Inbhir Pheofharain, haggis and your friend the midge
I feel too lazy (and too impressed) to give written account of naruleins and my awesome journey across the country of Alba, so beneath the cut, you'll find:
A trip to Scotland in roughly 40 pictures.
"Wandern in den Highlands" - "Nordic Walking im Havelland." As if it had been waiting for us!
Glasgow. Seagulls, the laughing bastards! Why do they have to sound like one of my mother's cousins?? I was constantly feeling stalked!
Glasgow. Yes indeed, we were there.
Glasgow. "Sein Blick ist vom Vorübergehn der Stäbe/ so müd geworden, daß er nichts mehr hält/ Ihm ist, als ob es tausend Stäbe gäbe/ und hinter tausend Stäben keine Welt."
The Glasgow necropolis. Spent hours there taking pictures!
Like this one.
... or this one.
Glasgow. The awesomeness of our Couchsurfing host Barbara and her musical flat (two cellists, a composer, a pianist and an interim viola player) was only surpassed by the awesomeness of the porridge she made for us for breakfast. Add some instant Chai Latte and Shortbread Butter fingers and you're prepared for the day!
Glasgow. As much as travelling Scotland in August is a bad idea because it's a) supposed to be a rainy month and b) overcrowded by German tourists (never met so many Saxons in place outside Saxony... ): our timing was just perfect for witnessing the Bagpipe World Championship! Go, man in skirts and woolen socks!
He so rocked!
Toss that big, manly caber, man :D
Ullapool. Waiting for the ferry to the Isle of Lewis in the sun... and yes, actually we did have better weather than Germany during our 11 days!
Just offshore from Ullapool.
Think we found Avalon...
... and the gateway to the Digiworld! Stornoway, Isle of Lewis.
Somewhere on Lewis. Something's off about this car. Guess what? And yes, even I tried myself on left-side driving! Rented a car for a whole day and toured the island with it.
Isle of Lewis. Found our private beach!
Isle of Lewis. No better place to sit in a cave!
Butt of Lewis. No snickering, please! The place can't help its name! And it's impressive anyway!
Sheep at the Butt of Lewis. They're everywhere. Especially on roads you want to drive on. The sheep won't budge, so here we go for another ride of sheep slalom. And an estimated 70 % of the island are covered in sheep droppings! Seriously!
Isle of Lewis. Not Stonehenge, but Callanish, and a fascinating site/sight! You may find two goblins in the picture, though.
On the ferry back to mainland Scotland. Aren't we a colourful bunch? (and don't anybody dare to suggest that my hot Scottish hat doesn't fit the the colour of my shirt, or that my shirt's colour clashes with my jacket... that's the true Glasgow style :P) The nice red-head on the right is Marco whom we met at the hostel in Stornoway and straight away invited to rent a car with us and explore the island. Which he did. Oh, and afterwards we met in Inverness. And not to forget the two day hiking trip through the Highlands. Kinda funny, considering that we didn't know him at all :D
Close to mainland Scotland. Wandering cloud shadows.
Inverness. Quite picturesque!
Lady + bird = ladybird?
Glen Affric. Off we go for a two day's hiking trip, spending the night at one of the remotest hostels ever, a 10 mile march from the next bit of civilization. And guess who the wardens are: a German couple!
There's nothing to see here. It's just two girls in a tree. Keep on walking, please.
"I believe in miracles/ Where are you from/ You sexy thing!" We did have fun, while we still had breath!
"Whe miles went on forever/ minutes turned to day/ ... And the road goes on/ seeming ever longer/ on the way to Mandalay." 20 miles on the first day...
... and about 15 miles (not to mention 600 meters of altitude difference) back the day after. This is after we passed one of the many, many bogs (and believe me, what looks so dry and green and easy from below, in fact consists of mostly bogs, swamps and moors) and right before the rain started.
Yes indeed, we are as wet as we look. There's something very liberating about being drenched to the bone, shoes and all: you stop minding ankle-deep puddles and small rivers, simply marching through them, since it doesn't make a difference anymore after all. :D Do what your mommy never allowed you when you were a kid!
And after the rain, everything's fresh and clear like nothing ever happened... hypocrit :P
No dolphins in the Firth of Muray near Inverness :(
Haggis for breakfast. And whatever you think about minced sheep entrails with oatmeal served in a sheep stomach (or, in this case, in a tin): it's actually quite tasty! For the Germans among you: schmeckt wie ne Mischung als Leberwurst und Grützwurst!
Edinburgh. Never go their during festival season - Fringe, Military Tattoo, Literature Festival, all at the same time. The whole city's so crowded you can't even walk around. So we sat down, watched the street artists, listened to the music, enjoyed a really good sundae, descended into the vaults, browsed through shops and had a fun day... before spending a lovely night at the airport.
Street scene during the Fringe festival.
For the fun of it.
Impressions.
Right in the centre of Edinburgh :P Waiting for the night bus.
A trip to Scotland in roughly 40 pictures.
"Wandern in den Highlands" - "Nordic Walking im Havelland." As if it had been waiting for us!
Glasgow. Seagulls, the laughing bastards! Why do they have to sound like one of my mother's cousins?? I was constantly feeling stalked!
Glasgow. Yes indeed, we were there.
Glasgow. "Sein Blick ist vom Vorübergehn der Stäbe/ so müd geworden, daß er nichts mehr hält/ Ihm ist, als ob es tausend Stäbe gäbe/ und hinter tausend Stäben keine Welt."
The Glasgow necropolis. Spent hours there taking pictures!
Like this one.
... or this one.
Glasgow. The awesomeness of our Couchsurfing host Barbara and her musical flat (two cellists, a composer, a pianist and an interim viola player) was only surpassed by the awesomeness of the porridge she made for us for breakfast. Add some instant Chai Latte and Shortbread Butter fingers and you're prepared for the day!
Glasgow. As much as travelling Scotland in August is a bad idea because it's a) supposed to be a rainy month and b) overcrowded by German tourists (never met so many Saxons in place outside Saxony... ): our timing was just perfect for witnessing the Bagpipe World Championship! Go, man in skirts and woolen socks!
He so rocked!
Toss that big, manly caber, man :D
Ullapool. Waiting for the ferry to the Isle of Lewis in the sun... and yes, actually we did have better weather than Germany during our 11 days!
Just offshore from Ullapool.
Think we found Avalon...
... and the gateway to the Digiworld! Stornoway, Isle of Lewis.
Somewhere on Lewis. Something's off about this car. Guess what? And yes, even I tried myself on left-side driving! Rented a car for a whole day and toured the island with it.
Isle of Lewis. Found our private beach!
Isle of Lewis. No better place to sit in a cave!
Butt of Lewis. No snickering, please! The place can't help its name! And it's impressive anyway!
Sheep at the Butt of Lewis. They're everywhere. Especially on roads you want to drive on. The sheep won't budge, so here we go for another ride of sheep slalom. And an estimated 70 % of the island are covered in sheep droppings! Seriously!
Isle of Lewis. Not Stonehenge, but Callanish, and a fascinating site/sight! You may find two goblins in the picture, though.
On the ferry back to mainland Scotland. Aren't we a colourful bunch? (and don't anybody dare to suggest that my hot Scottish hat doesn't fit the the colour of my shirt, or that my shirt's colour clashes with my jacket... that's the true Glasgow style :P) The nice red-head on the right is Marco whom we met at the hostel in Stornoway and straight away invited to rent a car with us and explore the island. Which he did. Oh, and afterwards we met in Inverness. And not to forget the two day hiking trip through the Highlands. Kinda funny, considering that we didn't know him at all :D
Close to mainland Scotland. Wandering cloud shadows.
Inverness. Quite picturesque!
Lady + bird = ladybird?
Glen Affric. Off we go for a two day's hiking trip, spending the night at one of the remotest hostels ever, a 10 mile march from the next bit of civilization. And guess who the wardens are: a German couple!
There's nothing to see here. It's just two girls in a tree. Keep on walking, please.
"I believe in miracles/ Where are you from/ You sexy thing!" We did have fun, while we still had breath!
"Whe miles went on forever/ minutes turned to day/ ... And the road goes on/ seeming ever longer/ on the way to Mandalay." 20 miles on the first day...
... and about 15 miles (not to mention 600 meters of altitude difference) back the day after. This is after we passed one of the many, many bogs (and believe me, what looks so dry and green and easy from below, in fact consists of mostly bogs, swamps and moors) and right before the rain started.
Yes indeed, we are as wet as we look. There's something very liberating about being drenched to the bone, shoes and all: you stop minding ankle-deep puddles and small rivers, simply marching through them, since it doesn't make a difference anymore after all. :D Do what your mommy never allowed you when you were a kid!
And after the rain, everything's fresh and clear like nothing ever happened... hypocrit :P
No dolphins in the Firth of Muray near Inverness :(
Haggis for breakfast. And whatever you think about minced sheep entrails with oatmeal served in a sheep stomach (or, in this case, in a tin): it's actually quite tasty! For the Germans among you: schmeckt wie ne Mischung als Leberwurst und Grützwurst!
Edinburgh. Never go their during festival season - Fringe, Military Tattoo, Literature Festival, all at the same time. The whole city's so crowded you can't even walk around. So we sat down, watched the street artists, listened to the music, enjoyed a really good sundae, descended into the vaults, browsed through shops and had a fun day... before spending a lovely night at the airport.
Street scene during the Fringe festival.
For the fun of it.
Impressions.
Right in the centre of Edinburgh :P Waiting for the night bus.