ENGLAND, SCOTLAND AND WALES

In December of 1988, a Pan Am Boeing 747 disintegrated in the air over Lockerbie, Scotland, claiming 270 passengers and crew, plus eleven persons who were hit by debris.

The disaster was the result of a bomb explosion.  The bomb had been placed aboard by terrorists, who said they were avenging a United States bombing of Libya's capital city, Tripoli.  The Libyan Government under Muammar al-Qaddafi supposedly paid damages to the families of the attack victims.

Elaine and I had heard the news, but had not related it to a trip we had booked with Collette Tours, out of Pawtucket, Rhode Island. It was a week-long excursion to England, Scotland and Wales. 

However, some folks got "frigid feet" and the initial tour list of over one hundred had shrunk to just  eighteen brave souls, sixteen of whom had a Harvard College connection.

All of the group, except for us, were flying at an early time out of Boston.  We were flying at a later time out of Baltimore.  This meant that we would miss the wine party set up for our group in London. (Damn!)

Our tour guide, Hal, who was also our nervous bus driver, led us away from merry London after a quick peek into the Baths.  

On the road, Hal was tasked to read from a "crib sheet" outlining historic venues.  He did this while manipulating our oversized bus, sometimes even in the proper lane.

A couple of the ladies in our little group were named Shakespeare.  You can imagine how nicely that "went over" in England.  Not so much in Scotland, and not at all in Wales.

Joe, an eighty-year-old retired professor was on the trip with his latest young inamorata.  During a long delay in the bus ride because of sheep in the road, he proposed to his girlfriend.  She accepted, to the delight of the group.  

We spent a long time at costumed banquets in Scotland and Wales.  I was even tempted once to try the Haggis, but Elaine rescued me.  She would tolerate a little garlic and scrapple, but Haggis?  No way!

In Edinburgh, Scotland, Elaine asked a costumed castle guide the immortal question, "What's worn under the kilt?"

The guide gave the immortal answer, "Madam, nothing is worn.  It's all in working order!" 

There were a couple of major disappointments with the tour.  Our flight schedule caused us to miss a tour of Windsor Castle and a tour of Winston Churchill's ancestry home.

 All things considered, we enjoyed the trip and the interaction with those new Harvard acquaintances.

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