Day 18 The Loch Ness Monster Search

We are off on an adventure within our British Adventure! We are leaving Edinburgh early this morning from bus stand E on Waterloo Place near Waverley Station which is tourist talk for "somewhere no one else will be at this time of the morning. There will be NO coffee shops or food shops -- but you should have planned ahead yesterday and picked up some snacks." We had to leave the hotel before the kitchen was even opened! It is not encouraging to take a taxi to a bus stop and be the only ones waiting here wondering-- Is this the right place? Is this even the right day? I already paid for these tickets so it better be!! This day trip was from Heart of Scotland Tours which offers a variety of tours around Scotland. Our guidebook recommended it and the website looked good but you know that doesn't mean ANYTHING!!


OK, here comes a few more tourists and finally the bus with a kilted, Scottish tour guide driver. Hurrah! Off we go for a 12 hour bus ride thru the Highlands of Scotland to Loch Ness. My original thought was to take a break from driving as the driver (Don) doesn't really get to see the
sights. And hopefully we will learn about this area from the tour guide!



We learned that (1) Scotland originally was 99% forest and now only about 10% is left. The government is encouraging replanting with native trees to bring the forests back. And (2) William Wallace, aka Braveheart was about 6'2" tall but Mel Gibson, the actor who played Wallace in "Braveheart" (the movie) is about 5'9" . Our tour guide thought the movie needed a "bigger" actor and a better Scottish accent!

The scenery was SPECTACULAR!!



We stopped for lunch and got a closeup look at the native Scottish Highland cows. These cows live outdoors year around. The shaggy hair protect them from the strong winds, high rainfall and harsh winters. They also eat plants that many other cattle avoid. This guy liked apples.



Loch Ness is a large, deep (over 750' at deepest point) freshwater loch over 20 miles long in the Highlands. The water was icy cold and brownish from the peat soil run off. All the fresh water in the Highlands has a high peat content. The brown water makes it very hard to keep white clothes looking clean! The Loch Ness Monster was not available for pictures today. The boat ride was filled with worldwide tourists all with their camera ready. Maybe tomorrow!

On the way back home we learned all about malt whisky with over 100 varieties. The first written record of whisky was 1494 and the Guild of Surgeon Barbers in Edinburgh were granted a charter to sell it in 1505. Distilleries were around by 1600's and business is still going strong. Where the whisky is made determined the flavor as the soil and even the local air adds to the recipe. Unfortunately, many small distilleries have been purchased by the "corporate companies" and now everything is beginning to taste the same. You can take "Whisky Tours" so Don put that on the "Next Trip Wishlist." Another tip for whisky drinkers--don't use ice. Whisky will have more flavor with only water. Who knew all this?? Now I just need to like the flavor!

It was a long day but worth it. We still have one more day to explore Edinburgh.

Day 17 Edinburgh Castle

We walked back to Old Town early today to walk the Royal Mile by starting with Edinburgh Castle at the highest point. We found this bronze city layout which shows the city from the air. It gives a great prespective! The castle is perched high above the city and has been a fort and a royal residence starting with the Scottish Kings of the 11th century.

It was a steep walk up but buses and taxis were available. Scottish families on holiday walked so we could too.

There was little land to build on in historic Edinburgh so the city became "the most crowded city in Europe famous for its skyscrapers and filth" per Rick Steves' guidebook.

From inside the castle we looked out over New Town, the part of Edinburgh which was built about 200 years ago. All the rich folk moved to this new area with its broad streets and fancy mansions.

I guess the rich got tired of living in the tenement-like buildings of Old Town, with poor neighbors all around them! It sounds just like New York and all the other big cities .

After 3 1/2 hours wandering around a castle, it was lunchtime. I remembered reading that J. K. Rowlings spent many hours writing the first Harry Potter book in the backroom of a local restaurant so we found it nearby. And the food was even good!

The backroom of The Elephant House, where locals just hang out, do school work or read the paper, looks out upon the Edinburgh Castle. The sun was shining there now and it was lovely. We are not on a "Harry Potter" quest but it is fun to see the places where real people began--historic or current.

I should read some classics like "Kidnapped" by Robert Louis Stevenson or "Ivanhoe" by Sir Walter Scott, both Edinburgh locals. All this literary air must be contagious! Just a note from my Rick Steves' guidebook: "that all well equipped homes in the 'good, old days' had a pig as a garbage disposal." That must have made the city smell good too.

After over 8 miles of walking it was time for a pint of beer, dinner and sleep!

Day 16 Edinburgh

We followed the scenic , A917, coast road 1/2 way to Edinburgh for a change of scenery from highway views. It is mild and sunny as we drive out of St. Andrews. It looks very much like the seaside roads of New England in the U.S. We stopped at Anstruther for "tea" and watched the boats come in and out of the harbor. One Anstruther restaurant won "Best Fish & Chips 2009!" Too bad it was only 10 am--too early for lunch.

It was a confusing drive into Edinburgh as we had no idea where our hotel was located. GPS Susan came through as usual and we drove right past it! Don is very good at turning around.

The lady at reception had a true Scottish sound--I could hardly understand what she was saying. She did remind me of Don's mom! Our room was in the attic. We looked out at this abandoned building that was a former school for handicapped children and now was just waiting for some developer to snap it up (under protest of locals!!)

It was only 3 pm so off to the city center of Edinburgh for us! Edinburgh is the cultural capital of Scotland and also the historical capital. The Old Town sits on a lava flow with the New Town separated by the beautiful Princes Street Gardens in a valley between the two areas.

The Old Town is the historic area with medieval skyscrapers, The Royal Mile (Edinburgh Castle at the high end and Palace of Holyroodhouse at the lower), and lots of narrow lanes. We walked around, heard some bagpipers and stopped at Deacon Brody's Tavern. Seems the real Deacon Brody lived a double life: He repaired locks, made copies of the keys and his gang robbed the homes at night to support his mistresses and gambling habits. Of course, he was caught and was hanged in 1788. But his life was the inspiration for Robert Louis Stevenson's novel "The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. And the tavern was great fun. I liked the Strong Bow Cider--it tasted like apple flavored beer.

Dinner tonight was an English original--"Toad in a Hole". It was a surprise--3 sausages, mashed potatoes, peas all served up in a square Yorkshire Pudding. And very tasty!!

We walked almost 8 miles today.