Scotish Highlands Tour

Today we took a guided mini-bus tour through the Scotish Highlands. We departed on our journey after a quick stop by Starbucks so that Buffy could have her fix. As we entered into the Highlands the beautiful mountains and glens dominated the landscape. Except for the rare small town there is nothing but landscape up here. The areas we drove through covered a lot of Scotish history in their fight for independence from the British. Our tour headed to the northwest through Stirling and towards the Great Glen. The Great Glen is a series of four Lochs (one salt water three fresh water) that run northeast through southwesterly through the middle of Scotland. They are all connected together by a river and lock system. The most northerly Loch is Loch Ness. Our tour stopped in the town of Fort Augustus at the southern tip of Loch Ness and we took a 1 hour boat cruise. No Nessie on this trip. Following the time on Loch Ness we headed back south through the heartland of Scotland. For our dinner stop we hit a small village. With only a few restaurant choices that could provide dinner in 30 minutes we mentioned to the kids that we could eat at MacDonalds. Of course Emilie was like "but I don't like McDonalds" and Tori was excited as usual. Well the old folks pulled a fast one on them by going to a local restaurant called MacDonalds and not the golden arches. After the end of the trip we got to see the new city of Edinburgh courtesy of closed roads and a Garmin trying to get us home.

Greyfriar's Bobby

Lazy day in Edinburgh. We did some laundry and then headed out to find our tour departure point for tomorrow's highland excursion. While in town we stopped by to see if we could find some McKinlay tartan attire for Buffy (Her Grandmother's maiden name). Unfortunately they only have the more popular Scotish names in pre-made tartan stuff. We were able to view the tartan online at one store but that was it. After viewing a tartan making facility we headed along the streets for a nice walk. While in one store Ed asked the clerk if Greyfriar's Bobby's monument was near by. She said yes and gave us directions. So we proceeded to the Greyfriar's district and saw the monument to this loyal dog. When Bobby's owner Jock passed away in 1858 he was burried in Greyfriar's Church cemetery. Bobby laid by his master's graveside for 14 years until he passed away. The people of Greyfriars "adopted" him and purchased his town registration so that he could legally roam in the area. We previously had happened to have watched a Disney version of the story that was made in the 1960's. The girls loved watching it and so when we found out that we could see the monument they were excited. They commented on the toys that were left at Bobby's gravesite. Children continue to leave a little something to honor this loyalest of dogs.

Giants Causeway & Carrick-a-rede Rope Bridge

Today we drove along the Antrim Coast in Northern Ireland. Our first stop was Giants Causeway. This area along the coast has pockets of hexagonal columns that protrude up from the earth. There is a local legend of Finn the Giant causing these stones to form. We really enjoyed climbing all over them and seeing their unique shapes. It is hard to describe how interesting it was to see it up close. After our visit to Giants Causeway we headed to Carrack-a-rede Rope Bridge. The bridge spans a casm that is 30 meters below the bridge and takes you out to a tiny island off shore. A maximum of 8 people are allowed on the bridge at any one time and it is single direction traffic. The kids enjoyed bouncing across it. The walk on the island was nice and peaceful. After that we drove the rest of the coastal road down to Belfast where we met our ferry to end the Ireland portion of our trip. After two and half hours on the ferry we reached Scotland. Two and half more hours and we arrived in Edinburgh for the night. We will spend three nights here before heading south towards home. Tomorrow is a lazy day and possibly the Edinburgh Castle (if the girls are up to it).

Derry (Londonderry), Northern Ireland

We drove about 5 hours north to get closer to the Antrim coast (tomorrow's journey). We stopped in Derry for the night. Derry (Londonderry to the Brits) is a former walled city that is still included within the new city boundaries. The walls were used during the fighting of James II and William I. They are well preserved and are walkable. We headed to see them in the afternoon and walked around for about an hour. From the walls you can see the famous Bogside district where the 1972 Bloody Sunday masacre happened. The area is a Catholic stronghold that still flies the Irish tricolour flag. It is one of the only areas that do in defiance to the British rule. To aid in the rememberance of the fighting, Bogside artists paint murals on building walls to commemorate their struggle. In the news today two Unionist groups have officially disarmed. To think that this is 2009 and they are finally putting down their guns. We head out of Ireland tomorrow night on a ferry and have a bit of sightseeing to do before we depart.

Enis Oirr & Cliffs of Moher

We left Shannon in the morning and hit the 10am ferry out to Enis Oirr Island. This is the eastern most Aran Island and has a population of about 250. Right off the boat we took a horsedrawn carriage ride through the eastern side of the island. We were shown the stone hedgerow fences that are traditionally used in Ireland. The stones are from the ground and have enough holes in them to allow the Atlantic storm winds to pass through them. Yet they are sturdy enough to corral cattle and horses. The locals years ago brought sand up from the shore to "fill in" these areas to plant crops and grass. We walked around a bit and had a drink at one of the two pubs on the island. After that the girls went to a local park and played for a bit. When our time was done we took the ferry back to see the famous Cliffs of Moher. These cliffs range between 200 and 240 meters high and is an avian sanctuary for three major types of birds, including the Atlantic Puffin. The cliffs were used as the "Cliffs of Insanity" in the movie "Princess Bride". Our boat sailed down half of the span and then moved in closer to them and returned back to shore. It was neat to look up over 700 feet up to the top. After we got ashore we headed to a pub for dinner and had some fun with a few Irish lads who were watching a soccer match on the TV. The group of them were having fun and we enjoyed interacting with them. The girls helped them cheer on their team. Tomorrow we leave the Republic of Ireland and head to Northern Ireland.

Bunratty Folk Park & Castle

In the Shannon area there is a 13th Century castle and surrounding folk park. Bunratty Castle serves as the centerpiece of the area. The folk park displays period life from around Ireland during the later half of the 19th Century. The park is a self-guided event that showcases various farm houses and trade houses during that period. A Bobby was patrolling the park and proceeded to arrest Tori and hand Emilie a summons for littering. The girls had great fun with the policeman. We walked around all afternoon and then headed to the hotel. We would return to the castle for a banquet later that evening. The banquet began in the upper hall of the castle with some traditional mead (apple juice for the kids) and harp and violin music. Then the emcee invited us all to the banquet hall for our feast. The staff performed a few songs throughout dinner with a touring couple being crowned Lord and Lady for the evening. After the dessert the crew performed a few more traditional Irish songs and they capped the evening off with a nice version of "Danny Boy". As we departed the castle there was a lone bagpiper playing away for about 30 minutes. It was a fitting end to a wonderful meal and entertainment.