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Where Soldiers Crossed Over

Scotland Day One

By Tineke Ziemer

May 18^th, 2017

join me as i travel over 1000 miles in scotland!

After a long sleepless 24 hours and three flights, we landed in Aberdeen, Scotland and were whisked away for a home-cooked Scottish meal. Our airline breakfast was very sugary and we'd not had time to eat lunch during our brief layover in London, so we appreciated the homemade food more than words could say. Then we settled in at our flat for our first attempt at a good night's sleep in the new time zone.

No time to waste. The next morning, our hosts were raring and ready to show us the entire country in one day (or so it seemed!) By the end of day one, I told them I could happily go home now because I'd already seen more than I expected to!

Through the photographs, I can now slow down and relive the 15 days that went by in a blur. With this series of blog posts, you can come along on the trip as I share the highs and lows with you. I'll be working on them in my spare time over the next several months, so check back often to join in the adventure. (Don't forget to comment here or on facebook with your favourite image from each post. You have until the end of the day it's posted. One person will be given an 8x12 art print of their chosen image EACH time I post a new blog!)

Brig o' balgownie

It had been raining cats and dogs in Scotland for days before we arrived. Actually, we got off the plane to a torrential downpour, so the bagpipe player who was supposed to greet us (compliments of our amazing hosts) had to cancel. Indeed, it had even snowed a few days before we arrived, so when our first day dawned overcast but void of precipitation, it was decided that we should hit a bunch of places along the East Coast of Aberdeenshire while the weather was still cooperating. (Little did we know, the BEST weather was yet to come. We were incredibly blessed with day after day of sunshine, which is virtually unheard of in Scotland.)

Our first stop was the Brig O' Balgownie, in Old Aberdeen, which is a bridge that was originally built at the supposed request of Robert the Bruce in AD 1320 (though it's unclear if he took over construction part way or originally commissioned it himself.) Its Gothic arch spans 12 metres across and at low tide, the highest point of the arch is 17 metres above the water. The bridge is constructed of sandstone and granite. (We saw a lot - I mean A LOT - of granite in Aberdeen. In fact, a guy I was chatting with at the Vancouver airport told us that he calls Aberdeen the granite city because every building is made from it. He was right. The entire city is a sea of grey. And it makes sense once you learn that there is a large granite quarry right in the middle of Aberdeen that was used to build pretty-much the entire place.) For five centuries, the Brig O' Balgownie had a crucial role in Scotland's history, for it was only by possessing it that large armies could be moved quickly along the eastern coast of Aberdeenshire. You know what that means?!? My feet have now walked on the same path as thousands of soldiers, undoubtedly both Scottish and English ones, as they fought for what they believed in. Can this be real!?!

My beautiful friend Audrey with the blossoms along the river

It was a rushed morning because my poor body did not want to wake up after over 30 hours with no sleep. I took the opportunity to sit on a bench and soak in the beautiful surroundings. The Brig O' Balgownie crosses the River Don, whose banks are lush with huge ancient ivy-covered trees and seas of yellow daffodils. After I'd had a few minutes to relax and regroup, I explored the area around and captured some lovely photos as the sun peaked out momentarily to brighten the day. I was quite enchanted by the first thing I laid eyes on, a large hollowed out tree, and had I been given all day to daydream, I'd have written a poem about all the secret romantic rendezvous that surely occurred within its walls. Instead, I propped my camera up on my bag, set it to timer, and stepped inside for a photo that would convey how big it was so I could share the moment with all of you.