Thick as a Rock

Interesting Bits:
There is a faultline that runs through Scotland. In fact, where Edinburgh currently sits there were 5 ancient volcanoes, long since dead. North of this faultline the bedrock is granite. The buildings in this area are made from granite, mostly in a pink, white or grey color. South of the faultline the bedrock is a red sandstone, and the architecture there reflects the natural material. Its interesting to see the contrast that is nearly a clean dividing line between granite and sandstone buildings.
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St. Andrew's

On our way to Edinburgh, we stopped in the town of St. Andrew, the birthplace of golf. We walked around a bit and visited a ruined cathedral. When John Knox gave his inflammatory sermon in God knows what year, the Presbies left the Holy Trinity Church in a bit of a lather, walked down the street to the catholic cathedral (which up to that point had been the largest cathedral in Scotland), and began demolishing it by hand. It served as an unofficial quarry anytime the townspeople needed stone, now only 1 tower and a couple of walls remain.
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At The Bar

Last night after dinner, Dad and I decided to go to the hotel bar for a scotch. We ended up talking to some Irishmen, who were in Scotland on a fishing trip. They found out I was a musician, and wanted me to play the piano in the bar. Turns out the lid was screwed shut, so I figured I'm off the hook, right? Nope. One of them went to his room, got a screwdriver and broke into the piano. Unfortunately it was so out of tune it was unplayable. In the end, I sang a couple of songs, they explained fly fishing to me, and each one of them insisted on giving me a kiss when I lwft to go to bed. All in all, quite a fun evening!
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Swim For Your Life!

We went to a teahouse on the Falls of Feugh on the River Dee for tea and scones. Whilst dining, we heard about salmon fishing in Scotland from a fisherman, or "Gilly." I'm not exactly sure what salmon fishing has to do with tea and scones, but it was informative. We then went to the little pedestrian bridge over the falls and could actually watch the salmon swimming upstream and trying to fling themselves UP the falls. Takes a special level of stubborness to do that.
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Castles

Today we left the hotel at a reasonable hour for our day of touring. First we went to a little town near Balmoral castle, the private residence of the Royal Family where they spend each August. Braemar (the little town) was cute; did more shopping of course. We then headed towards Craithie Kirk, where the Royals worship. On the way we were able to catch a glimpse of Balmoral, but my speed camera skills lacking, I decided to buy a postcard. Next was Crathes Castle, which was interesting. Built in the 16th cent, the walls are 6 ft thick, and it is definitely built for protection. Even though some of the ceiling paintings had been lost over the centuries, overall it was not as ornate as some of the French castles; more practical. Lots of furniture and artwork.
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Accomodations

On this trip, we have been in relatively nice hotels, but this one takes the cake. It is a hotel and spa, that was originally owned by a man who got rich making and selling soap. The original wing looks like an old castle. Inside, there is ornately carved woodwork, gorgeous chandeliers, etc. I think I could easily live here. Too bad we're leaving for Edinburgh tomorrow.
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I Hope I Don't Jinx Myself

Lola has heard such horror stories of the Scottish weather, that she has, until now, avoided mentioning it, for fear that it will permanently drive the sun away. She had been told that it was cold, dreary and rainy, but the scenery is nice. So far, the weather has been quite lucky and Lola thanks the meteorological gods for this blessing. For the most part, it has only rained at night, or in the morning when we are on the bus. There has been quite a bit of sun, and Lola even visited the pool! Granted, it's indoors, but that is completely beside the point.
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Glenfiddich

We awoke at the arse-crack of dawn to begin our journey to the next hotel, which had 3 important stops along the way: Speyside Cooperage, Dean's Shortbread, and (drumroll please) Glenfiddich Distillery (by far, my favorite part of the day). The cooperage was very interesting. They mostly refurbish old bourbon casks from the US, and most of the work is done by hand. Then, the distillery. FAH-bulous. A nice tour that told the history of the company, and then a walking tour of the grounds. I had only the vaguest notion of how whiskey is made, so I found this riveting. We ended the tour with a tasting of the 12, 15 and 18 year old scotches. We ended the day at Dean's, which had a lackluster tour, but a good lunch and nice history about this shortbread company.
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A Bit of History

After the lighthearted dogs, we went to Culloden to see the museum at the battlefield. Here's your history lesson for the day: in 1745 there was a Jacobite Rising; those who wished James VII of Scotland (III of England) returned to the throne, along with catholocism. Led by Bonnie Prince Charles, the Jacobite troops were undefeated until their last battle. Due to several issues, they were slaughtered at Culloden. The museum is just beside the actual battlefield, which has remained relatively unchanged since the battle. The field had the battle lines shown for each side, and the dead are actually buried there. There is a stone for each clan that lost members. That was the last battle fought on British soil. It was awe inspiring.
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Sheep Dogs

This morning we went to a sheep farm to see a border collie demonstration. It was absolutely fascinating! There are 2,500 sheep and 35 dogs. Each dog has its own set of whistle commands, and the dogs are friggin brilliant. After the cornering of the sheep, Neil (the shepherd) showed how the sheep are sheared, and let people try. Those that did got to keep a piece of fleece. Now THERE'S a souvenir... Sheep bits. Anyhow, the dogs then corralled some wayward ducks, and I got to feed a lamb from a milk bottle. Lots of fun, and very interesting :)
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Here Nessie, Nessie

Last night we had driving tour of Glasgow. Much of the architecture is reddish, or mottled in color due to the sandstone in the area. Today marked the first REAL day of sightseeing, and we did quite a bit. We took a boat cruise on Loch Lomond, the 3rd largest lake in Scotland. 500 ft at its deepest! Then we continued through the countryside, through Glencoe where we learned about the massacre of the MacDonalds by the Campbells in 1692. We continued through Great Glen, and the Caledonia canal, which connects 4 lochs, the last of which is Loch Ness, the 2nd largest lake at 26 miles long and 900 ft! Try tho I might, I did not see Nessie. The countryside is indescribably beautiful; the mountains are extremely steep, and lakes so deep because they were cut from glacial ice. I've already taken more photos than I know what to do with!
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Haggis for Breakfast

The breakfast at the hotel this morning was buffet-style, with all sorts of different foods: fruit, eggs, yogurt, croissants, and haggis. Now, I'm not sure what my expectations were, but I was certainly NOT under the assumption that haggis was a breakfast food. At any rate, it was sort of like hash, without the carrots and more pepper. Wasn't too bad, actually!
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Yes, 1 Kilo DOES Matter

After returning to Mauze, we had dinner at a friend's house, and - spent the following day repacking the bags to have ewverything perfectly balanced fdor the Flybe flight (cheap airline with a 20 kg checked bag limit, and 10 kg carry-on). Finally, with both carry-ons virtually bursting, and the wine safely packed, the checked bags were 21 kg each. I just hoped that would be close enough. Apparently not. While they didn't charge me, I was sternly spoken to about packing too much weight. Grrrr. Anyway, we got on our flight, and safely made it to Glasgow. Slept poorly, as I am fighting some sort of annoying sore throat, but the tour starts this afternoon, and I am quite excited!
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