Our life in pictures...

So this first one is taken at Urquhart Castle - and we had to get Ben with the trebuchet because he still has the model one he built in high school!!!

And of course, here's Ben driving on the wrong side of the car and the wrong side of the road!

We ran into these Highland cattle beauties just outside of the Culloden Battlefield, near Inverness

Ben took this on one of the many stops he made on the drive between Inverness and the Isle of Skye - he employed his  long exposure techniques here.

Here we are enjoying a very informal lunch after visiting the Tallisker whiskey Distillery.  We brought some of those individual tuna packets, as well as peanut butter single servings.  They've served us with a few "homemade" lunches with cheap, bakery bought bread (not together - tuna and peanut butter were separate lunches :)  ), and chips and other food we brought like granola bars and applesauce.

This is Dunvegan Castle on Skye - home of the MacLeod clan.  If I'm not mistaken, that's the clan my brother in law Justin and his family belong to...  There were beautiful gardens, too.

Okay - this is the Old Man of Storr on Skye - one of the most popular and famous attractions to hike.  Which we did.  In rain, mist, fog, and wind.  If you google it, you'll see what it should look like on a clear day...  We didn't get to experience that in person.

This is us on the hike - very, very wet.

The harbor in Portree, the small town we are staying in on Skye.

And this is dinner at the Lower Deck seafood restaurant.  This was our best meal yet, because the food was really great (cullen skink soup - haddock with potatoes in a cream base, mussels, and fresh cod, with local Skye wine), but also because we had a great chat with a couple at the table next to ours.  They are from southern Scotland and were super friendly.

Two regions - three big days!!!

Okay - since Edinburgh, here's a recap:
Tuesday, 9/20 - leave Edinburgh and drive...and drive...and drive!!!  The car journey to the Inverness area was quite long - but incredibly beautiful!!! There was a mountain range and lots of rain, and lots of sunshine. We stopped in Stirling, where the Stirling Castle and the Wallace Monument mark some of the most turbulent times of the William Wallace uprising against King Edward of Britain, which ended in the 1305 capture, torture, and death of Wallace.  We finally arrived in the little town of Beauly, about 10 miles outside of Inverness (the Highlands capital) and checked in.  We took it easy that night with a small walk around the town and through the Beauly Priory - a very old abbey.  We finished it off with fish & chips and an early night's rest.

Wednesday 9/21 - we set off for Urquhart Castle and Loch Ness.  This was the day it rained the most so far - of course, when we are at on outdoor castle.  But whatever.  It was very misty and foggy, which seemed appropriate for Loch Ness!!!  Then we headed back north and east to the Culloden Battlefield, where the Jacobite rising culminated in a 1745 battle during which the British destroyed the rebellion.  It was a full, fun day!

Thursday, 9/22 - set off from Beauly (after doing a quick load of laundry) for the Isle of Skye.  It was another fairly rainy day, but experiencing it from the car is much better.  :)  It was an incredibly beautiful drive, and Ben had to stop about every 10 minutes to capture a picture.  We arrive at the Tallisker Distillery, where one of the famous Scotch whiskeys is created.  We also discovered that we really don't like whiskey.  :)  We went on to Dunvegan Castle, the icon Highlands home of the MacLeod clan.  We arrived in Portree at our B&B, got freshened up, and headed out to a wonderful dinner at a local cafe.  We're now resting preparing for tomorrow - which we hope will be filled with some great hiking!

Goodnight to all!

Ben & Jenny

Pictures!!!

Here's a couple from the trip so far!

In the front of Queen's University waiting for our Bike Tour of Belfast to start.  Can you imagine your college looking like that?

On the bike tour, which was so amazing!!!  This is the part that wound through the countryside a bit.  It was gorgeous.  Notice Ben's funny helmet.  The tour guide had to lend him his personal one, because...big surprise...none of the other ones fit.  :)

This is the Giant's Causeway.  The cylinders are hexagonal in shape, and science says they were formed by lava flow, but Irish legend says it was (obviously) giants.

This was on the Royal Mile.  The bagpiper was raising money for the general upkeep of the Royal Mile and Edinburgh Castle part of the city.  His tip jar requested a one pound donation for a picture, which we gladly gave.

This is one of the level views (of Edinburgh) from the Scott Monument.  The way up to the levels (since this was completed in 1844) was all spiral staircases, holding a total of 287 steps.  Boy were we dizzy, both going up and coming back down.

Edinburgh and the wrong side of the road!

So today we flew from Belfast to Glasgow and - the worst part was waiting in line at the Enterprise Rent A Car counter for AN HOUR!  It was crazy.  But once we go that straightened out, we got into our cute little silver two door car (not a tiny car, just small) and Ben braved the wrong side of the car and the road!  He did great as we headed through the city of Glasgow and onto the highway which carried us into Edinburgh and the Macintosh Guest House (I was of little help - I slept for about an hour last night so I was fighting my closing eyelids).  Oddly enough, our hostess is Asian.  But whatever.

We got changed and headed out into Edinburgh on the city bus for a full day of walking and sightseeing, starting on George street.  We grabbed some sandwiches from a coffee shop and ate lunch on a park bench in the Princes Street Gardens.  Then we got some tea and hot chocolate (it was a bit chilly at that point - but the weather is super up and down here depending on whether the sun is out), walked up a giant hill, and saw the Edinburgh Castle, the Royal Mile, and walked through the Scottish history part of the National Museum.  We visited the Christian center of Royal Mile, which is actually a current Presbyterian church, and got to see several different bag pipers throughout the city.

Finally, we went to - wait for it - the Scott Monument, dedicated to Sir Walter Scott and climbed up the 278 stairs, seeing 4 different levels along the way with spectacular views of the city.  We ate dinner at what we discovered to be a pub that doesn't necessarily cater to the young, as we were the only ones under the age of 55 (at least, I could be being generous), but the food was good and we were happy.

Now we're beat!!!  Tomorrow, we will have breakfast and then head out on our drive to Inverness, part of the Scottish Highlands.  Along the way, we'll see Stirling Castle and who knows what else!!!

Ben & Jenny

Belfast

We are just finishing up our second night in Belfast at the Europa Hotel.  Yesterday, our flight arrived at 7AM in Dublin, and we hopped on a bus to Belfast.  We arrived around 10:45 and went on a long walk around the city.  We saw where the Titanic was built and its dry dock - what an interesting history!  Then we walked to the other side of the city to catch what turned out to be a really great bike tour.  There were 10 participants, and our guide Jerry.  It was a beautiful trip that included the botanic gardens, a long ride along the River Lagan, and a ride through the countryside.  It really was amazing (except when someone wiped out and an ambulance while called - all while it POURED rain)!  We crashed around 7:30PM - we had been traveling with very little sleep since 1PM the day before, Ireland time.

Today we took a guided bus tour to the Carrick-a-rede rope bridge, Giant's Causeway, and the city of Derry (where we heard a great deal about it's tough political and religious history) with our bus driver and tour guide John.  Now we're beat and will head to bed, before we catch our flight to Glasgow tomorrow!!!

Ben & Jenny

Layover

So...we're stuck in Charlotte NC for a THREE HOUR layover.  I knew there was a reason I didn't look closer at our flight information too early.  They just announced first class seats are available...for $500 each.  I'm thinking of asking if they'll take $50.  I don't think it will go well.

On the bright side, there was a nice young gentleman playing the piano in the food court.  That was nice.

Next time - we'll be in Ireland!!!

Ben & Jenny

We're Heading Out!

Hi everyone!  Our flight leaves bright and early Friday morning, at 8:30!!!  We land in Dublin at 7:00AM Ireland time and will hop right on a bus up to Belfast, where we will spend our first two nights.  We are so excited for this adventure and hope we get to show you all a peek as we go!  Here's our itinerary (we will be 8 hours ahead):
9/16 Flying Phx-Dublin, take bus to Belfast (arrive 9/17)
9/19 Flying Belfast-Glasgow, pick up rental car and drive to Edinburgh
9/19-20  Edinburh
9/20-22  Inverness
9/22-24  Isle of Skye
9/24-26  Glencoe (near Fort William)
9/26-27  Glasgow
9/27  Home