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Loch Ness and Urquhart Castle Tour

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Today we woke up around 7 and made a good breakfast. We left the house around 9 for our Loch Ness/Urquhart Castle Tour. I think we missed a turn on the way there and it took us on this crazy one lane, windy road. It was crazy but kind of cool.

We got to the tour place on time, but the parking lot was already full, so we had to park a bit of a walk away. The boat tour started at 10. Loch Ness was very beautiful. The boat was very windy, so we went inside and got some snacks. I had a cappuccino and Lucas had some crisps and apple juice.

We got to the castle around 10:30 and we had about an hour to explore it. The castle ruins were very cool. When we first got there, we saw a demonstration about weapons used during the castle times. The area surrounding the castle was so beautiful. I think this might have been my favorite castle because being near Loch Ness was so cool and it was easy to see the whole castle. It was very small because most of it was gone. On the boat ride back, we sat next to some people from Michigan.

We drove to the town of Drumnadrochit. The day before Don had emailed the Fiddlers Highland Restaurant for a reservation. I’m so glad we ate here; it was so good! We had cheeseburgers, venison chili, haggis, cider, and scotch. Lucas had some salmon, and he loved it. He ate it so quickly! This restaurant has to be by far our favorite so far.

After lunch we went to the Culloden Battlefield. It was cool to read about the history here. The grounds were also very beautiful. I’m glad we were able to check this out.

We did one last grocery trip on the way back to the house and Don cooked some steaks. We had some beers and got in the hot tub again.

Bloggings, Family, Travel

Scottish Cows and Scotch

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Don and I decided when we woke up, we would go to Arnold Clark rental and see about the tire. Surprisingly, the tire was not flat when we woke up, but it looked pretty bad. It was only a 20 min drive into town. The man was very nice, and we felt so at ease. He was able to get us the same car and be on our way by 9:30. He said our tire probably would have popped at some point so I’m glad we took it in. Also, we did not have to pay because we bought the insurance. If you’re driving on the left always get the insurance! We have never bothered with insurance when renting a car, but I think we will definitely rethink that when driving in unfamiliar countries.

When we got back to the house it was 10:15 and we didn’t think it was early enough to leave for Skye. It was disappointing because the weather is so good today but hopefully it will be good on Thursday also.

We decided to go to Robertson the Larder which is a shop and has a few animals (Scottish cows, sheep, alpacas). It was very cute. We got some souvenirs. Lucas got fresh picked strawberries that were delicious. He could not stop eating them. I’m glad we were able to see Scottish cows because I know my mom wanted to see them so that was definitely something we needed to check off.

Then we went into the town of Beauly and ate lunch. We ate at a hotel, and it was ok. I had fish and chips again, not as good as yesterday. Mom, dad, and Kelsey had the meat pie. Jared had a sandwich. Don had a steak. Lucas had mac and cheese.

After lunch we walked around a few shops. We got some chocolate caramel cookies at a bakery, they were delicious. Don picked up some meat pies that we can cook at the house later.

Afterwards Don found a Distillery. Kelsey, Jared, and Adeline went back to the house. It was The Singleton Distillery. At first, they told us Lucas would be fine for the tour but then they said he had to be over 8, so that was a little disappointing. They allowed kids in the shop area though, so mom stayed with him. The tour was interesting, but it felt a little long. It probably felt even longer for me because at the start of it I couldn’t find the car keys. I told myself I had to have given them to my mom or kept them in the bag of stuff for Lucas. Immediately when we got done with the tour, Don and dad went to do the tasting and I went to look for the keys. I started looking through the bag and of course they were not there. I asked the bartender if I left them on the bar, but they had no keys. I was freaking out a bit and I could tell my mom was also very worried. I walked back to the car and was relieved the car was there; it hadn’t been stolen by someone who found the key. I almost was out of hope but saw something in the rocks behind the car. It was the keys! Ok, for the rest of the trip we can’t have any more stressful car situations!!

For dinner we used the very cool BBQ house. Don loves to grill so he was in charge. He made hot dogs, sausage, and hamburgers. My mom and I made a salad and mac and cheese. Lucas had fun playing on the playground. The dinner was very good. Now we have tons of stuff cooked for the following days. People seemed like their spirits were higher. We enjoyed the hot tub before bed. As I’m writing this, it’s 11:23 pm and it’s not completely dark yet.

Bloggings, Family, Travel

Heading to Inverness

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We woke up around 7 to check out of house. We saw Marie, she was a great host. Lucas got to jump on the trampoline outside the house while we got packed up. We got on the road to Stirling Castle around 9. The driving was a lot better. We really enjoyed the castle. In a way, I think Stirling Castle was better than Edinburgh Castle. There were a few actors that made it somewhat interactive. Lucas was really into listening to them. It felt like you could go into more spaces of the castle than in Edinburgh. The scenery was amazing surrounding the castle. Once again, the weather was perfect.

Kelsey, Jared, and Adeline met up with us at the restaurant in the hotel right next to the castle. It was called The Portcullis. This restaurant was very good, and our waiter was entertaining. We had fish and chips, and they might have been the best on the trip. They also had Blackthorn Cider on tap, which is my favorite cider and very rare in the states! I could have stayed here for a while, but we had to get on the road to our house.

After lunch we drove all the way to Inverness. The driving was mostly like interstate driving until we decided to stop at a Tesco for groceries. This is where the trip took a turn for the worse. It was so stressful driving in this town. The roundabout going into the grocery store was all crazy. I hit a curb in the parking lot. Jared almost got in an accident near the roundabout. Tension was very high in the parking lot and in the grocery store. On the way to the house somehow, I hit a curb on the side of the road going about 45 mph. I have had trouble with realizing how close the left side of the car was getting to the side of the road the whole trip. We also got separated from Kelsey and Jared’s car in one of the roundabouts.

Arriving at the house spirits were pretty low. There was yelling, crying, and people telling me they were ready to be home. It was quite stressful and not a good time for anyone. On top of everyone being unhappy we probably need to get the car’s tire looked at tomorrow because it looks torn up.

Dad and Don went back to the store to get frozen pizzas for dinner because in the chaos of everything of course we didn’t get anything substantial for dinner. Kelsey, my mom and I talked stuff out before dinner. Things seem better. I know it must be hard and super stressful to be on this trip with a 7-month-old. There’s no way in hell I think we would have done it, so I give them credit, but I think we all need to keep in mind how we speak to each other in times of stress.

It was a disappointing arrival here in Inverness. In hindsight, maybe we should have skipped Stirling Castle, but it was really cool to see, and I doubt we would see it later in the trip. I know I let my emotions get to me and I really hope the rest of the trip goes better. After all I’m glad we all made it safely to the house because the driving was insane. It’s unfortunate to be in such a beautiful location and feel like total shit. The house is amazing. I tried to take some time to take it in and appreciate it. Hopefully the rest of the trip allows for that. Lucas was a trooper on the long drive; he did really well.  We went to bed late and I’m not sure what tomorrow holds. The tire on our car looks ruined and I don’t think anyone is up for another day of driving out to the Isle of Skye.

Bloggings, Family, Travel

Holyrood Park

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Lucas was up around 5:30, of course, on the day we don’t have to be up early. We got out of the house around 9:30 to take the bus to Holyrood Park. The park was beautiful. I couldn’t believe this park with rolling hills existed in the city. We first saw a very pretty pond with lots of birds. It was a good place to relax and take pictures.

We started walking and all went our separate ways. My parents went to look at the old chapel. Lucas, Don, and I walked up a big hill to see a view of the city. It was a beautiful walk. The weather today is also perfect. Lucas had a blast. I think he is ready for hiking!

We met back up and decided to walk out of the park to have lunch. My sister had found a place called Loudons, which is one of the places I had researched beforehand. Loudons was good. It was pretty much a brunch spot. We got some breakfast around 2 pm and some coffee, beers, and desserts. Afterwards we did some shopping. We saw a church and a cemetery. Lucas is starting to understand death and he asked a lot about old papa. He knows now that old papa died. It was sad but he said whenever we are in a cemetery we should remember old papa. The things he says sometimes get me. For 4 years old, he can be insightful and thoughtful. It was kind of sad, I think this trip he realized cemeteries are not “military bases”, as he used to call them because he remembers old papa’s funeral.

Kelsey and Jared decided to go back earlier than us. We stopped by the Museum of Edinburgh. It was a small, free museum. It was nice but Lucas was getting tired, and it was a little too much reading for me at the time. Don found the way back to the bus, which involved going up this big staircase. It looked daunting at first, but it turned out to be pretty cool. We sat on the top deck of the bus and Lucas really enjoyed that. When we got back, we once again went to the grocery store to get a few more snacks. Kelsey and Jared were able to go out to dinner by themselves. We made some pizzas. After dinner I did some packing, had some beer, and talked to mom and dad. Once Kelsey and Jared got back, I stayed up to talk to Kelsey for a while. Luckily, she is feeling better. I think we figured out she is suffering from “weaning flu”. I didn’t even know that existed. Tomorrow, we have to check out of this Airbnb and make our way up to the highlands. I am a little nervous about the driving

Bloggings, Family, Travel

Edinburgh Castle and The Royal Mile

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We woke up at 7 to get ready for the Edinburgh Castle. After having some breakfast at the house, we took the bus downtown. Kelsey was not feeling well again. It’s weird, we have really been wondering what is going on with her. I hope she feels better soon. The day started out rainy and foggy. We checked into the castle around 10 and I was reminded that I had booked a guided 30-minute tour, so that was cool.

Since the castle was high above the city, the views surrounding it were very cool. We looked around the castle after the tour, and even tried a small amount of scotch. If you asked Lucas, he would tell you the best part of the castle was when he learned they used to throw boiling urine on enemies. He did not love the apothecary though, because he was convinced, he was going to give him a shot and told us “We have to leave he is going to poke us!!”

After the castle we walked the Royal Mile. One of the first things we saw was a couple guys with owls sitting on them. Lucas was able to hold the little one on his arm and that was pretty cool. Kelsey was starting to feel better so that was good. Don found a lunch place called Burgers and Beers Grillhouse. We were hungry so the beers and burgers hit the spot. We had our first taste of haggis here. It was an appetizer called Haggis Fritters. They were ok.

After lunch we walked around more. We did a little shopping. Lucas was entertained by street performers, although he was also nervous about the tricks they performed, like the one guy trying to swallow a knife. We ended up near an art museum with some green space that Lucas ran around in.

We took the bus back to the house around 3. Don was tired so he took a nap. Lucas wanted to go to the grocery store because he wanted a little toy that comes in those coin machines. My parents, Lucas, and I walked there. We picked up some stuff for dinner and brought it back. Then we checked out a nature trail near the house. It was very pretty. We ended up near a war cemetery. It was getting time for dinner so we went back to the house. Don and my dad went out to a pub for dinner, while the rest of us stayed in. I think that was a cool experience for them.