dublin back in 2020 before the world changed. As always, I will be blogging while I am traveling. You can follow along if you would like.

 

And if you are enjoying the virtual journey, you might consider buying me a coffee. See the widget on the right hand side of the page.