September 17 - Some transition. Up at 3 this morning to catch the bus to the airport for a 7:30 a.m. flight to Glasgow. Said airport is located about 50 minutes from the centre of town, and because it's so busy in the morning, one is advised to be there with plenty of time to spare. Turned out we had quite a bit of time before we finally left, partly because we had to stand in line for what seemed like forever while they fixed the plumbing on the plane. But it's a nice airport/shopping center, with no end of food facilities and duty free shops.

The flight went well, although quite bumpy, and two hours later we landed in Glasgow. And now the adventure of the road began, as we have a very nice Skoda standard drive that they still insist you drive on the wrong side of the road. Furthermore, we had a very sketchy map as to where our hotel is located, so we did a fair bit of touring of downtown Glasgow, winding around narrow one-way streets, before we found our hotel. Just as we were about to give up, after asking for directions a couple of times, we turned a corner, and lo and behold, there was the hotel. And a nice old place it is, housed in a long block of Victorian mansions near Glasgow University. After a little relaxing, and lunch at the Big Slope pub, we had a nap and reorganized. Later we had a nice walk, and went back to the same pub for a very nice dinner. A cut above normal pub fare, so we were very pleased.

But more about Iceland. Gail reminds me to tell you how impressive it is that this island nation in completely self-sufficient re hydro power. They use thermal and heat from the hot springs areas to fuel virtually all of their electrical needs. Their water is also excellent, filtered as it is through lava layers in most areas. Despite the high cost of living, people are well paid for their work, and although taxed quite highly, health and education is free, with a minor charge for university. Kids are required to complete 10 years of elementary education and then can go on to 3 years of high school, then to university or technical training.

2008 was a major set-back for the country, but they have recovered quite well, and are now enjoying a building boom in the city, which contains about 2/3 of the country's population. Fishing was for many years the basis of the economy, but since the crash, they have rebuilt the economy, quite deliberately, on the back of tourism. People are flocking here from all over the world, particularly since Iceland is central between Europe and North America. IcelandAir offers free stopovers of 3 or 7 days as a way to entice people to come, and are building their airline to accommodate the increased numbers.

Anyway, it's a great experience for anyone looking for something quite different in terms of environment, breadth of activities available, and a safe friendly place to visit. We enjoyed out third day by simply wandering about, first to the Flea market, and then around the old harbour area, where we learned a lot about Iceland's marine history. Being an island nation, the sea and the industries that grow out of such a location are quite varied, so it was interesting to learn about the various types of shipping that have existed over the years. We ended the day with a good dinner of fish and chips, then wandered home to prepare for our flight. Early to bed, with hopes of a good sleep. Unfortunately, Gail only got a couple of hours, then couldn't go back to sleep. So she did not have a comfortable time on the plane. When she's really tired, the restless leg thing really kicks ind, a very unpleasante experience. Our flying days may be over if a solution for the problem is not found.

Planning out the week was central this afternoon, as we didn't really have an itinerary planned for Scotland. We finally decided to go to the Loch Loman area,  then up to the Trossach area, where we've booked a bandb for tomorrow night in Callendar. Look it up, and you'll see where we plan to go. Weather doesn't look good, as there may be storms for the next couple of days, which will affect our activities to some extent. But we'll do our best to get out and do some hiking tomorrow. More later. Stay tuned.