Weisser family blog

This morning we continued our tour that we started the first day in Scotland. But we did more shopping than sight seeing. But at least I managed to try a kilt and got my “kilt measures”. After that we made our way to the castle and this time in the castle. After a free tour we even know why the Honours of Scotland are kept in this castle.

In the afternoon we walked to the Scottish Parliament and the Holyrood Palace. From there we walked up the Salisbury Crags (with a nice view on Arthur’s seat and on Edinburgh). In the evening we met in a Scottish pub with a fried of Maggie in order to discuss German election results – and yes we did postal voting.

And the next morning we took the bus to the airport and flew back to Germany.

This morning we crossed the bridge from Skye to the main land. We drove on to the Eilean Donan Castle at the Loch Duich. It is one of the most beautiful castles in Scotland and well known for its film appearances. For example it has been used for Braveheart and for a James Bond movie.

From there we continued our Scottish must-have-seen tour and went to Loch Ness in order to search for Nessie. We found her in the Loch Ness Monster visitor center. Although we probably have not been to the “official” Monster center (which is nearby) they had an impressive collection of facts and non-facts for Nessie-interested people.

Then late in the afternoon we started our way back to Edinburgh. On the way we stopped at the Blair Castle, had some local food (Haggis) near a lock and then drove on to the nice town of Pitlochry. Pitlochry is a touristy town with a nice town center. Apart from the center there exists a power station with a fish ladder that even counts the number of salmons traveling upstream.

And in Edinburgh we didn’t drive straight back to Maggie’s place but had a nice tour through Edinburgh at night.

This morning we got a real Scottish breakfast (including tomato and potato scones). From the B&B; we maid our way to Mallaig. From there we took the ferry to the island of Skye. Up there we passed some more mountains in clouds and got to know the Scottish highland cow.

Up North on Skye we visited the Talisker distillery in Carbost. There we tried the 10 year old Single Malt and got a tour where an employee explained the process of making the Talisker whiskey. From Carbost we made our way to Trotternish where we visited a traditional Black house.

Then our way led us to the next landmark. We went to the East Coast of Skye and stopped at the Kilt Rock with the impressive waterfall into the sea. Before heading to Portree for our next B&B; we stopped and had a look at the Old Man of Storr in clouds.

This morning we started our road trip by renting the car. So we’re back on the left side of the road again. From Edinburgh we went to Stirling to visit the Wallace Monument. The tower has been build in commemoration of William Wallace, a national hero who is also portrayed in the movie Braveheart.

We continued our trip through the Highlands with nice views and the typical Scottish weather. On our way towards Skye Island we passed a Harry Potter film location (the bridge the Hogwards Express crosses on its way to the school). As we didn’t make it to the ferry on time we stayed in a lovely B&B; in Arisaig.

Starting from Frankfurt Hahn we flew to Edinburgh where we got picked up by Maggie. After carrying the luggage to her place we started our tour through the city. There we visited the birthplace of Harry Potter (Elephant House), passed by Greyfriars Bobby and walked up to the castle.

From there we continued our tour to down town Edinburgh and then on to Calton Hill with its interesting Acropolis and the cemetery with David Hume’s tomb. Apart from that we had really good views on Edinburgh’s city and the Scottish Parliament Building with its surroundings.