Day 10 Inverness, Scottish Highlands

Today we drove through the Scottish highlands starting on the east side of the island to the west. As we traveled across we enjoyed the surroundings of trees and flowers (heather, rhododendrons, gorse and wild). This area is well-known for hiking and backpacking. We spotted a few red deer on the drive.

Our first stop was at Eilean Donan Castle which is surrounded by water leaving the castle only one-way on and off by land: bridge. The castle rest upon a rocky point where three sea lochs meet. It was amazing! The sun was shinning making picture taking a must! The castle had been rebuilt and restored over a period of 30 years by husband and wife. It originally was blown up by the enemy when they filled the inside with gunpowder and lit it. I don't recall the history or what year the battle was.

The castle is mainly an attraction. Sometimes the family that own it stays for a holiday in the living quarters outside the castle. Each room at someone that told the history, what the room was used for and who the portraits were of. We were able to roam around looking at all the items that were from that century including wooden dresser-like box that was used to transport books at sea. The idea was to keep them from getting damaged from the saltwater. Not only was it set up to represent that time period but they had wooden people set up. The dinning room had fake food to represent what it would look like for a feast. One of the wooden people tricked my! I thought he was a real guy looking down at the table. I'm partially blind so I have an excuse! :) I spent most of my time on the outside area of the castle looking out and soaking in the view. It was magical.

http://www.eileandonancastle.com/

Next stop was Urguhart Castle also known as "Loch Ness Castle" (Loch N5ess Monster). The story says there is a cave under the castle where the monster lived and very few sightings of it. This castle was not rebuilt after being blown up. This castle had more land at the back side of the castle not leaving it surrounded by water on all sides.

You start off the tour by watching a short film that explained the history of the war that caused the castle to come down. As you walk down the hill from the gift shop you see the ocean, green grass, the remains of the castle and a huge trebuchet. You were able to walk up to the trebuchet and explore the mechanics of it, which made me think of my nephew. He is always asking questions and opening things up to see the mechanics of how stuff works.

When you reached the castle you could walk around and read signs the told you what use to be there. I got distracted by the beauty of the loch, so blue and calm. I walked up to the mid part of the castle, which just looks like a hill so I could get a better view of the surroundings. Okay, maybe I was looking for the Loch Ness Monster :). We had some time to explore the castle on our own, get refreshments/snack and shop in the gift shop before having to go. They had wool blankets, rugs, scarfs, hats and gloves that were all beautiful, but very expensive. As we drove back to the ship we were told that we would see the monster, which left us confused. We drove through the little town near the castle and there stood a statue of the Loch Ness Monster. We moved too fast to get a picture, darn it!

https://www.historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/places/urquhart-castle/

Day 8 & 9 Orkney Islands

Day 8 was at sea, I did laundry and read a book on the top deck of the ship bundled up since it was not nice out. The sun would break through the clouds every so often. Grease played on the big screen outside while I read.

Day 9 Orkney Islands

Orkney Island is known as the Viking Town. On this adventure we had the best guide so far on the trip. He knew so much knowledge and history about the places we saw. He was captivating.

This was my second favorite spot on the trip, Skara Brae an ancient, remarkable site of a village that was exposed after a storm came through and tore up the grass. Underneath revealed the ruins of a village. You could see the tiny paths that led to different rooms; one looked like a kitchen. It reminded me of hobbits and if I recall right that is where the idea came from. The area had a path that circled the village from above while you looked down into the ruins of the village. It was fascinating. It was at the edge of the sea where the wind blew. It is hard to put in words what I saw so I will leave you to the pictures and the link to find out more about the history.

http://www.orkneyjar.com/history/skarabrae/

Ring of Brodgar

The Ring of Brodgar is a series of stones that were raised and placed in a circle similar to Stonehenge. There were originally 60 stones and only 27 are left standing today. The year that it was build is uncertain and it is third biggest circular henge after Stonehenge and Avebury. We were able to walk the path that went around the circle next to the stones. The henge rested on a slight hill up from the sea. It didn't resemble Stonehenge at all, the stones were spread apart and no stone rested on top.

http://www.orkneyjar.com/history/brodgar/

We also visited a Cathedral. I can't recall anything about this one, so I leave you with pictures. They leave poppies for those that have fallen.

Day 7 Glasgow, Scotland

First day in Scotland! Let me start of by telling you that Scotland is said by saying "Scot" strongly and land soft. It almost sounds harsh. I have to tell a story, that slightly embarrasses me but too funny not to share. As you look at the picture above the guy was waving around like a blowup. I pose with him thinking I'm in Scotland, how crazy! Later that day as we are sitting at our dinner table I am looking out the window at the port to see that guy walking! Yes, there was a person inside the whole time. Silly me, my grandma had a good laugh about it.

We drove through the town of Glasgow and saw the Winter Garden which is a very large greenhouse with a cafe. Outside there is a large water fountain. The area is know as the People's Palace and they area has museums and exhibits. We didn't spend time there only enough to use the restroom and stretch our legs. We stopped at Glasgow Cathedral and we were able to go inside. I decided not to go in with it being so bright out and knew that it would be dark inside. I didn't want to attempt and cause anxiety. Charles our guide escort talked me into it saying that the lighting was not bad at all. I struggled getting in since my eyes were adjusting but it didn't take long for someone in our group take me by my arm and help. This was also a bad day for my eyes. There are days that I wake up and my eyes are tired and unclear. It seems like my eyes decide when they want a day off, which is never the right time for me. I was glad that I went in to see the gorgeous stain glass. It was worth the trip on the step and the bump into a postcard stand. :)

The main attraction today was Sterling Castle. Sterling Castle rested on a hill with a statue of Braveheart in front. Outside the castle gates you could overlook the valley of Glasgow. Sterling Castle is a symbol of Scottish independence where several Kings and Queens have been crowned. The castle had a very modern look on the outside, but inside there is so much detail in art and architecture. There is a story that the kings had a lion, which no one ever saw, as a gift being king. We saw the den where it is told the lion was kept. There was a building that was a gold color and I thought it was ugly. Turns out when the castle was first built that was the color. Whoops! The great hall was burnt down in a fire and was rebuilt to look the same. The arched beams where even held with pegs, many many pegs, instead of what we would use nowadays. They didn't want to lose the original look of the castle.

Link to Sterling Castle:

http://www.stirlingcastle.gov.uk/