Scotland pt.1

Double decker buses, fish and chips, haggis, and kilts...where else could I be but Scotland? On Wednesday my dad picked me up from the airport. Funny when you think it was about two months ago that he dropped me off in Boston. It is so good to see him! And, of course, my Grandpa as well. This is my third time coming to Glasgow since we moved to America when I was five, and every time I come here it brings back so many childhood memories. Names of people I haven't though of in over a decade suddenly pop into my head, like my old babysitter, Bridget and her little dog. Or I'll look at something and suddenly have flashes of memories, like the cupboard under the stairs where I used to play with a dollhouse. Things that haven't crossed my mind in years. In some ways the house is exactly the same as it always has been in my mind, but it's also different being here when it's so empty. My grandpa is 95 and he's been living in this house for about 60 years, half of this house's lifetime. His children were born and grew up here, and then my parents moved into the upper half and so my sisters and I also partially grew up here. It was always full of people and children and now it's just one man's house - but it still feels like a home to me.

My Grandpa really is incredible and knows something about everything, and usually a little more than just 'something.' You can sit down and have a conversation with him and learn the entire history of steeple making (once I asked what the tallest steeple in Glasgow was), or really anything. He's really a remarkable person and the older I get the more I am amazed by all that he knows. This is only the fifth time I've seen him since I was 5 and I really wish we were able to make it over here more often. Except I could do without the weather...


Today is actually the first day it's rained since I arrived, but it's been cold and damp. The only consolation is that it's still warmer than it would be if I had stayed in Maine. My dad's been here for just over a week now, and he's spent most of that time rehearsing with his old trio for a concert they performed yesterday. He plays the piano, Lev plays the violin and viola, and Sasha plays the cello. This is they're first time performing together in about a decade but it was really wonderful. I went with my Grandpa to the concert yesterday and he met up with some of his friends (I hope I have friends at 95). One of them is an editor for a magazine my Grandpa reads and contributes to now and then. My Grandpa sent him a few excerpts from this blog and the editor suggested I send something short in. How cool would that be?

Now that my Dad's finished his concert he's got a few days off, but we're leaving on Tuesday for Germany. We've spent today working up the courage to go out into the rain to buy food, and tomorrow if it clears up at all we'll go into town for a while. Monday I have to get my visa for Thailand. And then it's up in the air - literally.

PS: We took the train the other day and the ticket checker's name was 'Scott.'