Scotland

On the weekend of 2-5 August 02, I got the fantastic opportunity to attend the Military Tattoo in Edinburgh, Scotland.   On Friday I departed RAF Lakenheath, making a stop in Durham, England to visit the Durham Castle and Cathedral before crossing the Scottish border at Carter Bar. On Friday night, I had a full "Scottish experience" evening. I attended a show with bagpipe players, Scottish dancers, and even got to try haggis. 

On Saturday I took a bus tour of Edinburgh in the morning and walked around the city in the afternoon. I got to see the wonderful Edinburgh castle, where the crown jewels of Scotland are held, the Sir Walter Scott memorial, the lab where Dolly the sheep was "conceived", Robert Lewis Stevenson's home, the coffee shop where J. K. Rowling's wrote parts of the first Harry Potter book, and much, much more. 

Saturday evening I ate at the Hard Rock Cafe in Edinburgh (the only one in Scotland) before going to the spectacular Military Tattoo. This event is a wonder to witness and can not be described in words or done justice in still photographs. 

On Sunday it was time to head back home, but not before driving through the beautiful Scottish country side. I stopped at the Devil's Beef Tub, the world famous Gretna Green, and Hadrian's Wall, a 73 mile long, 15 foot tall wall built by the Romans in 122 AD. 

The weather during the trip was sometimes rainy and sometimes foggy, but overall the trip was great. 

A side note; The background of this page is the tartan of the Smith Clan and at the bottom is the crest. 

To see pictures of our trip, select the links below.

The motto's meaning is: Touch not the cat (when it is) without a glove. The glove of the wildcat is the soft, under part of his paw, and when assuming a war-like attitude, the paw is spread or ungloved revealing very dangerous claws. The motto is a warning to those who would be so imprudent as to engage in battle when the claw of the wildcat is ungloved.