Memorable Moments in Scotland

Finding photos when skies are grey

Ambling along the River Clyde • ©2019 R.C. Flores-Gunkle

I am a blue-sky photographer, but I rarely saw one in Scotland. After a week of overcast skies and light rain, I asked a kid sitting next to my wife and me on a wet park bench, “Does the sun ever shine here?” The kid answered, “I don’t know, I’m only ten years old.”

I told this story to my friends when I returned home to sunny Puerto Rico, and a few of them — the ones to whom I didn’t have to explain the joke — laughed. I figured I wouldn’t be in Scotland long enough to wait for sunlight, so I sought out scenes that would ignore the gloom — and remind me of the dramatic beauty of the country.

Reflections help. I took the shot (above) of the Crowne Plaza Hotel and the SEC Armadillo in Glasgow from a wooden walkway. I learned later the Armadillo is a meeting venue that seats more than 3,000 delegates and is one of the largest in Europe. My favorite reflection, however, was of the Glasgow Cathedral, which can be seen HERE.

Bagpiper in a park • ©2019 R.C. Flores-Gunkle

What says ‘Scotland’ better than a colorful Bagpiper? It may have been a cliché, but it was a perfect souvenir for my collection — and the drizzle (in the background) didn’t…