July 8: Loch Ness

After another filling breakfast, courtesy of our host, Sarah Tree, we set out to take in the area surrounding this beautiful lake.  Seeing as we were at the very site of some of the most famous tales of mystery, we had to start it off at the Loch Ness Exhibition Center to learn about the history of Loch Ness and her most famous, albeit fictional inhabitant, Nessie.

I really wanted to buy into the story, despite my overly logical and skeptical sidekick's rolling eyes.  The center offered a tour that walked us through several rooms set up to tell pieces of history surrounding Loch Ness, explaining the sightings of Nessie, the proved hoaxes and genuine (to the people who reported them) sightings of the beast.  The expo was surprisingly rooted in fact and I left it feeling a little more educated, though a little less enchanted, as well.

After that we took a drive around the borders of the 24mile lake, looking for a few sets of falls we'd read about prior.  The fog was pretty stubborn in this area, we were finding, but at least the rain wasn't constant.

Unable to find Morriston Falls, we settled for a short hike to the upper Falls of Foyers.  Along the path were pieces of a poem, guiding the way, and even in the rain it was a beautiful hike.

As the sun began to peek out we made our way back up to Inverness to explore the city.  With River Ness cutting through it, Inverness was a pretty place about which to roam for the afternoon, though we did little more than take pictures and people watch.

Inverness Castle

River Ness cutting down the center of town

At dinner time, we decided to take the plunge and try haggis for the first time.  It was in a large pub with a nice menu and we both eyed the appetizer selection we were both excited and a little scared to try.  When it arrived, our traditional haggis with tatties an neeps, we both leaned forward and inhaled the warm aroma.  If you're not already familiar with this Scottish fare, haggis is a mixture of sheep liver, heart, and lungs combined with a special list of herbs, spices, and grains, which is sealed up inside a sheep's stomach and cooked.  The result is a kind of crumbled meat, which is traditionally paired with mashed potatoes (tatties) and mashed turnips (neeps).  Sounds awful, I know, but let me tell you, it was wonderful.  The meat, itself, is actually quite fragrant with all the herbs mingling therein, and the sweetness of the turnip mash along with the smoothness of the mashed potato really rounds out this amazingly delicious event going on in your mouth.  (Seriously, I've been home over a month now from this trip and I'm dying for some haggis.)  

After dinner we milled around a while longer, then satisfied we'd seen what we cared to see here and eying the once again darkening clouds, headed back toward the B&B, though bypassing it for another drive around the lake before turning in.

Moo :)

July 7: The Highlands

This morning's breakfast was as lovely as before, and as we enjoyed a soundtrack of chatting and opera, we knew, given the chance, that we'd be back to this place in a heartbeat.  Alan and his mum held the doors as we shuffled down the stairs and out the front to load up the car, and with a final round of hugs and well-wishes, we were back on the road.  Leaving Stonehaven was a little tough, but our Scottish adventure had just begun and it was time to roll on.  Let me just say that if the obvious shift in beauty from northern England to Scotland was a nudge, that between Stonehaven and The Highlands knocked us over.

Today we would be making our way to Loch Ness for the next two nights, and though I'll always deny it out loud, there was a tiny part deep down that secretly hoped we spot something strange out there.  The car coasted over the amazing hills and it felt like we were on top of the world.  Scotland's beauty is severe, its rocky hills blanketed by deep green and speckled with sheep.  Up and over each hill we kept catching ourselves in tiny gasps at the sight of it, and this was just the countryside.  We had yet to set our eyes on the mountains and lakes of this obviously enchanted place.

We drove through the city of Inverness, the growing capital of the Highlands, which rests at the northern tip of long and narrow Loch Ness.  After finding and checking into our quaint Bed & Breakfast in a small town on Loch Ness' western side, we decided not to cram the rest of the day full of rushing about, trying to fit every possible thing in.  Just up the road and around the bend from where we stayed was Urquhart Castle, a beautiful set of ruins perched on a cliff over the loch.

It was really windy.

This bagpiper created a superb soundtrack for all the people crawling around the castle ruins.

After Urquhart we decided to make it an early night in order to organize the next day's activities.

A ten minute walk through some farm-like land and woods brought us to a small guest house known for its great Aberdeen burgers, so that's where we headed.  In Stonehaven I learned that Black Angus in the States is a hybrid cow of the Aberdeen cow from Scotland (for its richness of taste and tenderness) and an Argentinian cow (for its ability to stave off sickness).  Now I'm not a burger connoisseur, I can't taste the grain the cow on my plate munched on in his final days, but these burgers were good, and we were satisfied.  

After dinner we walked around a bit to avoid going to bed later with still full stomachs, finding a trail through the woods nearby.  The hope was to wind or way to the loch's edge and enjoy some moments of quiet solitude together by the water.  When it started getting darker and we began feeling loster (yeah, I know it's not a word), we headed back the way we came and spent the rest of the evening planning out the next day.

Waiting in the Wings

Just in case someone pops by this particular day and is on the verge of writing me off for good, please don't.

It's been WEEKS since I've been around, but not for lack of desire.  My very best friend, Kelly has been here for the past three weeks, and my time on the computer has been nearly non-existent.  It's been fun and refreshing and tomorrow morning will bring a tearful goodbye, but it's time to return to normal life.  For Kelly that means going back to Florida to a beautiful little girl named Addison (among others), and for me it's back to lists, stressful phone calls, planning and writing.  With summer almost over and a host of projects left untouched, I'm feeling a little antsy, but all in good time.

Tomorrow I'll be back in Scotland with regards to the blog, and my adventures with Kelly will follow closely behind.  But for tonight, we'll be enjoying Chris' home-made croquets, maybe a movie, and talking and laughing likely too late into the night before a very long day tomorrow.

July 6: Dunnottar Day

It was like waking up in my own bedroom this morning, just the one in my seaside house in Stonehaven.  Waking up slowly in a comfy bed, listening to the gentle roar of the ocean outside, breathing the sea air... heavenly.  I never wanted to leave.  Like I said, this is what B&Bs should be, staying with a friend you've just met who likes to make you breakfast.  So this morning, I was sitting in the living room, watching the early moning waves lap at the shore and listening to a lovely soundtrack of these and muted kitchen noises, as the day began with Alan and Mum preparing our morning feast.  They not only give us a short menu of selections from which to choose, they also gave us a choice of a starter.  A starter for breakfast?  I don't question, I just obey :)

This was to be the day we would hike a couple miles south along the coast to Dunnottar Castle.  It was sunny and gorgeous out with the thinnest layer of gauze across pieces of the sky.

Alan's mum greeted me this morning; this was the first time I actually met her, and she was an absolutely lovely lady.  As we chatted about our plans for the day, Alan emerged and put on music in the open living/dining area, and a interesting choice, at that.  It sounded a bit like dance club music, and I knew I recognized Abba in there somewhere.  It certainly made for a light-hearted and fun breakfast when Chris joined me.

We both tried the Scotch Porridge to start, which was thick and creamy like oatmeal, and quite good, though insanely filling.  The toast quickly followed, accompanied by softened butter and preserves.  Chris went with the Traditional Scottish breakfast (fried egg, sausage, bacon, and a choice of mushrooms, baked beans or roasted tomatoes), and I went with scrambled eggs and bacon, simple enough.  The coffee was good, the orange juice nice and cold, and the company friendly, as we spoke briefly with the French tourists also staying there.  We politely finished off our fruit, which actually made me feel less full, before returning to the room to re-cooperate from breakfast before starting the hike to Dunnottar.  The lesson:  Eat less tomorrow.

The hiking trail bought us up above Stonehaven, giving way to beautiful views.  Along the way we came upon a memorial to the fallen during the World Wars, something we'd be seeing a lot of throughout the trip.  We'd seen it from the town below, standing alone atop a hill, and were curious about it.  Within the structure were words written in the stone, a kind of prayer for those who fought and died for their homeland.  May they never be forgotten.

Being that the memorial is perched on the top of a modest hill, we could see Dunnottar in the distance and carried on.  I must have stopped every five steps to snap another picture from another angle as we neared the castle, as the slightest change made for an even better shot.  The sky had grown grey as we hiked, and we were just hoping the rain would hold off until we reached the castle.  It did, so that was nice of it.

Dunnottar Castle stood before us like a ghost, perched on the edge of jagged cliffs against a darkening sky.

We walked through the various rooms, all still mostly in-tact aside from the roofing, of past inhabitants and tried to imagine actually living there.  The area closer to the water was like a small village, and I guess it was in its day.  We photographed everything from the old brewery room to the bread oven in the kitchen.  One room still had an ornate ceiling brilliant with color, and several of the fireplaces still showed original inscriptions dug into the stone.  My ancestors were made Hereditary Great Marischal back in the day, and built Dunnottar before moving on to Caithness, where a feud ensued with the Clan Gunn.  I walked through the chambers of the Marischal and wondered about the people who had slept in that room, taking a moment to allow myself to fantasize having lived here during that time in history.

With a soundtrack of waves and seagulls, it certainly sounded like home :)

After returning to Stonehaven, having taken a possibly unhealthy number of photos, we wandered around Stonehaven to see what there was to see not right along the water, then ended up walking all the way down the beach to a short boardwalk area, lined with cafes, just before the town border where Stonehaven ends and Cowie begins.  Meeting the end, we headed back to the Beachgate to drop off some things we bought along the way and take a rest.  Upon our return, we found a note attached to the lampshade from Alan.  He'd found a few ciders we'd bought the previous day when we was making up the room and put them in the fridge for us, and wanted to let us know.  I loved this guy.

After a short nap (I LOVE vacations!) we decided it was necessary to try one more local item before leaving the next morning.  We made our way back to the small fish and chips shop on a corner where we'd seen the banner advertising this locally-created treat, paid our money, and watched with interest as the fry guy dipped both of our Mars Bars into the batter and then dropped them into the lovely vat of oil.  If we were picky, we might have had a problem with the fact that as other people came in with their orders, he dropped fillets of fish into the same batter and the same vat to fry alongside our chocolate, but we're pretty easy-going.  It's all bad for you, and we figured the thick, fried outer shell would keep anything too fishy from attaching itself to our chocolate bars.  Yes, I'm seeing how disgusting it really was recounting it here, but whatever, we still ate them.  The first bite was hesitant and a little fearful.  Five minutes later, these suckers were gone and we were licking our fingers.  They were really good!

Dinner this night would be at the semi-famous Tolbooth down at the harbor.  And the food love continues...

Starter: We both had one of the evening's specials, a crayfish gratin, made with a tomato, spinach, and shellfish hollandaise.  I could have licked my plate, it was so delicious.

Main:  Chris tried the monkfish wrapped in Parma ham, and I opted to try to highly recommended Aberdeen steak, which came with broad beans and fondant potatoes over onion puree.  I see why the Scottish are so proud of their beef, and probably moaned a little while eating the potatoes.  Ridiculous.

Having had our dessert before dinner, we walked back to the B&B to hang out, unable to get a hold of Gary on the phone.  We decided it would be nice to hang out at the Beachgate and try some of the seasonal cider we'd bought, which Alan had chilled for us.  What began as a relaxing and quiet moment in the living area turned into a party for four, as Alan's mum found us there while she was in the kitchen watching a football game, and Alan arrived home shortly after.  Alan was so pleased that Chris and I felt comfortable enough to treat the place like our own home, hanging out in the living room and having a drink, he made a couple drinks for himself and Mum and joined us.  They sipped their gin with lime and we tipped our ciders, and talked and laughed until midnight.  We talked about where everyone had been in the world (Mum's quite the traveling lady), and I told them all about my family and how I hoped at least some of them would be able to make it over sometime.  Of course, I would send them to Alan because I knew (and still know) they'd love this place and its hosts.  Alan's mum talked about hr children and their children, where everyone was living and doing with their lives, all living fairly close by in Aberdeen.  We discussed accents, and Alan had us rolling when he did an impression of a nephew of his whom he can hardly understand anymore, for he's taken up talking like his co-workers, a more country group of guys.  We told them about the people we'd met the night before at the pub, Darren, Gary and the owner we couldn't understand.  Mum talked about the new, fancy golf course Donald Trump is building a mile from where he daughter lives near Aberdeen, the protests that have gone on and the damage done to the construction of the place because many people believe it will mess with the wildlife.  We talked about the great food and they asked us what we'd had there and how we liked it, complaining that the restaurants ripped everyone off for a meal Alan offered to make us if we stayed one more night.  I wished we could find a way to stay in Stonehaven one more night, of only for the company and promise of scallops, but it just wasn't possible.  We had such a fantastic night with Alan and Mum, and would love to find an excuse to revisit them in the future; they're wonderful people.  

PS - Alan had a pet tortoise whom we got to meet before departing in the morning.  Meet Speedbump.