Day 5 - Edinburgh

After Rosslyn Chapel, we had some time to walk around in Edinburgh. It was sunny, so we thought it would be a lovely afternoon just to browse around. It wasn't until we got a few blocks from the bus that we realized why everyone looked so disheveled. The wind was blowing so hard it practically knocked you down! Anytime there was a break in the buildings, you had to brace yourself to get up the street. Enough was enough! We found the Hard Rock Cafe we saw from the bus earlier and sat down to have lunch. (We wouldn't discover the Hard Rock Bruschetta until London, but our lunch was still good.)

It was only the end of October but Christmas decorating was in full swing. Harry was appalled that it was even Halloween yet. We had been seeing signs everywhere about reserving space for Christmas Parties, so we weren't really surprised to see decorations.
The second picture is of a monument to Sir Walter Scott . Hard to imagine a monument like that for an author anywhere else!

Day 5 - Scottish Night

To top off the day, we had a traditional Scottish Night. Arranged for us by Harry, who came dressed in his best kilt, we had a bag piper, a Scottish Dancer and a Robert Burns expert who recited some poetry. We also had the opportunity to try haggis. It was apparently quite the big deal, as we started with the ceremony of the haggis. The haggis was brought in on a platter in a big procession.

We were serenaded with bagpipes throughout dinner and had several Scottish dances performed for us. Having Burns recited made it much easier to understand. Or it could have been the wee dram of whisky we had beforehand. They did use our water glasses to serve it...
Our haggis looked more appealing than we had expected. It might have helped that it was drenched in whisky gravy. or, again, it could have been that dram of whisky! We took pictures of each other eating it so we'd have proof. (and before you mock Karen's hair, refer to the earlier posting about the wind!!)

Day 6 - St. Andrews

A very early start today brought us to St. Andrews as the sun came up. We made a brief stop at the cathedral ruins. Hardly anyone was around this early, so it was nice and peaceful.
We got a chance to see the famous St. Andrews Golf Course. How these guys could be golfing, we have no idea. It was freezing and really windy. The guys were blowing on their hands between swings to keep warm. On top of that, the air force base across the bay was doing testing and jets were taking off every few minutes. Not really the game I'm sure they were looking forward to!

Harry said the wait for a game is currently a year and that sometimes the mist comes in off the ocean and you can't even see your feet. But you take your tee time or go back on the waiting list, so they have people playing in even the worst weather.
Inside this coat and hat is a very cold Deb. Karen decided a picture on the 18th hole wasn't worth it!
The last picture is the golf museum where Deb and Karen spent most of the morning. Amazing how interesting you can find golf when the space is heated!

Day 6 - Pitlochry, Edradour Distillery

We spent some time in a lovely village called Pitlochry. We took a side trip from Pitlochry to the smallest distillery in Scotland - The Edradour Distillery. On the tour we got more information about whisky than we would ever remember. The setting was something out of a book, and though neither of us would be buying any whisky for ourselves, we could appreciate the craftsmanship that goes into it.

We had a wee dram of whisky. It really helped the sore throat but it is not really our drink of choice! One of our fellow tourists couldn't believe we drank it in one shot. We weren't sure how you'd get it down otherwise!

Day 6 - Blair Castle

From Pitlochry, we took a side trip to Blair Castle. An amazing interior with wood carving and more antlers than we've ever seen in one place. The ground were amazing too, with lovely walks, landscaping, and even some red deer. Is that Big Eric I see?










The bottom picture is our tour guide Harry who is smiling enthusiastictly just minutes before it started snowing on us. We thought we might have to end up digging the bus out of a snow bank, but it was just a flurry. More snow the next day....

Day 6 - Laggan Country Hotel

Our evening stop was at the Laggan Country Hotel, as seen on Monarch of the Glen! We got there in the early evening and had a lovely dinner there. Then got to relax around various fire places.
Here is a shot of our room (and Karen doing an "I'm a Little Teapot" impression for some reason). You'll notice the floor heater which came in VERY handy!
Below are views from the Laggan Country Hotel. Hi, Deb! Don't follow the Texan too far, you never know where he is going!

Day 7 - Scotish Highlands, Culloden, Loch Ness

Today was a lot of driving through and out of the Scottish Highlands. More beautiful scenery. Hard to imagine we could stare out the window for so long, but all morning we had our noses pressed to the window. We stopped a couple of times along the road to take pictures, supposedly close to where Mel Gibson stood for a shot in Braveheart. Guess we'll have to watch that again...


After a few hours of driving, we stopped at the Culloden Battlefield. I woke Deb up (again) and we walk around a bit. We'll let you Wikipedia the battle for all the details. The second picture is of Deb and Karen in front of a house that has stood since before the battle in 1746. During the battle it was used as a first aid station.

Our afternoon stop was Loch Ness. No sight of the monster, but no surprise there was a gift shop. Here is a picture of the loch and of Deb with a very realistic replica of Nessie.