Well, it was a nice day yesterday visiting the Highlands of Scotland but I am sorry to say that I did not see Nessie - unless you count the many plastic, stuffed, or carved versions around the country. I learned a lot about the history of Scotland - including the ways that "Braveheart" changed William Wallace's story around. Some of the fun things that we saw include the castle used in Monty Python and the Holy Grail movie (for all the castles), the location used in the highlands for Hagrid's Hut in one of the movies, and a bridge that was not used in the Harry Potter movies but that our guide suggested we take a photo of it and tell our friends back home that it was the actual bridge. One of the clever things we saw included a man in full Scottish wear playing a bagpipe at one of the scenic viewpoints where most of the tour buses stopped to take photos of Glen Coe (the geographic area - not Glen Close, the actress). He was a big hit with the tour groups since everyone wanted photos of him and many people were leaving a tip. So, if any of you want a part time job in the Highlands (and can play the bagpipe), you might be able to get some extra money (although the commute would be quite a journey since only 3 homes are located in that particular area and no other ones will be allowed to be built...but you can figure out the details later.)
As for Loch Ness, it was a very nice area. I was able to join a 1-hour cruise on the Loch itself. Apparently the person in charge is a marine biologist (hmmm, perhaps I can use my biology degree to go look for Nessie.) One of the cool things about the cruise was a 2D and 3D radar scan of the bottom of the Loch as we went on our tour. In talking to some of the locals, a few of them had their own stories of Nessie although many of them were from childhood memories. ;)
After being exhausted from an all-day tour yesterday, I took it easy today and went to see Edinburgh Castle which is just down the road from my hotel. I decided that when I become a rich and famous teacher that I will get my own castle...perhaps I shouldn't count on that happening....
1 comment:
Sounds like you're having a great time! I'm so gald you like Scotland. Such a beautiful country. I'll ask my kids if they are willing to let you join their clan (Drummond as in Drummond Castle). Too bad Nessie didn't come out to play while you were there. Enjoy the rest of your time on the British Isles!
Post a Comment