Hiho,

Wie ihr ja alle wissen solltet, komme ich dann ja bald nach Hause. Allerdings habe ich bisher eine der großen Touristenfallen Schottlands ausgelassen- Loch Ness – welche ich dann am 5. Dezember versuchen werde noch zu besichtigen (auch wenn ich bisher nur rausgefunden habe, wie ich in die grobe Gegend komme – wir werden sehen).

Ansonsten is im Moment nicht viel zu tun (was mich dazu nötigt den Artikel zu schreiben), wir warten mal wieder auf die Post. John hat sich augenscheinlich für das Wochenende nach Glasgow verabschiedet (spontan, weder Luise noch ich wussten davon)(inzwischen hat sich die  Spontanität erledigt, Luise wusste davon, war heute morgen aber zu verpennt um es mir zu erzählen ), also auch an diesem Wochenende wieder kein Golf.

Nun gut, es geht dann doch mal wieder an die Arbeit, vielleicht gibt es nach dem Wochenende den nächsten Bericht. Auf jeden Fall werd ich aber die Edinburgh Bilder nachliefern (morgen früh), freut euch also schonmal drauf.

Piove. Ininterrottamente da ieri notte. Però sono contento, sono venuto a casa senza ombrello (tanto con questo vento serve a poco), alla scozzese, anche se poi mi sono asciugato i capelli, all’italiana.

Le ultime due settimane sono state molto piene e molto belle. Poco tempo per dormire, poco tempo per pensare. Non mi ricordo neanche più bene cos’é successo, é tutto un po’ confuso, un po’ dreamy. I feel like I’m losing track of things a little, but I’m having a good time, so I guess it doesn’t matter.

La settimana scorsa é venuta a trovarmi Giorgia, una ragazza di Rieti che ho conosciuto a Cambridge nel 2003. Eravamo diventati “amici di penna”, o di e-mail, o qualcosa del genere, e poi ci siamo visti un paio di volte tra Roma e Bologna. Poi non ci siamo più sentiti per un bel po’, finché non c’é stato il terremoto all’Aquila. Lei studia là, era là quando é successo, casa sua distrutta, lei illesa perché aveva passato la notte da un’amica.

Insomma, l’ultima persona che mi aspettavo mi venisse a trovare. Ero anche un po’ preoccupato, perché non abbiamo mai passato tanto tempo insieme, poteva essere un po’ akward. Invece é andato tutto bene, mi ha fatto piacere rivederla, credo che mi faccia bene passare un po’ di tempo con persone diverse da me (lei é un po’ una sfattona – senza offesa, Giò –, io sono più tranquillo, più “anziano”, come dice lei), e fare da guida a qualcuno in città ti aiuta a vedere tutto con occhi diversi.

La prima sera (mercoledì, l’11) ci siamo incontrati per caso al Brass Monkey con Janne e due suoi amici belgi che la sono venuti a trovare. Dopo cena invece siamo usciti con Joffrey e Jadwiga, e Giorgia si é detta d’accordo con me: sono pazzi. Joffrey ha fatto un paio delle sue solite uscite e Jadwiga ci ha raccontato di quando é venuta qui a 18 anni, dopo che il suo ragazzo di allora in Polonia aveva deciso di non sposarla. Siamo andati a casa presto.

Giovedì l’ho portata a fare un giro su Arthur’s Seat, a me piace un sacco ma lei non la vedevo molto convinta. La sera invece siamo andati all’Elephant café, il posto dove, dicono, J.K. Rowling ha ideato e cominciato a scrivere Harry Potter. Ci siamo incontrati lì con Janne e i belgi, e poi abbiamo finito la serata al Cabaret Voltaire. Gran bella serata, forse influenzata dal fatto che per cena (cioé, invece della cena) io e Giorgia ci siamo bevuti sette birre.

Venerdì mattina, dopo aver dormito un’ora, abbiamo preso l’autobus per Inverness. Città minuscola ma molto carina, sul fiume Ness, a un tiro di schioppo dal lago. Abbiamo fatto un giro lì e uno a Urquhart Castle, castello in rovina sulle rive di Loch Ness. A me é piaciuto un sacco, contro ogni previsione c’era un bel sole, poca gente, si stava benissimo. Ho fatto un milione di foto al castello, ne potete vedere un po’ su Facebook (“Oh Nessie where art thou?”). Non abbiamo visto il mostro, ma va be’. Abbiamo passato la notte in ostello a Inverness, conoscendo un buon numero di personaggi bizzarri, e il giorno dopo abbiamo ripreso l’autobus dopo aver fatto un’altro giro per la città.

Domenica siamo andati al National Museum of Scotland (una figata. Gratuito. Immenso. Interessantissimo. Ci devo assolutamente tornare) e poi la sera abbiamo improvvisato un cous cous. Giorgia é tornata a casa nel cuore della notte (Ryan Air…).

Lunedì Jo mi ha spiegato che le potenze occidentali rifiutano agli immigrati l’ingresso nelle loro nazioni, e però vendono ai paesi africani le armi per continuare le guerre che li tengono in povertà e li costringono ad emigrare. L’Italia ad esempio respinge gli immigrati in Libia e da lì nel resto dei paesi africani, dove possono continuare a morire di fame o ad ammazzarsi usando le armi della Beretta. Mi piace Jo.

Martedì mattina sono andato a fare il colloquio per avere un National Insurance Number, una storia tipo il codice fiscale che serve per lavorare qua. Alla sera Janne e Maura mi hanno aiutato a fare i muffins per il giorno dopo, che purtroppo si sono tutti afflosciati in forno =(. Alla fine erano buoni, solo non sembravano muffins. Poi abbiamo guardato Nuovo Cinema Paradiso, sempre bello.

Mercoledì (ieri) ho fatto una cena per il compleanno. Non é venuta tanta gente, solo Janne, Ed, Henry, Tom, Philippa e Natalia. A quanto pare non sono molto popolare in questa città. Però sono stato bene, gli spaghetti alla carbonara (con le zucchine al posto della pancetta per Ed) sono venuti buoni e abbiamo passato una bella serata. Maura mi ha comprato una torta buonissima fatta a biscotto gigante to make up for my failed muffins, che grande. Alla fine i ragazzi insistevano per vedere la partita e quindi siamo finiti in un bar d’irlandesi vicino allo stadio, giusto in tempo per vedere Henry e un arbitro cieco inculare l’Irlanda del Trap.

Oggi piove, come detto. Un po’ hangover, un po’ di malinconia anche se ho ancora il sorriso. Comincio a chiedermi se sia stata una buona idea decidere di non venire a casa a Natale. Cerco di non pensare al fatto che mio papà a 23 anni si era già sposato e manteneva la famiglia lavorando in officina, mentre io sono in Scozia a cazzeggiare, o cose di questo genere. L’unico lavoro in prospettiva per ora sembra il trasloco del Direttore, un sabato a spostare dei mobili.

Rileggendo questa roba, con tutte le frasi spezzate, sembra che io stia avendo a shitty time. Non é così, é solo che il blog serve per i momenti di riflessione, che mal si conciliano con quelli di divertimento. Nelle ultime due settimane ho dormito poco, fatto tanto, bevuto più del solito, ballato, cantato, riso, viaggiato, visto dei posti poetici e spettacolari (Loch Lomond e Loch Ness), conosciuto meglio alcune persone (Janne, ma anche Maura, adesso che ci separiamo mi sembra che stiamo diventando amici, e ovviamente Giorgia), lavorato pochissimo (che tanto non mi pagano, e lo so che sono presuntuoso ma non mi sembra di avere più niente da imparare).

Novembre finora é stato un gran bel mese.

Trecand peste scaparea de la postul trecut promitand ca nu voi mai repeta experienta prea curand, stiu ca-i greu digerabil si, pe alocuri, in puncte complet esentiale, compus din 4 gauri negre ce se varsa in aceeasi ghena; mi-am propus sa revenim la chestiuni mai comune si mai pasnice. Va eram datoare cu cateva informatii din Scotia. ( va eram datoare = va voi mai baga, cu multa impertinenta, pe gat detalii din expeditia pe care mi-am permis sa o duc la capat in mijlocul semestrului scolar  ).

Va voi lasa sub studiu o poza reprezentativa. In urmatorul post va voi spune ce si cum din perspectiva omului trecut prin viata. Locata este Loch Ness, subiectul, eh, va las pe voi : ( inutil si redundant  sa mai va povestesc despre expresia de superioritate olimpiana de pe fata mea ).

Scuzati calitatea deficitara, e o caracteristica comuna a tuturor dovezilor irefutabile.

When Scottish scientists went into the depths of Loch Ness, they hoped to find evidence of a prehistoric creature along the loch floor.

Instead, what they discovered were golf balls, hundreds of thousands of them. Golf balls take between 100 and 1,000 years to decompose in the wild, and as they break down, they release toxins and heavy metals.

Source:
http://planetgreen.discovery.com/travel-outdoors/loch-ness-golf-balls.html

Research teams at the Danish Golf Union have discovered it takes between 100 to 1,000 years for a golf ball to decompose naturally. A startling fact when it is also estimated 300 million balls are lost or discarded in the United States alone, every year. It seems the simple plastic golf ball is increasingly becoming a major litter problem.

The scale of the dilemma was underlined recently in Scotland, where scientists — who scoured the watery depths in a submarine hoping to discover evidence of the prehistoric Loch Ness monster — were surprised to find hundreds of thousands of golf balls lining the bed of the loch.

Feeling nostalgic for a bit of stinky, steamtrain action, we took a trip through Cairngorm national park.

Choo choooo

It was pretty authentic. There was even a gruff, soot covered engineer. I felt like Ringo Starr should have been narrating in the background.

The real deal

There wasn’t really much to see on the way, Vanessa even had a little nap. The train was cool though.

Nap time

We based ourselves at a camping ground just out of Inverness in Dingwall. We attempted our second disposable BBQ experiment, this time with more success.

I feel a lot of anxiety when cooking a disposable BBQ. There’s one shot at it, if you don’t time it properly and get it all right up front then you are screwed. In this sense the disposable BBQ is the Waterfall of the grilling world. I prefer an approach where you can always chuck the steak back on the hotplate if it is too pink.

As you can see though, Vanessa was in her element – comandeering a disposable BBQ just as efficiently as a real one.

Everybody cook or the sausage gets it!

Here we  also experienced our first airbed failure. Early in the morning I heard a rrrrptt…phwoosh noise. It wasn’t just the after effects of the BBQ either. With that, the Argos airbed hit the bin and an £8 replacement was procured from Tesco.

Oh Tesco, our saviour. We went to Tesco pretty much every day, mainly because we had no means of refrigeration. I think we would have camped in Tesco if we could get away with it. It would have been like Dawn of the Dead, except without zombies. So not nearly as cool in that sense.

We took the obligatory trip over Loch Ness. No sign of the monster. I was genuinely disappointed.

No monster

We also took a trip out to the Black Isle Brewery. I love checking out smaller microbreweries, they always have something a bit different. The oatmeal stout was my favourite.

On the way out there we came across a friendly cow that we dubbed Daisy. She was very quick with the tongue when you got close enough. Daisy may or may not have been her real name.

Daisy

Cool artwork by Loch Ness. For loads more cool artwork by Loch Ness go here.

This was taken last year in Scotland. To be more precise it is of Loch Lochy between the town of Fort William & Loch Ness. This was my first trip to Scotland but not my last. The mountains and the locks had a profound effect on me. An effect that made me focus inwards. This was a place where I could happily sit all day without the need to do anything.

Many years ago, while changing channels on the TV, I came across a Discovery program on the Scottish Highlands. The picture is still fresh in my mind. A man dressed in slacks and hiking boots, out on a hike with his dog – walking over a never ending series of rolling hills, glens and along beautiful lakes. The colours were absolutely mind-boggling. Could such a place really exist?

Well, when the wife decided that we must stop in the UK, on our way back from India to the US, it was a perfect time to find out. Of course, the fact that it was summer  - good weather with long days – and that coming in from Delhi at 44 degree C, Scotland would have been a big relief – certainly helped. And so, we found ourselves heading towards Edinburgh – which some said is a gateway into Scotland.

Day 0: Getting There

A quick flight from London Heathrow brought us into Edinburgh around 8 pm. A small and pretty airport. Hopped onto the Airlink (100) bus and headed into the city. 10 minutes and we had our first glimpse of the castle. Sitting majestically on top of a hill that rises from nowhere and seems to lord over everything, Edinburgh Castle was going to be our destination on Day 1.

But, I’m getting ahead. With an overcast sky, fading daylight and house lights just about coming on, as the bus inches it’s way into the city and the city starts to unfold, the only thought that runs through you is – “Wow! This city is beautiful”.

Edinburgh...with the Castle in the background

And, it is. Small, quaint, Victorian, monuments, architecture, the Castle, fading light…you get the picture…right?

Anyway, the weather held up till we got off the bus and as we made our way to the hotel a quick 10 minute walk away, it started to rain. Dripping, I checked in, while the wife and the kids checked out an Indian restaurant close by. Well fed (well fed to the Pahwas is desi food) and sated (sated to the Pahwas is Good desi food), we relaxed and planned for the next day.

Day 1: A royal time in Edinburgh

The quaint and crooked streets of Europe

The sun rises early and by the time we all got up, it was bright and shining. A quick breakfast and a bus day pass later, we were walking on Princess Street, along the monument, over the Waverly bridge to a cobbled path which promised to take us to the Royal Mile Road.

Hit High Street/Royal Mile Road somewhere in the middle and started walking up to the Castle. The cobbled road winding it’s way up to the Castle, the architecture of the buildings through which it weaves up, the little shops lined up – it’s a good start to the day. On the way up, we cross a cathedral. Beautiful!

Cathedral on the Royal Mile Rd

Just before we hit the Castle, a store advertising “Haggis – Scotland’s traditional fare – try it for free” caught my attention. Though I’d heard of Haggis, I had no clue what it was. But, in Rome one must do what Romans do, so in I went and tried Haggis. Liked it. Lunch decision made!

Edinburgh Castle

Finally, the Castle. Doesn’t look too big when you are finally standing in front of the entrance, but it’s quite big really. As we start exploring it, we realize that the castle is built on a volcanic rock and that  there’s more climbing to be done once one is inside the Castle walls.

The castle itself is spread out. There is the entrance and the path that winds up into the main yard. Cannons and guns dot the walls. Lookouts points, hidden cervices and small rounded holes for the use of small arms – all designed to keep the castle safe from outsiders.

The canon makes a great resting place!

There’s the chapel, the dungeon, the war museum, the little nooks and cranies & even a dog-cemetery. There’s a section devoted to the story behind the One O’Clock Gun and another one on the progression of the Scottish regiments throughout the ages. And, of course, a section displaying some of the Queen’s jewels and other treasures.

This is looking into the castle. Looking out, it’s another story. The view is simply magnificent. The sun’s up, it’s almost a clear day and one can see for miles. We are looking down on to the city and can see the Holyrood gardens straight down below us. Beyond that the old town of Edinburgh and further down, the water – that’s the Firth of Forth which feeds into the North sea.

The view from the Castle - lording over Edinburgh

We’ve seen the castle, savored the view and now the only thing left, is the One O’Clock Gun. Since 1861, the big gun on the castle is fired exactly at 1 O’clock every day. In the olden days, it acted as a time signal for the ships in the Firth of Forth and also helped everyone calibrate their watches. Now, it’s a tradition. Should we wait? We decide not. We decide to walk down the cobbled path of the Royal Mile Road to the very end – to the Holyrood palace. And, if the gun does its job well, we should hear it on the way.

On the way, just as we start walking, we come across the Scotch museum. But, as we enter it, better sense prevails and we stop at the museum store. History can wait. We buy a few samplers.

We continue our walk and while just a few minutes ago, it looked to be a great day, it suddenly starts to rain. And, in the process, we miss the boom of the gun.

Will this cobbled path lead to lunch?

Its lunch time and we are still walking, looking for lunch. And, for a change, I’m being difficult. I want Haggis. No other food will do. The problem is that there’s been a power failure of sorts and hence, many of the restaurants don’t have Haggis which needs to be kept refrigerated. But, we shall continue to try and since it’s stopped raining and the sun is out again, it needs to be a restaurant with outside sitting.

Just when the wife and the kids have had enough, we find a place which has Haggis available. So finally, we sit down outside and I enjoy a fine lunch of Haggis, Neeps and Tatties (I promise, that’s what the combo’s called). I like it.

Lunch over, we are back on the road. This time we decide to take the bus. We hop onto the next one going down and 10 minutes later, find ourselves outside the Scottish parliament. No desire to see any kind of democracy in action. But, the Holyrood Palace across the road beckons.

Or, maybe not. The last tour just left and the Palace is now closed.

But, there’s a hill next to the Palace and I can see people on the way up and then some people on the top. The Palace is closed, the weather good again, the hill next door, what can one do. Climb it of course!

So, this is the Holyrood Park and the hills we saw were the Salisbury Crags.

The Salisbury Crags...enroute to Arthur's Seat

Very steep climb and then after about 20 mts, it eases out and then it’s almost flat. By now, we are walking along a path with a rocky face on the left and a nice drop on the right and a wonderful view of the city around us even though it’s cloudy again. Since, one must use a reference, the path and walk remind me of the Western Ghats in monsoon.

 Suddenly, the path heads down and behind the Crags, one sees another hill with many people at the top. That’s Arthur’s Seat. Anjali takes one look at the path heading down and then the next hill and makes it clear that this is a vacation, not an exercise. I use my trump card. Kids – I say – do you want to climb up or what? With a thumping yes to back me up, we say bye to Anjali and the three of us head up (or rather down).

Lovely place to be lost!

And, promptly get lost. We can see the path winding up, but take too long to reach it. So, we change plans and decide to get to the top of the Crags that we were on. The tarred path is now gone and we find ourselves climbing up the gentle side of the crags, creating our own path, overlooking a small lake, in a valley of sorts surrounded by gentle rolling hills.

Nearing the top

Reach the top, feel good. Also, feel the first drops of rain. Hurry down, find the tarred path, climb up, across the flats, and then down the steep part, By the time we are down and find Anjali, it’s raining hard. We find a café, have hot chai and get dry.

By now, we are a bit tired. So, we take the first bus that comes along and spend the next hour or so, changing buses and being driven through the city. We soak it all in – the new town, the old town, people shopping, people walking, kids playing. Through the market, along playgrounds, over hills, down by the port, through residential areas, besides the Marina – letting the feel and pulse of the city seep through our body and soul. And, since the next stop looks familiar, we realize we are near our hotel and get off. Back to the hotel for a quick freshen up.

It’s dinner time and Anjali wants to be well fed. Yes, she wants desi food and so does Pranaya. There are 2 more restaurants near our hotel. One was open when we crossed it a while ago and now it’s closed (at 8 pm? On a Tuesday?). And, the other doesn’t look too appealing. Between the mom and the son, they recall having crossed two desi restaurants during our bus adventure. So, its mission “Find the Desi restaurant”. We walk and change buses and find both the restaurants. One is closed (why?) and the other has only non veg take outs. Since, both the mom and son are also vegetarians, we are back on the buses heading back to the unappealing restaurant near the hotel.

The food is actually quite decent and we troop back into the hotel – tired but satisfied, with a full stomach and happy anticipation for the next day when we head out north – into the Highlands.

Day 2: Heading North – Loching for Nessie

Gitika is up early and she’s in a bad mood. For a girl not yet 8, she does sometimes behave like a cross between a teenager and my grandmother. She’s got attitude and a stern disapproving look. The issue is simple – Why wasn’t I in the room when she woke up?” Go figure.

And, where was I? After finishing up most of the packing, I was next door renting a car and finalizing the route for the day. I’m now ready to get on the road. Gitika is not. So, I spend the next ten minutes with her and she’s happy now. Well, we are in the car (a Ford Station Wagon with plenty of room) and ready to move.

Not so, I guess. Since, I just can’t figure out how to put the car in reverse. We waste a few precious minutes before my ego takes second place to the ticking clock and I ask (one has to disengage the gear by pulling it up before it can be put in reverse. Dummy!!!). And, we are finally on our way with the Tom-Tom GPS system leading us into the city on our way to the Forth  bridge, with Anjali on tenterhooks because I’m driving too much on the left – almost brushing against other cars that I pass – and the kids are fighting again. I blame the small roads and the short sleep respectively. Nevertheless, we make it out of the city without a scratch on the car or the kids and as we cross over the Firth of Forth over the Forth bridge, we can feel the landscape changing and the scenery just opens out in front of us. We are truly on our way.

First stop on the agenda is Loch Leven and the Loch Level Castle. We miss the exit, realize the miss too late, the next exit never seems to come and so, we continue to drive. Frankly, we are enjoying the scenery too much by now. Green hillocks on our left, pastures on our right and a 4 lane road cutting through. No wonder I missed the exit.

The kids...happy together? What's happening?

So we continue and reach Perth. Small town. I guess pretty too. Make our way to the Tourist Center. Ask for help in making B&B reservations for us for today and tomorrow. Now, we’ve never done B&B before and all I know is that you stay with regular people in their house and they see you off the next day with a big hearty breakfast. I thought it would be fun. Pranaya did not think so. He’s all for adventure, this boy of mine. But, something unknown makes him uncomfortable. Unfamiliar food, unknown authors, strange places, etc. – they all make him go no-no. And, when I told him no hotels only B&B for the rest of the trip, well, let’s say that he wasn’t the most enthusiastic. Every so often, he would say “Why don’t we stay at a hotel, just one more night?” or “What if we don’t like the place?” or “Why can’t we….?”…you get the picture…Right?

B&B reservations done, back on the road. Very little traffic but we are not driving fast. Whatever for? We are taking in the beauty of it all and stopping every few minutes. With a quick stop at Blair castle – which we decided to miss – we are back on the road. And, it starts to rain. Gently at first, then it pours and pours.

It’s also lunch time, so we pull onto a side road and park overlooking a meadow. It’s still raining hard, so lunch will be in the car. Lunch is paranthas (carried them from Delhi) with Bikaneri bhujiya and butter. The paranthas are cold but in that weather, an absolute delight. Alas, we get only one each, since the other packets are spoiled.

Back on the road and a quick stop for sandwiches and coffee. With the city of Inverness approaching, we are now looking forward to start searching for Nessie. Suddenly, we are in Inverness and before we know it, out of it and now we are headed South. Within minutes the landscape changes and we come across a huge lake on our left. This is Loch Ness.

Loch Ness and Monster 1

Loch Ness and Monster 2

My first impressions are not really positive. Is this what the world famous Loch Ness with it’s own resident monster looks like. I mean, it looks like any other lake – a large body of water. But, as we drive along the lake, the lake opens out and the views become better and better. By now, the sun is out once again and frankly, the Loch is starting to look beautiful to me. We stop at many points clicking photgraphs and trying to catch a glimpse of Nessie. The photos are great – but unfortunately, no Nessie!

Loch Ness with the Urquhart Castle in the distance

We are now approaching another bend in the road. We see something far away that catches our eye. We stop and see that it’s the ruins of a castle. Thankfully, it’s on the same side of the Loch so we hurry over and arrive at Urquhart Castle.

The ruins of Urquhart Castle

Perched on top of a small knoll, surrounded on 3 sides by the Loch with a beautiful carpet like green grass and even in it’s state of partial ruins, looking stately and romantic, lies the remains of Urquhart Castle.  We spend some time exploring the castle, reading about the Jacobite attack, looking across the Loch and marveling at the sheer beauty. Soon it’s time to go. Next stop – Drumnadrochit!

Drumnadrochit (pronounced Drum-na-Drawkit) is less than a mile from the castle and is a small town (almost a village). Less than 1/3 mile across, surprisingly, we find a couple of restaurants there. It’s raining now (almost a downpour) and so we scamper in hungry, tired and wet. Dinner is actually great. Soup, salad and pizza followed by pastries and cake. We are feeling good now. And, start looking for our B&B.

The B&B is in Sonia’s name and is a lovely 2 storied old fashioned house – on a ranch. I see stables and sure enough, there are horses around. And, a cow. The house is modern from inside and tastefully done. Our room is very nice with separate beds for the kids, TV/DVD player and a coffee/tea maker in the room. The sheets are clean, the bathroom neat and our hosts very hospitable. They own the property across the road also and invite us to walk across the same to a stream beyond.

Outskirts of Drumnadrochit

This is Sonia and Graham’s first year running a B&B. She is English, while Graham is a Scot. They’ve been living here for years – running a farm, breeding horses. Now that all the kids except the youngest (at 22) are gone, they run the farm and a B&B.

Well, the kids are settled – watching a movie. The rain’s stopped. I’m sitting on the porch drinking scotch and looking at the clouds rolling in over the hills across the road and enjoying the quietness of it all. Anjali joins me and we spend the next few minutes holding hands and just thankful for being there.

Day 3: A window to the Skye

It’s 4:30 am and it’s already light outside. I’m up and staring out of the window when it hits me. The day is looking too fine to waste waiting for everyone to get up. I feel like running. So, by 5 am, I’m running along Loch Ness making my way back to Urquhart Castle. After yesterday’s downpour, the world looks all cleaned up and fresh. The cool breeze from the Loch, the sun hitting the mountain sides, the sheep out for an early graze, Urquhart Castle sitting alone pondering it’s history and me running and enjoying every bit of it. Perfect.

Back at the B&B, they are still sleeping. I wake them up and soon we are dressed and packed. After a nice “typical” Scottish breakfast of poached eggs with kippers on toast, we are ready to hit the road again. Today’s destination – to reach the Isle of Skye via the Kyle of Lochalsh – with enough time to hike around a bit.

Drumnadrochit to Kyle of Lochalsh...natural beauty, a road and us

So, we hit the road, again driving along the Loch Ness, cross Urquhart castle and then take a turn away from the Loch – now heading west – deeper into the countryside.

And, the landscape changes once again. The mountains are taller, a little farther and very different – more majestic and certainly far more beckoning. The valleys and the meadows that we cross are more lush and more green. We are going slow and every turn and every twist of the road brings out a different view of the place. We stop 20 times in the first 1 ½  hour – taking pictures and feasting our eyes. And, we are not even in Skye yet. Forget it, we are not even in the Highlands yet.

Entering the Highlands

Then suddenly we are. On a picture perfect day, we enter the Highlands and stop a million time to gawk at God’s creation. Many twists and turns later, crossing valleys and glens, now stopping at fewer places, we reach the Eileen Donan castle.

Eileen Donan castle

Apparently, it’s one of the only castles that is still furnished. We are tempted, but decide to give it a miss. There are many other sights to see and we certainly want to reach our destination with enough time to spare.

We reach Kyle of Lochalsh – a small, quaint, sleepy village and use the newly constructed Skye bridge to cross over into the Isle of Skye. The bridge takes us into the town of Kyleakin and we have lunch (traditional Haddock for me) there.

Isle of Skye from Kyle of Lochalsh

It rains when we are having lunch and clears up just as we are leaving (lucky us!). With a quick stop at an Indian restaurant to pick up paranthas for dinner, we are on our way again. The road is two lane now and as we climb up higher and higher, the drive becomes more and more beautiful. By now, we’ve decided not to stop every 5 minutes – though now I wish I had. Anyway, we are crossing a waterfall and since there are many cars parked there, we stop too and spend 20-30 minutes there.

A waterfall on the way. Mountains and water

Pranaya wants to hike upto the top of the waterfall. So we set out, but after a few minutes realize that it’s going to get tougher for Pranaya and so we turn back. In the meantime, Anjali and Gitika have got their feet wet in the stream. The only problem – shoes and socks were on the feet when this happened.

Shoes, socks and water do NOT mix

On the road again. Skirt a valley and stop at a roadside bar and grill for milk (for the kids. At a bar?) and coffee. On the road again.

Have to stop for photographs many time. On the road again. And, we are now at Portree – the capital of Skye. We now have a choice. Do we take the right fork, into the town and then beyond where we can go hiking? Or, do we take the left fork and find our B&B for a little R&R?

Wet socks and shoes win. We take the left fork and head north and then west looking for Tracy’s farm near the village of Edinbane (pronounce Ed-in-bane).  10 miles out, we get onto a narrow single lane rural road and then the tarred road simply vanishes and we are on a dirt track – crawling our way up a hill. On the top of the hill, overlooking the water is Tracy’s farm – rural and isolated.

Tracy's farm - The view from our window

We have 2 rooms this time – with a connecting door. Comfortable and spacious enough. We rest for a while, have tea, get to know Tracy a little bit better. We want to go down to the water and have our dinner there. Tracy tells us about Scotland’s trespassing laws. There are none. Everyone (or perhaps, no one) owns nature. It’s for everyone to enjoy. So, as long as one shuts (and latches) all gates, does not destroy anything and does not mess with the sheep, one can cut through any property – private or not.

So, with our dinner basket with us, we jump over a couple of fences, cross a  farm, a grazing field and reach the waterbody. Unfortunately, there’s no place to sit and eat. So, we head back, get into the car and start driving around. We find a picnic table on the side of a road.

Roadside Picnicking

But, we attract too many insects with our paranthas, so dinner is in the car. We go back to Portree – looking for some dessert. And, then take the right fork and drive for a while. We catch a glimpse of “Old Man of Storr” (which we should have been climbing today, had we been on time and not had wet shoes). Anyway, we turn back and drive to Tracy’s.

The view from our picnic table

The view on the window - Reflections

It’s been another tiring day. The kids are watching TV, Anjali is trying to read a book and I’m waiting for sunset. Which is to be at 10:30 pm that evening.

As the sun goes down over the hills and the water, the sky colours are gorgeous.

Every minute the colours change and I go berserk with my camera. I want the sunset to linger a little longer, just like I want to linger in Skye a little longer. The sun sets in a dazzling display of colourful hues and another day is over.

The sun sets on another day in Scotland

Sunset in Edinbane

Day 4: A Quirang full of arrows

I’m up at 4:30 again. It’s our last day in Scotland and we need to get to Glasgow in time to catch our flight. I’m feeling a bit sad (the trip was too short – when is it not?) and unsatisfied (never got to see Quirang). There’s always an option of driving via Quirang – but since no one is going to be up early and we want to take a ferry to cross onto the mainland as well as stop at Stirling Castle on our way to Glasgow, I know it’s not going to happen. There were too many things to do, too many arrows to shoot. I’d run out of time.

Or, did I? 15 minutes later, I was dressed and in the car. My objective: to get to Quirang and back before anyone got up. In that case, I will feel less guilty and a bit more satisfied and quite a bit more happy. 

Uig, Isle of Skye, Scotland

In 15 minutes I’m skirting the town of Uig. A fork in the road with the right one leading to Brogaig via Quirang. I take this and start climbing almost immediately. A series of quick switchbacks and suddenly I’m a few hundred feet up looking down at the town of Uig by the sea.

The climb eases out and it’s suddenly different. Hills on either side, fog rolling in and one single track road as far as the eye can see and leading to nowhere. I can’t see a single farm or house or person. Just me, my car and nature.

The road to Quirang

The hills are now closer and I can almost touch them. I have to stop and climb one of these hills. So, I do. I park on the side, pick up my camera and start climbing. 30 minutes of climbing and I’m almost at the top. I turn and see my car now looking like a toy. I continue to climb. A little ahead and I realize that what I thought was the top isn’t really. There’s more climbing yet to be done. By now the fog is really rolling in and visibility is very low. I have to turn back but not before a herd of sheep gives me a good long stare.

The car below on the road - the fog's rolling in

Back to the car, I’m conflicted. Was this Quirang? Is Quirang still some way away? If I turn back now, will I be walking away from something that’s just round the corner? Will I be back in time? So, I give myself a deadline. I’ll drive for no more than 5 minutes and then turn back.

In a couple of minutes, with the fog still rolling in, I come to a place where a few cars are parked and the road definitely starts descending. There’s a sign post that says Quirang.

Sheep at the edge of the Quirang ridge

On the right, as well as the left of the road, I can glimpse some rock formations. While the hill I climbed was moss ridden and light green, the grass here is dark green and the rocks blackish in color. While I can’t see much, whenever the fog thins out a bit, I can make out some hills and natural formations. Tracks lead into nowhere and disappear into the foggy hillsides. Somewhere out there, something beautiful is waiting to be explored.

By now, I’m very excited and very aware that my time’s run out. In the car, heading back, a thought starts taking shape.

I reach the farmhouse and run in, to wake up everybody. I tell them that I’ve just come back from the most amazing sight ever and that I would not be doing my duty, if I did not offer to take the children there. So, I tell them that there are 3 things to be done and we can now choose only 2. These are – drive via Quirang, take the ferry to the mainland and visit Stirling Castle. Or, as I tell the kids – choose 2 between “the most beautiful place that I’ve been to till date which needs to be seen to be believed”, “experience driving the car into a boat and cross over to the mainland” and “see one more historical castle”.

I’m keeping my fingers crossed and hoping that the kids will behave as per their age. They do. They pick “The-seen-to-be-believed beautiful place” and “Ferry crossing”. I “reluctantly” accept their decision. I think Anjali knows, but then, I’m not looking at her.

Get ready, pack up, breakfast (I try another Scottish local dish – Black Pudding – Eww! Google it, if you really really want to know what it is.), load up the car and are ready to leave. Tracy gifts me a CD that she’s burned. A previous guest on an early morning walk had taken pictures of birds, animals and marine life at the shore near her farm and sent her a copy. Goodbyes and 30 minutes later, we are back at Quirang. 

The ridge - and the road cutting through it

With the fog now gone, it looks much more beautiful. The road really does start it’s descent at this point and in perhaps less than a mile reaches sea level. A closer look shows that we are standing on the edge of a cliff with a sharp drop in front. In fact, it’s a ridge. We can see the town of Brogaig far away and below us and the water beyond that. This ridge extends on both sides of the road. On the right, the edge of the ridge rises gently till it drops on the other side also. On the left, the gradient of the edge is gentler and in fact at some places drops. The top of the ridge is flattish with a trail cutting across it, leading into some rock formations in the far distance. The flattish top where we are now standing, is flanked by huge hills that start suddenly and look very beautiful.

The peaks of Quirang

It’s a joy to be here and we make the best use of it. We walk on the tracks, explore around, take pictures and enjoy being with each other and sharing this memorable experience. Dark clouds and wisps of fog make the whole place look more romantic. Thank God we didn’t miss this place and now that I’ve seen this place, I know that one day, I’ll be back to explore the Quirang ridge much more deeply.

A track leading into the Quirang peaks

With that promise, we are back in the car – this time surely and certainly starting our journey back to Glasgow to end this vacation.

Quirang

We descend very rapidly from the ridge and with one last view of the imposing ridge line, we skirt the towns of Brogaig and Staffin, drive by The Old Man of Storr and through the town of Portree and this time taking a slightly different route find ourselves on the way to a place called Armadale.

A final view of Quirang

The Old Man of Storr

On the way, we cross streams and lakes, hills and mountains, valleys and passes as well as waterfalls. We are now not stopping as much as we used to – need to make sure that we don’t miss the ferry.

And, we make it on time. The ferry is just about to pull in when we arrive at the Armadale ferry crossing point. While I get the car in the boarding line and buy tickets, Anjali and the kids organize lunch – sandwiches and salad to go.

The ferry pulls in and once everyone’s disembarked, it’s our turn. One by one, the cars drive onto the ferry into the holding lot in the basement. We park and scamper up to the upper levels. Under the bright sun, with the wind whipping our face, we eat our lunch on the outside patio on the ferry.

Crossing over to Mallaig

This is a novel experience for us. We’ve done quite a few boating trips and hopped on and off many a ferries. However, two things make this different. The first is driving a car into a ferry and crossing over. The second is the place. We’ve done lakes and some bigger water bodies. But this place is special. Mountains and hills all around us – bluish green in colour –  bright sunny day, cool winds coming in from the North sea, and the bay that we’re crossing – an extremely beautiful one.

The crossing will take 30-35 minutes. We are now relaxed. There’s no way we can speed up anything – there’s nowhere to rush to for the next half an hour or so. That will come later. We’re now a bit cold, so we go back inside and have hot tea listening to a group of Scots playing pipes.

On the ferry

At Mallaig,  we dock and drive out of the ferry are on our way again. There’s a lot of driving still left. Even though I know that we won’t have time to stop and savor the delights, I want to drive to Fort Williams, and then via Glencoe to Loch Lomond and then to Glasgow.

The drive from Mallaig to Fort Williams is uneventful. The drive itself is nice – we are now driving through mountainous terrain, with the mountains on one side and forests and sometimes farms on the other. There’s nothing much to see though there’s not much traffic on the road, so we really can and do enjoy the drive.

Suddenly, we are in Fort Williams. Built on the banks of a river, this is a small town. A quick tea and back on the road. We are now driving along the banks of the river, towards Oban. Just before Oban, we take a sharp left and are now on the way towards Glencoe.

Glencoe has two big things going for it. First, it’s a historical place with a major battle that took place here many years ago. Secondly, it’s home to the highest peak in the UK – Ben Nevis. Ben Nevis actually lords over Fort Williams, but Glencoe is nestled in the foothills of the same mountain range. Why did we not plan on spending more time here? I’m not sure. I guess, in my desire to see as much as possible of Scotland, this important landmark had to sit out. Perhaps, if we had not come via Quirang, we could have spent some more time here.

One of the many valleys that we crossed

As it so happened, on our last day, speeding to catch our flight, we had our first look of the Ben Nevis range and the peak when we were almost there. Why? Because it had started to rain earlier and as we approached Glencoe, it was a downpour. Foggy windshield, visibility near zero, trying to catch a glimpse of the imposing natural beauty. Suddenly, for a few minutes, the rain ceased up, the fog cleared and we had a view of the imposing mountain. And, before we could stop and take photographs, the fog came back, the rain started again and we had to continue on. Maybe next time.

Four days in the Scottish Highlands - the route

The rest of the drive was pretty uneventful. The weather cleared up, the terrain constantly changing, we stopped at Loch Lomond for a while and then the final drive to Glasgow. Tired but happy we are now back to reality. This has been a very heavy day. 2 trips to Quirang, the drive from Quirang to Mallaig through some beautiful valleys and along some pretty lakes, the ferry crossing, Fort Williams and the drive along the river, Glencoe, Ben Nevis and the finally the drive to Glasgow. In the process, we missed spending time at The Old Man of Storr, Ben Nevis, Loch Lomond and never did get to the Stirling Castle. We had too many arrows to shoot and simply ran out of time.

As I look back and wait for our flight to be called, I’m happy. 4 days were too short, but when one is having fun, any amount of time would be short. The important thing is that we did make it here, we did see and experience a lot and we did have fun. Very clearly, the Scottish Highlands left us (or rather we left them) feeling happy and high.

Scotland - we'll be back!!!

For those who don’t really know Scotland, we have put together a map with the routes that we have traveled since we arrived in September.

The RED Line indicates the route and the GREEN Dots indicates the places we have stayed in.

We will do up a new map for Ireland/Northern Ireland, once we have finished our travels here. And also a map of England (when we travel there).

Azi, după cele2 zile petrecute la Frunzaru, văruind, gletuind, șlefuind, dând găuri, punând lustre și făcând pe-a meșteru`, am reușit să fac ceva și pt mine. Am participat la „Pariu că știu…”, unde am și câștigat noi, echipa actorilor…
Deși toată lumea zice că nu-i făcătură, inclusiv Morar și producătorii…refuz să cred că sunt femei atât de imbecile. Înțeleg, ești femeie, nu știi cum arată o bujie, nu sunt prea multe femei mecanic, dar atat de retardată încât să nu știi în ce război s-au luptat românii cu nemții, să nu știi tu, tâmpito, Loch Ness nu e o marcă de cafea și că da, vito există un arbore de cauciuc, da` nu crește Pirelli în el…
P.S. Îmi cer scuze că am insultat bovinele!

Hey Ya!

It’s been quite a long time since my last post. I kinda had a great time and an equal amount of not so great time last week. But, all in all, it was good. Because, I come up with materials for my blog!

October 16, 2009 was a happy day for me. My father & his colleague arrived here in Glasgow en route to Amsterdam. Like a good son, I welcomed them into my apartment and made sure they are comfortable and taken care of. I personally think, I’m really good at hospitality. It’s a tradition in our family on special occasions, we make a non-veg dish. So, I made Chicken Curry and Rice which was quite easy to cook except the chicken cleaning, dicing onions and cleaning after the cooking ordeal. They liked my cooking. I was glad they did. Then, the real fun part popped out. My dad wanted to go for a day trip to the Scottish Highlands. After the initial ramblings over different tour operators and places to visit stuffs, we settled for Rabbie’s Loch Ness, Glencoe & the Highlands Day Tour. The reason we chose them is because we didn’t have any other options! But, we never thought, it would be the BEST trip we have ever had! And, without further delay, a gist of the good times follows below.

October 17, 2009 – 8 am – Sipping Costa coffee (Sorry, Starbucks! I said to my dad “Let’s try Costa” ) in the cold and windy Scottish weather, we were waiting to embark our “Scotland in a day” tour to the majestic yet beautiful Rannoch Moor mountain ranges, scenic Glencoe village, various Lochs & Glens and finally to the place of the world’s best-ever fairytale of the Loch Ness and it’s monster.

By 8:30 am, after all routine checking and welcoming and other mundane stuffs, we set out for a fascinating road trip which I never ever imagined or expected. My penchant for traveling and history was revived by our tour guide Mr. David Marshall Campbell. Our Scotsman was so good in his Scottish History, I listened to him in awe! Not because of the heroic historical figures like William Wallace or Robert the Bruce that he talked about or how the Scots could be so strong against the armed might of the Romans or the Vikings. I was amazed by how he made all those historical events and figures so amusing which made me to ask him a lot of questions instead of what many people out there would do during a history class; SLEEP!!!

Our tour passed the picturesque Tyndrum village overshadowed by the Ben Lui mountains, breathtaking Loch Tulla, magnificent and historically important Glencoe where the clan massacre of the MacDonalds by the Campbells took place in 1692 and apparently, our tour guide was a Campbell too! And, after that first leg of our tour, we passed through various historically important sites along Fort William before entering the “Great Glen” which comprises of pristine fresh water bodies viz. Loch Linnhe, Loch Lochy, Loch Oich, Loch Dochfour and most importantly the Loch Ness, the largest freshwater reservoir in the United Kingdom. Those places were the gory Highland Clearances took place. Just like how the retail stores force their useless and unsold stock on customers as “Stock Clearance Sale”, these highland clearances were responsible for the forced displacement of many Scottish Highlanders to various parts of Scottish Lowlands and other parts of the world during the 18^th and 19^th centuries.

Finally, we reached the Loch Ness flowing through the Caledonian Canal at Fort Augustus. We stopped for a cruise in Loch Ness and for lunch. The sailor of the cruise boat was talking about the historical importance of the places, castles and other stuffs on either sides of the Loch Ness. But, who cared! We were all busy taking pictures!!! It’s was so rejuvenating to be with Nature. After having some real Scottish food (Fish and Chips) for lunch, we started our return journey to Glasgow through various other important sites like the Commando Memorial which was used by the British Commandos for training during the World War II. After spending a couple of minutes at the memorial, we continued our return to Glasgow and suddenly an improbable thing happened; I slept!!! The final leg of our tour began when we stopped at a small town, Pitlochry for evening snacks and refreshments. By the time, we neared the famous William Wallace Monument and Stirling Castle, it was pitch black. But, we managed to High Five these stellar architectural marvel on the way.

We reached Glasgow around 8:30pm, completely exhausted but with sweet memories of our trip, our co-travelers and our tour guide, David Marshall Campbell.

If you are searching for the monster of all food parcels, filled with the best goodies, such as the finest food and drink. It will provide you with everything you need to make that special celebration go with a swing.

The classic home grown Loch Ness Monster is presented in two 20” hampers, featuring a wide range of surprises, from Venison, Farmhouse and Wild Boar Pate from the Edinburgh Preserve to Stahly’s Royal Haggis, Scotch Haggis and delightful Drambuie Haggis.

Diners will also be treated to the fine Fruit Chutney for Cheese, Red Onion Marmalade, Honey from the Heather Hills Farm and Honey and Whisky Mustard. There is also the fine Kintyre Cheese Truckle and the delicious Strathdon Blue Cheese.

If you buy yourself the legendary Loch Ness Monster Hamper you will have a fantastic choice of alcoholic beverages as full as the world famous loch itself.  It ranges from the spectacular Skull Splitter Moreau et Fils Chablis, a Dulong Medoc Bordeaux ,the  Mansard Brut Rose Champagne, some Harvey’s Bristol Cream and the home grown Highland Park 12yr old Whisky or Orkney Brewery Raven Ale among others.

There is a whole world of treats available to you, filled with the passion of Scotland, if you buy The Loch Ness Monster Hamper available from our website:

http://www.scottishhampers.co.uk/

What can you expect from an excellent value, fully stocked food parcel baring the name of one of the most iconic images in Scotland, all round the world? How about the best in delicious home grown food and drink, sourced form all over Scotland and presented in a scale and grandeur worthy of the name?

The Loch Ness Monster Hamper is a food parcel is packed with a vast selection of quality items, in to large wicker hampers. The package offers the greatest produce, from Stahly’s stunning Scotch Haggis, Drambuie Haggis or Royal Haggis. There is also the best from the Edinburgh Preserve, encompassing a range of Pate, from Wild Boar and Farmhouse to Venison.

Diners may select the ravishing Red Onion Marmalade, Honey from the Heather Hills farm, with Honey and Whiskey Mustard. The hamper also contains the Kintyre Cheese Truckle, Strathdon Blue Cheese and the fantastic Fruit Chutney for Cheese.

The Loch Ness Hamper features a wide selection of alcoholic drinks, from the delightful Dulong Medoc Bordeaux and Mansard Brut Rose Champagne to Harvey’s Bristol Cream. The food parcel also contains such wonderful Scottish beverages as a fine 12 year old Highland Park Whiskey or Orkney Brewery Raven Ale, amongst many others.

For more information please visit the Scottish Hampers website:

http://www.scottishhampers.co.uk/

He decidido hacerme más escueta y resumir mucho más el viaje porque me leía y me aburría. Y si yo misma me aburría con mis propios escritos no me imagino los que se pasen y me lean. Los detalles los enlazaré, porque aunque me aburra quiero dejarlo escrito para cuando lo lea de aquí a 20 años me haga gracia ^^ (o me aburra).

Faltan algunas imágenes que no he podido subir de Edinburgh, pero ya vendrán :p

06 de agosto

Aterrizamos en Glasgow -Prestwick Airport (Monkton) a las 20.00. De ahí vamos a Stirling pasando por Glasgow (sin parar).

En Stirling nos alojamos en el Barceló Stirling Highland Hotel.

View Larger Map

Barceló Stirling Highland Hotel

07 de agosto

Visitamos:

Stirling

Atheaeneum, Stirling

Cementerio de Stirling

Doune (Castle)

Castillo de Doune (Monty Python)

Claqueta

Callander

Falls of Leny

Falls of Leny

Loch Lubnaig

efecto eólicoóptico en el Loch Lubnaig

Killin

Nos alojamos en el Bed and Breakfast “Breadalbane House” por 30£ por persona (incluye habitación con baño y desayuno).

Breadalbane House, Killin

08 de agosto

Visitamos:

Killin

pasamos por el Glen Coe

Glen Coe

llegamos a Fort William, comimos en un restaurante italiano, único abierto a horas “ibéricas”

Fort William

Fort William

Inverlochy Castle (en ruinas)

Inverlochy Castle

Un columpio en Inverlochy Castle

Spean Bridge: monumento a los caídos en la Segunda Guerra Mundial

Monumento a los Caídos en la Guerra Mundial (Spean Bridge)

Nos alojamos en “Springburn B&B” en Stronaba (no sé si será una zona residencial de Spean Bridge), preciosa y con muy buen servicio. 30£ por persona (incluye habitación con baño y desayuno).

Springburn (Stronaba, Spean Bridge)

Nuestra habitación

Nuestra vecina

09 de agosto

Visitamos:

Lago Ness

Lago Ness y el Castillo Urquhart

Castillo Urquhart

Castillo Urquhart (en el Lago Ness)

Inverness

Inverness

Inverness Castle

Comemos en un bar de tapas “La Tortilla Asesina“

La Tortilla Asesina, bar de tapas

Bruar Falls (Pitlochry)

Cascadas del Bruar

Nos alojamos en “Ordie View B&B” en Luncarty (Perth) por 30£ por persona (incluye habitación con baño y desayuno).

Ordie View B&B

10 de agosto

Visitamos:

Scone Palace

Dundee

Dundee

St Andrews

St Andrews

St Andrews

St Andrews

Crail: feíto pero pintoresco

Crail

Crail

Nos alojamos en “Gruinard Bed & Breakfast” en Burntisland: preciosa y muy familiar por 34£ por persona (incluye habitación con baño y desayuno). Se nota la diferencia de precio al incluir detalles como crema hidratante, un aperitivo en la habitación y un desayuno más variado.

Comedor y jardín de Gruinard Gest House

Pancake con plátano y mermelada de frutas del bosque

Huevos pochados con queso chedar

11 de agosto

Visitamos Edinbruhg y vamos a Ayr para dormir cerca del aeropuerto. Nos alojamos en”Fàilte B&B“, en Ayr. Más pequeñito pero acojedor, los dueños son la caña. Por 28£ por persona (incluye una habitación con baño, otra sin y desayuno)

12 de agosto

Visitamos un poco Ayr, compramos los últimos regalos, nos tomamos unas cervezas y vamos al Aeropuerto.

Perdemos el vuelo. Nos equivocamos de hora. Nos desesperamos. El siguiente vuelo es mañana a las 7am. Nos desesperamos aún más. Buscamos otros vuelos. No hay. Nos decidimos. Pagamos la transferencia del vuelo (100£ por cabeza). Buscamos alojamiento.  Preguntamos por taxis (ya habíamos devuelto el coche de alquiler) y 20 minutos después de hacer la reserva por internet nos presentamos en “Fernbank Guest House“, Prestwick (por suerte ya nos tenían reservadas las habitaciones. Los escoceses son muy rápidos! jejeje). Nos instalamos. Vamos a la biblioteca e imprimimos los billetes de embarque. Nos tranquilizamos, ya está todo hecho. Volvemos a la Guest House y perreamos hasta el día siguiente.

13 de agosto

A las 5.00 am. nos recoje el taxista y en menos de 5 minutos ya estamos facturando las maletas.

Despega el avión y volvemos a España.

Fin.

The Loch Ness Monster is one of the most famous and legendary inhabitants of our shores in the world. It is therefore fitting that we shall name one of our largest and most epic food parcels over one of Scotland’s most famous residents.

This marvellously presented fully stocked food parcel will keep you in provisions for weeks at a time. The Loch Ness Hamper contains the finest examples of Scottish produce, both food and drink, on the market, which makes this the perfect hamper for any occasion.

This wonderful product features a vast array of goodies, presented in two large 20” hampers, containing Heather Hills Farm Honey, along with Honey and Whisky Mustard, Red Onion Marmalade, Dill Sauce, Fruit Chutney for Cheese and three types of pate, Wild Boar ,Venison and Farmhouse, all sourced from Edinburgh Preserves. The hamper features the classic Scotch, Royal and Drambuie Haggis from Stahly’s.

The hamper is filled with the finest Inverawe Smoked Salmon, Wild Venison and Smoked Chicken with Rosemary and Sesame biscuits from the excellently named McKenzie’s. There is also some fine Strathdon Blue Cheese and Mull of Kintyre Cheese Truckle.

If you would like something to drink you can choose from some  Orkney Brewery Raven Ale or Skull Splitter Moreau et Fils Chablis, a Dulong Medoc Bordeaux , Australian Shiraz Hardys Oomoo, Mansard Brut Rose Champagne, Harvey’s Bristol Cream or some timeless Highland Park 12yr old Whisky, amongst many others.

These are just a few of the excellent treats and goodies that you will find in the Loch Ness Monster hamper, so don’t keep it a secret. Please visit the web site

http://www.scottishhampers.co.uk/

Ifrit in pictures:

http://www.rpgfan.com/pics/tales-gc/art-013.jpg

http://hewerthomn.files.wordpress.com/2008/02/ifrit_10.jpg

http://www.ffcompendium.com/art/9-ifrit-a.jpg

http://shrines.rpgclassics.com/psx/vs/enemy/ifrit.gif

http://www.ffelement.com/finalfantasy/ff8/gf/ifrit.jpg

http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/finalfantasy/images/c/cb/XIII-Ifrit.jpg

http://fc02.deviantart.com/fs14/f/2007/066/7/9/Alhab__the_Ifrit_by_Onikaizer.jpg

Occurrence: Ifrits inhabit the Plane of Fire; mages who have achieved mastery in controlling the element of fire are able to summon them and force them into servitude.

Immunity: Immune to most effects, especially to incineration; ifrits come from another world, but they cannot be knocked down or stunned.

Susceptibility: Sensitive to silver and Specter Oil.

Tactics: Float in the air; use fire in combat.

Alchemy: Pyrite and ectoplasm.

An ifrit is a minor genie of fire, or, as some say, an elemental. It does not fulfill wishes, build palaces or make anyone rich, but it serves mages who research the element of fire if they can force the creature to be obedient. Ifrits can only be captured by a mage who intimately understands the nature of flames and has devoted himself completely to learning their secret. The creatures, with their connection to the element of fire, will judge their summoner and, if they find him worthy, will loyally serve him in all matters.

http://www.gamebanshee.com/thewitcher/bestiary/ifrit.php

I’ve been studying hard, so it’s time for you to do the same. Quiz time!

This past weekend’s agenda consisted of:

a)      Mountains

b)      Castles

c)       Monsters

d)      Shopping

e)      Excessive picture taking

f)       All of the above

The weather was:

a)      Sunny

b)      Cloudy

c)       Rainy

d)      Windy

e)      Beautiful

f)       All of the above

I must have been in __________!

If you said: f) all of the above, f) all of the above and SCOTLAND, you pass! Congratulations, I’m so proud!

Ok, First Click Me! And let that play while you do the rest!

Pictures of the Scottish variety ———> Now, Click Me!!*

*I would like to thank Mom and Dad for my fabulous camera, for without them and their great Christmas present these fabulous pictures would not have been possible, as most of the mountain pictures were taken through the bus window, zipping along the highway. And Mom again, for showing me what the heck a polarizer is- and just how fricking fabulous it is; yeah disappearing reflections! Love you guys

So this Scottish Excursion began early. ‘Bright and early’ doesn’t even begin to describe it, considering the fact that it was dark, pitch black to be exact.  We had to be to Canterbury East Train Station at 3:45, so I had to get up at 2:45. Um, what does one even do to get ready that early? I kinda felt like I had just brushed my teeth and such. (Well, I felt like I had just gone to bed, which, duh, I had.) But I did anyway.  But breakfast was the really confusing part, but I opted against it. Who eats at 3 in the morning?

We got to London, King’s Cross specifically, half an hour before we needed to. So, naturally, what do two Harry Potter fans do at 5:15 am at King’s Cross when they have half an hour to kill? Go to Platform 9 ¾! Obviously! The bad news: We couldn’t get through. However I have a list of reasons as to why this might be, I just have to write Dumbledore (I’m living pre-6^th book) to ask: 1) My Hogwarts acceptance letter got lost. 10 Years go.  2) It was 5:30am on October 9^th instead of 11am on September 1^st.  3) I lost my wand.  All are possible reasons; and if you understand this paragraph I love you and you need to get a life, just like me.   :)

Anywho, we caught our train to Edinburgh at 6:15.  And even though I wanted to sleep, I couldn’t. So Abbey and I played our new extreme Uno.  I was pretty impressed with what I accomplished on that particular morning: Traveling to London, Going to Platform 9 3/4, Eating breakfast, and playing Uno all before 7 am! Considering I do my best to not see the clock starting with a 7 in the morning, this was pretty remarkable!

When we finally got to Edinburgh, at 11 (ugh 5 hour train) we went on a tour of the city.  Our tour guide was a kilt-wearing, bagpipe-playing, funny Scottish man. We learned about Mary Queen of Scots and her unfortunate life, as well as her unfortunate end to her life what with the shoddy beheading job. And Deacon Brody, he’s a funny character.  He was a carpenter; when he went to people’s houses to fix stuff he would make a mold of their house key and make a copy in his shop later. When the family was out of town he would break in and rob them.  He was only found out when a family came back early and caught him. Now here’s the irony: being the best craftsman in town, he had just designed the new, more effective trap door for the gallows. He was the first to try it out, and it worked quite nicely.  (Moral of the story: don’t rob people after you build a new gallows trap door. Similar to Mr. Guillotine who got to try out his contraption.) You may know this dude better as Dr. Jekyl or Mr. Hyde.

Then we checked into Guest House. Abbey and I shared a room with 6 other, rather anit-social, girls. But the room was nice. Cold, but nice. Very pretty.

Then we had free time; we walked around Edinburgh.  I had fun going into all the tourist shops and finding everything I could with “Hamilton” on it. I bought a glass. It’s pretty great. It’s got the sweet plaid. Actually, Hamilton Plaid is rather boring. But it’s cool because it’s mine. You now know it’s possible for something to be lame and way cool at the same time.

Then we climbed a mountain. Ok, so it was just a hill.  But when you’re sick it sure seems steeper and taller and longer than your healthy friend who is running up it finds it. Not that I’m complaining (now anyway, I sure was then). It was beautiful! Mountains in the distance, and the city, and the castle and the ocean! Awesome.

At dinner I decided it would be a good idea to try a Scottish beer called Tennants. It wasn’t. Ew. But the chips, meaning fries, were most excellent!

Then Abbey and I went back to the guest house to go to bed. It was like 6:30. We tried REALLY hard to stay awake until 9 to try to keep some assemblance of a sleeping schedule. I slept like a rock; it was amazing. I hadn’t (and still haven’t) slept that good since getting sick two weeks ago!

Saturday! Highlands time!

We had another kilt-wearing guide, but he didn’t have bag pipes.

We left at like 7:45 and drove for a while.  We were in the lowlands and then *BOOM* highlands! Mostly, we just drove through the Highlands taking pictures of the mountains and listening to Celtic music. It was great!

Kathryn and Abbey in the Highlands!

Then, we got to Loch Ness! Our guide was talking about how the lake was so huge! All of the freshwater in England and Wales wouldn’t even fill up Loch Ness. It is 22 miles long and a mile wide. That’s like a blip on Lake Michigan.  Haha.

Did you know there’s a castle on Loch Ness? Me neither! But here is. It’s called Urquhart.  Well it’s remains are.  The last people to live there knew they couldn’t protect it, so instead of sticking around to watch it get taken over, and die in the process, they stocked the entry gate with gun powder, and BOOM, castle in ruins.

Now here’s where the crazy weather comes in. When we got there, blue skies and sunny and nice and warm. After a little while it gets grey and super windy.  Then as we’re getting on the boat, it’s starts raining and this giant rain cloud is chasing us across the lake. But by the time we got to the other end of the boat tour line, it was sunny again, but the skies weren’t all the blue. All that in about 2 hours. Whew, welcome to the UK. Not that it differs from Wisconsin very much.

This castle was one of my favorites I’ve been to I think, lots of stuff to climb on; water and mountains in the background to take sweet pictures. It was pretty excellent.

On Sunday we got to hang out in Edinburg until our train at 2:45. Abbey and I wanted to go to the castle and the Elephant House Café before we left. Well, the café proved to be really hard to find so we were going to end up at the castle first. But then we stumbled on this Church with this incredibly green cemetery, so we went in there for a while.  Read depressing tomb stones and took pictures of the green.  Then the castle.  It’s on a serious basalt hill, as you can see in the pictures.  It’s never been taken by force, which is quite obvious to see why from the pictures.  Once we actually got up the castle, we decided to just keep going until we had to show our tickets that we had paid. Well, we just kept going and didn’t get stopped, so we turned around before someone found us and made us pay the 14 pounds or whatever it was.  Then we asked the man at the gate to the castle how to get to the Café. And it’s a good thing we did because we were going to go the very very very wrong way.  This café is important because it is where JK Rowling used to sit and write the Harry Potter books! Yes, we are dorky. And proud of it! The line was insanely long, so we went to this other pub on the way back to the guest house. I had fries for lunch. It doesn’t get much more delicious than that. Then we walked back to the guest house to get our backpacks and get the bus to the train station.

Now about these train stations. I love them! King’s Cross is gorgeous! Now, I get that it’s weird to say that about a train station, but when I think ‘train station’ I think boring metal building. Nope, not here.  It’s brick and huge and sweet ceilings. I love it. Waverly Station in Edinburgh wasn’t as dramatic, but it was still pretty cool.

Well that’s pretty much it. Except for the fact that the train back to London took an hour longer than the train from London. We went forwards for a while, to Newcastle (which we went through going forwards on the way to Scotland) then we went backwards from there and continued backwards all the way to London. I’m not quite sure how that worked out. Whatever, it took a long time. And we got back to Canterbury really late.

Then there was Monday and the really really sick and the doctor…. Yeah. Wrote about that already.  (But I’m much better now, but still sick.)

Anyway, Scotland was AMAZING!

You will see that when you look at the pictures. Beware there are a lot of them…

(If I could write this much about all my essay topics, this term would be a whole cake! Not just a piece…)

PS. “Oot and Aboot” is how the Scots talk. I saw a backpack and really really wanted it…

Can I have the sports section after you?

Either Nessie likes playing golf or the locals have been using her as target practice! On a recent  Loch Ness monster expedition, a US research team have uncovered a graveyard of golf balls on the floor of the loch. Thousands of them in fact. At first the team thought they were mushrooms but on further inspection they discovered to their surprise they were golf balls.

Guid mornin everyone!

Today, October 11, 2009, I am taking my Twitter friends on another submarine adventure!  This time we are meeting at Urquhart Castle in northern Scotland.  We are going to explore the cold, dark and murky waters of Loch Ness in a submarine my dad made especially for us:  The DOGFISH!  Our goal is to come face to face with the legendary Loch Ness Monster!!  We are going to have a #LochNessPawty!

X marks the spot of our meeting! Anipals from all corners of the world are coming to embark into this exciting expedition!  We have representatives from the Scotland, England and Ireland, Germany, Egypt, Canada, Brazil, Croatia,  the U.S.  and many other places!  I am thankful to my friends @no_crybaby_doGs for suggesting this party, @Pandafur and @SnowyDaze for picking up anipals on their super fast jets, @Dogstoyevsky for bringing the trawler Atlantis with many onboard,  @EmmyTheCat for lending her supersonic Eco-Copter, and to @OatieDog for volunteering her submarine to give tours to those who came in at the last minute.  I also want to thank all of you who offered to D.J. and to those who  are bringing beverages,  treats, nets and harnesses, maps, scuba suits, and gas masks in case somone feels compelled to pass gas in the submarines.  

But especially I’d like to thank THE CREW and my crazy parents:   You made this fantasy possible!

It will be a day filled with food, games, excursions and tours, submarine rides and, above all, a chance for all of us to be together and have fun!  So here is to you, my friends–have a great #LochNessPawty!

NOTE: You can follow #LochNessPawty on the “Search” feature of www.twitter.com , on www.tweetgrid.com hashtag #lochnesspawty, search lochnesspawty, and  on  www.tweetdeck.com or www.seesmic.com. 

REMEMBER!! Add the Hashtag #LochNessPawty To Your Comments So Everyone Can Read Them!
And Observe The Golden Rule–and I’m not talking about retrievers–Treat Others The Way You’d Like To Be Treated!

*************

THE SCHEDULE
For this adventure the weather will sunny and warm all day long–except under water…

1pm CST (2pm EST, 7pm UK) – Meet up

SCOTTISH LANGUAGE LESSONS
GAMES
LOCH NESS AND LOCH NESS MONSTER HISTORY/FOLKORE
ABOUT URQUHART CASTLE
HAUNTED CASTLE TOURS
RESTAURANTS/SHOPS/LOCH TOURS
(not associated with any of the above)

 Continuous Onsite Treats and Beverages Courtesy of Those Who Brought Them

1:45 pmCST (2:45 pm EST, 7:45 pm UK)
SUBMARINE LAUNCH

DIVE, DIVE
PAWTY, PAWTY
#LOCHNESSPAWTY

Fluffs,

Here’s a few shots I took back in March this year on a trip to Edinburgh, we also took a day tour to Loch Ness (very worth it, although a little rushed). Edinburgh’s been perhaps my favourite place we’ve visited in Europe so far, perhaps because nearly every pub we visited we were staffed by Kiwis.  But seriously, over friendly locals, loads of history, stupidly beautiful scenery just outside of the city, whisky and they all speak English!

These shots aren’t really my best work (with the exception of the shot of Loch Ness, of which I’m very proud) but it’s a nice little collection none the less.

Urquhart Castle, on the banks of Loch Ness

Dear ——–,

No, we didn’t see the Loch Ness Monster. But we did get to an unrestored, ruined castle: Urquhart Castle. It changed hands many times through its several-hundred-year history and English soldiers finally firebombed it to pieces in 1692 so it couldn’t be used by the Jacobites (loyal to the Scottish king James VII). I liked imagining what it would be like to live in a bedroom in the tower overlooking Loch Ness and what it would be like to bake in the stone oven. This was so much better than listening to the recorded sizzling and clanking sounds piped into the kitchen of Eilean Donan Castle. We arrived at Urquhart (pronounced ERK-ert) right after it opened, so we had the castle almost to ourselves for an hour. Then the swarm began, with sounds of Mandarin, Italian and some Eastern European language echoing through the stone corridors. Sometimes it was hard to get up the spiral stairs because tourists carrying enormous backpacks were blocking the narrow path. Touring Scotland = touring castles, so I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised. At least we limited ourselves to only two castle visits.