I had a nice breakfast with a lively group--George, his mom, and his aunt. They were great fun. George's wife had stayed in the room as she sprained her ankle the day they arrived, and was resting it. She is getting around pretty well with a cane, but doesn't want to overdo it. They were telling me that they took her to the ER, and when George asked about paying the bill, they told him it was free, even to visitors! A nice perk of
socialized medicine, I guess, but it seems unfair that the Scottish taxpayers should have to foot the bill for medical care for an American.
On the bus, I found that I have a double seat all to myself. Good and bad--good because I have lots of room, bad because I don't have anyone there to talk to! But I did ok, chatting with the people in front and
behind me, and across the aisle. Karen gave us a bunch of info about Scotland. I already knew a lot of it (I am up on my Scottish history!), but I did learn some interesting things. For instance, Scotland has a population of 5.1 million people, and 11.1 million sheep. (guess the Johnstons have really reformed from our sheep-stealing days!). Glasgow is farther north than either Juneau, Alaska or Moscow. The Highlands get up
to 150 inches of rain a year!
Our first stop was Stirling Castle, built in the 15th century. Having learned the history of William Wallace and Robert the Bruce, and the battles of Stirling Bridge and Bannockburn (both of which we won!), it was
cool to see the place where it all happened. The castle was awesome! The great hall, which we were able to go into, and even take pictures, was just amazing. Huge and beautiful, with stained glass windows and 5 fireplaces! The views were just breathtaking, and I even had my picture taken sitting on a ledge overlooking the countryside below the castle.
From there we traveled to the Glenturret Distillery, where they make single malt whiskey and also some that is part of Famous Grouse Whiskey. It was really interesting seeing how whiskey is made. The place was much smaller han I imagined it would be, and it smelled heavenly! We had lunch in the estaurant there, complete with a tasting of 5 different kinds of whiskey made there. I passed on that part, but lunch was fabulous. The best salmon I think I ever ate, and for dessert there was strawberry syllabub, which was berries, whiskey infused cream, and crumbled meringue. It was out of this world!
After lunch we drove through the Trossachs. It is beautiful countryside, and there were lots of sheep and cows. We actually saw 2 cows making a baby cow! It was quite a sight! We arrived back at Loch Lomond, and took a boat trip around the Loch. We were able to see our hotel from the Loch, as well as several manor houses. I was glad I had brought my 'weather bag', with a sweater and my trench coat. I needed them both, along with my jacket! We were blessed with a mostly sunny day of about 65 degrees, but it got chilly out on the water.
We returned to the hotel around 6 and I went for a short walk. I actually found a cell phone signal which has
been hard to come by up here. I went up to the room to relax a bit and change for dinner, and then went down to the Cameron Grill to meet Dick and Jennifer for dinner. The meal was outstanding. We all ordered the starter of a goat cheese and bean ravioli (just one), and the rack of lamb. The ravioli was divine, and the lamb was just perfect. For dessert I went for a rhubarb dish that was a thick cream, stewed rhubarb, and then a crisp, granola type topping. Yummo! The great food was complimented by the wonderful company--they are just so nice. Jennifer was wearing black slacks and a black top, with a fancy scarf thingy. She said it is her only dinner outfit--she just has several different scarves. What a GREAT travel idea! I will have to remember it for my next trip.
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