July 5, 2010

Laggan, Scotland

5:30-8:00 a .m.

I slept so well last night that I woke up at 5:30 a.m. in exactly the same position that I fell asleep in! I kept the windows open last night, but closed the drapes so the midges (biting insects) wouldn’t get into the room. I dressed very warm today by wearing my thick blue jeans and socks. I made sure I had my rain poncho available in my carry-on bag. We had the normal English breakfast. The scrambled eggs were runny so I had a larger helping of it. After boarding the bus we headed off to our next stop, the Clava Cairns.

8:00-10:45 a.m.

Croy, Scotland

We passed over the River Spey and Newtonmore, where we were supposed to have a Drambuie toast to Bonnie Prince Charlie and hear some pipes in the old Barrick’s Ruins. We then passed over the River Findhorn near Tomatin and then into the town of Croy. The Clava Cairns are Neolithic burial sites are located just on the outskirts of Croy. We stopped and took pictures of the different stoneworks, and then proceeded to the Culloden Battlefield . After touring a wonderful visitor center that explained the history of the battle and its outcomes, I took a short walking tour onto the actual battlefield. So many died on that field in 1746 in such a short time. There are only a few flags marking where the British army were lined up and where the Jacobites under the command of Bonnie Prince Charlie were lined up. The moorland was full of wild flowers and thistle. The wind was blowing a fierce cold wind and it was raining slightly. Although I was only able to get as far as the British line due to time constraints, one could feel the extreme sadness of the place. On the way back I picked a small thistle to take back with me. Once inside the gift shop in the children’s section, I found a small magnifying container that held a small fossil. I bought it and once out of the gift shop, I took out the fossil and placed the thistle inside the container. Our next stop would be Inverness.

10:45-1:30p.m.

Inverness, Scotland

We skirted the edge of Inverness and made our way to Loch Ness . We stopped for a few pictures. Some people took off their shoes and put their feet in the water, but I just stuck my hand in the water. The lake was a very dark blue and very choppy, and no, I didn’t see Nessie. Surprisingly, there were no souvenirs shops near the beach. There were some small snack shops, but no trinkets. We quickly boarded the bus and stopped in the shopping area of Inverness. I had a lot of souvenirs to mail back home so I took off for the post office. Unfortunately, today was Benefits day (Welfare check day), so it took me almost an hour to mail my packages. It cost me £ 72.00 ($100.00) to mail the items in 4 days. I didn’t want to pay that much, but due to the uncertainty of it even getting to home at a much cheaper land rate, I felt that paying a little more is worth it. As for the rest of the stuff I buy, I will just keep it in my duffle bag and use the bag as a carry on when I fly home. I cut through a Victorian Marketplace (high priced items), and crossed over to the main square where I was able to grab a quick bite to eat at a Pizza Express (love those thin crust pizzas!). I had just enough time to eat and use the restroom before getting back on the bus.