So...Loch Ness definitely makes the top five in most beautiful places I've ever been. Possibly even the top three. It's right up there with Rocamadour, France, and Sounion, Greece. Absolutely gorgeous...and yes, pictures will be coming soon (probably tomorrow when I'm looking for an excuse not to go back to homework...).
The trip started on Saturday with a study group trip to Stirling Castle, which was anticlimactic to say the least. Not recommended. There are castles and then there are castles. Unfortunately, Stirling wasn't too impressive. The grounds were pretty, and the view was nice, but nothing particularly special, especially after the other castles I've now visited. However, while in Stirling, we also visited the Wallace Monument, courtesy of the Frank Bank, which was definitely worth the trip and the intense climb to the top. It was smoggy, so we couldn't quite see to Edinburgh, but we could see some amazing mountains to the north that I now really want to visit. And the architecture of the monument is gorgeous, even though the base is asymmetrical and it bothers me. That's what monuments should look like, not some silly white obelisk...
Anyway, from Stirling we took the world's longest and most nausea-inducing train ride to Inverness, where we took the world's longest and most nausea-inducing bus ride to Fort Augustus, a town on the southern tip of Loch Ness. Let's just say I was really, really happy to get off that bus! We checked into our hostel (Morag's Lodge), which not only was really nice (like, hotel level nice) but had some of the best service I've ever encountered anywhere. It was really late when we got there and nowhere in town was still serving food, but the bartender/receptionist/trivia leader offered to fix us "just something from the freezer," which turned out to be homemade chicken curry and rice and garlic bread. It was amazing. They were so helpful with everything, it was unbelievable. If you're ever in the area, I highly recommend it.
Sunday morning we set out to explore the famous Loch. We found a pier that ran out just far enough to get a good view up and down the lake, and that first look was breath-taking. The sky was completely blue--and that NEVER happens in Scotland!--and the surrounding mountains were covered in snow, and the water was so clear and still that everything was perfectly reflected in it. Absolutely gorgeous. It was the perfect day to see it, and honestly I think winter might be the best time to see it. The snow and cold just adds something to how beautiful it is that I don't think would be the same if everything around it was just green. Maybe I'll have to go back in April and see what I think then. ;-)
We wandered through town for a little while, trying to find another good view of the lake. What we discovered was that the old abbey on the bank of the loch has been turned into apartments--I want one!! I can only imagine how gorgeous both the place and the view must be from there. Someday...
Also, this might be a good time to mention the obsession with Hairy Coos (Highland cows--those shaggy, adorable cows found in Scotland) that Brandon and I seem to have developed. We asked at the hostel if there was anywhere nearby (besides the petting zoo, which was closed for the winter--sadness!) where we could see some coos, and the receptionist told us about this lakeside path that's technically private property but leads to a B&B on the lakefront and passes some fields where a crazy old lady keeps her pet coos. So we followed the path, which was indeed gorgeous, until we rounded a bend and saw a house with dogs that decided to come running toward us. We debated whether this was private or not, but then we saw a sign for parking and figured it was the B&B, so we went towards it. Unfortunately, the Crazy Coo Lady apparently also runs the B&B, and she was not particularly happy to see us. She was really rude, even when we asked about staying there on another trip because it was literally right on the lake (and has coos!) and kind of scary. So we fled the scene, without even seeing a single coo. The walk was beautiful, though, so it was worth the effort.
That afternoon, we took a cruise on the loch that circled the southern third of it. Loch Ness is 23 miles long and holds more water than all the other bodies of water in Britain (or something like that--pretty sure that's right) so it just kind of goes on forever. We looked for Nessie, of course, but no luck. She has plenty of room to hide, that's for sure. But it was a great trip around the lake, and a fun way to spend part of the afternoon.
After that, we wandered up the Caledonian Canal (it connects three lochs using--locks! So clever) which was pretty, but by that time we were all getting pretty tired, so we retreated to the hostel and read for a couple of hours before dinner. I watched the mountains turn pink with the sunset, and I missed the Sandias a little--but just a little! When we got back from dinner, we proceeded to sit in the lobby and horrify the eavesdropping receptionist (well, maybe not eavesdropping--we were kind of loud and hard to miss) with our various stories about Colgate. It was nice to just to hang out and relax after such a busy day.
This morning we discovered that no one in Fort Augustus eats breakfast before 10am, which was unfortunate because we got up at 8:30 and were starving by 9. We finally found a place that literally had just opened today, that was pretty good and very friendly. We then took a bus (ugh) to Urquhart Castle, which I would happily live in, ruined or not, on the banks of the northern half of Loch Ness. Again, it was basically too beautiful for words. The hills were green, the sky and loch were blue, the mountains across the loch were covered in snow, and the castle was destroyed just enough to look artistic. I loved it. I can't decide if it beats Linlithgow as far as best castles in Scotland, but I'm leaning toward saying it does. Certainly the setting is the best ever for a castle, even if the ruins themselves aren't as awesome as Linlithgow.
I took the early bus back to Inverness by myself (relax--it was perfectly safe, Mom) and had a couple of hours to kill before the others joined me. I walked down along the River Ness, which is quite pretty (rivers are so clean here...) and admired the castle, which, though built in the 19th century, is still pretty awesome. If I ever get arrested, I hope it's in Inverness, because the castle is their courthouse and you can't go inside as just a tourist. Just saying.
I also managed to do some shopping and find a Starbucks (naturally) before it was time to head back to St. A. The train ride wasn't terrible, just long, and almost ended in disaster when they didn't announce our stop and we didn't realize we were there until we looked out and saw the station and had approximately thirty seconds to get off the train. Not the best way to end the trip, but we survived and (I think) managed to get all of our belongings.
Overall a great weekend, and a nice way to recover from the nightmare that was last week. I repeat, if you're ever in Scotland, GO TO LOCH NESS. It's not a tourist trap. It's actually amazing and one of the coolest places I've ever been. Don't miss it!
Back to the real world tomorrow...sigh. But I'm headed to Dublin on Friday, so I won't be in the real world for long! :)
A bientot,
~L
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