Bagpipes and Bridges

Remember how in a post a while back I mentioned meeting an elderly man who decided that I needed a Scottish grandfatherly type looking after me? Well good, because my other adoptive granddaughter and I have gone to lunch with him a few times now, and on one of them he decided that we should see a bagpipe band. So this Saturday, he got his driver to take the two of us and himself to the lovely town of Crieff. It was about an hour away, which meant an hours drive filled with fascinating anecdotes and history bits about anything and everything we drove past. When we arrived we were in the midst of a little farmers market in the adorable St James square. The pipe band was incredible with bagpipe harmonies and drummers of course as well. It was about 20 people, and happened to be a momentous occasion for the band because today was the final day of the old pipe master who was going to be retiring and allowing the new pipe master to take his place. Quite the festivity. We grabbed a spot of tea after and then made our way back to Glasgow with one stop. Somerville needed to check in on a bit of land that he owns and rents out because one of his tenants is having water issues in her shop. While we were there he took us into the Red Cross's store (a thrift store to benefit the British Red Cross). He proceeded to buy 4 books. Then when we left, he walked around back and started digging through what looked like a dumpster. However, in the car our driver for the day told us that he does this every time he comes here because it is a recycle bin that is entirely filled with the books that the store couldn't sell quickly enough. Apparently my Scottish grandfather takes any opportunity to get new books, even if it is digging around in a bin for them while trying to push himself up higher with his cane. Our driver Phillip even said, "I am not going out there or he would have me holding him by the ankles to get to more of them." But that was the last part of the excursion, and we got back to Glasgow in time for Phillip to go watch the Scotland v. Croatia football game so all was right with the world. It was a great way to see a new part of Scotland, and for once not feel in any way like a tourist while doing it.

Of course, the tourist thing is fun sometimes right?
On Sunday, I went on a trip to see the Harry Potter bridge. I definitely felt the stereotypical tourist shining through, but it was worth it. The whole area was gorgeous, and I can never get over how beautiful Scotland can be. When I was taking pictures it looked like they were fake even as I took them. The morning was extremely foggy and cloudy, but the sun poked through by lunch time. By the time we got to our ultimate destination we even had some blue skies. We spent 2 hours in Glenfinnan, home to the Harry Potter bridge (technically Glenfinnan viaduct) and the black lake from Harry Potter. But all Wizardly magic aside, the area was gorgeous and definitely worth a visit. Plus, I even got a free CD out of the deal because of my sunny disposition and "smiling at everyone" so it was definitely a day very well spent. Although it would have been better with a hippogriff around. 

With a look to the North

This past weekend I had the wonderful opportunity to go see the Isle of Skye. This island of the Northern coast of Scotland had been on my to do list since before leaving the states because of its renowned beauty. It was recently voted by National Geographic as the 4th best island in the world. Needless to say, it still exceeded my high expectations.
The day we drove up was intermittently raining and sunny, giving a fabulous opportunity for a large amount of mud to accumulate on my boots amidst our various stops. We had the opportunity to hike a bit around Glencoe (most recently represented in Skyfall) and see a few Lochs on the way up. We even got to look at a castle, although I was more interested in the beautiful natural areas we got to see. But the real excitement was when we pulled into the Isle of Skye crossing a bridge and driving along the bay to our hostel. From the coach we could see a small ruin, which of course we all decided it would be our first mission to reach. The journey was arduous, but after squishing and sliding our way through mud and rocks, we made it up to see the lay of the land. The ruin was on enough of a hill that we could see fairly well around the area. Of course, being a group of college students, once we got up there the boys just wanted to climb onto the top of the ruin. That caused mild panic, but we all eventually had our fun and decided to climb back down for a little dinner. The sunset was gorgeous and made the perfect setting to our meal. With full bellies and not much to do on the island, we sat around for a bit in the hostel before decided to head out and stroll along the beach for a bit (only in part to accompany two of our group who decided to go for a frigid dip). However, before long the weather drove us back as the rain and wind began to pick up.
The next morning was just as stormy, and we had a quick breakfast before going back onto the bus. Today would be the day to really see the island, and while the weather was not particularly comfortable I loved it. The rain and fog made it really feel like Scotland. It had an ethereal beauty about it as the red and black Cuillins peeked through the mist. The first stop on the island was at a place called Kilt rock, with a folded basaltic lava flow which is reminiscent of a kilt. But to me the highlight of this stop was the wedding veil falls. It is a waterfall that empties directly into the ocean in such a thin stream that it looks like a wedding veil. With the wind that we had, it fanned out as it got closer to the sea. To say it was beautiful is insufficient, but I suppose without bringing people along it is the best I can do. We stopped at a few other places, each of which had sheep and wonderful Gabbro deposits before beginning our journey south again. The longer stop was one called the Old Man of Storr. It was about a 20 min hike up to the rock, and along the way we were battered by rain and absolutely treacherous wind. The best way to describe it is epic. The area had the large black lava rock above us, and a beautiful view below of the hills and ocean, and along the way we passed downed trees which had been cleared. Between the roughage on the ground and the gale force winds it felt like we were going on some kind of legendary adventure instead of a mild hike up a mountain. On the drive back, our bus driver missed a turn while we were all singing along to a Scottish jig, so we ended up making a bit of a detour to drive by Lochness before stopping to grab some dinner in Fort Williams. It made us a little late getting back to Glasgow, but I couldn't have cared less after the weekend I had. Isle of Skye is impossible to describe, but I hope this was close.