September 2009- Scotland

Last September Rand decided to attend the European Endo Conference in Edinburgh, Scotland. We thought this would be a good excuse to make a vacation out of a business trip. We spent 4 days in Edinburgh and drove up to the Highlands to stay in a B&B in Invergarry near Loch Ness for our final 3 days. Edinburgh is a beautiful city with lots of charm. The Scottish people could not have been nicer and the whole city has a very laid back feel. I took the kids to the zoo, the Palace of Holyroodhouse, and walked all over town while Rand was in his classes. He was able to visit Edinburgh Castle and Calton Hill with us. I really fell in love with this city and was so glad to have a reason to visit.

Busy streets of Edinburgh

I loved the red doors on this church.

Edinburgh Castle from the park below.

Owen standing in front of the castle.

Sunset from Calton Hill overlooking the city.

The beautiful green hills and Firth of Forth (bay) beyond the city.

Beautiful old cemetery (you know I can't resist them).

The Palace of Holyroodhouse- best known as the home of Mary Queen of Scots. The Queen of England still stays here for about a week every summer.

Ruins of the Abbey behind the palace.

We left Edinburgh and headed to our Bed & Breakfast in Invergarry near Loch Ness. We spent our first day driving up to the Isle of Skye for some spectacular scenery but wishing we had better weather. Can you guess why they call this "The Misty Isle?"

The adorable port town of Portree (we had the best fish & chips I have ever tasted).

These hills are so saturated with water that there are little waterfalls or streams coming down everywhere you look.

One of the many beautiful bays on this island.

Even though the weather was very rainy (what can you expect from Scotland) we made the most of our day and drove all around that little island. We also saw Dunvegan Castle (still owned by the Mac Leod clan/family) and Kilt Rock (impressive cliffs that have a plaid pattern like a kilt). Maybe we'll return someday and find some sunshine.

This is Eileen Donan castle that we saw on our way to Isle of Skye and boasts many movie credits, including a James Bond film.

The next day we had better weather and spent the day at Loch Ness. They have great castle called Urquhart Castle that is just ruins now but the kids enjoyed climbing all over it. We also had to satisfy our curiousity and visited one of the numerous Loch Ness Monster Exhibits in Drumnadrochit. We believe now that it is just a myth but that didn't keep Owen from searching for "Nessie" for the rest of the day (yes, it has a name and it is a girl apparently). This place has certainly capitalized on that story! We took a boat ride on the Loch and listened to our hilarious captain's commentary on the myth while enjoying breathtaking scenery. Owen was even lucky enough to drive the boat for us.

Urquhart Castle

Queen and King of the Castle!

Countryside and lots of sheep around the castle.

Loch Ness

Urquhart Castle from the water.

Owen taking his turn at the wheel.

Even though Scotland was not high on our list of places to visit, we cannot imagine having missed out on this magical little gem of a country. We adored its green hills and sheep, "wee" little roads, and one more... the Highland Cow.