Day 4

 We had a lovely breakfast at our motel.  Peter was so accommodating and so nice to us.  I would stay there again.  We got in our trusty car with our fearless driver and took off.  We a destination in mind and took off. We headed towards Fort Agustus.  It is on the Southwest end of Loch Ness. It is a lovely little town.  Several really cute shops.  We walked around the little town.  The Fort is mostly gone.  But it was a beautiful drive there.  On a VERY narrow road along the Loch.  

I didn't really take any pictures in Fort Augustus. 

Then we headed up to Loch Ness.

We booked a tour with Loch Ness by Jacobite.  Goodness the Ness is huge and beautiful.  The water is so dark!  It's from the peat running off the hills.  

Before we went on the tour we met a gorgeous Highlander.  :)  lol

There are some great big houses on the Ness!

Urquhart Castle.  We didn't go into it.  It was just so beautiful from the boat.  There is a visitor center there.  We saw it from the boat. 

After our cruise we went back to Inverness and went to 3 Witches restaurant.  It was a yummy place!  We went to a grocery store and gathered a few things and then headed to our motel to crash for the night.  It was a really good day!

Peace

Day 3

 On day 3, Tavel day.

 Madeline and I rode the bus back to the airport to pick up our rental car.  Lorraine stayed at the hotel with all our luggage.  There was a small kerfuffle with the car.  They only had standard transmissions.  As Madeline was our driver and did not know how to drive a stick, we had a problem.  I started wondering around to the other dealers and seeing what they could do.  Some had no cars to rent.  We found one that had automatic's.  Good!  We went with them.  What is funny is that they only rent with full insurance, theirs.  I'm sure it has to do with driving on the other side of the car and road. LOL  I'll say it many times, Madeline did fantastic!  Most of the roads in the big towns are narrow and people park every which way they can.  NOT an ideal situation for a new driver on the other side of the car and road.   Today was really just a travel day. 

I wish I could go back and take pictures of every bathroom.  I've never seen so many options of toilets and sinks. SO many and most out and about were never the same style.  

I'd never seen a square toilet before.  I showed it to almost everyone who would look, they hadn't seen one either.  The sinks were tiny too.  Almost like fingertips only sinks.  BUT they did the job.  I wish I'd have thought to take a picture of them all.  

Back to driving.  We headed to Inverness.  Once we were out of town the drive was relatively easy.  I do know I say that as the passenger in the front seat.  The highways were nice and really well marked.  The other picture I wish I'd have gotten.  I could have asked Madeline to stop and ran back but didn't.  The sign was Welcome to the Scottish Highlands. It was so cool.  We knew we were climbing, our ears were popping. It actually isn't that far from Glasgow to Inverness.  When we got there, we found our motel. We stayed at the Smithton.  Peter was a wonderful host and was very accommodating. They served a wonderful traditional Scottish breakfast.  I did not have haggis or blood pudding.  But sausage and toast and eggs were wonderful.  We went to a few grocery stores trying to find a few things. As we were leaving one, I asked a woman if she could recommend a place for dinner.  We ended up at the golf course restaurant.  We all had fish and chips.  It wasn't bad, just not great.  But it served it's purpose and we were all happy to be out of the car for a bit.   We went back to our hotel and figured out the next days plans.   

Peace

Day 2

We hung around Glasgow and rested and shopped.  The area we shopped in is called Buchanan Street.  LOTS of shops and malls and LOTS of people. 

I sent this picture to Mrs. Heir.  She LOVES Vans.  I didn't go in though. 

Buchanan Street

The Duke of Wellington.   I'm not sure how it all started, but when the Government tried to stop the cone shenanigans, There was a huge outcry.  So the cone stays.  

The bottom of the stairs at the Sandyford Hotel, looking up.  It is a wonderful old hotel.  Tomorrow, a car and off to Inverness. 

Peace

 

Let's try again. Day 1 Scotland

My cousin came up and we sat with our pictures and brochures and things and got all of our days sorted out.  I was flustered on my own.  Together our memories worked.

We arrived in Scotland in the afternoon. We walked around our hotel, found something to eat and called it a night. We had to be up and at it.  We had scoped out the bus the night before, so we knew exactly what we were doing!  HA!  

Our tour guide was Gary.  He was a great guide, funny and knowledgeable.

 Our day looked like this....

We went in the town Inveraray.  We drove past the castle.  We couldn't tour it because it was closed.  

The town is very sweet.   Everyone we met was very kind.  We were told that we had very strong accents.  That made us laugh, every time. 

We were supposed to go on a road that at the top had a spot called, Rest and be Thankful.  We couldn't go rest and be thankful because there had been a slide, so we couldn't go up it.  It was a very windy, narrow road. 

In Kilmartin we went to the Museum, and there is a beautiful church and cemetery.  We had lunch there. 

 

           

We went to Loch Lomond.   It's shores measure about 14 miles.  It's a huge freshwater Loch!

Then we went to Ancient Hill at Ft. Dunadd. I hiked up and saw 360 degrees from the top.  So beautiful!

 A panoramic picture from the top.  

Achnabreck with its ancient rock art. There is so much history there.  American thinks it's old. HA!

We went to standing stones and ancient sites.   

Kilmartin

 

These beautiful walls were EVERYWHERE!  So cool. They have stood the test of time.  

And that is a little peek into our 1st full day in Scotland.  

Peace

                                 

Tioraidh an-dra'sta

Good by for now...

Scotland 

My cousin asked me more than once about going to Scotland.  Then covid hit and of course everything stopped.  Then it came up again and we decided it was a great idea.  She was retiring after 32 years of teaching.  It was a wonderful idea for her retirement.  A great gift for herself.  Her sister and me, rounded out our trio. 

Because I took pictures with my phone and real camera it's a bit out of order.  So here is travel day and then day 1.  Starting in Seattle then in Glasgow Scotland. 

 

Madeline and I, Loch Lomond

Sheep are 3 to 1 in Scotland. 

 I'd live in this house!

I don't want to try and explain everything.  I've written and deleted a million things.  So here is day 1. A few standing stones, Loch Lomond, and Kilmartin and ancient stones.