Lovely, Lovely Scotland

I arrived in Edinburgh last week and headed straight out on a hostel-organized pub crawl to experience Scotland’s infamous drinking culture. I had a blast and met a ton of people from the hostel that I ended up hanging out with all week. Events like that are always a great way to meet people especially when you’ve just arrived in a city.

I spent the next few days exploring Edinburgh’s medieval streets. I joined a tour one morning that was really informative, perhaps too informative. The guide gave a full history of Scotland and pointed out many little spots of interest in the city that ordinarily you’d walk right past. I came away knowing much more Scottish history than I’d ever known before. I visited some other sights in Edinburgh, but most I just took pictures of rather than really exploring. Prices here are absolutely ridiculous so I refuse to pay for them. They were charging 11pounds just to enter Edinburgh Castle so I stepped out of line and just took a picture. I’m sure the outside is nicer than the inside anyway.

I signed myself up for a Macbackpackers jump on/jump off tour of Scotland that I left for on Monday. I was happy to join a tour that takes you to major sights and describes them. Sometimes it can be frustrating figuring everything out on my own so I was happy to put myself into more capable hands for a few days. The first day of the tour we stopped in Pitlochry, the Battlefield of Culloden, and a few other places before I was dropped off in Inverness. I think Neil, the guide, might have had a few marbles loose but at least he was highly entertaining, and for the most part, informative, albeit in an unconventional way.

I went on a cruise on the famous Loch Ness while I was in Inverness – it was my main reason for visiting. It turned out to be a beautiful day and I sailed along the lake for three hours passing a few castles and other monuments. Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on your view) we had no sightings of the mysterious Loch Ness monster. I was surprised the cruise didn’t really play up the monster card. It’s not like people really come just to see the lake (there are plenty of lakes to see), they come to hear about the monster but the cruise didn’t really pay it much mention. Regardless, it was a relaxing time on the water. That night Michelle, a girl on my tour, and me went out for a drink at Hootananny’s to listen to some traditional Scottish music. I was thinking bagpipes (which in hindsight probably would have blown out our eardrums in a small venue) so I was surprised to see an informal trio seated at a table with a pint each in front of them, playing a guitar, violin, and small drum. Nevertheless, I really enjoyed listening and it was an enjoyable evening.

The next day I rejoined the tour and headed to the Isle of Skye. We were supposed to be picked up from the hostel at 3:30pm, but the guide didn’t show up until 5pm. I was already bored out of my mind and itching to leave Inverness (there isn’t much to do barring cruising the loch) so I was a bit annoyed. We made it to Skye later than expected and I set out with a few people for dinner as soon as we got there. On the way to Skye, we passed the Eilan Donan Castle, which is the most photographed castle in all of Scotland. You may recognize it from one of the Bond films. I don’t know which one, so if you know, let me know.

The following morning we left early for the Isle of Skye day tour. I’m really glad that I signed up for the day tour because it would have been impossible to explore and fully appreciate the island on my own. We stopped in a few small villages for a look around before heading to a river that supposedly imparts youth on those who bathe in it. Jo, the tour guide, had a story for each part of the tour and was bursting with information. At the river she told the story of the Amazonian women of Skye and their leader who in actuality was 265, but only looked to be in her 20’s because she bathed in the river each and every day. We all stuck our faces in as a result. I had a rosy-cheeked glow after, but only because the river was freezing. We went for an hour and a half walk after that up one of the mountains. It was a semi-strenuous walk but the views from the top were absolutely beautiful. We also visited some interesting rock formations and the Fairy Glen, where apparently the fairies of Skye hang out. It was actually a really peaceful place, and while everyone else scrambled up to the top of the glen, I stayed at the bottom and sat quietly in the sun for a while soaking up its sinking rays. It was one of my favorite moments.

On the last day, we left Skye early in the morning and headed back toward Edinburgh. We stopped at a few places along the way including the castle featured in Monty Python and the Holy Grail. I’d never seen the movie so it didn’t mean much to me, but Jo came trotting down the path after entering the castle with clapping coconuts. Even though I’d never seen the movie, I saw Spamalot so I knew she was imitating the “horsemen” so it was pretty funny. We also stopped at the William Wallace Monument in Stirling on the way back. The monument was one of the main sights I wanted to see in Scotland. As anyone who knows me knows well, Braveheart is my favorite movie so the William Wallace Monument was a must on my agenda. It’s ridiculously huge and overlooks the city of Stirling. There’s also a stone statue of Mel Gibson as Braveheart at the bottom but funnily enough, it’s caged to prevent vandalism. I guess the Scottish people aren’t too keen on Mel’s version of Wallace. Jo told us the whole history of William Wallace and how he is a hero to the Scottish people. As most people know, Braveheart isn’t really historically accurate but I was disappointed to learn that Wallace was most likely in the priesthood before he started the revolution against the English and hence did not start the war to avenge his murdered love. That’s Hollywood for you but I suppose everyone, including me, likes a good love story.