I wanted to give you a laugh,  at the end of  day 3 we walked to the downtown to get a lay of the land and some food. My feet are a mess and walking is very painful but I digress. By this time we are hungry. So I was asked what looked good,  by my husband,  on our little walk. I chose a really bright and cheery looking resturant. We go in and much to our laughter is was an AMERICAN FOOD resturant, lol. Best BBQ pork  I have had in a long time. Ha, travel so far and I was so thrilled for bbq.

 

Day 4- Today is our big day of sightseeing. We drive from Inverness and our wonderful b and b (more on the Guesthouse later) to view Loch Ness. What a day we have for pictures. The loch is more beautiful than a camera can capture, and have I mentioned that I left my camera charger at home so most pics were taken on my Galaxy 5 cell phone and my Galaxy tab 3. I think that the cell camera is SUPERB!!!

 

 

Loch Ness is very big and blue today. We are on our way to the west coast of Scotland to see Eilan Donan castle. There is so much to see in this vast place called the Highlands. It does capture the imagination. We stop along the way to take pictures and enjoy the sights. We aren’t sure what we are going to see on this day but is is really breathtaking as the day unfolds.

 

 

The Highlands along this road is not very populated. It had one stop for gas, food and restrooms along the way. Our top speed was about 50 but most of the way it was a 40 mile an hour trip. The castle is amazing. It is still used for weddings. No pictures inside but that was ok because the beauty of this place is on the outside anyway!! The inside is restored and showcases family history and artifacts for generations. Things are so ancient here, it never ceases to amaze me.

 

After our day of castle touring we return to Inverness. We walk around Inverness to find the games field.  Along the way, we find the ancient field called Northern Meeting Park where the first Highland Games were held 150 years ago, after wearing tartans and all things Scottish were banished from the land. Hmmm, we were about to participate in all things Scottish by the world this weekend and to see that park was…..emotional. It is still there, untouched.

 

We walk along the River Ness and the wonderful river walk they have. It also included footbridges to little islands. Trees were huge and I imagined that fairies lived in the wooded areas. Inverness is a city of about 60,000 but it has a small town charm and hospitality. There is a Shinty cup championship this weekend too so town is busy. Lots happening with Homecoming Scotland and the Referendum.

 

The hosts of the Masters World Championship Highland games host a first pint at the Castle Tavern.  Yummmmm best steak I have had and we met many atheltes here as well as our hosts. Scotland has hospitality that I have never encountered before. My husband came to the conclusion that Ediburgh was built on stairs but today I came to the conclusion all of Scotland was, as you can see there are plenty of hills too.

Inverness castle is very pretty but it is a newer building so no touring inside, it has a view also. Outside on its grounds are tons of wild and domesticated rabbits! It is used for local government.

I think I am in a most wonderful place.

Vicki