Week 1 

We spent 2 nights in Edinburg, with a lot of walking around town, about half of that time lost it seems.  We visited Calton Hill and Edinburgh Castle.  I’m still learning the basics about Scottish history.  Great views of the city and charm throughout.  Our B&B host was from Bulgaria and very engaging, giving us tips on where to go and not to.

There was a 6-hour queue for the queen in town the day before, and there are still more tourists in town than usual.  And apparently the Outlander series (which I’ve never seen, but Karen has read the books) has driven visits up.  Most are 55-75 years old.  A bunch of help wanted signs (or however they word it in the UK) and others saying “we’re short on staff – please be patient” around town. 

We booked a train to Inverness for Friday and when we got there it was canceled and there would be a “replacement bus” that would get there around the same time.  Nobody checked our tickets and we scored decent seats but had 4 diversions (British for detour), including one for 20 miles and over 2 hours, since there aren’t many alternatives to the main road.  A wonder the bus made it on roads similar to Flagg Hill in Boxborough.  A lot of them were single lanes, with a wide spot every 100 yards or so.  The driver never once made an announcement to explain what was going on, despite the bus arriving 4 hours behind schedule but true to the British stereotype not a single complaint.  I would love to see a similar incident in Italy for comparison.

Inverness has a definite tourist feel and a bit of a party vibe.  My guess is ¾ of the restaurants are in a space in under a dozen blocks.  Best meal of the trip so far was gluten-free pizza at Black Isle Brewery where we ate in a rooftop shed, which was part of what they call The Secret Garden.  We took 2 tours, one to a castle and Clava Carins, a relative of Stonehenge and the pyramids, only smaller and older.  The highlight of that one was the battlefield of Culloden, where the government defeated Prince Bonnie Charles in 1746.  The other was an all-day scenic ride with 6 other women and a great guide, James.  A lot of stops for pictures, one for a seafood lunch and another for a castle visit. 

On Monday, we took a bus to Fort William.  The politest and most patient bus driver I’ve ever met, getting questions in broken English.  Almost all stores and half the restaurants were closed for the queen’s funeral today.  Pretty drive following Loch Ness, which is 23 miles long, with less than one mile of it spoiled with Nessie schlock shops.

Misc notes:

• Weather has been close to great – cool, with sun, clouds, and drizzle coming and going.
• Generally people are friendly but not gregarious.
• We’re still getting used to looking the correct direction when crossing the roads, especially intersections.
• A shout out to REI (not yet a sponsor) for their travel pants, even if they make us easier to spot as tourists than a Red Sox hat would.