Scotland. God's Country. (Part 1)

We arrived in Aberdeen, Scotland on July 30th. It seemed almost surreal since we'd been talking about making the trip for almost 3 years now and it was finally coming to fruition. My first immediate observation of Scotland was that it felt like home. All those comparisons Kris had made when he first moved to Pennsylvania of the rolling hills and the beautiful green fields, it was easy to see why our two birthplaces felt so much like home to eachother. One major difference I noticed as we stepped off the plane was the cool, crisp air. After a summer in Doha and then spending a week in Coatesville with 95 degree heat and humidity, we welcomed the cooler temps and the crisp, fresh air. And although we were completely prepared for the standard Scottish rainfall, we were lucky enough to experience the country at it's finest with sunshine during the majority of our stay.

My second round of observations was the undeniable charm displayed in both the countryside and the towns. Driving through the villages, you feel like you've taken a step back in time. Every village is scattered with stone and granite homes, churches and shops. You get an immediate sense of family and community and pride for one's home and country. The endless fields are dotted with sheep, cows and horses. There are stone dykes claiming the farmers territory and outlining fields which have been there for hundreds of years. Every which way you turn could be a postcard. The greens are greener. The air is fresher. And the water runs clearer. Scotland is truly God's Country!

We stayed with Kris's brother and sister-in-law, Mark and Suzy, just West of Aberdeen in Inverurie. We were anxious to finally meet the new addition to the Taylor family,our gorgeous new newphew, Kole Alexander George Taylor!

Proud Uncle Kris with Kole.

Beautiful view of Bennachie, a well know and prominent range of hills that's situated behind Mark and Suzy's home. The view never gets old!

Kris thought it would be funny to catch me snoozing in the sunshine. My excuse is jet lag, and recovering from pneumonia! Take note of my one shoe on, one shoe off :) I woke up thinking I had a 5 minute nap, only to find out I'd been out like a light for about an hour.

Our first venture out of Inverurie was with Ken and Kate to visit Kris's Grandma and Granddad on the coast of Northern Scotland in Cornhill. This was the first time I met his Grandparents and Kris's first visit with them in over 3 years. They greeted us with open arms (and I only shed a few tears walking through the front door). After spending some time catching up, we went for a small tour of a few fishing villages on the coast.

After driving through the village of Port Soy, our first stop was Sandend. It's been a tradition for the family to come here and search the beaches for a tiny sea shell called John O' Groats.

The last stop of our tour was in White Hills. Granddad and Grandma spent a large part of their marriage living here. The village is well known for their fish and chips at a small restaurant called Rockfish. This was definitely one of the highlights of the trip for me! It was by far the best fish and chips I've ever had! 

Later that week, Mark and Suzy very graciously hosted a BBQ at their home to get the family together while we were all there. I was able to meet a few more of the family members and friends that I'd previously only met on Skype or Facebook. We weren't quite as lucky with the weather as we had been the past few days, but I got to experience a true Scottish BBQ...umbrella (or brolly) and all.

The next day, we took a driving tour of Aberdeen. We drove through all of Kris's old neighborhoods so I could see where they grew up and went to school. It was so nice to finally experience a piece of Kris's childhood and to hear Kris, Mark and Suzy reminisce about the past and all the mischief they used to get into. 

We stopped at Aberdeen Beach and took Kole for a short stroll along the boardwalk. 

I was introduced to the famous "99" which is a Mr. Whippy (soft serve ice cream cone) with a Flake (delicious chocolate candy bar) stuck in the side! Mmmm.... seconds, please!

I also got a tour of Footdee, or as the locals would call it, "Fittie". It's an old fishing village at the east end of the harbour in Aberdeen. The area has had a settlement as far back as the Medieval times and the first recorded reference to the area of Fittie was in the year 1398. 

Just my size!

A tour of Aberdeen (or Scotland for that matter) is not complete without a stop to pay respects to the statue of Sir William Wallace! I could just hear the famous speech ringing in my ears, "...they may take our lives, but they will never take our freedom!"

Stay tuned for our tour through the countryside and the beautiful highlands in Part 2!