THE PUB AT THE BALBAIRDIE HOTEL WAS HOPPING and a wee taste of whiskey was mighty tempting. But it was already after ten, it had been a long day and bed was even more enticing. Our flight to Glasgow was delayed by ten hours and we spent the day at the Keflavik airport. It’s a nice airport as airports go with tons of shops and free WiFi but it was a day wasted. I don’t remember why I selected the Balbairdie. It’s actually nearer to Edinburgh than Glasgow. It must have been a combination of price and 19th Century charm.
New Lanark WHS
After a modified Scotish breakfast - we passed on the sausage, grilled tomato and baked beans - we found our way to the Clyde valley and the New Lanark World Heritage site, a 200-year old self-contained community that produced cotton textiles. The original mill was designed by David Dale, a contemporary and partner of Richard Arkwright. His son-in-law, Robert Owen, brought his progressive ideas for a semi-Utopian community, similar to Titus Salt’s Saltaire in England. If the names Salt and Arkwright don’t ring any bells you might check back to our first journal (journals.worldnomads.com) in 2011 when we explored Industrial Revolution era England.
We had work to do today, Back in Glasgow at Flight Centre, Karen picked up the ball dropped by their colleagues in London, taking our deposit for the China trip and helping us with the visa application process. The applications are quite involved and a single mistake can mean no visa, no trip. We will mail them off to Wendy Wu, the China experts, tomorrow.
