Our lost together locations

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

The Heilan adventures of we twa

I've mentioned to a couple of people that Scotland is one of my favourite places, and, besides the fact that Edinburgh is one of the most amazingly beautiful cities, the whole country is just gorgeous. But really, it's difficult to appreciate most of it without a mode of transportation, so we rented a car for three days and drove up to the Inverness area via the scenic A82 along the shores of Loch Lomond (of "ye take the high road an' I'll take the low road" fame).

Here again, for your entertainment, are some video moments from that trip.

First, meet our car!



We discovered after our first photo stop that this car had some interesting security features...



Some helpful German tourists were able to help us free the locking mechanism so the car would start, and we were again on our way.

Loch Lomond (or, as David likes to say it, recalling the Auld Alliance, perhaps, "Loch Lamond") is ridiculously photogenic. It was hard not to stop every five minutes to take photographs of its ever-changing scenery.



But every so often, we did succumb.



This, of course, meant that we didn't arrive at our destination until quite late, but it was worth it -- Balintraid House, about half an hour north of Inverness, outside of the small town of Invergordon, was not your typical hostel. Our room was huge, with a sitting area that comprised a sofa and two armchairs, and had a view over the water from a large bay window! The kitchen was excellently equipped, so we were able to cook dinners and breakfasts while we stayed there.

On the second day we visited the Glenmorangie distillery. Glenmorangie is one of our favourite whiskies (thanks to Tony's introducing me to it years ago -- thanks Tony!). It was a nice little tour, and the distillery itself is a very pleasant place, as you can tell here:



Then we spent the rest of the day driving around the Highlands, including Portmahomack (as pretty a beach as when we were there, Dawn), and in some cases on some very narrow roads indeed!



David did eventually get the hang of driving in Scotland, though, never you worry.

We still felt compelled to pull over every five miles or so to take photos. But can you really blame us??



And now, as a special treat, we bring you "the sounds of the Highlands":





Now, with so few cars on the back roads, the cows get a bit chippy about sharing, so we had to remind them who was boss:



But no cow is quite like a Highland cow (or, as they call them in the actual Highlands, "Heilan coos"), and we got a good opportunity to visit with some on the Macallan distillery lands. They are the cutest!



All too soon, it was time to head back to Glasgow, but we would be hitting the Highlands again briefly with our friends Zoe and Alex, spending a glorious weekend in Fort William, in the shadow of the impressive Nevis Range.


At the moment, we are back in London en route to Amsterdam in the morning. So cheerio until our next post!

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4 comments:

Dawn said...

David, ask Jodi about the time she was driving in Scotland and I was screaming "too close! too close!" and we had a meeting of side mirrors with a parked car.

Definite Article said...

I can hardly hear the sounds of the Highlands over the sounds of Lefferts Blvd. :)

This has made my morning better, but you two seem to excel at that sort of thing. I've appreciated all of the blog entries (whether travel notes, political, or existential), and though I have not had the wherewithal to comment extensively, I am following closely. Thank you for taking all of us along on this very personal journey, and giving me a taste of one of my favorite places (with video!).

Love, Ro.

Anonymous said...

LOVED these. You guys are so funny.

When I first heard David say "Loch Lomond" is sounded French, like "Lac Lumonde".

I giggled out loud at, "Famous Scotsman, Lionel Richie."

Some of those cows were looking at you like, "Who is this asshole coming up into our space?" It reminded me of the llamas and alpacas that I saw in Peru.

Looks like you're having an awesome time. Enjoy every moment.

-Andrea

The 40 Year Old Father said...

Did you eat guinea pig in Peru? I didn't eat any of the cows on the road, but if I would have hit one I would have had my Swiss Army knife out in a hurry to get me a cow.

Mind you, I don't know where we'd put it. The car wasn't very big.

Oh well.