Scotland

Loch Lomond

 Edinburgh, castles and museums

     We spent 3 nights in Edinburgh. Each morning we enjoyed sampling the full Scottish breakfasts, and each day it seemed to get bigger! (I should say Mark ate and I sampled.) Our accommodation was a basic airbnb in New Town, located within walking distance of many popular sites.  We walked everywhere! The first day we visited the Edinburgh Castle, a historic military castle that houses the Honors of Scotland, aka the Scottish crown jewels. We wandered down the Royal Mile, venturing into the closes (side alleys) to see old homes, courtyards and even came across a university acappela choir performing in one. The city was packed with people! We visited St. Mary's Catholic Cathedral and later St Giles Cathedral, which was first founded in 1124.  Yummy meat pies made a quick and easy lunch! Several museums were next on our list. We visited The Writer's Museum, The People's Story Museum, and The Museum of Edinburgh. At the end of the Royal Mile, we peeked at the outside of the Palace of Holyrood. It was closed due to having royal visitors. We wore ourselves out!!

A full Scottish breakfast!!

Edinburgh Castle

St. Giles Cathedral

The Palace of Holyrood

     The next day we wanted to have a bit more of a relaxing pace, so we decided to take the train to see Stirling Castle. We had no trouble finding the way on our own (of course it was easy to stop and ask for help too!) We enjoyed a very interesting guided tour of the castle. The Scots are wonderful story tellers (at least the ones we've met). Stirling Castle was used by the military, but it was also a royal residence, and there were costumed living history actors that shared stories of how the royalty lived in the time of James VI. The current castle was built between 1500 and 1600, and Mary Queen of Scots was crowned there. 

Stirling Castle

The royalty had the castle painted with the
 "king's gold" coloring to show their wealth

A replica of a beautiful tapestry
It was very interesting to see the
process of how it was made 

Sir Walter Scott Monument

Travel day north towards Inverness with stops on the way! 
Left, left, left stay left! That is what I told Mark each morning when we got in the car!

      It was time to get the rental car to head north on the Scottish roads! I really did plan on helping Mark with the driving. But...... My husband is amazing, brave, and focused on driving on these crazy, narrow, curvy roads, where you are usually allowed to drive up to the national speed limit of 60 mph!!! Then there are the single track roads, with no berms and often times potholes on both sides. It is quite disconcerting to see a sign that says " oncoming traffic may be in the middle of the road"!!!!!! Plus there can be bikers, walkers and sheep on the roads!!! Yes, still 60 mph on the single lane parts!!! In any case, he is doing fabulously, and so I will let him continue to chauffeur me around.

  St. Andrews
      We had a beautiful sunny day in St. Andrews! The parking meter wasn't working, but a lovely Scottish man used his app to pay for our parking for us! ( the app wouldn't accept our US phone number). We viewed the St. Andrews castle, which overlooks the North Sea. Then we wandered through the ruins of the St. Andrews Cathedral. The building was started in 1158, and fell in the 16th century. It was the largest church in Scotland.  We walked by the famous (if you are a golfer) St. Andrews Old Course, toured the interesting  Wardlaw Museum, and learned about the University of St. Andrews. Lastly we took a walk on the West End beach.
    

St. Andrews Castle

St. Andrews Cathedral

You can see how big it once was

The view from the beach

     We are using both our car's GPS system and our phones for directions. Luckily we have both, since the GPS program took us down a cow path and the wrong way to our hotel, but other times the phone signal is too weak.

    The next morning we enjoyed a beautiful 4 mile woodland walk at The Hermitage and 2 nice waterfalls. The next stop was the Pitlochry dam and salmon ladder, a series of water pools that go up like steps. Underwater there are openings connecting the pools that the salmon swim through to get upstream around the dam. We had time left in the afternoon to stop at the Highlands Folk Museum to explore a 1730's style village.

Old style house with a thatched roof
made from heather

Inverness      

Our airbnb in Inverness was wonderful. Our host is a local tour guide and shared stories, geology and history of the area with us. The next morning was drizzly and overcast as we headed to Clava Cairns to explore a bronze age burial ground built around 4000 years ago. The stone cairns are surrounded by standing stones. After a peaceful visit to the cairns, we headed to the battlefield of Culloden for a guided tour. We learned about the short but decisive battle in 1746 and how it changed Scotland forever, one of many sad parts of Scottish history. 

       We lucked out that evening as we were able to walk into a restaurant that usually requires reservations for a nice dinner and live music!
     

You could walk into the
 center of the cairn

Culloden war memorial

      We headed out to the Cairngorms National park for a hill walk. We were prepared for any kind of weather and were rewarded with dry conditions!! We were so lucky with the weather in Scotland!! As we tend to do, we decided to hike up a small mountain. It was a great hike with views through the gorse and broom (both beautiful yellow flowers) to the top of Meall a' Bhuachaille. Then a quick stop at Loch an Eilean where we did a very short walk (we were tired) to see a small castle ruin on an island in the loch.

Loch an Eilean

   It was time to go look for the Loch Ness monster! The conditions were right (cloudy, windy and cold),  but Nessie was hiding. Did you know that she was first spotted in the 6th century AD. We had a nice view of the loch, and we watched as people tried to go canoeing but ended up swimming, and other people intentionally went for a swim in the cold water. Brrrrr, the water below the surface supposedly doesn't get above about 5 degrees Celsius (41 F)!!

Loch Ness

     We can't stay away from waterfalls so we headed to Plodda falls. We first came to a small cascade and thought, is that it? Then continued on the trail for a wonderful view. 

       We heard about some crazy roads down through a beautiful glen, so my brave, focused husband decided to take the challenge! We drove into Glen Affric to the end of the road, where we had a wonderful view of the valley.  It's a steep, winding single track road where locals seem to want to drive 60 mph. There are some deep potholes at the edges, sometimes on both sides, and no berm! Then you drive back out the same way!

This little guy was very photogenic

     The next morning we were off to the Isle of Skye. We drove through the amazingly beautiful Highlands countryside with lochs, mountains, sheep, blue skies, sheep, puffy clouds and more sheep. We stopped for views of the pictuesque Eilean Donan Castle, and a hundred or so pictures. Just doing our part to keep it the most photographed castle in Scotland.

The Isle of Skye
     It was such a beautiful day that we decided to put off checking into our b&b and first take a hike up to see the Old Man of Storr! The crowds weren't too bad at that time of the day!

Can you see an old mans face?

The Trotternish Peninsula for the day! 

     The Trotternish Peninsula is an iconic drive on the island of Skye, so we knew we'd better start the day early. We enjoyed a short but beautiful hike to Brother's Point that took us through a pasture with cute little lambs!!

We continued down the road to hike a path in the Quirang, an area of other-worldly rock formations. 

Brother's Point trail

Sharing the path with the locals
to get to the ocean

They were so cute!

Brother's Point

Views in the Quirang

Lots of cool rocks!

It was time to look for some Scottish fairies

The Rha waterfall in Uig. 
This was a true fairy pool

                        

This is part of the Fairy Glen. They say the sheep are actually fairies,
until a human appears, and then they turn into sheep!

     The Scottish Highlands are actually farther north than anything in the US, and the sun didn't set until around 10pm, (and it stayed light for awhile still) and the sun rose around 4:45 am. Between the hiking and all the daylight making it harder to sleep well, I was getting quite exhausted, so the next morning was a lazy one.

    

This is the Sligachan Old Bridge.

It was built between 1810 and 1818, and now it's only a footbridge. Legend says that if you dip your face in the river there for a full 7 seconds, then let it air dry, you will have eternal beauty! We saw someone trying it, but we passed, especially since the water is cold! The Cuillin Mountains are in the background.

      After a yummy lunch of pasties and breaded calamari by Broadford Bay, we attended a local Ceilidh (almost like a contra dance or square dance) with live tradidional music. We learned some new dances and met some nice people!

     Next up: a visit to the Fairy Pools where a walkway takes you to a series of small waterfalls and pools set in a valley, also a major tourist attraction (luckily we timed it right and went later in the afternoon).

Fairy Pools

The colorful waterfront in Portree,
 on The Isle of Skye

     Heading back to the mainland on the car ferry, the rain cleared just in time for our crossing. We drove through the Glencoe area and a lot of traffic (we couldn't even stop to see the Glenfinnan Viaduct, the famous railroad bridge from Harry Potter, as the parking lots were full!!) . We headed on to Glen Etive, another winding single track through a valley down to a beautiful and peaceful glen. 

The Falls of Falloch
A short walk off the 
main road in Loch Lomond

     Another hill walk, this time up Conic Hill in the Loch Lomond area.  For us, this was the iconic hike of Scotland! On top we overlooked the Loch and the mountains. We hiked down the back way with no crowds, until we reached the beach at Loch Lomond!

Unfortunately, it was time to head back to Edinburgh to fly out the next morning! We happily dropped off our rental car, found a place to store our luggage, and took the Tram back into the city. We wanted to hike up to Arthur's Seat and look out over the city. The Royal Mile was packed with people,  but it was another beautiful day!

Edinburgh from on top of Arthur's Seat

The hills were covered
 in yellow! The gorse was so pretty,
but, on closer inspection,
it was covered in nasty thorns!!

Arthur's Seat

A wee bit about the roads and road signs!

     

We saw fields of yellow rapeseed which is used to produce canola oil

Yellow flowers blooming everywhere! 

A sign said "Dual Carriageway" but we didn't see any carriages!

Another said "Heavy Plant Crossing"....maybe where the big trees cross the road??

"Free Recovery, Await Rescue" had to ask what this sign meant! (free towing out of construction zones)

"Controlled Dog Fouling Scheme" this one always made us laugh! (fine for not picking up after your dog)

We enjoyed our time in Scotland, it went by very quickly!!

Goodbye Scotland!

Switzerland

 

  The adventure across the pond begins. Please join us if you have time as we explore a different area of the world. We will begin in the beautiful country of Switzerland 

   May 9, 2023. We've spent so much time planning and organizing this trip! It feels great to finally be at the airport! Security was quick and easy, and now thanks to Kari and Jess, we are relaxing in Club CLE, the private airport lounge that we get to enjoy thanks to their new credit card!

The nice airport lounge, 
So much nicer waiting there

Day 1. May 10,

 We had a great flight to Zurich and Milena, our exchange student from Switzerland who stayed with us in the 2010/2011 school year, came and picked us up at the airport. On the way to Basel, Switzerland, we stopped at a beautiful, large waterfall, Rheinfall, next to an old castle, Schloss Laufen, that perched on top of a hill. The water was rushing down the long wide falls, with spray flying up everywhere as they have had alot of rain this spring. Then we stopped at a very picturesque village with a very old monastery complex, Rheinau abbey, where we walked around outside since the building was closed,  and had lunch. On the way to Basel we drove through  a bit of the German countryside.

The abbey

       

A very pretty church at the abbey

    

Rheinfall and Schloss Laufen on the right

A traditional house in the style of the
Alsace area of France

The day of threes ( Thursday, May 11)
     Today we explored the beautiful city of Basel, which is situated along the Rhein river. Our wonderful tour guide, Milena, brought us to  Basel's Old Town in the morning, and we wandered among the well preserved and beautiful buildings. We tried to imagine living there 500 years ago and how it would have been different, and how it would be the same. We visited the Basler Munster (Cathedral) and climbed the winding staircases up one of the 2 towers for an amazing view of the city! The Cathedral was beautiful and well restored inside and out. The city is an interesting combination of historic buildings and modern structures. We had a delicious Lebanese lunch of mousaka wraps.

     We saw many unique and interesting fountains (where people are allowed to sit and cool off in the summer when it's hot out), and huge unusual doors on houses and beautiful pink and white flowering buckeye trees. I think that there more buckeye trees in each city in Switzerland than in the whole state of Ohio!
    There are 3 city gates in Basel and we were able to see 2 of them. The whole city was walled at one time, but only a small section remains. 

    We used 3 different types of transportation to cross the Rhein. We took  a local ferry that is powered only by using the current of the river, we took the Tram across one bridge, and we walked across a different bridge.
    Three countries by foot, I don't think that we've ever walked to 3 countries in one day before. We walked briefly into France, then crossed the river into Germany before walking back into Switzerland.
    3x3=9 which is about how many miles we walked around the city before we enjoyed some gelato, and a well earned rest for the evening.

    3 flavors of gelato chocolate sorbet, peanut butter and chocolate and raspberry ginger, all were yummy!!

A view of the Munster Cathedral from across the river 

The St. Alban City Gate

A picturesque home
in the old town

At the top of one of the towers at the cathedral

Tinguely fountain

Bern with Virgi (Fri May 12)

     Milena drove us through the Swiss country side and the Jura mountains to Bern. On the way we stopped at Lake Biel, a very popular boating lake, then explored the beautiful medieval walled village of Murten  (and had some great pizza for lunch). Milena dropped us off at the Bern train station, where we met Virgi (she is our exchange student from Argentina, 2007/2008, who has settled in Switzerland). It's been 15 years since we've seen Virgi and she still looks the same!!! We saw the outside of the parliament building (unfortunately the tours were full for the day), the Zytglogge, an old clock tower, the Berner Munster (Cathedral), where we climbed another spiral staircase up the tower, only 344 steps!! Next was a visit to the famous Bern bears, the city mascots. We enjoyed some beautiful nature in the middle of the city with the city rose garden, where the rhododendrons were in bloom,  and which included great views overlooking the city. After we meandered through the botanical garden and walked along the Aare River, we finished the day looking out at the Alps that were just barely visible in the distance. We said goodbye to Virgi,  and took the train to meet Milena for a good night's sleep, after another full day!

Schloss Nidau,
a pretty little castle
 next to Biel lake

The medieval village of Murten

Views from the Murten wall

Views from the Murten wall

Mark had a short visit with Einstein

The village of Murten

At the top of the Bern Cathedral with Virgi

The Zytglogge in Bern and the Bern bear on the banner

Virgi showed us around her adopted city

Travel to Oberkulm, Milena's hometown. (Sat. May 13)
      We started the day at the beautiful lakeside city of Luzern (Lucerne).  We explored the city and a local farmers market, looking at all the wonderful produce,  flowers, cheeses, meats, breads and sweets. We enjoyed a performance by a traditional local accapella choir. The city has 2 long covered wooden bridges to cross the river.  They are beautifully decorated with old paintings that depict events in Lauren's history. We visited an ornate Jesuit church, then explored the towers along the old city wall, yes,  more steps! We had a wonderful lunch at one of Milena's favorite restaurants. Unfortunately, the rain prevented us from seeing views of the Alps behind the lake. 

     We continued on to Milena's home town of Oberkulm, and met her parents. She grew up in a village of a 2,800 people, in beautiful hilly agricultural area of Switzerland. Her parents own a local pharmacy.  They have a lovely home with a beautiful yard and water garden. And a robotic lawn mower! One of the differences between small town USA and small town Switzerland is the great train system that they can take from their town to anywhere they'd like to go!

The city wall and towers in Luzern

Milena on one of the 
city wall towers

The Jesuit church in Luzern

A wonderful local choir, a nice surprise!

One of the old brigdes

The city by the water

Many of the houses had beautiful
 murals and panels painted on them 

The Alps and Ticino (Sun. May 14)
      Milena's dad must be the best driver ever! He drove us in a manual transmission car in rain and sleet through the pass in the south eastern side of the Swiss Alps, and on some of the craziest, narrow roads that we've ever been on! ( luckily Mark didn't have to drive!!)

     We stayed in Brissago, on Lake Maggiore at a beautiful hotel overlooking the lake, in the canton (state) of Ticino. It's called the little Italy of Switzerland. People speak Italian there, all the signs are in Italian, and it is actually only a few kilometers from Italy!! Part of the lake is in Switzerland and part is in Italy. 
     We took a short boat ride to a botanical garden that was on an island in the middle of the lake. There was a large house and wonderful gardens, that were started in 1855, with plants from all over the world. We had a lovely walk and boat ride. 
     Next we headed up the hillside to a wonderful little Swiss Italian restaurant, with amazing views and delicious food. It was a wonderful evening with Milena and her parents,  Bea and Simon.

Views of one of the villages
 from the lake, they build the
cities on the hillsides

At the botanical garden with
Milena, Bea and Simon

The view of the Alps from the
restaurant where we ate dinner    

We went to Italy (Mon. May 15) 

     The next morning after a delicious breakfast they took us to Italy!! We visited the lovely old village of Cannobio, with its pastel colored old world buildings, narrow cobblestone roads and a promenade along the lake. The pasta in the stores all looked better there, and I'm sure the gelato would have been delicious, but we were still full from breakfast. 

      Our expert driver took us up the valley to see the famous Roman Bridge, the Ponte dei Salti, along the Verzasca river. The river was a beautiful green color and filled with the most interesting rocks and amazing waterfalls. From there we continued up the Verzasca Valley to the medieval village of Sonogno, from the 1200's. It is a well-preserved village set among the Alps. Many of the buildings have old style roofs made of stone slabs instead of slate. We had a local desert of vermicelles, a delicious chestnut paste served with whipped cream or gelato. I could have spent all day in the village just wandering around and looking at the mountains. 

Relaxing in Italy

Narrow cobblestone streets
 that end at the lake

All the pasta looked better in Italy

  

Ponte dei Salti, built by the Roman's

   

Sonogno, at the end of a
 beautiful valley

Views of the Alps wherever we looked 

Narrow lanes, and houses built of stone

Vermicelles

Milena's parents' historic home

A farm in the rolling hills of Oberkulm

We fell in love with Switzerland! We are so fortunate to have had such wonderful tour guides! It was great to meet Milena as an adult,  we also met her boyfriend Tim and her roommate Hannah. We enjoyed meeting Milena's parents and appreciated their gracious hospitality! It was also great to meet up with Virgi again. Switzerland is a small country, filled with so much beauty! The people were friendly,  the cities were clean, so many people rode their bikes, and public transportation was convenient. The only thing that really surprised us was the "street art" (graffiti), it was all over in the big cities! Also tunnels, so many tunnels, we drove through the Gotthard Road tunnel that is 10.5 miles long!! We visited 3 extra countries along the way,  which was an added bonus! We can say we've also been un France, Germany and Italy now! We were sad to leave Switzerland,  but excited for our next stop, Scotland!!