Once in the Highlands, the Highlands of Scotland...

I'm back from my Semana Blanca trip (I told you I still love you). It was so great to finally make it to the UK and Ireland, as I had never visited. I'll start with Scotland, which is where our trip began.

We flew from Bilbao to Manchester, where we took a train to Edinburgh. Once in Edinburgh, we met up with my friend Denise, who lives just outside the city, in Dalkeith. She was gracious enough to host Matt, Bryce and I, even though I hadn't seen her in around 10 years! It was great seeing her again and reading some of the old diaries she had written when she was visiting Wisconsin (Ok, maybe no great-more like cringe-worthy).

We were on a pretty tight schedule, and we were busy from sun up to sun down. Edinburgh is an amazingly beautiful city, and I was constantly surprised at the things I saw there.

The highlight of our trip to Scotland was the day tour of the Highlands, with Haggis Adventures. I highly recommend them to anyone looking for a way to see Scotland. We took a little bus up to Loch Ness and stopped at Glencoe and a few other little towns along the way.

I learned so much, and our tour guide, Greg, was so knowledgeable. For example, in Glencoe, we learned about a battle that took place between 2 Highland clans, the Campbells and the MacDonalds. 300 years later, if you try to check into the one hotel in Glencoe with the last name Campbell, you will be turned away.

Glencoe, which means "Weeping Valley" in Gaelic

Loch Ness was also a surprise, as I didn't realize it was such a big loch. It's 23 miles long, one mile wide, and in some parts, deeper than the North Sea. If you emptied all the water from Loch Ness, it would cover all of the UK with 6 inches of water. 

The Loch and its immenseness

We got to hang around in Fort Augustus, the first town on the loch, for a few hours and explore. It was chilly, but intriguing, and we were all on the lookout for Nessie, as there's a million pound reward for any photos of her. 

After listening to Greg's thoughts on Nessie, and seeing the loch, I am definitely more convinced that Nessie exists. 

Ft. Augustus, the town on the shores of Loch Ness

We also got to sample many of Scotland's culinary delights. On the first night, Denise and her friend took us to the "chippy", a fish and chips place where you can get pretty much anything imaginable. That night we were treated to deep fried pizza, which was delicious. I also tried haggis, of couse, and was surprised that I actually liked it. We also had whisky and Irn Bru, the most popular soft drink in Scotland. 

Deep-fried haggis ball. Yum!

Scotland was nothing short of amazing, and everyone who I knew that had previously talked to about it wasn't exaggerating about it's beauty and intrigue. I definitely want to return and explore more of it, especially up in the Highlands. 

Stay tuned for the next stop on the trip, Dublin.

Originally published 2.27.12