``In Search of My Childhood``
Alex Wallace returns to Scotland from Canada for the first time in 40 years
accompanied by his Canadian wife, Pat.
A Day to Day Diary of the Pilgrimage
Friday 20 Sept. 2002
Left Toronto Pearson Airport at 6.00pm.
After a pleasant flight, we arrived at Glasgow Airport at 5.50am. As we approached the runway, my excitement was almost overwhelming. ``I was home after 42 years``. The sight was awesome, the city lights, with the River Clyde meandering through the city, was emotional and impressive. As we alighted from the plane, I had the tremendous urge to kiss the tarmac, a la Pope, but regretably now, I did not.
Saturday 21 Sept.
My cousin, Mary McLeod (nee Wilkie), and her son, Alan picked us up, drove to Edinburgh and dropped us off at our rented self catering flat in an old tenement building on London Road. This had a spectacular view of the Queen`s Park and Arthur`s Seat (a 350 million year old extinct volcano), right in the middle of the city.
Although it was an old building, the flat was magnificent, and newly decorated with every modern convenience. I thought we had a good deal at £300 per week and we were able to save money by cooking our own breakfast, packing our lunches for day trips, and sometimes, being too tired to go out for supper, we had a nice relaxing meal in ``our own wee hoose``.
Above us was a rooftop patio with a good view in all directions. One particular event I remember was on the first evening. I could not sleep due to being overtired and excited, so I arose and poured a wee dram of Glenfiddich, and looked out our fifth floor window. The moon shining on Arthur`s Seat on a cloudless night was a spectacle I will ever treasure.
Arthurs Seat
Around 3.00am, the street below began to get busy with people walking home, I assume. They had obviously been drinking as they were doing the 3/2 step, three forward and two back with the occasional one to the left or right, some seemed to go left and right at the same time.
Most seemed to be reading the newspaper. I thought that odd, as it was so dark. Some seemed to be near sighted because they had their faces close up to the paper. Then I caught a familiar odour, aha, they were eating a fish supper wrapped in newspaper. It took all my willpower not to get dressed and go out looking for that fish & chip shop. It was one of the most entertaining 1 1/2 hours I have ever spent. The Glenfiddich added to the atmosphere, of course.
Sunday 22 Sept.
Walked through the Queen`s Park, fed the swans at St Margaret`s Loch, visited St Anthony`s Chapel, built in 1523, now in ruins, and St Margaret`s Drinking Well. It`s hard to imagine Arthur`s Seat in the Queen`s Park is right in the City of Edinburgh. It is truly a beautiful place. We also toured Holyrood Palace.
St Margaret`s Well, Queens Park
Sunday afternoon we visited the Summerside Lawn Bowling Club where I met up with some of my old friends whom I had not seen for 42 years. A few pints were downed. It was a very happy and emotional afternoon. They invited us to return the following Saturday for their annual cabaret show.
Monday 23 Sept.
Walked up and down the Canongate and High Street, visited all the tourist attractions. Decided to leave the castle till the next day as we were getting tired. I figured out we had actually walked 18 miles that day. In the afternoon we took the local bus service around all parts of the city. It brought back many pleasant memories. We returned home to rest and had a relaxing, pleasant supper. Later that evening we met up with some friends at the Artisan Bar, Abbeyhill.
Tuesday 24 Sept.
Spent all day at the Castle and walking around the town. No need to explain how magnificent the Castle is, and the beautiful view to be seen from the ramparts. On leaving I noticed a ``Toast`` on a wall. I will always remember it and share it with you all.
"Here I stand, with drink in hand, drinking to my native Land
Now join with me and drink a toast, to the land of which we boast
Drink it in the Heather`s Dew, here`s to I and here`s to you. God Bless``
In the evening, my cousin Mary MacLeod and her husband, Iain took us out for dinner, a great Italian restaurant near Greyfriars Bobby. We retired early that evening.
Wednesday 25 Sept.
Sightseeing again. Greyfriars Bobby, Churchyard and liquid lunch in the Greyfriars Tavern. Great stuff!! Visited the Museum of Scotland, did not get half way through it. Wandered through Leith in the afternoon. Met up with more old friends at the Trafalgar Bar in Henderson Street. Had supper at home. Later met up with another close friend, Ian Berry at the Artisan Bar. I was best man at his wedding on June 23, 1960. That was the last time I had seen him. More good stuff. I may never drink Canadian beer again!
Thursday 26 Sept.
Packed lunch, took bus to Portobello, a beautiful sandy and clean beach. Too cold to swim though. Visited some relations, spent afternoon walking around Leith, and travelled around city on local buses. Had meat pies, bridies, roast potatoes, and Barr`s Irn Bru for supper. It was a real gourmet treat. I had a quiet evening.
While in Portobello, I called my cousin Mary from a pay phone, one of the old fashioned red ones. When you are running low on time, you receive a series of beeps. This kept happening. I kept asking Pat for more change. She said `` Where the hell are you calling, Australia?`` When I left the booth, I continued to hear the same beeps and realised they were coming from the pedestrian crossing. This they do to indicate to blind people that it is safe to cross the road. That call must have cost me £5.
Friday 27 Sept.
Visited the old street where I lived. No 1 Burlington Street. All the old buildings were torn down and town houses built. They are very nice, but it was a sad moment. Also saw my old primary school. No changes, but was disappointed again to see my old secondary school, David Kilpatrick`s was torn down and is now a park.
Went pub crawling in the evening, looking for more old friends. At this point, my wife Pat asked me how when Scotsmen are looking for somebody or they give directions, they always mention pubs. I said, ``It`s a sign of our good upbringing, lass``.
Saturday 28 Sept.
Did some shopping, sightseeing, etc., generally a lazy day, we needed it.
As mentioned earlier, we were invited to the Summerside Lawn Bowling Club this evening. There was a cabaret show and we had a wonderful time with my friends and their wives, daughters and sons. The club won the bowling championship that afternoon and as tradition goes, the captain of the winning team fills the silver cup with whisky. Also tradition, an honoured guest has to take the first drink. They announced they had guests from Canada, and called on my wife Pat to drink the first toast. Pat, not being much of a drinker (certainly not whisky) was in a panic. I said, ``Don`t worry, it`s champagne``. Wrong thing to tell her. She took a large gulp. I was so proud of her, obviously in excrutiating pain, and turning four different colours, she managed to down it without spilling a drop.
Makes a Scotsman proud to see his wife drink straight whisky, and out of a silver cup. You won`t believe what happened next. This ritual was repeated five times and each time she had to do the honours. I could not believe it. When I got home, I hid my bottle of Glenfiddich.
At the end of the evening, they formed a circle around Pat and me and sang the Scottish National Anthem. According to them it was `By Yon Bonny Banks of Loch Lomond.`` It lasted twenty minutes. It was one of the proudest moments of my life. Pat and I both shed a few tears of joy and happiness. Took a cab home around 02.00am. A good time was had by all!
Sunday 29 Sept.
Iain and Mary picked us up at 11.30am. Had a lovely lunch at their townhouse. Fresh baked rolls with fried back gammon. Later Iain drove us to Stirling Castle, the Wallace Monument and Tillicoultry where my father was born. Again this was a very emotional experience. Iain was 35 years with the Edinburgh City Police Pipe Band and as pipe major led them to a few world championships.
Pat, being born in Canada, was impressed by the history and statues, particularly the Wallace Statues that I tried to convince her were erected in my honour and someone had put William instead of Alex. She did not buy it.
Had dinner in a beautiful quaint country inn called the Tormauken at Glen Devon. Drove to their house, enjoyed a few drinks while talking about ``auld times & family``. Great Day!
Monday 30 Sept.
Had a lazy type morning. Met my friend and schoolmate, Billy McBean who drove us around Leith. It was most enjoyable and informative. He pointed out a lot of things that I had forgotten and some that I did not know. Took a bus home. Meat pies, chips, and bridies for supper. I love them, especially washed down with McEwan`s 80/- Ale.
Met our webmaster, John Stewart and his good lady, Edith at the Artisan Bar. John arranged to pick us up on Friday.
Tuesday 1 Oct.
Visited my Aunt Jessie, aged 79, and my cousin, Ian Arundel who lived in Bangor Road. Took Ian out for a few pints. We visited Fox`s Bar on Bonnington Road, that used to be called Olympia and Caskies before that. While I went to the washroom, and Ian went for cigarettes, Pat was sitting by herself on a bench seat attached to the wall. The waiter came over and removed the drinks from the table then the table itself. Pat wondered what was going on.
He then opened a trap door in front of her. She looked down with legs dangling at this big hole. Another guy came in rolling a barrel of beer and dumped it down the hole. The waiter then replaced the table and drinks with a ``Thanks hen!``
After supper we took a relaxing walk along Princes Street in both directions. It was a beautiful balmy evening.
Wednesday 2 Oct.
My friend Ian Berry and his wife Alice drove us to Biggar where we used to camp as young lads with the 17th Leith Boys Brigade. We had a picnic by the water, meat pies, chips, and Irn Bru again. By the way, the Irn Bru is advertised as Scotland`s other national drink. Made from girders, it is claimed. Later we drove through Peebles, and then overland to North Berwick, Gullane (Muirfield Golf Course) and home to Leith.
Had an unbelievable haddock supper at the Peacock Hotel, Newhaven, then onto Ian`s house for some serious drinking. As Ian was driving, he had no drink all day. Ian insisted we sample a `nip` from his large collection of single malt whiskies. I lost count, but I think we managed to sample them all.
The Peacock Inn
Pat had a great time, but was not impressed when we got home as we had five flights of stairs to climb and I was doing the 3/2 step. It took some time to reach the top and I was almost sober by that time, and suggested we had a night cap. I remember getting dragged across the room, thrown into bed and told to stop singing. I slept like a baby that night, yeh!
Thursday 3 Oct.
Climbed Arthur`s Seat. It was an amazing experience, easy when you are a kid, but quite tough when you are in your sixties. On the way down we took a path by the base of the Salisbury Crags.. Pat was terrified, it was not much more than a goat path, sheer cliffs on one side and a big drop on the other.
It would have been a challenge for a mountain goat. Invigorating, exciting, but was quite relieved to reach the bottom. Unbelievable scenery from the top. Had lunch at home, then later in the afternoon went to the Lawn Bowling Club again. Met up with more friends, more pints and a good `crack` as they call it. Conversation to you and me. Had a relaxing evening at home.
Friday 4 Oct.
John and Edith drove us through Leith, Newhaven and Cramond. At South Queensferry we had fresh baked scones and beer in the Hawes Inn. It was in this inn that David Balfour was kidnapped in the novel of that name by Robert Louis Stevenson. Had our photo taken alongside a big piper in full highland regalia whilst in the bar.
Stopped off at Blackness Castle on the Forth before arriving in Linlithgow with its Palace and Peel.
Later drove to Livingston to John`s house for coffee before dropping into the Livingston Rugby Clubhouse for a few beers. As John still had some driving to do, he couldn`t drink.
The four of us then returned to Edinburgh to drop us off. We all decide we would visit the fish and chip shop for a sit in tea. I had a double haggis supper, Edith and John a single one but Pat was not brave enough. She opted for a fish supper. They were great. Meeting up again on Sunday.
Saturday 5 Oct.
Took a bus through Edinburgh and Leith, visited friends and relatives. I was glad to visit my cousin Tom`s (passed away last year) wife who is in a nursing home. She was so glad to see Pat and me, as we were to see her. We hugged and kissed and reminisced.
Returned to the bowling club in the evening and had a grand reunion with my old friends and their wives. It was a most enjoyable, rewarding and emotional evening.
Sunday 6 Oct.
John Stewart and his lovely lady, Edith picked us up this morning and drove us to Callendar, Balqhidder and Lochearnhead. We first stopped off at the shores of Loch Lubnaig for a snack of Scotch pies and Irn Bru.
Loch Lubnaig
At Balqhidder we saw the grave of Rob Roy McGregor.
Rob Roy Grave, Balqhidder
I must tell you what happened there. We drove up the lane to the old quaint church. As we emerged from the car, and standing at the foot of Rob Roy`s grave, the single church bell started to ring at that precise moment. Immediately the congregation began to sing a hymn.
A beautiful, peaceful feeling came over me, and as John and I locked eyes, there was no need to talk as I, as he, knew we both had the same feeling. We looked at each other for a few moments, then immediately threw our arms about each other and hugged. We were so proud to be Scottish and thankful that we could express our feelings to each other. I truly believe at that moment we formed an everlasting friendship.
We again stopped off for a beer and a sweet in the Clachan Cottage hotel on the shore of Loch Earn.
Made our way up the glen and down the other side into Killin on the River Tay. Here we dined in the Falls of Dochart hotel on cullin skink. The weather continued to be lovely and warm.
Falls of Dochart Inn, Killin
Travelled onto Crieff via Aberfeldy then down through Stirling to Edith`s home in Broxburn, West Lothian. We relaxed there before we left Edith with John driving us back to Edinburgh.
Pat and I had supper at an Italian restaurant opposite the Playhouse. Walked back down London Road as it was a beautiful balmy evening. It was an exhausting, yet unforgettable day, thanks to John and Edith, our new friends.
Monday 7 Oct.
Had a busy day tying up loose ends, as we were leaving for Dublin next day. Had lunch with Aunt Jessie and cousin Mary at the Persevere Bar in Leith. Delicious steak pie, and again, they would not let me pay.
Had dinner at the Ship Bar on the Shore with Aunt Jessie , my new MUM, Mary and Iain. My cousin Mary has and always will be according to Tom and me `oor wee sister`.
Home to relax, then met all my friends and their wives for our farewell evening at the Theatre Royal Bar, Leith Walk. Later we went to the Deep Sea Restaurant and ordered take away fish, haggis, and black pudding suppers, etc and walked home eating our gourmet treat.
It was a sad, emotional experience, but a great evening was had by all. We renewed our bond of friendship and promised never to lose touch again.
Footnotes
Leith, in general, has improved especially the Shore area. The Kirkgate though is a complete disaster. They moved the Queen Victoria statue to make room for a ridiculous looking `thing`, that`s only the way I can describe it. It looks like an upside down ice cream cone with holes and blue tinfoil wrapped around it, supposedly to resemble a whale`s tooth in honour of Leith`s proud whaling industry. It is truly an eyesore.
I enjoyed our visits to the pubs, chattering to the locals who were so friendly (good crack as they call it). One old guy, 89 years` old was involved in a conversation about smoking and drinking affecting your health. His comments were priceless. he said, ``......these young doctors are punks and don`t know anything about medicine. They took out one lung about 30 years ago, lost a kidney about 20 years ago.`` He is still going strong, smoking cigars, drinking nips of whisky, washed down with pints of beer. He is, however, having a problem with his left knee. The doctor said, ``Jimmy, yir getting auld, you have to expect these things.`` I said to him, ``......it`s nothing to dae wi getting auld, ma right knee is the same age as my left knee, how come one hurts and the other disnae? I sure put him in his place. Let`s have another dram!``` I was stuck with the bill, of course!
I met up with many relatives and old school mates, drinking buddies, etc. I had hoped to meet them and reminisce about old times over a pint, but the hospitality, kindness, and genuine love they offered Pat and me was beyond my wildest dreams.
Wandering through Leith was an experience. I was getting a bit frustrated at times, as I knew everybody I saw. Sitting in Whitson`s Bar on Henderson Street, now called Wilkies, I saw a guy I was sure I knew. I mentioned it to Pat and she said with a chuckle, `` That kid was born 40 years` ago after you left for Canada. You may have gone to school with his dad, but certainly not him.`` It was then I realised I was looking for people through my eyes 42 years` ago. I should have been looking at the 60 year olds +.
In closing, I feel that I have been privileged to relive my childhood and youth all over again and that, as you can imagine, is priceless. Thanks to my cousins, Mary and Iain Mcleod, my dear friends Bill McBean and Liz, and Ian Berry and Alice. Last but not least, John Stewart and Edith. All were perfect, gracious hosts who did Pat and me proud, themselves proud and SCOTLAND very proud. As Robert Louis Stevenson said of Leith,
``I shall always remember my town by the sea``
Alex and Pat Wallace Sept/Oct 2002
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