Isle of Arran

One last Scotland post. This past weekend we went to Isle of Arran with Kurt and Erin. It is clear across Scotland and it took a whopping three hours to get there in the form of two trains and a ferry ride.

We rented a little cottage and settled in for a weekend of fellowship and fun. The sun was shining when we arrived in the late afternoon so we decided to go for a walk through the countryside around town. We walked to a castle overlooking the sea and continued on through the hillside. It was breath-taking and I continually reminded myself that I am so lucky! I didn't really need reminding, but I was intentionally grateful for each moment. We played rook late into the night. Kurt made me stay up until 22:30, which was a feat as I was ready for bed two hours earlier.

We had a relaxed morning before catching the bus that circulated the north end of the island. We stopped for a tour at the local distillery before making our way to the east and embarking on a three-hour walk along the seaside and up a... bluff. The Scottish have non-English names for everything and I am frequently confused. The sun didn't shine this day so it was a wee bit chilly, but we made do and the scenery was no less lovely. Again, our night was spent playing rook, a game which I just learned and am not very good at.

And on our last morning on Arran, we set off on yet another walk before making our way back home to Edinburgh.

The weekend was wonderful. It was great to spend time with our friends as they were both busy during the week. We were able to properly catch up and to have conversation that was both challenging and encouraging. I really miss having Kurt and Erin closer. They usually live in Vancouver, but seem to be galavanting around the world more often than not.

Arran was absolutely stunning, as was all of Scotland. Erik and I were both sad to leave, but we have hopes of visiting again in the probably-distant-future.

For now we are on to sunnier and sweatier things -- South East Asia.

Some more of Scotland

I feel as though there is so much to say about Scotland. Every single day has been full of activities. We walk for the majority of every day, which is necessary to keep warm in these parts.

We spent a day in Stirling, though we wish we had a bit longer. We visited Stirling Castle (my favourite) and Doune Castle in a neighbouring town. Both were very interesting. It was a beautiful day and we wished we had more time to leisurely walk around, but we had a bus to catch so we were in a bit of a hurry. 

At Stirling we had a private tour because we were the only two there. The guide was very informative and took us places he doesn't usually take tours as two people are much easier to accomodate than fifty. I would say it was my favourite castle because it had the most history, it was the most ornate, and we were told about the lives of the people who lived in the castle, both servant and royal. 

We went to Doune Castle because it was where Monty Python and the Holy Grail was filmed. I have never seen the movie, but Erik happens to love it. The castle was deserted when we arrived, but we found an audio tour and off we went. The tour was done by one of the Monty Python fellas and it was very well done. We laughed our way through the castle and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. 

And then we met our friends in Edinburgh. It has been so nice to see them! We love them dearly and even if we didn't, it is nice to see a friendly and familiar face. We spent our days in Edinburgh walking the Royal Mile, visiting Edinburgh Castle, perusing the Surgical Museum, doing an underground tour, walking through Holyrood Park and spending time with our friends. We also hopped on over to Linlithgow Palace, a short train ride from Edinburgh. It has been awesome!!

Scotland continues to woo me. I would love to come back in the summer sometime, but I can't complain about the weather. It has been cold, especially when compared to South America and South East Asia, but the sun has shone most days and we have yet to see the rain the UK is notorious for. 

One thing I find disgusting about Edinburgh is the dog poop all over the sidewalk. Nobody cleans up after their pets and it is foul! But that may be all I have to complain about. Yes, I think it is.

Erik keeps telling me he could move here. He specifically loved Inverness as it is a smaller town and there was plenty of green space. That's one of the things with Scotland though -- there is plenty of uninhabited green space which we find very refreshing. And absolutely beautiful. Scotland is absolutely beautiful. All of it. I sadly fall asleep the instant I the mode of transportation I am in begins to move so I miss some of the scenery on bus or train rides, but Erik likes to inform me of the beauty I have missed. 

My only regret? That we don't have more time in this beautiful country. I felt ready to leave South America. I would have gladly stayed there longer, but I was also ready to continue on our journey. I don't want to leave Scotland. Not yet, at least. 

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday Ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Wishing you a sunny weekend!

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Inverness

I will have to keep this fairly brief as I feel I could go on and on. I will do my best and use pictures to sullplement so I can keep my words few(er).

We flew from Amsterdam to Inverness and spent three nights in a great little hostel there. We spent our first day walking around the city, familiarizing ourselves and enjoying the river that runs through town. We explored a cemetery and climbed a hill for what would have been a view of the city if there weren't so many trees in the way.

The room we stayed in the first night was at the back of the hostel with a separate entrance. There were only three rooms back there and we had our own kitchen to use so it was a delightful little secluded area just for us. And our room had a view of both the river and the castle - yes please.

On day two we made our way to Drumnadrochit for the day. We went to Urquhart Castle which is situated on Loch Ness. We sadly did not see Nessie, the Loch Ness Monster, but the castle was lovely and the Loch was stunning. We decided to walk back to Drumnadrochit from Urquhart as it was a two mile walk that winded along the Loch. The clouds were clearing and the sun started shining just as we ventured off and it made for an absolutely lovely stroll. Along the way we happened upon an Equestrian... Farm? We walked on up and ended up booking an ride for the next morning. Then we were going to head to some exhibit in town but saw a sign for a footpath to some waterfalls just three miles out of town. The sun was shining and warming our bones putting us in exceptionally jovial moods so we decided to follow said path. I am so glad we did as it was incredible. It took us up the hillside, through fields, along deserted roads, into forests, and to the falls. The falling water itself wasn't impressive, but the icicles certainly were. There were icicles clinging to the rockface behind and around the falls. It was beautiful.

On day three we started the day with a horseback ride. It was more like horseback skating as the ground was incredibly icy. The lady taking us riding kept apologizing saying she didn't realize how icy it was. My horse, Florry, was particularly prone to slipping for some reason. We didn't make it very far as we had to move so slowly. It was a little disappointing, but I am still glad went. After our horse adventure we made our way back to Inverness and there we waited for the bus to take us to Stirling.

Ok, that went way different than I anticipated. I am far too lazy to edit or shorten so this will remain as is. Sorry about that... The rest, if they are written, will be less wordy. Well, maybe not less wordy, but less like a " and then we went here, then here, then here, then here." You know??

Yup, it is great.

Well hello there. I am currently sitting in the living room of some lovely friends shivering ever so slightly, but enjoying a hot cup of tea.

Scotland has been amazing. Not a single day has gone by that I haven't been overwhelmed with the beauty around me. I was very much looking forward to Scotland and it has been better than I anticipated. I don't want to jinx it, but the sun has been shining every day. Yes, it is cloudy a lot, but the sun has managed to fight its way through the clouds for at least a few hours each day. We also had a morning of snow, but we have yet to experience the delightful Scotland rain. I am sure it is inevitable so I am thanking God each day I wake up to something other than rain.

The weather, though it definitely makes exploring more inviting, is not the reason I have fallen in love with this beautiful country. As with all of Europe, Scotland is so full of history. With every step you take you are breathing in the rich history that is everywhere. Now, I am no history buff by any means, but I do love hearing the stories and seeing the sites. My skill for retaining such knowledge is unimpressive at best and embarrassing at worst, but I like to appreciate it while it is being delivered to my ever-welcoming ears.

The highlights of our time here, aside from seeing our dear friends, have been the unplanned and spontaneous adventures we have been on. The planned things are wonderful too, but it is the unexpected detours that have charmed me. For example, we were making our way to an exhibit at Loch Ness and we chose to follow a foot path on a three hour walk through the countryside to a wee waterfall. We had no idea the walk would take that long, but in the moment we decided it sounded intriguing so off we went.

Today we are planning on walking the Royal Mile here in Edinburgh. I am excited for that in itself, but I am interested to see what adventures we unexpectedly find ourselves on. The sun is shining and beckoning me outside even though I know I will be met with a bitter cold. I hope you are all asleep in your beds dreaming pleasant dreams.

Much Love,

Scotland: We Have Arrived

This castle is right outside my window. I snapped this picture yesterday while searching for our hostel. I had a pack on my back and a bag on my front as I quickly snapped this en route. If this is what Scotland is going to be like then we are going to get along fine. Just fine.