Homework for the Overactive Brain

Today's Quote--"Happy birthday to me, Happy birthday to me..."

Monday, March 24, 2003

 

T. From S.
Day 5, March 18, 2003
New Lanark

So, yesterday. We got up early and hiked the 3 miles to Balloch, A. carried my pack, thank goodness. I'd probably have died! Walking along, we could almost imagine we were pesants, just as the manor made us wonder what it was like so many years ago to come home to that house and all those fields with sheep and horses. We just managed to catch the train to Glasgow. A. went to the store while E. and I waited in Central Station--it's a beautiful place--very open and airy, but still enclosed, kind of like the Venitian in Los Vegas. We talked to an interesting old lady until A. got back and we caught the train to Motherwell and had to change trains to Lanark.

Once here, we had to walk to New Lanark, only about 20 minutes, after asking all kinds of questions--then we had to find how to get to the hostel--all in all there was a lot of talking to Scots with difficult accents. Though school got out just as we were walking and we had to contend with many kids on the road. We eventually got to the hostel...down, down, down a wildly steep and curving/switchbacked walkway--though the road wasn't much better--it was about 2:30pm and we found out the hostel didn't open until 5pm! from the man across the street. He was very kind a let us put up our bags in his car, until we could come back for them.

We wandered, ate some lunch, then checked in. We're alone in our room, it's very nice! Like a hotel, but with five beds. We've got a great view of the River Clyde. We met Ken and Loraine in the kitchen, from Australia. They're a great older couple! We took a taxi into town and went shopping for food supplies. That was interesting, especially since we couldn't make any choices on foreign brands! We got back, made dinner, and joined K. and L. and Dannil in the TV room. We sat around talking (D. is from Bath, England) and talking over the differences and such of life and life. Off to bed and then the craziness happened, rocks, baning, and fire alarm. I was so cold and freaked out, I couldn't write well and today I can barely decipher my scrawl! Okay off to get tea!

Corra Lin
The rushing water of Time
Washes away the sandstone of our lives
Only to pull it along downriver
And form
New falls.

Later

Busy day...went to the falls, very nice walk, and beautiful, inspired the poem above, then had lunch and did the tourist thing in the village, very interesting! Met back up with K. and L. at dinner and new member, Manuel from Berlin, Germany, he reminded me of Uncle Peter, and was very cute...hmm, too bad we're all leaving tomorrow. I'll miss K and L they're a great couple...but they did give us their contact info. Hope we can keep in touch...they're a wonderful couple of people. Nice to have contacts in Australia! Bought postcards today, will need to buy more for more people to mail out and to bring back! Oy. Anyway, tired and an early morning tomorrow, so I think I'm off to bed. New Lanark treated us very well, I'd like to bring Mom here, she'd love it. Lots of travelling tomorrow, back to Glasgow and then to Edinburgh.

GL 9:21 PM