Lochs 'n' Castles

Inverary

The route

The weather forecast on the day of our bus ride out of Edinburgh was frankly terrible, so I brought my raincoat and left my sun glasses in the room.

It worked.

On the way to Luss: misty vista.

Aside from this socked-in view, the weather was either cloudy but dry, or actually sunny. The only time I needed my raincoat was when I stepped out to take the picture above.

The Scottish countryside in the highlands is incredibly beautiful. Underpopulated since the clan wars, the highlands feature vast, picturesque wildernesses, small picturesque farms with lots of sheep and coos, and tiny picturesque villages with expensive toilets (30p) and lovely views.

Stirling Castle

Charming garden: Luss

There was once a slate mine in Luss, so all the houses have slate tiled rooves, and this house has a gate made of same.

Best ironic photo of the trip: low tide in Inverary

The George: Reputedly the best pub in Scotland; owned and operated by Clarks since the 17th century; much of the staff was Italian, hence the banner.

Best meal (so far) of the trip: roasted partly-smoked salmon with sundried tomato and caper salsa. Under the well-dressed arugula is a little mound of potatoes and onion. So good.

Kilchurn castle, famous from the last scene of Monty Python and the Holy Grail. The couple in the mid-ground are newly weds from Boston on their honeymoon. They bickered the whole trip. He bought the Harris Tweed blazer he's wearing the day before.

View from the castle grounds.

I knew there'd be a loophole somewhere.

The man on the left is our tour guide Nick.
The mound of carved rock is a fallen turret. 

Duck on Loch Lubnaig: it makes my brain hurt to think there are mallard ducks in Europe and North America.

Castle Doune - used for every scene but the last one in Monty Python and the Holy Grail. The audio guide features Terry Jones talking about the castle and about making the movie.

We're down to our last 24 hours in Edinburgh. Today, the Modern Art Museum. Tonight, dinner at "The Honours", a Michelin 2-star restaurant.

Thanks for reading!

Karen