Trip to Netherlands and Scotland




Cami and Marc at the Buffalo Airport. We all flew
out within 15 minutes of each other so we got to
spend more time with our baby as she left for college.
Her dad gave her some "fatherly advice" about dating
which she video'd on her cell phone for a future laugh!



Here is an old windmill in the middle of the town.
We flew into Amsterdam, but drove straight down to
Den Haag where we stayed at the Crown Hotel around
the corner from the Sensis office where Marc had meetings.


I walked up to the beach while Marc worked on Wed.
and it was cloudy and very windy. These two buildings
were out on the end of a covered pier. People were
bungy jumping from the tall tower. The crane would
take them up and swing them out over the ocean. Crazy!


These sculptures are a famous landmark. The tall guy
is eating a fish (herring) which the people love here.
Marc really wanted to try one, but chickened out. The sculptures
were kind of like cartoon characters done in metal and some
were kind of creepy. But everyone was taking pics of them.




This is an old goverment building turned into a
hotel on the beach with places to eat in front of it.


An old Lighthouse on the beach. Charming.


Inner Harbor in Den Haag.


Wake boarders pulled by kites over the waves. The water temp. was only like 65, but there were about 10 kites and 8 wind surfers out there on the water. It was very windy the day we walked the boardwalk up to the harbor.


This is a typical street in Den Haag. Most people either
walk or ride a bike. Old and young, carts on the front of
mother's bikes with a couple of children in them. No seat belt.
Pedestians and bikers have the right of way. All the kids ride a
bike to school. If it starts raining, workers chain their bike to
a tree, pole, etc. leave it there and come back for it another day.
I saw very few heavy people in Holland.



The streets, sidewalks and walls are all made of bricks.
The land is very sandy and canals run all thru the country.
Modern windmills do alot of the "water pumping" today, keeping
cities and farmland dry. Here we are standing in front of a huge
government building downtown.




Larry (Marc's counterpart in Holland) and I
are in the open courtyard of the same building.


On our way to get some dinner we passed this colorful building.


These row houses were downtown. Each unique in design.


This is the building that houses the Sensis office.
The door under the balcony walks into the office.

Marc, Chris, Daneilla and Larry in the office in Den Haag.


Saturday in Scotland at the Braemar Royal Highland Games.
They were held in the Princess Royal and Duke of Fife Memorial Park.
Old time competitions for men in kilts and for Scottish Clans to show off their family plaids
and Pipe Bands (bagpipes and drums). Notice the knife in this highlander's right sock.


Here we are at the games. On the left is Chris, Thomas, and Noreen Halversen. Then Larry and
Glenna Grandia (from Bountiful, Utah) and Marc. We had great seats, 3rd row up from the field. We all had lots of fun together, eating and shopping, and eating and watching the games.


Spectators were sitting on the hillside of Heather for a
good view of the games. Chris said you need a good
pair of boots to walk thru a field of Heather. It is very dense
and scratchy.


One of the competitors. Can you imagine throwing this hammer?



See the long spike sticking out of his left boot. The guys
would dig those spikes into the ground to get a good foot-
hold before they started swinging that hammer.


This pole is called a Caber. Two men would carry it over and set it on end in front of the guy and he would then pick it up in front of him and walk, then run and toss it high enough in the air so it would land on it's other end and then it had to fall straight back at 12 o'clock.


Here you can see it being "tossed". This caber was only 16'4" and 99 lbs. The second one was
20'1' and 121 lbs. An american from CA was the first of 2 who successfully tossed the smaller one, but he didn't win. He had to have been born in the Highlands or permanently
live there one year prior to the games and be dressed in his Highland Costume. These guys each threw the hammer, tossed the caber, the gathering stone (large piece of granite cut
square hanging on a metal ring) and also different metal balls of differing weights. Other competitors did the long jump, pole vault and races. Once race was to the top of the nearest tall
hill and back. They had foot races for children, too, and a sack race.


Cawte and Lady Middlebanknock. They were presenters at the games dressed in
their Highland plaids. They were cute and look at those skinny legs!


This gentleman is McDougal Wallace. Of the Wallace Clan.

Here is another couple all decked out.

One of the Highland pipe bands getting ready to enter the stadium. They played while marching around the field of games. The bagpipe and drum music was amazing. The band consisted of very mature musicians to some that looked to be about 10 years old.


This "Laddie" is a drum major for the Highland Band in the picture above.
He was standing and posing for all who wanted to take his picture.


A group of Scottish men waiting to go out on the field.
Some of them were judging the games. Each one in a different plaid.


Tug of war was a big event. The armed forces competed against each other. They really knew how to dig in those heels.


Girls of all ages competed in Scottish dance under this covered platform.
In the next picture you can see some girls dressed in their clan's colors walking out to perform.




Colorful and amazing to listen to each pipe band playing a different tune.


Even the "wee ones" got dressed for the games.



These little boys came down to sit in front of us and they eventually started to wrestle and tumble on the grass. You could see one had on bright red underwear. They were too cute.


Noreen said this is a typical sight of the Scottish and English. When they go to an event, they bring everything they need except the kitchen sink!


One of the Bagpipe bands marching round the field at the games.
There were about 16 bands that marched during the day.


Here I am with Noreen and Glenna. We made it a point to sample the "wares" being sold at the games. We had a waffle, strawberries and "real cream" ice cream drizzled with chocolate. Yum!


The drum majors had a competition, too. They walked
down the field twirling their baton and had to throw
it up over a tall banner and catch it on the other side.
This laddie was very skilled at twirling and performing with
his baton, but after three tries, he missed the last one
to get beat by the winner of last year's contest.


When you enlarge this picture, you will be able to see the baton
up above the banner. One major hit the banner all three times
and it came back down on top of him. It didn't look easy to do!


We stopped this young man to ask him what the leopard skin signified on his costume. You can see Marc laughing at us in the backround. He didn't know, but he got his medals from serving 7 months in Iraq, one for time in Northern Ireland and the third one in Bosnia.


Her Majesty the Queen has arrived with the Duke of Edinburgh.
The crowd stood and sang "God Save the Queen".


The queen, Prince Charles and Camilla.

Princess Ann (on the left) and her husband joined the Royal party.


The Royal family being presented with the traditional bouquets of white heather.


The River Dee runs all thru the highlands down to Aberdeen. Marc and I are on a bridge in the Parish of Braemar after the games.


This is a typical shop. Although this shop front is wood sided, most of the buildings are made of granite. The window sashes are almost 2 ft. thick. Every Parish had beautiful hanging plants from one end to the other.


This is a charming country cottage, but alot of the houses looked like this. Granite structure, slate roof and lots of flowers growing everywhere. I loved the entrance to the yard. It had flowers growing from the bottom draping over the top. Beautiful!


That is all for this blog. I have lots more pictures,
but you'll have to come see me to see them!