Highlander
So this morning, it looked sunny enough outside, but the forecast called for rain in Edinburgh most of the day. So what were we to do?
Head for the Highlands!
Actually, we knew what the weather was going to look like - Rain in Edinburgh, sunshine in the Highlands. So we got up bright and early (6:30am or so), caught a bus downtown and found a National Rail train up to the city of Inverness (officially recognized as the fastest growing city in all of Europe!). Population-wise, it's about the size of East Providence - 50 or 60 thousand people.
The National Rail Station in Inverness (The Gaelic name is Inbher Ness) is one building over from the bus station. So after some confusion in finding the bus station... (They tucked it behind two other buildings and didn't post any signs!) We got in and bought some tickets for the Jacobite Cruises Sensation tour of Loch Ness, two for £40. Tickets bought, and an hour to kill so we grabbed some lunch next door at Charlie's Cafe. All I can say is that they had the best and greatest Macoroni and Cheese EVER!
As you get further and further in the North, accents get more and more Scottish. There were some people in Inverness that I had a really hard time understanding. The Highlands, too, are every bit as stunning as they look in the movies. Plains. Forests. Hills. Mountains. And animals everywhere, especially sheep. The hills and mountains of Scotland were formed by continental plates crashing into one another, and old now-extinct volcanoes that were all crushed under giant sheets of ice in the ice ages. It's truly a unique landscape. Though some parts of the train ride looked a bit too much like parts of New Hampshire.
So we took the tour. We learned alot about Inverness, and the River Ness, and finally Loch Ness. Our tour bus then transferred us to a boat, which took us 30 minutes out into the Loch. No monster. Then we toured around yet another Medieval castle, built largely by Andrew de Mornay (one of the characters in Braveheart).
Then Loch Ness Monster 2000. It's an automated walkthrough that presents the history of the legend of Nessie.
After the monster exhibit, the bus took us on back. With a little more time to kill before the train back to Edinburgh, we grabbed dinner at a place called The Room. It is largley an American-themed bar with posters of Elvis, Easy Rider, Breakfast at Tiffany's, etc, etc all over the place. They're also a live music venue, which I'd love to see, the place was really cool.
Other things I noticed about Inverness... Friday afternoon in June is a very popular time for weddings. Weddings are one of the few occasions where I've noticed traditional Highland dress (ie kilts). There were a ton of backpackers. I think I'd love to go backpacking in the Highlands some summer.
So another 3.5 hour trainride later, we were back in Edinburgh. Rainy Edinburgh. Well, time to catch up on some sleep.
Head for the Highlands!
Actually, we knew what the weather was going to look like - Rain in Edinburgh, sunshine in the Highlands. So we got up bright and early (6:30am or so), caught a bus downtown and found a National Rail train up to the city of Inverness (officially recognized as the fastest growing city in all of Europe!). Population-wise, it's about the size of East Providence - 50 or 60 thousand people.
The National Rail Station in Inverness (The Gaelic name is Inbher Ness) is one building over from the bus station. So after some confusion in finding the bus station... (They tucked it behind two other buildings and didn't post any signs!) We got in and bought some tickets for the Jacobite Cruises Sensation tour of Loch Ness, two for £40. Tickets bought, and an hour to kill so we grabbed some lunch next door at Charlie's Cafe. All I can say is that they had the best and greatest Macoroni and Cheese EVER!
As you get further and further in the North, accents get more and more Scottish. There were some people in Inverness that I had a really hard time understanding. The Highlands, too, are every bit as stunning as they look in the movies. Plains. Forests. Hills. Mountains. And animals everywhere, especially sheep. The hills and mountains of Scotland were formed by continental plates crashing into one another, and old now-extinct volcanoes that were all crushed under giant sheets of ice in the ice ages. It's truly a unique landscape. Though some parts of the train ride looked a bit too much like parts of New Hampshire.
So we took the tour. We learned alot about Inverness, and the River Ness, and finally Loch Ness. Our tour bus then transferred us to a boat, which took us 30 minutes out into the Loch. No monster. Then we toured around yet another Medieval castle, built largely by Andrew de Mornay (one of the characters in Braveheart).
Then Loch Ness Monster 2000. It's an automated walkthrough that presents the history of the legend of Nessie.
After the monster exhibit, the bus took us on back. With a little more time to kill before the train back to Edinburgh, we grabbed dinner at a place called The Room. It is largley an American-themed bar with posters of Elvis, Easy Rider, Breakfast at Tiffany's, etc, etc all over the place. They're also a live music venue, which I'd love to see, the place was really cool.
Other things I noticed about Inverness... Friday afternoon in June is a very popular time for weddings. Weddings are one of the few occasions where I've noticed traditional Highland dress (ie kilts). There were a ton of backpackers. I think I'd love to go backpacking in the Highlands some summer.
So another 3.5 hour trainride later, we were back in Edinburgh. Rainy Edinburgh. Well, time to catch up on some sleep.