Vacation Post with No Pictures

We had a lovely time in Scotland with my parents and sister last week, despite the problems with each and every flight we had (thank you very much, Continental). Pinchloaf took loads of pictures (he just lurrrrrves it when the Brits say "loads"), but alas they are all on the computer at home. I will post shots sometime in the next couple of days, but in the meantime, a breakdown of the highlights in simple words.

Edinburgh: The kids certainly dig their facial piercings, the likes of which I haven't seen since, oh, 2001. Pinchloaf, Ames, and I attempted to hike Arthur's Seat, only to realize later that we'd scaled about 1/3 of it. It was still a great hike with fantastic views of the city, but not quite as impressive as we'd thought. I also enjoyed Mary's King Close, but the mold, dust, and oppressive, well, closeness of it didn't sit too well with Pinchloaf, unfortunately.

Inverness: The castle we stayed at was fantastic--beautiful views, meadows of sheep grazing nearby, delicious pub food and beer (and ice cream). Nearby Cawdor Castle, fictional home of MacBeth was cool; I especially enjoyed the castle's garden, with a tree-lined path that reminded me of something out of The Chronicles of Narnia.

Loch Ness: Well, the name says it all. I very much enjoyed the boat ride out on the Loch despite the overwhelming smell of exhaust coming from the boat itself. The lake was actually clear while we were out there. It started raining once we returned to dry land.

Ben Nevis: Beautiful mountians, a chance to go up a gondola and hike to the summit, gorgeous views all around.

Fort William and Mallig: We rode on a steam train (the same one they use in the Harry Potter films, no less) out to the west coast. It was actually sort of warm that day, and we could see the island of Skye off in the distance.

Sterling: Castle under renovation, but cool nonetheless. The town itself--very small, easy to walk around, some decent shopping, finally a cup of coffee larger than 6 ounces (seriously, enough with the tiny coffees, people! Anyone who knows me knows I need my morning caffeine!).

Overall highlights: Candy, candy, and more candy. And then some sweets. The Scots know their chocolate, and looooove their butterscotches and sticky toffee puddings. I am a woman of fine, vaguely Scottish breeding, so they certainly knew how to win my heart and stomach.

Driving on the left side: My dad did most of the driving, and I filled in on the later parts of the day when he was tired of hearing me yell, "You're drifting left!" and, "Curb! Curb! Watch the curb!" and wanted to yell those things at me instead.

The only "accident" we got into was on the first day of driving when we were trying to get ourselves the hell out of Edinburgh. My dad was perilously close to the parked cars on the left and finally banged our left sideview mirror against a parked truck. It miraculously remained intact, how I have no idea. It was far more intimidating to drive in Scotland than it was to drive those horrible dirt roads in Costa Rica. But at least I can say I've done it.

Pictures soon to come, I promise!