Goodbye Scotland

We've been back in Scotland for a week now and fully into the swing of things after our wonderful Italian vacation.  We didn't really get a chance to extend the relaxation as we came back to a full slate.  Fiona's birthday needed celebrating, which I attempted to do in style but managed with only limited success.  Hopefully the present of a new camera waiting to be picked up in Houston will make up for some botched lobster thermidor.  I can't wait to see what brilliance she can produce with a state of the art system in her hands.

We've also had a couple of deadlines hanging over us that don't really allow for a whole lot of down time.  We're off to Houston on Thursday morning.  It's that time once again to get our re-entry permits re-done, so we've booked a couple of weeks in Texas. We'll spend a week with Fiona's mom in San Antonio and another week making some last minute purchases in Houston, all the while waiting to put our fingerprints on the new documents.  It shouldn't be a very stressful trip, but it's trans-Atlantic travel so it's never going to be problem free.

The other deadline is the fast approaching move date that will see us pack up and head over to Oman.  It seems that there are a million things to do, all of equal importance, and a relatively small amount of time to get them all done.  We're trying to work through the list while making sure that neither of us succumb to the stress or go mental.  The uncertainty of what to expect in Oman makes it even harder, as you try to think of all the different things that you may have to prepare for.  But we're still excited about this massive change in lifestyle and are looking forward to a lot of new adventures.

These new adventures should get their own corner of the internet and to that effect we'll be making this the final entry in The Scottish Trip.  As of next week we'll start posting our thoughts and stories on our new blog: Gone to Oman, which can be found at http://gonetooman.blogspot.com.  We hope you'll check in on us there every once in a while.  I imagine it will start like the Scottish Trip did, with frequent updates on the oddities of life in another part of the world, before morphing into our travelogue accompanied by more world-class pictures by my beautiful wife.

So that brings this adventure to a close.  It's hard to try and put four years of experiences together into one or two paragraphs.  It's taken hundreds of megabytes and pages of text to get it all down, so I don't think I will even attempt a full recap.

Scotland has been a wonderful experience and we have no regrets about taking the posting.  Yes, there were times when the rain seemed like it would never end, but we also had our fair share of nice days on the beach, and long summer evenings in the back garden.  We also learned that you should never let the weather determine your schedule.  

A major component of our Scottish adventure was the people.  We met so many interesting folks.  There were the local Scots who we met while out and about - always gracious and interested in hearing about you.  They also all had at least one relative in Canada whom they had always wanted to go see but had never had the chance.  There were wonderful colleagues, many who turned into good friends.  We've been blessed in both houses with great neighbours - welcoming and helpful.  We also met many, many great people in the ex-pat community.  It was tough seeing them come and go, usually just as we were getting to know each other, but it was a good reminder to make the most of the time you have with people.  The movement of these new friends across the globe now means we know more people in more places, which is never a bad thing.

We saw and experienced so much history that it boggles the mind.  The castles were fantastic to visit and really brought the place alive.  I'm glad we went out and saw as many as we did - more than 30 at last count.  The wilderness areas with no one around will also be a strong memory.  It's a shame that as few people take advantage of the world-class combination of nature and history, but we're glad for the times that it allowed us to tour a historic ruin or forest all by ourselves.  We always said that Scotland would never have been on our list of places to visit had we not come here, but now that we know the place we would recommend it to anyone and everyone.

We also took full advantage of the posting.  To the detriment of our savings account, but the advantage of our life experience, we took every opportunity to go out and see both the surrounding countryside and the rest of Europe.  We've seen a plethora of European capitals, eaten fantastic food and marvelled at the museums of several other countries.  We even got to go on our 'trip of a lifetime' through southern France.  The experience has been invaluable and has helped form a large part of who we are now.

A lot of the posts have been about the European travels, but the Scottish ones will likely stick with me the most.  The open, barren, countryside, the mountains, the rivers, the beaches and the sea-cliffs were all so memorable.  The day-to-day particulars of life here, including an almost entirely new language, and a rich culture, steeped in history have all made a deep impression.

We'll take a piece of Scotland with us wherever we go.  Certainly to the deserts of Oman, and most likely to any posting beyond that.  Thanks to Scotland for enriching our lives.

''Ye banks and braes o' bonnie Doon, 

                                                                           How can ye bloom sae fresh and fair?

How can ye chant, ye little birds, 

And I sae weary fu' o' care? 

Thou'lt break my heart, thou warbling bird, 

That wantons thro' the flowering thorn: 

Thou minds me o' departed joys, 

Departed never to return.''

Robert Burns