July 29, 2008 Keith to Kyle of Lochalsh

I slept surprisingly well in my tiny bed, but was rudely awakened at about 6:30 when the train lurched ahead. I nearly fell out of bed! I dozed a bit on and off after that, but at about 8:15 I gave up and got out of bed. I took a shower. Now THAT was an experience! It’s tiny! Barely room to turn around, much less bend over. I dropped my comb on the floor, and had to open the shower door to be able to pick it up! The water was odd too--I still can’t figure out these foreign faucets!

Breakfast with Deb--I had some lovely porridge with cream and sugar, fresh squeezed OJ, toast, and some “ham”, which sure looked like thick bacon to me. Deb and Daddy both have pain in their low backs. I gave Deb a nice massage, and then we both decided to take naps--I was just too tired! I woke up after an hour or so and headed out to the observation car. It was deserted. I guess most everyone went on the distillery tour, but I passed--no interest. I sat and read for awhile, and had a cup of tea. It was raining and dreary out.

We had lunch with the other Johnstons. They are a lot of fun! The boys are both in college. We had some very nice chicken over mashed potatoes, and dessert was raspberries in some sort of sauce that had A LOT of alcohol in it. I couldn’t taste it, but I sure felt it! My legs felt drunk! We spent the afternoon in the observation car enjoying the beautiful scenery. It stopped raining and the sun came out, so it was nice.

At 4:30, we stopped in Plockton. We took a coach into town, where half the people got off to take a boat to see seals. The rest of us stayed on awhile longer and went to Eilean Donan Castle. It was beautiful! There were lots of steps, which I could NEVER have done 6 months ago. Our guide, kilt and all, was a local who was great fun. He told us all sorts of history of the place, and compared it to modern times. For instance, the peek holes in the walls of the Great Room (for watching and listening to guests who might be there to kill you!!) were “ancient closed circuit TV”. Mom did really well with the steps--I was quite impressed! I got some postcards in the gift shop, since photos were not allowed in the castle. On the way back to the train, our driver, Des, took us across the Skye Bridge to the Isle of Skye. Apparently Q offers a walk across in the morning--at 7:00! No thanks, I’ll be sleeping! It’s so cool--the signs on the road are all in English AND Gaelic (which is actually the first language around here)

We returned to the train to dress for our formal dinner. Kilts for everyone!! Q had to help Dad get his outfit all together. Finally he was all dressed and he looked GREAT! There were 3 other guys in kilts besides Daddy and Q, and they all looked great. Mr. Johnston didn’t have a kilt, but he recognized our plaid. We took lots of pictures outside of the train, and in at dinner. We had gnocchi, which was pretty good, and halibut, which was not, and some little potatoes. Dessert was some fancy thing that had eggs in it, so I had a nice fruit plate instead. After dinner there was entertainment in the observation car. A local (from the Isle of Skye) came and played Scottish tunes on the fiddle. Of course he was wearing a kilt! We have to keep the windows closed because the midges are terrible due to the warm weather (little bugs sort of like mosquitoes) So it’s a bit warm in the rooms, but my room seems to be the coolest, so I’m OK.