End of May, begin June i went 3 weeks to Scotland. Travelled by train, Brussels, London (where we had a break of 3 hours and ate a great curry) and last part to Glasgow. It is nice to travel by train, time to read, look out the window, landscapes passing by, some music on your ears...... I loved Glasgow right from the start, it’s a true music city with lots of venues, great pubs, record shops and everywhere people are walking around with instruments. The people in Glasgow also seamed more at ease than for example Edinburgh, but i only stayed for 3 days there, so it’s a first impression. In Glasgow i visited some Charles Rennie Mackintosh buildings, the art academy (which very unfortunately burned partly down they day after), a church and his home which was rebuilt at the place where it once stood). His interiors, furniture and even complete tea sets are of great beauty.

From Glasgow i went straight to The Isle Of Skye, an island in the north, one of the biggest. We went by boat although there is a bridge now, but i prefer to reach an island over the water. I stayed in different places and the longest in Portree what is a good base to explore the island. Fortunately i was very lucky with the weather all the trip, only a few hours rain. Skye is one of the most beautiful places i visited, the landscapes, they move every step you make and behind every corner, behind every hill there is an even more beautiful view.

I also had very good experiences with the people in Scotland, they were very friendly and hospitality, i felt at home immediately. Allmost everyone i met was in for a nice conversation, with witty comments on everything.

I made long walks, met a lot of sheep, dogs, an otter, great birds and already a lot of midges, Scotland finest insects who like me a lot. After Skye, where i by the way also visited the Talisker distillery to see how they make this great whisky with my own eyes, i went to the other side of Scotland, first Perth and later Pitlochry. That is a great place for walking too and one of the nice (short) walks was to the Endradour distillery, the smallest of Scotland.

The last stop was in Edinburgh, a beautiful city and that is also the reason it is the most touristic place i found. Most of them were gathered on and around ‘The Royal Mile’ a long street with high old houses, between the castle and a palace with on the sides narrow corridors downhill. I didn’t like so much that the accent was put on the horror stories from the past which now are exploited by tour guides, dressed up as witches and other dark personages who dragged groups of tourists around. Anyway, all together it was a memorable trip, for sure i will return to that beautiful country with his nice inhabitants, to explore more beautiful corners and alleys. I took my analogues Leica with me and an old compact digital camera, so the black and white pictures are made on film.

The Charles Rennie Mackintosh Society: http://www.crmsociety.com/Default.aspx