Finding Scottish Heavens

In 1999 in the fall I took my mother who was still then alive and my then 10 year old older daughter to Scotland. I had changed a lot since Fall 1998 because doctors thought I might die for about 8 months from something they couldn't diagnose for 8 months. In May 1999 my heart specialist finally had told me I had had a heart virus and that most people don't survive this at the time. He was right I hadn't heard of anyone when I researched it that had survived a heart virus in California that year at the time but I had found many who had died including the cousin of my dermatologist doctor who I visited to protect me from Skin Cancer because as a world traveler and mountain climber I had spent a lot of time in the sun and also I had been a surfer in Los Angeles especially in Malibu during the 1960s. My dermatologist's cousin was only in his late 20s and had passed away from a melanoma. (correction: My aunt in 1995 passed away from a melanoma but the doctor's cousin passed away from a heart virus in his late 20s: You have a 1 in 1000 chance of getting a heart virus every time you get your teeth cleaned. Since it is often fatal that means you have a 1 in 1000 chance of dying from a heart virus caused directly by getting food into your blood stream while your teeth are being cleaned.

Though I have never had a melanoma I have had squamish cell carcinomas and Basil Cell Carcinomas removed. So, I still go in and have all my body skin checked since around 1995 at least every 6 months since my aunt died of a melanoma then.

So, after almost dying I wanted to remind myself I was still alive so I took my 10 year old daughter and my mother to Scotland so my mother could see where her mother and father grew up mostly near Glasgow, my grandmother in Clydebank and my Grandfather in Ayre.

But, I found myself jet lagged to a large degree and so I found myself (especially on roundabouts) dangerous going counter clockwise on them. I didn't want to accidentally kill us all driving in Glasgow and Edinburgh, so I decided to get out into the country to the North, so I would be safer driving on the Freeways there heading North over the Forth Bridge towards Sterling.

By the time I had reached Aviemore I started hearing my ancestors (I'm half Scottish by blood) calling to me through the Cairngorm mountains. They were saying "Welcome Back Freddie!" with a Scottish Brogue like my Grandmother (my mother's mother) had as she raised me from an infant alongside my mother and father as they both worked during the day.

And so, I found my way into the Scottish Heavens and a kind of feeling of "HOME" I had never experienced before.

There is a saying "Blood is thicker than water" and Scottish people are very very Clannish". Clannish just means they are Very Very "Family First" always.

So, they don't always have a lot of trust of outsiders.

But, on a spirit level I was welcomed like the prodigal son returning and I felt a peace and a happiness in Aviemore and the Cairngorm mountains where the royal family skis (along with everyone else) that I had never felt anywhere I had been on earth before. I felt home in a completely new way. This was my first sojourn to Scotland then in 1999 in this lifetime.

Then in 2011 I returned. (By this time my mother had passed away along with my wife's father also in 2008). We  had had time to grieve and so had recovered enough to make this trip. This time my older daughter and her boyfriend and my younger daughter accompanied us to Scotland and England. First, we went to England to London where we stayed and visited "Big Ben" and the sights around London and rented a Diesel Mercedes Station wagon for us all to fit in while traveling the countryside.

My favorite place to go though is Glastonbury where the feeling of Saint Germain and Francis Bacon (the father of the Scientific Method). Also, this is where Merlin and King Arthur and where they  lived nearby the Isle of Avalon in actuality. The lake is gone but the island "Glastonbury" is still there along with the ruins of the Abbey in the Middle of the town which is a park now along with the grave of King Arthur and Guinevere.

Glastonbury is out near the area where Stonehenge is by the way I think it is within 20 to 30 miles of Stonehenge if I remember correctly. Then we went north to Edinburgh via the train ride from Bristol after dropping off our Mercedes rental there in Bristol, England.

WE got off the train in Edinburgh, Scotland and walked with our luggage to our hotel down the street a little. Edinburgh Castle is one I would highly recommend which is within walking distance also.

Later we rented another Gasoline Mercedes stationwagon this time and drove north to Aviemore again and rode the new Funicular up to the top where it was very cold even in October of 2011. We stayed a few days in Aviemore before heading north to Inverness to drive down Loch Ness which is an amazing place too. Then we went over to Aberdeen to visit a Doctor and his wife. My wife met his wife I believe in Australia before they and we married. So, my wife and she are old friends at this point. She had had 3 children one under 12 and one about 13 then and one about 15 or 16.

We also visited Findhorn because I had had friends who had lived there and I also had met Peter Caddy while he was alive and I had climbed up Mt. Shasta with them in the early 1980s when my friend the Lawyer Catholic Priest made it to the top of the mountain with Peter Caddy which I was suprised by because they were all over 50 or 60 at the time. I believe both have passed away now.


IN London also don't miss the:

1. Tower of London - Wikipedia

   en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tower_of_London

   The Tower of London, officially Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic castle located on the north bank of the River ... 

   
   

   Edinburgh Castle - Official Site

   www.edinburghcastle.gov.uk
   Visit Edinburgh's famous castle for a great family day out in Scotland. Book your tickets online now and beat the queues.
   • Tickets & Prices Tickets & Prices; Ticket Types and Prices. ... Serving...
     
   • Opening Hours Edinburgh Castle is open throughout the year. Check our...
     
   • Visit Home; Visit; Plan Your Visit. Edinburgh Castle is one...
     
   • Shop & Eat Shop & Eat; Gift Shops and Cafés. ... Inspired by the...
     
   • Discover Discover. Explore Edinburgh Castle’s highlights below...
     
   • Explorer Pass 20% discount on audio guides at Edinburgh Castle; Buy...
     
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   2. Edinburgh Castle - Wikipedia

      en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edinburgh_Castle

      Edinburgh Castle is a historic fortress which dominates the skyline of the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, from its position on the Castle Rock. 

      
      

      As you walk in the area near Edinburgh Castle you will see if you are looking for it many of the names made famous in J.K. Rowlings' Harry Potter series too. Even the Castle itself reminds me a little of Hogwarts.

      
      

      Anyway if you are part Scottish too don't underestimate your feelings while you are in Scotland.

      
      

      Also, if you are at all sensitive you might have to deal with Ghosts a lot in England and Scotland. I'm not sure why there are hundreds and thousands of Ghosts there in England in Scotland but they are everywhere. So, be prepared for these types of encounters if you go to England or Scotland because it can be overwhelming if you are not prepared for this.