A special start to Holy Week

I've just come from spending my last day in London, as I will be home in SA on the 9th. I went to the British Museum - WOW - amazing!!!!!!! The things I saw there were just awesome. A must see for all people. They have displays from various countries across the world - Egypt, Ethiopia, Japan, Korea, China, Mexico, Greece, Rome and you can go on and on ... absolutely amazing!! From here I went to St. Paul's Cathedral, just in time to celebrate Holy Communion. I've never really been one to give up something for Lent - for various personal reasons - but Holy Week has always been very special, very intense and very meaningful to me. During Holy Week I will usually fast something and bring my focus to the Cross. Although I did not feel a strong sense of worship or sincerity here, as I sat there in one of the most famous Cathedrals in the world in my heart it was a rather special and significant moment. It not only brought my focus strongly to the Cross and getting my mind focused for this week but also a time of repenting and starting anew as I set out on a new adventure come Wednesday evening when I fly back to SA. From St. Paul's I went to the National Art Gallery. Again, WOW!! Incredible paintings from famous people like Michelangelo, Van Gogh, Picasso etc....again very much worth seeing. A good day spent in the City of London. Hmm, I think I'm going to miss this place after all...

Haggis Adventure through Scotland

I have been to the most beautiful and mystical place on this earth. I spent 3 days going through the low and highlands of Scotland. The history and the scenery is just unbelievable!!! I would most definitely recommend the Haggis Adventure Tours. They have 1, 3, 5 or 7 day tours exploring the country of Scotland. During my SKYE HIGH adventure, we left Edinburgh towards Stirling passing by Linlithgow Palace- birthplace of Mary Queen of Scots, explored the Stirling battlefields- where William Wallace and Bruce bravely fought for Scotland’s freedom! Through Trossachs- Rob Roy MacGregor country! Through Rannoch Moor- the largest expanse of uninhabited wilderness in Europe! Glencoe- site of the infamous bloody massacre in the winter of 1692 was really just one of the most beautiful sites you could ever behold. It's almost like there is this 'electricity', this 'currency' or 'mystical-ness' as you travel through the highlands especially. From there through the Great Glen, past Lochs Linnhe, Lochy, Oich, and.. Ness! (lakes for us non-Scottish people) Passing through Fort William - where a Campbell was asked to leave the town due to MacDonald - Campbell massacre and then behold, Ben Nevis- the highest mountain in the UK. We stayed in Fort Augustus at a **** Hostel called Morag’s (Nessie’s sister’s). As we travelled on towards Isle of Skye, we passed Loch Garry- affectionately known as “Scotland’s Loch” as it is a loch (lake) in the shape of Scotland - rather interesting, and on to ‘The Road To The Isles’ Glen Shiel & the Five Sisters of Kintail- they weren’t always there you know! And the very beautiful Eilean Donan Castle- used in the film ‘Highlander’. I very much enjoyed this one, I love castles and the views from there were just fantastic. Like a friend of mine said, there is just something about this country mmmm (",) And then Over the sea to Skye! If I could have a little house anywhere in the world, I would love to have a little cottage on the Isle of Skye, where the cliffs just drop into the ocean, the most beautiful site I have ever seen!! On our last day there we drove the full length of the mysterious Loch Ness, past ruined Urquhart Castle on to Inverness- meaning ‘At the mouth of the River Ness’, spent some time at Culloden Moor- where Bonnie Prince Charlie led the Highlanders in the doomed final Jacobite uprising, and changed Scotland forever! And the up Drumochter Pass- the highest road in Britain and then back to the Lowlands passing through Perth - the an ancient capital of Scotland. Of course your trip to Scotland would not complete without a taste of Whiskey and have Haggis for dinner - that's if you can stomach the idea of Haggis (lets just say back in the day of hunting your food it was a case of waste not, want not - there will be nothing left or wasted of the animal...you made Haggis) I passed on this one...had enough 'afval' as an Afrikaans child thank you very much! heheheheh!! This trip will forever stay with me - true was one of the most amazing trips I have ever done!! And now, back home to South Africa for my next adventure!!!