Scotland Bound

Kay, Mariette and I are busy preparing to leave for Scotland and Ireland tomorrow. Needless to say we are very excited though all of us have some lingering health troubles to deal with. Fingers crossed these will be behind us in a day or two. While we planned the trip with plenty of time for “touristy” sightseeing, Kay will also write, I will research and location scout, and Mariette will study her ancestry.

Our trip will start in Edinburgh after a short stop in Paris (just long enough for me to try croissant at Charles de Gaulle given my hunt for the world’s best airport croissant). We will have three days of visiting places such as Roslyn Chapel and Edinburgh Castle, touring the museums and libraries, and a walk down the Royal Mile. And then the real adventure starts! We will be off to the Highlands with quick detours to view important castles and battlefields along the way. After 4 days in the Highlands, with Inverness as our base, we will drive to the Isle of Skye. The annual commemorative service remembering the events of the battle of Culloden will be held on April 16th near Inverness. I am beyond thrilled to be able to attend this event. Here is a link to the Culloden site for those interested in learning more: The Culloden Battle

After touring the Isle of Skye we will venture down the scenic West Highlands to Glasgow for a short stop before crossing the Irish Sea to Dublin. The tour of Ireland will be much shorter and will include loop road trip from Dublin to Galway to Cork and back to Dublin. We all want to see the Book of Kells and Cliffs of Mohair but the schedule is otherwise open.

Lastly we will go to London for a couple of days to finish our trip with a bang.

I promised to try as many of the local culinary offerings as humanly possible during our trip but am now wondering what possessed me to commit to such a venture. I am sincerely hoping for more fresh seafood choices and less of haggis and “bangers & mash” variety. And if not… there is always a hope of some fine Scottish whiskey and good Irish beer!

Let the adventure begin!