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Bloggings, Family, Travel

Inverness and Heading to Dunfermline

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We woke up early again, it’s so hard to sleep when the sun comes up so early. We had to check out of the house today so we cleaned up the place and ate as much leftovers as we could. Once we were packed up we headed for Inverness.

We made it to Inverness around 10 am and we stopped in at Leakey’s Bookstore. This was a place Jared found and wanted to check out. It was a pretty cool bookstore. Afterwards we walked around the river area and took some pictures. The town of Inverness looked very cool. We went to the oldest house in Inverness, the Abertarff House. I bought some shortbread cookies here. When I brought out my credit card to pay, the man told me hoped it would work. I asked him why and he said there was some sort of security thing that happened at Microsoft that shut down a lot of credit cards, computer systems, and airlines. My card went through, but I immediately checked the news and learned something had happened. Now I’m thinking about our flight tomorrow. 

Next, we checked out a market. It was pretty cool. It started in an alley and right outside there was this very cool looking dive bar. Don and I decided that we should get a shot there with my dad before leaving. We had lunch at a restaurant called Mustard Seed. This place was actually recommended by the man who helped us at the Arnold Clark Car Rental place when we had a damaged tire. The restaurant was very good. Most people ordered the meatloaf. Lucas had fish and chips.

Don, my dad, and I managed to get that whisky shot at the dive bar before our drive to Dunfermline. We had booked rooms at the Holiday Inn in Dunfermline because it’s only a 20 minute drive to the airport. I drove and it went well. Checking into the Holiday Inn was interesting because their computer systems were down due the Microsoft outage thing. Luckily, we had our reservation email and we had called the day before to confirm one of the rooms had a pack and play for Adeline. Our check in went pretty smooth. The Holiday Inn was nice, but the rooms were very small. It is purely a place to stay to get to the airport easily.

I tried to check in for our flight tomorrow on United’s app but it was not working. I was starting to get worried for our flight tomorrow. We decided to walk to a restaurant called Elizabethan for our last night in Scotland. The restaurant was good. We all ordered a variety of things: fish and chips, steak pies, curry, gyros, and mac and cheese. Before bed I was finally able to check in to our flight, hoping for the best tomorrow.

Bloggings, Family, Travel

Isle of Skye

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We woke up around 7 to go to the Isle of Skye. It was a 2. 5 hour drive to the town of Portree. Don did the driving and he did very well. We made a stop for pictures and gas along the way. We arrived in Portree around noon. Finding parking was a bit stressful but we found a lot and was able to walk to a restaurant. It was a really gloomy, rainy day. I felt bad because my dad had a very bad headache upon arrival. The first part of getting to Isle of Skye did not seem to be going well. It was rainy, everyone was a bit stressed from the drive, and it was hard to find a restaurant.

We got lucky and ate at a place called Cuchillin. It was pretty good. The service was not great. Most people had fish and chips. My mom had pasta.

After lunch we decided to drive to Kilt Rock. Dad rode with us, he was starting to feel better. The drive was about 20 minutes, and the weather had cleared up. We got so lucky with the weather. The rest of the day was sunny and beautiful. We took a lot of pictures here. Lucas got in trouble because he wouldn’t listen to me. It was the first real breakdown by him of the trip. We didn’t know what to do, I was very upset by Lucas’s behavior, and we had close to a 3 hour drive back to the house. I know Don was disappointed with the Skye trip so far and he didn’t want to just drive back. We all agreed to go to the waterfall we had seen on the way there and then decide what to do.

So, we turned around and stopped at Lealt Falls. It was very beautiful and I’m glad we had the opportunity to see it. Lucas was acting better, the weather was perfect, so things were looking up.

After the falls, Kelsey, Jared, and Adeline decided they wanted to go back to the house, so mom and dad got in our car because we were up for more stops. The first place we stopped was the Storr Trail. The views here were amazing. Mom, dad, and I got some coffee and drinks for Lucas and Don. Lucas and Don started hiking up a bit. I wasn’t really in the mood for a hike, but Don texted and said it wasn’t very hard, so we went up. I’m glad we did because the views were amazing. There were easy trails and much more difficult trails you could do. Some people were hiking with camping supplies. We spent a good amount of time here.

The last place we stopped was the Eilean Donan Castle. We took some pictures here. It was a cool looking castle. The drive home was more enjoyable than the way there because it wasn’t raining, and you could see all the scenery so clearly. It was a beautiful drive. Lucas slept some on the way home. I felt bad for him because I knew he was very tired earlier and he kept saying how he wanted to go home to see Lina. We got back to the house around 7:30. I wish we could have had more time to explore the Isle of Skye, but I’m also very happy today went well. We got some very beautiful views, great weather, and good memories. We had leftovers for dinner and then we went in the hot tub. We got swarmed by bugs and Lucas got scared so we went in to get ready for bed. My parents showed Lucas a paper map which he called a “paper Karen” because we call our gps Karen.

Bloggings, Family, Travel

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.