Inverbervie

Inverbervie is a small town on the north-east coast of Scotland, south of Stonehaven, in the Aberdeenshire council area. The Inverbervie name derives from Inbhir Beirbhe, meaning Mouth of the River Bervie in Scottish Gaelic. Inverbervie manages to support three pubs and an award winning chip shop. The local "Bervie Chipper" won an award for the best fish and chip shop in the UK in 1998.

Here you see my friend John in his favorite pub in Inverbervie. I had a great time at the pub with John and learned all sorts of new things. I learned that the beer in Scotland is high test compared to the "pish" we drink here in the USA. (I had three pints and when I went to sit on my bar stool, I missed and promptly fell flat on the floor.) I learned that "ladies" drink half-pints and men drink pints. (Brazen red-haired Yank's who fall off bar stools drink pints, of course.) Don't tell your friend in Scotland to sit his "fanny" down on the bar stool next to you. It will cause beer to come out his nose while he laughs his head off. (In Scotland, "fanny" is a part of the female anatomy we usuaaly don't talk about here in the USA.) When you are in Scotland amd you get "pissed," you are usually too drunk to stand and in a great mood. (I like their meaning for "pissed" a lot better. It's a lot more fun. A lot of things in Scotland are a lot more fun.)

Loch Lomond

My first task was deciding whether or not John was an axe murderer. Once he passed that test, we motored off toward Inverbervie where he lived. Ever the considerate host, he traveled by way of Loch Lomond giving me a chance to take the high road and meet him "On the bonnie, bonnie banks of Loch Lomond."

As we traveled at breakneck speed (which I later learned is very normal for all Scottish drivers) I had glimpses of breathtaking beauty through my clenched hands over my eyes. There are about 23 islands that are considered a part of Loch Lomond. Above is Tarbert Island a picturesque private island in the loch. At slower speeds, I would have enjoyed it a lot more, but then we would have taken more than the allotted two-and-one-half hours to get to the pub in Inverbervie. I also learned that the national sport of Scotland is a tie between footy (soccer/foorball) and drinking and that the Scots take to both with an abandon that humbles even the best of us Yanks. These lads can really put it away!

Making Plans to Travel to Scotland--

I touched down at Glasgow International Airport, now BAA Glasgow. My friend, and host for the next two weeks, John, was patiently waiting in the arriving passenger's lounge for me after I cleared customs. Now, I know and you know that it is dangerous to meet men you have never met before alone in a foreign country and the even more foolish to depend on them to provide you with room and board and to help transport you around on your travels. Do not try this yourself. It was foolish and I was quite fortunate.

John was just as warm and personable for the entire two weeks I stayed with him as he was online and over the telephone. We had conversed in depth for weeks and I felt like I knew him well. I didn't and ultimately, we did not get along well. What we thought may have been a budding romance ended up as just a passing friendship. BUT--he was an unfailingly polite and gentlemanly host and provided me with a great place to stay, a full Scottish breakfast every morning and an escort around Scotland while I got my bearings and got used to living in an English speaking, but most foreign country for this USA isolated Yank. John was a fine example of a Scottish gentleman and I was a very lucky lady. Later, I realized just how fortunate I was.

For those of you who do not have a stellar host like John waiting to pick you up at the airport on the other side of the pond, I recommend an invaluable travel service provided by Transport Direct.

http://www.transportdirect.info/TransportDirect/en/?abandon=true

RESEARCH is the key to a good trip-PLANNING, PLANNING and more PLANNING. READ everything you can find about the area to which you are traveling. You can get brand new travel guides for discounted prices from book services like Alibris or on E-bay. Completely map out various itineraries and contingency plans. I find these cautionary measures the key to being safe and prepared while overseas. This is easy now with the Internet and even easier with the wonderful system of tourist offices available on the web for most of Europe and the British Isles. You can find all the information you would ever need about Scotland at http://www.visitscotland.com/.

Back to the Beginning: The First Trip - or - How Getting Fired Was The Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me

It's funny how the things in life that change us the most are also the ones that happen completely by surprise. The picture above is of me and some of the crew from my college bookstore, about a month before I got fired. That's me hiding on the right in the back row. If you had asked me on this day, I would have told you that I planned to run this bookstore forever, if I could. After I left, the store played musical managers for a couple years and then sold out to Barnes and Noble. I guess I was a hard act to follow.

This sounds like a sad story, doesn’t it? Well, actually, running that bookstore is one of my best life memories and getting fired was one of the most fortunate things that ever happened to me. I was at a place in my life where I was dying to travel and once I was assured of getting my severance and unemployment; travel I did, and in a big way.

I left that job in March of 1997. I spent a month researching the British Isles on the Internet. I fell in love with the Standing Stones of Callanish on the Isle of Lewis way out on the Outer Hebrides Islands of Scotland. This became my first travel goal. My second travel goal became meeting people on the Internet with whom I could stay while I was traveling in Scotland. I met several wonderful folks this way and spent time with all of them during my travels. There’s nothing like a local for a tour guide.

I have already told the story of my first steps out of the USA and into Iceland on my way to Scotland. In my second adventure, I will show you around Aberdeen, Stonehaven, Inverbervie and other spots in northeast Scotland escorted by my new friend John. I also made a trip to Arbroath Abbey.

See you in Scotland!