Chasing Shiny Pennies

Sorry about the bold type glitch. It’s as bad as all caps. If you didn’t notice, just ignore this passage.

So, we made it to Inverness. The flight from London was delayed, but we made it. We found a Portuguese dive within walking distance of the hotel in London and had an excellent meal. Grilled octopus for me and a traditional Portuguese comfort food stew for Liz.

The Inverness airport was a time warp that transported us back to the 1970’s. The car rental agent was a delight and I won’t need to fret the whole time we’re here about possible arrest. We got our car, stopped at a grocery store for the necessities…cheese, bread, crackers, olives, oatmeal, double cream, instant coffee, beer, wine, and a sewing kit. Liz has worn a hole in the only pair of socks she brought and I need to darn them tonight.

So we get to our stay, get the heat cranked up (even Liz was chilled), unpacked, and relaxed. I was feeling a great sense of relief at having escaped the clutches of BA relatively unscathed. We fixed a snack, a drink, and planned our tomorrow.

Todayish (2nd & 3rd) Liz wanted to do a farmers market and had located one. In the center of town. The market wasn’t much (’cause it ain’t Dutch [reference anyone?]) but we did get to walk through a multi-level shopping mall to get there and that was exciting. Then we walked around the town center for a bit.

One of the things I love about the cities and towns and villages we’ve been through is the age. The stonework and carpentry and glazing that is everywhere is a testament to the skill and artistry of the folks who created it. We walked along the riverfront, through a graveyard, then we went to a pub (an entry for your spreadsheet Jim) for a cheese board, beer and wine. Then we went home.

I’ve got to divert here. I just noticed a picture that, viewed with a jaundiced eye, is clearly me photobombing Liz. She’s going to get home, see the picture, and….”WTF!!! Who is that creepy guy?”.

Anyway.

When we were planning this trip, I took the transportation, Ireland, Scotland and administrative details. Liz took France. The rest would be on the fly. Except for the lock on the return flight from Copenhagen. We’re a touch less than a month in, and the firm, no refund commitments are gone, and we are now officially on the fly. Way, way earlier than planned.

While planning my portion of things, I’d locked in Ireland and the initial stay in Scotland (8 days in Inverness). The plan was to rent a car and do day trips north, east, west, and a little south, before landing in Edinburgh for a few days and then setting sail to Paris. One of the places on my list for a day trip was the Isle of Skye. A day trip won’t do it. Hence…on the fly. We shifted transportation and our initial stay in Paris and will spend 4 days on the Isle of Skye. Then we’ll pick up where we left off.

We visited the Clava Cairns and attempted to visit Cawdor Castle. It turns out that the castle is someone’s home and this time of year visits are by appointment only. It’s 275 GBP. To visit someone’s home. I mean, yeah, it’s a castle. But not with a guard room, and portcullis, and moat, and drawbridge. It’s a country estate of a noble back when there were class distinctions (1300’s in this case). Interesting how little has changed, isn’t it? When we get back, I’m going to do that. Offer tours of the Wickford Estate, Gardens, and Petting Zoo. I haven’t settled on a price yet but it’ll be in USD not GBP. Start saving. Maybe I’ll offer a tasting menu upcharge.

The upside was, in trying to break in to the castle grounds we discovered a forest path. And wandered around for a couple of hours. Because….what’s better than that?

Today (4th). We visited Urquhart Castle and, as it sets on the bank of Loch Ness, we got to see the monster, too.

We went native again. Sorry to disappoint. We visited Culloden Battlefield, Brodie Castle, did laundry, and prepped for our next move.

We don’t have any pictures. Culloden Battlefield is a big field, varying topography, where the battle that broke the Jacobites happened. It was…interesting. We’re still doing this crap. It’s going on now, today. It’s always about power and wealth and subjugation. We’re really a stupid species.

Then we went to Brodie Castle. We had a tour. It was me, Liz, and a young guy. I’m young too, just not as young as he was. As we left, Liz said..”What a dismal life!” (not ours, ours is still goodish). They should retrain their tour guide. I don’t like tours. That one just reinforced my opinion. “We’re walking, we’re walking…”. Just not for me. I want to stop and look at stuff, take my time, figure out what was going on.

Then we did laundry.

An admin day before we move on to the Isle of Skye. Laundry, stocking up on essentials (we’ll be in the boonies on this one), gassing up, preliminary packing, and tying up a few transportation loose ends.

So not a lot. But we’ve landed and I’ve got some pictures to share of the trip to the Isle of Skye. Not now though. We have no wifi. I’m not sure how I missed that in the description. I’ll save it for the next page and hope this updates over cell.