Month: April 2023

Sunday April 30th, 2023, today’s activities go as follows. We met outside the Bentley hotel at 8:30. Walk to the nearby train station. Took the train from Motherwell to Glasgow. Got off the train and walked through the downtown area into the next station which would take us to Edinburgh. While walking we saw amazing architecture and smelled delicious street food. 

Once in Edinburgh, we made a small pit stop in the bathrooms and then headed out to Edinburgh Castle. The walk was quite an experience. You walk uphill the entire way. It takes your breath away, not just the climb, but seeing all the beautiful buildings below you.

Met after by the entrance gate and went to Victoria Street. This street is known to be the inspiration for Diagon Alley in the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rawling. All of us ventured off in groups to explore what the city had to offer. I of course being a huge fan of Harry Potter, I had to go in the stores themed after the books. 

When I got my fill, I headed with Melody to Maggie’s Dickinson pub for some food. We sat and enjoyed a nice hot meal plus a refreshing drink.

After lunch, Melody and I walked the Royal Mile. We made a few stops at some stores and bought a few things. We then headed back to our meeting point to reunite with everyone else. 

On a sad note, our day in Edinburgh ended. We gathered in the light of day, walked back to the train station, grabbed something for the road, and made our way back to Motherwell.

Started with an early breakfast at the Bentley hotel. We boarded the Rabbie tour van by 9 AM and were on our way to the Scottish Highlands.

The palace rooms were reconstructed and display the richness that once inhabited its royal walls, including James V, Mary of Guise and Mary Queen of Scots.

Although the weather was less than desirable, we all enjoyed the tour and viewing an important piece of world history.

We stopped to grab a quick bite to eat at the Scottish Wool Centre and headed on our way to the next stop. We headed to Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park, which is Scotland’s first national park, it was given this status back in 2002. While there we toured the Balloch Steam Slipway, walked along the water’s edge, and saw a few jet skiers, even with the chilly weather. After all the outdoor fun, we were on to our next scheduled part of the trip a distillery.

Auchentoshan Distillery was established in 1823, and is the only Triple Distilled Single Malt in Scotland. There are 3 ingredients, barley, water and yeast. They first make a beer, then triple distill it and then wait. Storing the whisky in matured casks that formerly held bourbon, sherry or fine wine. Their process is more time-consuming and expensive but is absolutely unique. Whisky is spelled differently here and is the main export of Scotland. Whisky means “water of life.” We toured each of the processing rooms, as well as the storage barns. Each room had its own smell, including fermenting barley and yeast and aging whisky in barrels.

We ended the evening with dinner where we chose, some in the hotel, and some out for take away. And then resting up in our rooms for a big day in Edinburgh.

Everyone in the group tried their hand at getting a good night’s rest; some more successfully than others. Luckily, our educational partners at New College Lanarkshire were kind enough to let us start the morning slowly. Hazel Scott, the International Activities Manager at New College Lanarkshire, waited until mid-morning to pick up our group from the Bentley Hotel and take us to New College Lanarkshire’s Motherwell Campus.

The New Lanarkshire – Mother Well Campus was built in 2009 on the site of the former Lanarkshire Steel Company that was closed by British Steel in 1979. Lanarkshire Steel Company was the third largest producer of steel girders in Europe after the second World War.

We were met with a warm welcome of tea, coffee, and local snacks by Dugald Craig, Director of International Education and Evalyn Waters, a faculty member in the hospitality and tourism department. Dugald gave a brief introduction about the college, its campuses, and areas of study. Evalyn filled us in on the rivalry of Glasgow and Edinburgh, the economic history of the Motherwell area, and the evolution of the college. It was easy to draw parallels between the regions. Like Gateway, the oldest technical college in the United States, New College Lanarkshire’s Coatbridge is the oldest Further Educational Institute in Great Britain. Evalyn was kind to suggest a walking tour of the city below the city of Edinburgh to experience the goosebumps from centuries of shoes that crossed the paths of the buried city. (Stay tuned for updates)

Hazel took the lead and gave the group a whistlestop tour of campus. We visited an automation lab that was being packed up to take on the road for industry consultation and training, to show small businesses the potential automation may have within their business.

We popped into the college gym where students were learning about lifestyle fitness. Lastly, we had a stopover with a group of healthcare professionals. Our nursing alumni and students commiserated with New Lanarkshire nursing students about the academic rigor and shared experiences of becoming a healthcare professional

By one o’clock we were famished and invited to the college fine dining hall. Here we met and shared a Scottish inspired luncheon with a Canadian group from Niagara College. The Niagara College group had been in Scotland for the past 10 days and were on their final day of travel. Both of our groups were   treated to a Scottish inspired meal prepared and served by New Lanarkshire culinary student.  

After lunch, Gateway students joined New College Lanarkshire culinary students as the culinary instructor from Niagara College, Scott Wild, presented on the international learning opportunities for culinary students at Niagara College.

Dinner and cosmic bowling was a great way to end the night! We could have used the bumpers.

Kenosha to Dublin. Dublin to Glasgow. Glasgow to Motherwell.

Leaving Chicago

Well, it’s safe to say we were all exhausted on day 1 of our trip. After what seemed like an eternity, 3,654 miles and about 18 hours later we made it from Kenosha, Wisconsin to Glasgow, Scotland. 

We were picked up from the airport promptly upon our arrival and taken to The Bentley Hotel in Motherwell. We got checked into our rooms and had a short time to get unpacked and relax before dinner at the hotel.

The Bentley Hotel is ideally situated between Glasgow and Edinburgh, in a historical building formerly known as ‘Motherwell House’ which was built in 1874 and has been ‘Home’ to many of Motherwell’s founding families. Originally built for Colonel Black of the famous Cameronians, the exterior of the building has retained it’s character whilst now housing a locally renowned Restaurant and an 18 en-suite bedroomed Hotel which offers the traveler a touch of comfort after a long day.