So after a 9-hour plane ride, a four-hour layover, a one-hour flight and a three-hour drive, I’m in Scotland. Technically I was in Scotland after the one-hour flight, but the three-hour drive really solidified it, taking our media group through small towns (one of which had a hardware shop called “Screw It,” and yes, there’s photographic proof of this forthcoming), pausing at The Green Welly for a pit stop, and finally, dropping us off at the Inverlochy Castle. It’s apparently the best hotel in Europe. So far I have to agree, as I just finished having an incredible dinner courtesy of a Michelin star-rated chef, and I’m about to hop in a nice sunken tub before I leap into my ginormous princess bed. Did I mention my room is larger than my condo? Also, the view from my windows are breathtaking.
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Interestingly, the GM of this place is a Milne. I just found out not two days ago that I have Scot blood in my veins – Grandpa Milne was from Scotland. So over appetizers the GM shared info with me about my lineage – apparently there’s only 900 Milnes in the world – and told me I’m more than likely related to A.A. Milne somewhere along the way (A.A. is a cousin of his.) Nifty.
Our dinnertime entertainment came courtesy of a skilled pianist. The GM told me, “You can make requests. He can play anything you want. The Star Spangled Banner?”
“How about ‘Like A Virgin’ by Madonna?” I asked.
He whipped out a pen and wrote it down on a pad of paper, tore off the top sheet and handed it to one of the employees, who whisked it away to the other room. She returned shortly there afterward with a beaming grin on her face and murmured something in his ear.
He turned to me. “Apparently he doesn’t know that one. Would you like to request something more classic?”
My jetlag prevented me from insisting that “Like A Virgin” is a classic.
Tomorrow we visit a luxury cruise liner that was reserved for the Queen’s birthday last year, followed by a tour of a scotch distillery. Clearly I need all my strength for this. I’m off to bed!
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