Through a series of fun connections, Chuck and I are crossing a BIG experience off of our life-long bucket lists - visiting London and Scotland. My interest in Scotland is personal - my great grandparents grew up in this beautiful country and travelled to America as young newly weds. Great Grandfather McLeish died when I was about five so memories of him are few.
But memories of Great Grandmother McLeish are firmly planted in my heart. She always wanted to return to Scotland - it's sweet to think that some of her grandchildren are living her dream. Over the next few weeks, I'll be using my blog as a place to record our trip, including pictures and some personal thoughts about what we are experiencing.
Chuck's eagerness for this trip is rooted in his passion for the Reformed faith. He reviewed the history of the Reformation in preparation for our trip and more than once, the sites and stories of men and women who suffered deeply because of their love for Jesus and His Word moved us to tears.
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| Beyond these gates over 1200 Covenanters, men, women and children were held as prisoners for five months. No roof, no protection, very little food. Many did not survive. Their crime? The priority of God's Word. Greyfriars Graveyard, Edinburgh, Scotland |
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Greyfriars Graveyard and Monument stands guard over the criminals' grave, where the bodies of executed Covenanters were also dumped. The Covenanters' Crime? A Passion for God's Word
Edinburgh, Scotland |
We'll share some of those moments along with pictures. Chuck will be posting his thoughts and more pictures on his blog
You Betters Believe It as well.
Hove - Our Base of Operations
Our base of operations for London was a flat in Hove, which required a train ride, the tube and lots of walking to get to London. No problem! Except.....
We arrived in Hove around 2:00 p.m. with plans to unpack and then find the train station, to make sure it was in walking distance. We stood on the steps of the flat, soaking up the sunshine, exulting in our safe arrival and looking forward to a grand adventure. Which way should we turn?
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| Left or right out of the Flat? |
Left. Let's turn left and start walking. This is a small seaside town, so how far could it be? Three houses down the block, we asked a gentleman how to get to the station. He scrunched up his face, paused and said, "Oh, I'm not sure but I know it's a long walk, keep going in this direction and then......" And so we walked, admiring the lovely old buildings, the tiny flower beds, the interesting shops. Fifteen minutes later, we asked another person, and another, and another. Each one gave us different directions. Difficulty understanding their accents (English seemed to be a second language for most) didn't help. The Brighton Beach came into view and the beautiful sunshine and a bench tempted us to sit a while, which we did!
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| Brighton Beach - The beach is all stones - we're trying to understand how laying on this beach is comfortable! |
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| Beautiful gardens throughout Brighton, adding color to the old, stately buildings |
This seaside resort town appears to be a haven for young people. Lots of outside cafes and bars, filled with lots of men and women, enjoying the beautiful afternoon. Two hours later, after circling Hove, we found the train station. After confirming the morning train schedule and concluding we needed a taxi to get us to the station, we asked for the time of the next bus to take us back to our flat on Palmeira Ave. He smiled and said, "At this time of day (rush hour) it would be quicker for you to walk. You're only ten minutes away...." Sure enough, ten minutes later, we were back at our flat, surprised that we could walk for two hours, glad to know we could walk to the station in the morning, grateful to collapse on the wonderful beds and ready to rest before we began our London adventure the next day. Our trek prepared us to understand how "foreign" we were in this English speaking country!
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| The Backyard of the Flat - I love the character of "old" and overgrown gardens |
Teaching Moments from our First Day in the UK
People gave us directions assuming we had some understanding of the layout of Brighton. They thought we understood what they meant when they mentioned a "round about" or landmarks. We could barely understand most of what they said because of dialects or broken English, let alone their use of words that had no meaning for us. Everyone was so kind, and we muddled along, trying to follow their directions as best we could, but often, we ended up making wrong turns, and walking further from our desired destination. Maybe they couldn't understand us, either. Throughout our trip, I often thought about people new to the Christian faith, trying to "fit in" with all their new believing friends, desperate to understand how to get to that "destination" of living by faith, but filled with discouragement and fear that no matter how often they asked, they would never really understand the directions, traditions, or daily practices, so much a part of the seasoned believer. I wondered how many I had frustrated with my own assumptions, not realizing how foreign my lifestyle was to them.
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| Finding our Way Around London - the Tower Bridge |
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| Tower of London |
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| Tower of London |
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| River Thames |
Making one wrong turn can take me off course for a long time. We didn't suffer for our wrong turn (except a few blisters on our toes), it just took a lot longer to get to our destination. In fact, we enjoyed the walk and sites. A map of Brighton would have saved us alot of energy. But on the other hand, we enjoyed seeing this resort town in a way we wouldn't have if we had turned right. Often a wrong turn isn't really wrong, just another way to get to the same place. We've done alot of those wrong turns over the past few weeks. But on this trip, we see each one as an adventure. Where will this road take us? What beautiful scenery we enjoy along the way. We know that wrong turns can be deadly, but for this trip, we're realizing that detours can often be the most fun of all.
In His grip,
Sharon
