On to the Highlands!

My journey continues on into the Highlands!  We set out early on the 7th to get up into the Scottish Highlands. Our drive included scenic mountains and tranquil lochs.  In particular, we saw the giant kelpie statue dedicated to all the work horses who helped industrialize Scotland.  We also passed through Trossachs National Park.

Traveling through the ravines at the base of the mountains was remarkable.  Especially once we found out that the mountains were part of the Appalachain Mountain range at one point in time before the North American and Eurasian plate split them apart.  Today the moutains are covered in lush green grass and Sitka Spruce, but prior to the world wars and the industrial revolution, they were covered in Scots Pine.  Now there are small groves of Scots Pine that are protected, but for the most part it's rather bare and there's very little biodiversity.

Around the middle of the day, we stopped at Inverary Castle, the current and ancestral home of the Campbell Clan leader aka the Duke of Argyll.  Part of the castle (really a very large house) is open to tours and visitors while the other part is sectioned off for the private residence of the 13th Duke of Argyll and his family.  The house (or at least the part open to tours) is decorated in light yellows and blacks (the Campbell Clan colors) and impressive displays of weapons, historical artifacts, paintings, and photos.  The living area has a piano that was used to create some of the songs and music for My Fair Lady.

After a tour of the house, we took a short walk out into the garden.  The immaculately planned and cultivated garden held many plants native to Scotland, but it also held a small bamboo grove to honor the Duke's work in panda conservation.  We even found a selfie staition at the back of the garden!

We lunched for the day in the small town of Inverary.  It was a blink and you miss it type of town, but you wouldn't want to blink else you'd miss the fantastic views of the highlands over Loch Fyne.  Because the loch is connected to the ocean, it boasts some amazing seafood and fish.  We found a small hole-in-the-wall restaurant called The Cottage and ordered some sandwiches, some of which included salmon, crab, and lobster.  I'm not a seafood person, but my sandwich was just as good: chicken, brie, and cranberry sauce toasted in a panini.

We loaded back into the bus and headed back on the road once everyone had their fill of both food and the scenery.  We then made our way to our hotel, the Rosslea located in Rhu, a small town outside of Helensburgh.  This hotel was much quieter than the two we had stayed in previously.  The only real noise was the soft lapping of the waves of Loch Fyne right out side and a clock that chimed every quarter hour nearby.  It was quite peaceful.  The room Megan and I were assigned had a view of the guardens and the loch.  Couldn't have asked for a better place to sit and sip a cup of tea.

Dinner was included this night and we feasted on a three course meal at the hotel.  My dinner for the night included duck pate on brioche toast with a small salad, chicken with creamy mashed potatos and broccoli in a brown sauce, and strawberry cheesecake with a berry compote for dessert.  It was amazing.

Our final excursion for the night was a short walk along the loch out to the light house where several locals were fishing from the shore.  The wind blowing in the saltwater smell and a small rain squall moving through the mountains in the distance.

The next day was when we really got into the highlands!  We woke early on the morning of the 8th in order to get a good start.  We had a scheduled distillery tour, but first, we travled back along the lochs and through Trossach's National Park.  This time, the scenery was truly awe-inspiring.  Pictures could never do it justice, but I tried my best to capture the true majesty of the cloud covered peakes, the sun dappled slopes, and rocky outcrops.

We made a few stops in the morning including a scenic photo opportunity with the Three Sister's Mountain and a memorial to commandos who have passed (both in action and outside of it).

Our distillery tour took place a Ben Nevis distillery just north of Fort William and in the shadow of Ben Nevis, a looming moutain peak who's tip was shrouded in shadow.  Ben Nevis is also where the distillery gets all of its water.  We took a tour of the facilities and learned about the brewing process.  Did you know that in order for it to be called Scotch whisky, it must meet several qualifications?

• Made in Scotland from only cereals, water and yeast.
• Matured for a minimum of 3 years in oak casks.
• Bottled at a minimum strength of 40% abv.
• Distilled below 94.8% abv so that it retains the flavour and aroma derived from its raw materials.
• No flavouring or sweetening is permitted.

As is usual in these kinds of things, we ended our tour with a tasting.  The whisky we sampled was the minimum alcohol percentage, 40%, and had a sweeter inital taste with a lingering sublte burn.

After the distillery tour we made our way to Fort William for lunch.  However, there was a small incident along the way.  While traveling the narrow winding roads the follow the loch, a motorhome going the opposite direction crossed the center line slightly and destroyed our coach's side mirror then left black marks along the side of the coach.  I don't know if you've ever seen an angry Scotsman, but I certainly have now!  Our driver, Ian, pulled over to the side of the road and quickly assessed the damage.  No one was injured except for the coach and the motorhome never stopped.  So while we enjoyed lunch and shopping at Fort William, Ian spent that time making a police report.  Found out later that Ian's report was the third that day of the exact same thing happening.

Anyway, after lunch, we slowly stared to make our way home with stops for photos, stretching, and bathroom.  One of our stops was at Neptune's Steps, which is a series of locks and dams that help smaller boats get up or down the river.  That particular river is connected to a set of lochs that cut across Scotland.  It is possible to get from the North Sea to the Atlantic this way.  Another stop the Glencoe visitor center.  This place had beautiful scenery of the highlands, but it also had an earth home recreated using tools and materials that would've been available during the time of the vikings and before.  Glencoe is also the site where the Campbell Clan slaughtered the MacDonald clan back in the mid-1600s and our tour guide helpfully played a song to remind us of this (he's a MacDonald on his mother's side).

Massacre of Glencoe Song

However that was not the end of our day.  While on our way back to the hotel, we turned off on a smaller road that traveled along a loch.  It was a narrow road with a wall and houses on one side and the loch on the other.  Unfortunately, we got about a mile and half down it when we were stopped and told that traffic was blocked ahead.  Which meant that we had to literally back up nearly that whole mile and a half.  Ian, our driver, handled it like a pro though and after backing up for a mile, found a spot to actually turn around and got us out of there.

And as some of you may know, these kinds of things come in threes, so this was still not the end.  When we were only about 15 minutes out from the hotel, traffic was backed up, so Ian turned down a side road that would take us through the countryside and into town the back way.  While going around a corner, a tractor carrying bales of hay nearly head on collided with us.  The whole front of the bus gasped.  But both Ian and the tractor stopped in time and we avoided a collision.

THANKFULLY, that was it.  We made it back to the hotel and some people got together to buy Ian a drink!  The man deserved it after all of that!

And that is it for our tour through the highlands!

Stay tuned for next time when we head down to our final city in Scotland, Glasgow!

Welcome to Scotland!

Since I last updated, we had a travel day and a whole day in Edinburgh. We woke up early on the morning of the 5th to hop the train at King's Cross station. Our train was not a scarlet steam engine on platform 9 3/4, but it got the job done!

(King's Cross Station)

The train ride from London to Edinburgh is about a four hour ride with stops at various stations along the way. Our tour guide, David, handed out Scottish shortbread to celebrate the crossing into Scotland. (Sorry, Girl Scouts of America, trefoils ain't got nothing on actual Scottish shortbread!)

(Berwick-upon-Tweed: last English town before arriving in Scotland)

Upon arriving in Edinburgh, we made our way to a beautiful Edwardian building in New Town that had been converted into a Holiday Inn Express. There, we met about eight new members of our group who would be joining us for the rest of the tour. We then hopped on the bus and headed to our welcome dinner at Brown's Restaurant. It was a beautiful place established in the late 1700s (so relatively new compared to the rest of Edinburgh). The welcome dinner allowed us to get to know our group more.  We finished the night with a drink at the Conan Doyle, a pub dedicated to the famous author of Sherlock Holmes.

The next morning, Megan and I decided to do separate adventures. She went with a small group to hike up Arthur's Seat, a large scenic overlook with great views of the city. Meanwhile, I went with a group to the National Portrait Gallery. At the gallery, we saw an exhibit on the Jacobite Rebellion along with a plethora of other amazing pieces of art. However the art was not just on the walls. It was also the building itself.

(Portrait of 4th Duke of Argyll)

(Queen Victoria at age 21)

(Interior of Portrait Gallery)

After spending far too short a time in the gallery, I broke away from the main group with two others. We grabbed some caffiene at Costa Coffee and then started our own hike up to the Royal Mile.

(View of Edinburgh from nearly top of the hill. I climbed from the spire you can see just right of the center of the photo.)

Short history of Edinburgh:

Edinburgh castle is built on top of a volcanic plug, the core of an extinct volcano after the outside has eroded away. The castle is actually more of a fort and the oldest building in the castle is from the 1200s. The Royal Mile is the street that stretches down the hill from the castle. It is rather steep and absolutely FILLED with shops. There are tiny alley ways leading off the Royal Mile called closes. Each is named like a street, so Advocate's Close, Mary King's Close, etc. This whole area is known as the Old Town and the buildings are literally built up on top of each other as they follow the steep hill down.

So, you now understand what I mean when I say my calves ached! However once we got to the top, it was a smooth walk back down the Royal Mile filled with souvenir shopping and street performers. There were a lot more street performers and huge crowds out during our stay in Edinburgh because of the Fringe Festival, an art festival featuring everything from plays to comedy to music and everything in-between! It was truly an experience!

The three of us slowly meandered down the hill and made the walk back to our hotel just in time for the city tour on the bus. The city tour took us through New and Old Town and up to the castle. We toured through the castle, taking in the amazing views of the city and the Firth of Forth (bay of the river Forth). The castle was a bit crowded, but a quick rain shower cleared it out. Megan and I took our time walking back down the Royal Mile again (me for the second time and Megan for the first). As we left the castle, I quickly realized that my earlier hike up the hill had brought me to the castle without knowing it. Had I turned the corner, I would have seen it!

After my second trip down the Royal Mile, Megan and I decided to rest at the hotel for a bit, because that evening we were going on a ghost hunt!

Our late night tour started at 9pm at St. Giles Cathedral in Old Town where we met our tour guide, a thoroughly Scottish woman named Christina. She was a wonderful story teller and told us many gruesome tales of medieval Edinburgh, including tales of torture, cannibalism, and mass murder, all of them true. As Christina said, you don't need to make up stories with the kind of history Edinburgh has.  We ventured down into Advocate's Close, up to the graveyard turned parking lot of St Giles, and over to the statue of Bobby, a loyal little dog who stayed at his master's grave many years after his death. The final part of our tour included a walk through Greyfriar's Kirkyard and a stop outside the mausoleum of George Mackenzie, a man who ordered the deaths of over 2000 people because they wouldn't convert to his chosen religion.

By the time we finished the tour, it was closing in on 11pm, so we made our way back to the hotel.

That's it for this update! Stay tuned for next time when I get to tell you about our drive up into the highlands!

Oxford and Stonehenge

New adventures today!

We left London today to journey first to Oxford and then to Stonehenge!  But let's start with Oxford.

Oxford is only a little over an hour drive west of London (provided you don't get caught in traffic).  Some things I noticed on the drive that are different from interstates in the US:

1. Despite the fact that the speed limit is 70, there are lots of areas for cars and trucks to just pull over on the side of the road and people to get out and stretch or fix something on their car.

2. Road signs are some times hidden by trees/foliage.

3. Trees/foliage are only a foot or less away from the edge of the road.

4. Everyone drives like they are in Mad Max Fury Road.

So, after an hour of white knuckling the seat in front of me, we arrived at the quaint town of Oxford!  Oxford, as you know, is home to Oxford University.  It also home to about a hundred little bookstores and coffee shops.

Our first thing in Oxford, was a short walking tour of the university.  We did not get to see all of it as all 30 colleges within the university are quite expansive, however we did get to see new college (only built in 1379).  We saw a few dorm buildings, the mess hall, the chapel and cloisters, Radcliffe's square, and the Bodlian Library. (pictures below)

I can honestly saw it was awe-inspiring!  I have always wanted to visit Oxford, it was just as breath-taking as I imagined.  And while I may never claim to be a student of Oxford, I can say that I used the bathroom there!

After our tour of the university, we had some time to wander the city.  Megan and I got a quick lunch before doing some serious shopping. I marked several items off of my to buy list, most puchased from the covered market (a collection of stores and restaurants selling everything from souvenirs to meat pies!). We also visited the oldest bookstore in Oxford, Blackwell's! It was amazing all on it's own! I could've spent ages there!

Afterwards, we hopped back in the van and drove another hour to Stonehenge.  When approaching Stonehenge, you can see the magnificent and iconic stones emerge from behind a hill while driving. The flat green land surrounding it and the blue gray sky behind it.  It almost doesn't seem real.

We parked and made the walk around the stones.  With each step, you gain a new angle to look at.  With each breath you realize that you are looking at something that was built over 5,000 years ago with only the simplest of tools.  It truly is a site to behold.  I only wish I could have been able to see them with less tourists around.  Kids running and playing and guys making silly poses does tend to ruin the moment.

There is also a small exhibit area where tourists can learn of life back then and how Stonehenge was thought to be used.

The two hour drive back from Stonehenge was thankfully uneventful.  And when we got back, Megan I got dinner at the pub on the corner.  I finally got some proper fish and chips! Also had a pint of Guiness and some Halloumi fries.

10/10 recommend!!

Alright, that's about it for now. Tomorrow we take the train up to Edinburgh!

TTFN!

London Adventures

Our first full day in London! It was jam packed with interesting things!

Our first event if the day was a city tour that was partially on a bus and partially walking around. We saw all of the major tourist destinations (St. Paul's Cathedral, Westminster, Trafalgar Square, and Buckingham to name a few) and then we were given free reign to explore the city on our own.

We quickly learned to navigate the Underground and made our way to the Tower of London, walking over London Bridge on the way (it did not fall).

At the Tower, we walked the entire perimeter of the battlements as part of the tour. During our walk, we learned of the history of the Tower all the way from medieval times to current day. (Did you know the Tower held a managery of animals before the London zoo was built? Did you also know that spectators were allowed up close interaction with the animals and there were several instances of the animals attacking people who got too close? Who knew that petting a lion's paw could result in loss of limb?)

We also got the pleasure of seeing one of the Tower's ravens up close!

After the battlements, we went through the White Tower (in the middle of the complex) where we learned about the military history.

Our tour of the Tower concluded in the courtyard where most of the executions took place. 

(Fun fact, the Tower of London has free wifi!)

The rest of our afternoon was spent walking through London. We found China Town, Covent Garden, and Trafalgar Square before we decided to call it a day and head back to the hotel.

And that about sums up our first and only full day in London! I'll be posting again soon with an update about our excursion to Oxford and Stonehenge!

Stay tuned!

18 Hours Later

We made it to London!  It took nearly 18 hours, but we did it!

And by 18 hours, I mean total travel time from when I left the house to when we made it to the hotel.  Our plane was supposed to leave MSP at 5:25pm.  However, due to a broken component on the plane, our flight kept getting delayed further and further until we were informed that they were just going to swap out planes.  We didn't leave MSP until 10:15pm.  At least we got a free meal out of it?

So we wound up landing in London a little after noon.  Found our luggage, got through customs, and found our driver with very little hassle.  We made it to our hotel and dropped off our baggage before making a beeline for the nearest cafe for some much needed caffiene!

Afterwards, we walked through the rain to a nearby mall.  Not because we really wanted to go shopping, but more like we needed a way to stay awake before the welcoming drinks at 6pm.

As I write this, we've both settled into our hotel room, taken showers, and are snacking on Cheese-its.  This evening we'll get to meet the rest of our group who opted to do the early-extension to London and hopefully find some good food!

Pre-Flight Check in

Well, I am at the MSP Airport and waiting at Gate 13.  My flight is still two and a half hours out from when I'm writing this, but I wanted to give myself time to get through security.

Speaking of, baggage check and security were both a breeze!  Only took about an hour, little less, to do both.  I'm just happy I wasn't young woman behind me who forgot her phone in her pocket and then had to get a pat down.  (Don't get me wrong, I've definitely been that girl!)

So now I wait.  My traveling buddy, Megan is going through TSA now, so I'll have someone to talk to soon, but until then, I've got a granola bar, a water bottle, and a freshly downloaded ebook to read!

I'll try to update once I get to London, but we get in to Heathrow at around 7am local time.  We'll be getting picked up by a driver at the airport who will take us to the hotel where we can drop our luggage off with the staff before hitting the town!  We hope to get in some basic sightseeing (Tower of London, British Museum, Covent Garden, Buckingham, etc.) before joining our tour director for a welcome drink in the evening.

So, ta ta for now!  You'll hear from me next when I'm on British soil!