maarmie's musings

Thursday, May 17, 2007

UK. OK!

I hadn't been writing because I'd had nothing to say and because I had been super busy with long hours at work. Three months out of the year, we work our asses off in my office. The bad news is that it involves 12- to 14-hour workdays and six- to seven-day workweeks. The good news is that it allows me to accrue tons of comp time that I am now burning with a vengeance with a five-week trip to Scotland to see my sweetie.

This is my first time out of the United States except for a five-day trip to Montreal in 2000. Ever since I was a wee lassie, I had been wanting to go to Europe - specifically to PARIS! I always told myself that I could die happy once I had been to PARIS! - and now I can.

First things first, though. Getting into London.

I almost wasn't allowed into the UK. The immigration control lady at London Gatwick grilled me about who I was going to visit and why. Where was I staying? How did I meet this person? On the Internet? Hm. Seems suspicious. Has he ever been to the US before? Had we ever met in person before? When are you returning to the US? Where's your itinerary? No itinerary? How do I know you plan on going home? ARGH!

The lady finally let me by, and I've been in Scotland since May 8 except for a 3.5 day trip to PARIS! that ended yesterday.

In the coming weeks, I will be posting details (and hopefully photos) about my trip as well as my impressions of the places I have visitied and will be visiting between now and June 14.

Next post: Initial impressions of Inverness
Next next post: PARIS!
Three posts down: The Highlands

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

The Highlands are full of Americans - especially by June 14 (or thereabouts).

Do you want to know what the funniest thing I ever heard an American in Europe say was?

I knew you would.

AMERICAN-IN-EUROPE (gasping for breath having clambered to the top of the hill to appreciate from close range yet another castle's escarpments): Why didn't they just build these things on low ground?

See, the grilling at Heathrow immigration is just an intelligence test. I heard they recently were considering throwing in a couple of questions about strategic castle emplacement, but figured that'd give the game away.

Ach aye, the noo!