3 Day Highland Tour and New Friends from Hong Kong

Ben Nevis right there!

One of my favourite memories was my 3-day-bus tour of the Highlands in Scotland. An amazing experience of so many beautiful spots in Scotland. We started out having lunch in Inverness and then Clava Cairns, continuing to Cairngorm National Park and then Culloden Battlefield, at sunset, where the golden sun in the gathering of trees and stone walls, and in the long green fields, was magnificent. Later in the evening, at dusk and as the light was getting dim, we made it to Loch Ness (did I see Nellie?) and Urquhart Castle, and then Fort Augustus, where we stayed for the first night, at a lovely B&B. The next morning we headed on towards Eilean Donan Castle (my favourite part of the trip), Sligachan, and Skye! Once on Skye, we stopped for lunch in Portree, a colourful autumn-world harbour town, where my Hong Kong friends got lots of pictures of the orange and red trees. Glen Coe mountains came next, with bagpipes playing a beautfiul Amazing Grace in our bus, and a moment of tremendous emotion in me as I looked in awe at the magnificent mountain range. Inverlochy Castle, a castle in ruins, was wonderful to explore, and it's walls and openings became the spot for a fun photo session for all. For the first week of November, we had beautiful sunshine, and no snow in the mountains--we were lucky indeed. There were many other places we visited, too many to count, but my camera captured it all, as did my heart.

Freedom!

Great new friends.

What made the tour so special and unforgettable, were the people on the tour with me. From the moment I arrived at the tour bus stop, I was joined by a group of 7-8 people from Hong Kong, who were all travelling together. This group quickly befriended me and treated me like I was part of them. We had an amazing time together, exploring the Highlands, singing songs on the bus from our countries (yes a little like camp)... plus many, many photos taken of ourselves, each other, and all of us together. Tourists we were, from beginning to end. It is always a little strange and nostalgic to be with new friends on a short travel journey--you bond quickly and feel like family and friends within hours because you are seeking and experiencing very similar things--both places and emotions. There is a heightened closeness, and at the same time, you know it won't last; I am always keenly aware of meeting special people along the path. Some would say angels.

Best travelling companions ever!

I loved our first evening eating together after checking into our B & B at the close of Day 1. We were warm and cozy in a nearby pub, and one of the Hong Kong travellers suggested we play a game of 'who do you think is...' See, they had known each other for years, some of them their whole lives, but to me, and two married American Professors also in our group, they still looked quite a bit alike, and hard to tell apart. They knew this and had fun with it. They asked us to guess... who do you think are sisters? Who do you think are social workers? Who do you think are a couple? Who do you think went to high school together? The game went on and on. We were wrong most of the time, and there was much laughter and squealing with joy and mischief, and by the end of the game we knew each other quite a bit better and the bonding had begun. I will never forget this group of travellers on the journey with me...their warm hearts and bright spirits. They also loved my camera, and wanted to use it to take pictures of me. Travelling photos were very important to them, and at every bus stop, they jumped off, immediately snapping shots, especially of all the fall colours. You can imagine I felt quite at home.

 

Here are a couple of photos of the lovely B&B we stayed in the first night. Cozy, warm, and inviting. Too bad it was only one night... could have easily stayed longer in this lovely place.

I almost ordered a second plate.

One of my beloved moments on the tour was the very fresh fish and chips at a tiny, tucked away restaurant pub--best I've ever had. Well, I've actually only had fish and chips in Ireland and Scotland, so not much to compare it too. Dreamily delicious!

Something I am struck by in Scotland wherever I go: the warm golden sun. The sun here seems to have a different quality than back home. It's softer, warmer, easy on the eyes, the heart, the spirit, the camera. Perhaps it's a geographical quality, or maybe only my imagination. But the late afternoon sun along the roads, pathways, stone walls, and trees is breathtaking, and makes you feel like you're in a magical place, far away from home. I can feel it's warmth healing something inside of me. I will never forget the Scotland sun.

A magical place.

Another morning of beautiful bright warm sun was Eilean Donan Castle. Possibly my favourite spot on the tour, other than the Glen Coe mountains. It was early morning, the water like glass, with a slight mist, and the sun over the water was bright and welcoming... a dream come true. The castle was lit in rays, and we could see Sky in the distance. A spiritual moment for me, as I took in the incredible beauty of our world. A private tour was beginning in the castle, and my group had to call me several times before I could leave this scene behind. I will think of that morning often, as the 'perfect morning' in Scotland--a symbol of joy and peace.

Eilean Donan Castle glowing in the morning light.

Unbelievable beauty.

And more pictures of friendship during my travels...

Hong Kong Friends!

Lovely professor from Princeton, on the tour with us.

Couple on the tour with us, both professors.

Photos were a big part of the trip!

The colourful harbour village of Portree.

Beautiful place, beautiful people. I miss them.

Following the Castle Trail...

Castles are everywhere in Scotland--some restored, some rebuilt and some in ruins in the hills. While there wasn't enough time to follow the entire castle trail, I've explored five castles--all of them charming, beautiful, and full of stories and history: Stirling, Edinburgh, Eilean Donan, Urquhart, and Inverlochy Castles. The weather, landscape, and stories gave each a unique feel and distinct personality. With beautiful tapestries, elaborate stonework, elegant courtyards, royal palace rooms and bedrooms, chapels, green gardens, and autumn light, the charm of Scottish castles will stay with me.

We visited Stirling Castle on a grey-sky afternoon, where the courtyards and gardens were filled with mist and rain, and the view was clouded in thick fog, giving the castle and countryside a mysterious and dramatic feel. When we arrived, we walked up a steep cobblestone path through town, with little gardens, roses, and shops dotting the way. Stirling Castle had intricate square ceiling patterns, blue and purple tapestries lining the walls for beauty, warmth and sound barriers, and large four-post covered beds in the King and Queen's royal bedrooms. My favourite places were the Grand Kitchens where you could almost smell the meals, stew, and royal desserts being prepared, as well as Douglas Garden, where most of the garden was under the umbrella of one large autumn tree, and you could see for miles over a patchwork of green fields and villages, from the stone-edged walls of the garden. The privacy within the garden walls connected with the wider world of Edinburgh and Scotland was unforgettable, and I could have spent hours there reading and writing if time had allowed.

When I visited Edinburgh Castle (symbol of the Scottish nation) in late afternoon, the sun was out and setting, and the backdrop of the castle and surrounding views of Edinburgh were orange, warm, and romantic. As I walked up the Royal Mile, a long mile-long cobblestone road lined with shops, cafes, and restaurants, I could see the castle in the distance, lit up with late afternoon sun turning to sunset. Knowing it rains so many days of November, the good weather was a large blessing. My favourite moments in this castle included the Palace Clock, Royal Crown and Jewels, St. Margaret's Chapel (an intimate place still used for baptisms and weddings), the bedroom where Mary Queen of Scots gave birth to her son James IV, and the amazing views of the old town and new town of Edinburgh as day was turning to a dusk-lit cityscape.

Seeing Eilean Donan Castle as part of my three-day Highlands tour was an unforgettable experience and one of my favourite places in Scotland--bright and sunny, we had a gorgeous morning for the visit, leaving me with a sense of glorious light and bright clear waters surrounding the castle, as well as a clear view of where we were headed next: the Isle of Skye. A special castle filled with secrets, our tour guide pointed out a secret passageway in the walls above the main gathering room and dining room, where conversations and visits were monitored and listened to. Perhaps this is where we got the phrase "the walls have ears." Also, seeing the unique and tiny spaces between the stone bricks that allowed for peep-holes to spy on husbands and guests, the framed photographs of the present castle owner's family, and the courtyard view of the Isle of Skye in the distance made this castle one of my favourite stops along the way.


Inverlochy Castle was the only castle in ruins, giving both a romantic, abandoned, and countryside-feel. Being in the country, the castle was surrounded with a cemetery, grassy fields, two old bridges with "Weak Bridge" signs, and my favourite: grazing Scottish sheep (nothing sweeter than little sheep with black faces and black feet). With partial walls in ruin and small windows built into the stone, you could see through the castle and out towards the bridges, hills, and surrounding red and orange leaves. The tour I was traveling with included a very warm and friendly group of seven tourists from Hong Kong, all of whom were thrilled to have their pictures taken with the red autumn trees behind the castle (they told me they don't have red trees in Hong Kong), and instead of saying "cheese," the photo word of the day was "Whiskey!"

The fifth castle I saw was Urquhart, highly photographed and loved. With the days getting dark early, and Loch Ness tucked inside a blue-black sky, we could only get a few quick pictures of charming Urquhart, before we made our way to our final destination, Fort Augustus, with light hearts and happy songs (literally).

More castle photos:

Glory came down! (outside Eilean Donan Castle)

Doorway To Light (Eilean Donan Castle courtyard)

Enjoying autumn at Inverlochy Castle.

Entrance to Inverlochy Castle!

Very foggy Stirling Castle.

Loving Eilean Dolan Castle!

Glorious morning outside Eilean Donan Castle.

Eilean Donan Castle Bridge

Edinburgh Castle: Royal Palace & Clock

Wind At My Back

I love Scotland. Iceland was wonderful, but Scotland has made its way into my heart. There is something so charming and unforgettable here--narrow winding streets, hidden tea rooms, kindness of strangers, warmer weather, and the beautiful friends I am staying with... and I am happy here.

Upon first arriving, I was more than an hour late landing, due to leaving Iceland in a small snow storm. At least the snow hit the same morning I was flying on to greener pastures in Scotland, with its warmer temperatures and softer rain, so this made it a little easier to wave goodbye to a wintry Reykjavic. A unique, lonely, moody, and beautiful landscape filled with joy, mystery, and adventure, I will miss that place and hope to visit again some day.

Once arriving in Glasgow, Scotland, a lovely cheerfulness took over. I took a taxi to the west side, and in no time at all was with my friends Neil and Kathy in their bright cheerful flat with its high ceilings and tall windows, meeting their beautiful 8 month old girl, Chloe. Love at first sight--Chloe is one of the most smiley babies I've ever met, and loves songs and rhymes and eye-gazing, and I've had my heart's content of baby time here. That first afternoon, we walked along some beautiful blonde and red sandstone apartment buildings, ending up at a small park where we had fun taking some family pictures. While the skies were overcast, the light was beautiful, the grass fully green, and the bright orange and red trees filled in the boundaries of a black iron fence--a superb location for photography.

Afterwards, I settled into the place that is my home away from home for the remainder of my trip, and we had a wonderful Venison stew, lovely side of mixed root vegetables, and roasted potatoes. A great way to start my time in Scotland. Staying with such kind and generous friends has been a wonderful blessing to me during my holidays. Much love and much laughter. They were great friends in Fredericton, and now to reconnect and be together again has really boosted my spirits.

In our first two days together, Kathy and I, together with little Chloe, took some time to tour around Glasgow. First we headed down to Ashton Lane, where we saw movie theatres turned into cafes and restaurants, and lovely shops, tea places, and cobblestone everywhere. If there were even a quarter of such quaint independent cafes back home in London, I would be very happy.

We headed to the Glasgow Botanic Gardens, where we had lunch in the Tea Room. One thing I'm learning here is that Tea Room and Café often also means restaurant, where a delicious lunch can be had. My lunch included a baked potato with cheese, known here as a "jacket potato" and somehow one of the best potatoes I've had. We also walked through Kelvingrove Park, a gorgeous long park with autumn trees, a river, and many bridges; heading further into town took us to the Mitchell Library, the main public library downtown Glasgow, a must-see for me as a librarian.

On Day two, we visited the Kelvingrove Arts Museum, and also had lunch in the Hidden Lane Tea Room. Just as it sounds, this little café was tucked away down an alleyway and 'round the corner to the right, and without Kathy to show me, I would never had known it existed. With proper tea pot and tea cups, I drank about three cups of tea, and decided that drinking English Breakfast Tea in Scotland seems much more delicious than tea back home.

On the way back, I was pleasantly surprised by the number of stone churches and little rose gardens, where coral, red, or pink roses against grey stone made everything, despite the grey skies, seem cheerful and charming. I love the many gardens here, where even though November is almost upon us, everything seems to grow bright and green, and the leisurely afternoons of my holidays actually give me time to smell the roses.

So that is all for today, with another Scottish blessing to keep you going:

"May there always be work for your hands to do.
May your purse always hold a coin or two.
May the sun always shine upon your window pane.
May a rainbow be certain to follow each rain.
May the hand of a friend always be near to you and
May God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you."

'Round The Golden Circle

In bringing my week in Iceland to a close, my second last day was spent travelling around The Golden Circle, also known as Ring Road. A road well-travelled by locals and tourists, our first morning stop was Iceland greenhouse farming, and visiting the beautiful Friðheimar greenhouse, where tomatoes, cucumbers and other plants are grown with the aid of geothermal heat. As I learned, tomatoes are harvested every day of the year, despite the dark and cold winters. Iceland has 'green electricity' combined from hydro-electric and geothermal power stations. The heat is also largely from the ground, with 95 degree celsius hot water coming in from a borehole 200 metres away. Because so much sunlight is needed, their glass walls are only 4 mm thick, and therefore, 100,000 tons of hot water is used from the ground each year.


Further along the Ring Road, our next fascinating stop was the Geysir geothermal area where the Strokkur geyser shoots water up to 30 metres (98 ft.) into the air every 4-8 minutes in the middle of October-golden fields and mountains. Depending on which side of the circle you stood, you could easily get sprayed, and because of the spontaneity of the water bursting from the ground, crowds of people had their cameras poised, ready to snap away as fast as possible, followed by many cheers and laughter when the water surprised us every time, no matter how ready we were!

The tour continued with Gullfoss (Golden Falls) waterfall (pictures below), created by the river Hvítá, roaring down into a crevice some 32 m (105 ft.) deep. While I have seen Niagara Falls many times, this water fall felt more natural and wild; surrounded by Icelandic fields for miles, and autumn bushes and trees lit up in ice-covered sun glare, I witnessed a rainbow that came out only for moments, long enough for me to feel the promise of such beautiful colours.

Next we saw Thingvellir National Park, where the American and Eurasian tectonic plates are pulling apart by a few centimetres per year. This created a beautiful stone pathway involving a 20 minute walk up, and a view of surrounding Icelandic fields and lakes lit by late afternoon sun. I've been told that in the way that nature miraculously cares for itself, and to off-set the tectonic plates pulling apart a little more each year, Iceland's volcanoes (once deeply and historically feared) are what actually keeps Iceland from sinking to the bottom of the ocean. I'm not sure how, yet, but am planning to find out. Sometimes the things that seem scariest and most unpredictable in life, are the very things that come about to save us in the end.


Also, for those of you who saw my last blog post, and read about my loneliness for birds, I did see my first memorable bird today, who cheerfully greeted me as I left the greenhouse... a beautiful Icelandic chicken! :)

From here, my adventures in Scotland begin, where I am blessed to stay with my friends Kathy and Neil and their very sweet baby Chloe. Stay tuned for the sound of bag pipes and softly falling rain, where I pray the wind will always be at my back... and I will end with a beautiful Scottish saying that I hope will bless you:

It’s a lang road that’s no goat a turnin.’
Translation: Don’t lose heart in dark times, things can’t keep going in the same direction forever.


More photos of the day:

This view made me wish I could return in summer and camp.

Rainbow over Gullfoss waterfall.

Gorgeous green cliffs.

Beautiful purple outside the greenhouse.

Morning light from the outside of the greenhouse.

Seen inside the greenhouse.

Young greenhouse tomatoes, geothermally grown.

Steam rising from the ground.

Geysir bubbling and hot just before shooting out water.

Magnificent waterfall spray among dark stone and yellow cliffs.

Bright sun-lit icy view, right after rain and snow.

Waiting for birds that didn't come.