2nd June 2015
From
what you have read so far—starting with Hollywood films and even my
conversations, latterly, with real Americans—it is clear some sort of
association with America had been going on all my life, long-distance, so to
speak.
From 1984, however, this long-distance arrangement would change. I
became an hotelier, in Edinburgh; and such is the allure of this magnificent
city, crowned by its Castle on a rock (Wimpey didn't build it) I now began to
meet and speak to many.
Edinburgh, with a spectacular setting of mountains, sea
and sky, is inundated with American tourists. The hotel experience, on the
whole, was a good one—if you like people, and they like you. Fortunately, both
descriptions fitted my wife and I. We were hoteliers until 1999.
Most
American visitors were courteous, interested and had a streak of laughter in
them.
Obviously, we had the exceptions, and as usual they are the ones you
remember: those who were expecting a 5 star hotel, while paying ordinary bed
and breakfast rates; the psychotic, psychologist, who wanted my kids to take
her to their school, where she would show the teacher how to teach. We gave her
three beds to choose from: hard, medium and soft. She slept on the floor—or so
she said.
The wonderful US Attorney and his wife, who hailed from San Francisco
and kept comparing Edinburgh, The Forth Rail Bridge, our hills and scenery, to
his city. I told him, 'We have a better bridge than the 'Golden Gate. So
there!!' He agreed.
The Assistant
DA, from Phoenix, entertained with his hairy stories of the hoodlums he had
met. You should have seen my kids' eyes go pop! The Doctor from Los Angeles,
when we asked about his city, could only mutter 'L.A. is a Zoo'.
Just a
little road junction in LA
The
man from Seattle, who we only found out later, was incredibly rich, because he
left his digital camera behind. This showed his power boats, massive houses and
lawns. In his note of thanks for sending the camera to him, he said that he had
just wanted to stay with an ordinary Scottish family.
Are we ordinary? I
dunno!!
Earlier in this tourism and catering business, we were rather forced to
'look after' a New York guy, Jeff Silver. He had run out of money, and, we
found out, had also run away from Manhattan.
His was only one of many similar
cases—but at least he didn't 'do a runner'; he was honest and above board about
everything. I often wonder what became of him.
Chrysler Building, New York
The
most wonderful thing of all, I have to say, was the genuine friendships we made,
with
fellow-Britons,
Australians, Canadians, Europeans, Egyptians and, for sure, Americans.
Before
going on to tell you about our hook-up with the Virginians, who became our
friends, let me say a bit about one or two of the others.
Bill and Helen Marshall,
from the Gold Coast, just south of Brisbane, Australia, would hurry back to us,
after touring the Highlands, the lochs and glens. They always talked about
returning to their 'home' in Scotland, i.e. us. Needless to say, they visited
on more than one occasion, and Bill and I were able to share once more our love
of golf.
'The
Holy of Holies' St Andrews
To be continued...
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