la vita è bella: Scotland: part 1

While Caleb has been TDY for the past few weeks, I had the privilege of meeting my friends Brianna, Tiffany and Lindsey, in Scotland for a whirlwind adventure. The girls had long before planned the trip, and when our next assignment brought us to Italy, we decided that it was perfect for me to join them. What better way to spend the beginning of August than in rainy, 60 degree weather, eating haggis and fried everything?

We started our journey in Aberdeen, on the north-eastern coast of Scotland. After landing in the airport and a quick rendezvous, we packed up our rental car and headed out. First up was a hike to a WWII memorial and Dunnottar Castle. It was a great introduction to Scotland (complete with fish and chips for lunch). We spent the night in Aberdeen and woke up early Saturday morning to start our road trip. We drove in the direction of Inverness, stopping at The Glenlivet and Glen Moray whisky distilleries. At Glen Moray we took the tour of the distillery, learning the ins and outs of distilling genuine Scottish whisky. I even got to bottle my own whisky after the tour! We pulled into Inverness later that evening, just in time for dinner and a good night's rest at a quaint b&b.

Dunnottar Castle

Glenlivet Distillery

Glen Moray Distillery

About to put on the label

Sunday morning we went to the Highland House of Fraser kilt maker workshop/museum/tourist trap, and wandered around picturesque Inverness. From there, we drove to Loch Ness and had a picnic over looking the lake from Urquhart castle. Unfortunately, no sign of Nessie! That night we made our way to a tiny village type place called Ratagan. We managed to find the only restaurant for miles and made ourselves at home. We had an interesting dinner and breakfast at this restaurant (which we deemed, "Grandma's house") before moving on.

Inverness

Urqhart Castle with Loch Ness in the background

Kilt Museum

After breakfast on Monday, we drove to the Eilean Donan Castle, one of the most iconic and photographed castles in Scotland. The tour was fascinating and included a fully staged kitchen to reflect the workings of a medieval castle kitchen. Our next stop was the Isle of Skye, where we made a 4 hour driving loop around the northern most tip of the island. Along the drive, we pulled over to see some beautiful waterfalls, Kilt Rock, and Hammish!

Eilean Donan Castle

Kilt Rock

Hammish the Highland Cow...the most famous animal in Scotland!

Tuesday we set out for Glencoe, making a stop in Fort William for lunch and taking a gondola up Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in the UK. We bunked up for the night in a hostel in Glencoe after finding, again, the only place to eat in town. The next morning, we went on a hike to find a noted waterfall. Not sure the length of the hike, we decided it would be smart to bring the essentials with us...water and shortbread cookies. And finally...the sun came our for the first time!! Next on the list, we drove to a town called Killin to see the Falls of Dochart- another series of waterfalls. Lucky for us, it also happened to be the day for the Killin Highland Games. Big men in kilts throwing hammers, bag-piping competitions, and Scottish dancing...what more could you ask for?!