Vantastic Voyage

Things are looking up weather wise at the moment and we have spent roughly 2 days of the last 22+ days in sunshine. However this did not deter us from getting outside and taking advantage of the beautiful hiking opportunities that lay along Scotland’s west and north coasts. Although we did bypass a good chunk of the west coast, we were not wiling to spend the same amount of time we had in Ireland exploring many of its various peninsulas and hidden gems. The weather was partially responsible though we still were there a week longer than we’d roughly planned for. We got a chance to do a good hike to see the north face of Ben Nevis and due to lack of navigational equipment and skills in inclement weather, were not able to do the 8 hour summit walk. The weather was nasty and forecast as very harsh winds, snow and poor visibility throughout the day. As hiking or adventuring in higher altitudes go, it can often be a dice roll and that day was not in our favor, however, we did get to see the north face and the clouds had parted ways giving us a nice glimpse. One of our favorite places was visiting the Isle of Skye and it’s gorgeous landscapes which kept us walking and entertained for a few days.

We tried a couple of the national dishes, black pudding and haggis at a bar and they were damn good. We tried a cheap haggis pizza a couple of weeks later and there was quite a difference in quality and taste of the haggis itself. Our first taste was a deep fried starter and then another version that was a side to a main dish prepared differently and it was creamy and savory. We also indulged in a deep fried Mars bar which is something we were told to try here. It was heart-stopping tasty, but one was enough for a lifetime. Since we have been in the UK and in England in particular, we have discovered in the stores an enormous variety of heart attack encouraging food creations that I’d never seen in such mass. The selection is enormous and there is no wonder why the unhealthy population by percentage exceeds even us big United States Americans. The temptations were seemingly limitless, taking up numerous isles in the Tesco superstore and too affordable if you ask me. We managed to throw down some “Real Ales” as they are called which didn’t taste that much different from some of the micro brews from home. They didn’t have carbonation and are literally pumped from the tap by the bartender with 3-4 pulls to fill a glass. Most cities draw in the tourists with signs out front toting ‘Real Ales’ and ‘Live Traditional Music’. I am encouraging Ratha to write about all the food and drink we have tried and put up more pictures with those on them, so hopefully you can see that soon. Another thing that is famous in Scotland and we tried is a soda/pop called Irn-Bru, an orangey, cream-soda type of drink that is famous for being indescribable. The flavor the secret recipe boasts brought me back to my childhood when I would get excited to go to the local grocery store by my grandparents’ house and would spend too much money at the vending machine stocking up on ice cold 25 cent cream sodas.We came across some very kind people in Scotland and a hero of ours that must go unsung because the help that was provided was not exactly legal but saved us a great deal of hassle and money. We met a French/German couple on the road at one of the passes as we headed north who were also traveling in a van and had a nice but brief conversation. Crazy enough we ran into them a few days later at a random town that we both were passing through on the same day going in the opposite direction. We both had seen the sign for the annual highland games that took place that very day in the small town of Invergarry and would enjoy the latter half together. Pascal and Susanne invited us to stay in their awesome, cozy 40 year old van and they shared their beer, wine and early evening with us. The fun and friendly couple generously sent us off with some French wine and an invitation to visit them near Paris and we hope to see them while there.

We did not spend much time in cities while in Scotland and were saving our city energy for Edinburgh. We were glad we did as it was quite a beautiful place and had a lot of interesting things there. We spent 2 days at the Scottish National Museum and were very impressed with all of the exhibitions. We learnt a lot about Scotland’s history and were quite entertained with the exhibits on various innovations, industries, world history, cultures and animals. It was one of the best if not the best museums I had been to and the price of free made it all the better. We also enjoyed visiting Scottish Parliament and learning more about their government which embraced change and evolution from it’s architecture to the core beliefs of it’s Ministers of Parliament. Our 3 nights along side a busy road was enough for us though it would be a city we could certainly revisit in the future and spend more time in. The pictures of it during the winter look quite enchanting. While we were there we had decided to splurge (insert sarcasm) and visit a local swimming pool mainly due to it also having a sauna and ended up costing about 3 pounds each. The swimming pool could not be used because about an hour prior to our arrival, a little guy threw up in the thing, clearing out nearly the entire facilities’ patrons and we ended up having the place far more quiet and mostly to ourselves.We had also made it to Loch Ness and though we didn’t see Nessie, I did take a swim at the other end of the 23 mile lake the next cool and mostly wet day there. I was in need of a rinse after a day of hiking and had only one place to swim at the south end of the lake. I became a spectacle for a bus load of Chinese tourists and Ratha gave me the full account of people posing by the lake insisting I was in the shot wading out in the water. I wish I could have been on shore to hear what they were saying. I imagine I looked a bit like a monster in my current state in those conditions. I must have been the next best thing emerging from the water coming in second place after Nessie.

Some other highlights have been visiting an animal sanctuary in Scotland where they had everything from big beautiful owls to Lamas on the beach that we could see and feed. After looking for the Braveheart DVD all over Scotland’s charity shops, we finally found one in time to watch it just after visiting the memorial of William Wallace that was located just outside his historic and triumphant battle in Stirling. Stirling Castle was quite impressive as well and we got to envision what it was like to be Lords and Ladies from long ago. The 4th of July was celebrated in an epic and remote spot where we ate fajitas and had a fire atop a hill surrounded by sheep and cattle. Also, the highland cows did not disappoint and in addition to seeing them in the highlands of Scotland, we have seen them on a few scattered farms in England. We found some really tasty seafood a third of the price everywhere else just near the port in a little stall in a town called Oban. We got an idea of what an epic round of golf would be like playing at St. Andrews golf course, though if you want to secure a tee time, you’re best off reserving up to a year in advance. Lastly, I was grateful to get a clear day out hiking and camping on one of the lake district’s popular hike’s at Helvellyn. Though the night was full of rough winds and rain and found myself going down another path to the city below as the fog was so thick, I could not find my originally intended one, ending up in town a bit later than expected. We have got to drink up the rest of our well rationed wine stocks from mainland Europe and should be back there in roughly 10 days I’d say.

In other news***

The Pokemon craze has reached the UK in what news reports say is the third place the game has been released. Described to me by my cousin as,”…your childhood dream come true”, we have noticed people playing the game all over the place, public notices and stores both discouraging and encouraging Pokemon players to enter and play. We were exploring an old church and graveyard in a small town in the Cotswolds when Ratha suddenly looked to a couple of teenagers and said,”Are you playing Pokemon?” to which they admitted followed by Ratha yelling,”I knew it!” was priceless. It seemed strange the two were where they were on a not so pleasant late afternoon and Ratha had sniffed and called them right out.