We began our Scottish experience with a few days in Edinburgh. There we visited the castle, which is primarily used today as an active war memorial. It was on a hill, so it gave us a great view of the city. Two interesting facts related to the Edinburgh Castle. First is that within the same display as the Scottish crown jewels is a large rock. It appears to be oddly out of place, but it's actually the Stone of Scone and has been used for centuries in the coronation of Scottish (and now United Kingdom) royalty. While the crown, sword and scepter are no longer used, the rock is transported to London during the crowning of every new queen/king. Second is that the crown jewels were hidden (buried) within the castle during World War II for fear of German invasion. Only 4 people were notified of their location, 3 of them Scottish and the other being the Governor General of Canada (Winston Churchill was kept in the dark).
From Edinburgh we took a day trip to Ceres, a small town on the outskirts of Edinburgh where they host an annual Highland games. These games, dating back to as early as the 11th century, occur in several cities worldwide and consist of dancing (video below), wrestling, running, bicycling, heavyweight lifting and numerous other competitions. The events are open to anyone who would like to participate, but despite various persuasion techniques John could not get Gretchen to heave a hay bale in the air with a pitchfork. It was a fascinating glimpse into Scottish heritage and culture.
In Edinburgh we also sampled the local cuisine, which consisted of several unique dishes including Haggis. For those who haven't had the pleasure of tasting Haggis, it is a 'savoury pudding containing sheep's pluck (heart, liver and lungs); minced with onion, oatmeal, suet, spices, and salt, mixed with stock, and traditionally encased in the animal's stomach and simmered for approximately three hours.' Below is a picture of John 'enjoying' Haggis.
After Edinburgh we traveled to Glasgow, which is significantly less oriented for tourism. Here we spent most of our time walking around the city and enjoying the city's architecture. It proved to be a wonderful time to catch up and relax. We also ventured out to Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park for a day, traversing the miles of trails via bike.
After Edinburgh we traveled to Glasgow, which is significantly less oriented for tourism. Here we spent most of our time walking around the city and enjoying the city's architecture. It proved to be a wonderful time to catch up and relax. We also ventured out to Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park for a day, traversing the miles of trails via bike.
We then journeyed up to the highlands in search of the Loch Ness Monster. While a monster citing is debatable, the northern part of Scotland is gorgeous, with forested mountains, beautiful pastures and scenic waterways/waterfalls. We enjoyed a day of hiking around and calling out for "Nessie".
No trip to Scotland would be complete without a trip to the famous whisky distilleries. While John is a blossoming connoisseur, Gretchen used the time to practice her European driving skills. A little known fact is that the while the US is the largest consumer of Scottish whisky based on monetary value, France is actually the largest consumer by volume.
Now in Amsterdam, we're soaking up some rays and enjoying our time with Gretchen's sister Emily, her boyfriend Tim and Gretchen's former colleague Matt and his wife. More to come, but here's a photo to whet your appetite.
No trip to Scotland would be complete without a trip to the famous whisky distilleries. While John is a blossoming connoisseur, Gretchen used the time to practice her European driving skills. A little known fact is that the while the US is the largest consumer of Scottish whisky based on monetary value, France is actually the largest consumer by volume.
Now in Amsterdam, we're soaking up some rays and enjoying our time with Gretchen's sister Emily, her boyfriend Tim and Gretchen's former colleague Matt and his wife. More to come, but here's a photo to whet your appetite.
