After months of planning and anticipation, forty-nine hearty (and hopefully hardy) travelers are on the way to “The Land of the Mountain and the Flood,” to Scotland, as WDAV sponsors its ten-day journey to that wonderful land.
Most of the group departed from Charlotte, of course, but three of the travelers joined the main contingent in Philadelphia. They’re family members of Grant and Caroline Sharp (members of WDAV’s Gladys and Rom Sparks Society), and they came to Philadelphia from Albany, NY, and Atlanta. Once the whole group had gathered in Philly, it was on to Glasgow, where we were to be met by our tour gurus, Luther and Marilyn Wade.

The Wades have journeyed to Scotland so many times and had such extended stays there that it’s almost like a second home to them. As a matter of fact, even though the WDAV trip is a fairly long one—ten days—Luther is actually going to be in Scotland and England for a month, in part to cover a number of operatic events for a magazine for which he’s a regular contributor.
Our group’s itinerary takes us from our early-Monday arrival in Glasgow to Edinburgh, where a half-day city tour is planned. The next day is essentially a free day in the charming city of Edinburgh, and that night the group will attend one of the city’s yearly highlights, the Edinburgh Tatoo. Now before you visualize our group’s returning home with an assortment of inky adornments to various body parts, be assured this Tatoo is quite different – it’s a military-based spectacle that draws audiences from around the world.
The four days after that will be spent touring other areas of Scotland, and as the week progresses I’ll send more reports on what we see and how the group is doing. There seems to be a real sense of excitement among our travelers, many of whom have never been to Scotland before, and the sites and sights Luther has planned for us promise to make for a wonderful learning experience.
Our trip will then bring us back to Edinburgh, where group members are planning to take in some of the many events of the various Festivals. There will be formal musical opportunities from which to choose, and there are literally thousands of performances of various kinds that are part of Edinburgh’s Fringe Festival. It promises to be a kick, and our folks are ready…
So have a kind thought for us the next few days, say a prayer for our safety and health, and we’ll keep in touch right here. You be well, too!