Week 2 On our third day in Edinburgh, we booked a bus tour to the Scottish Highlands to see Glencoe and Loch Ness in particular. Early that morning we walked from our Airbnb to the designated pickup spot. From Edinburgh, it was a four hour drive up to Loch Ness with a couple stops along the way, one being at Glencoe for pictures. Our bus driver was AMAZING! For most of the ride he was narrating and telling us about Scottish history, fun stories about his experiences visiting the places we were driving by, and interesting movies facts like where Harry Potter, James Bond, and Outlander were filmed. Glencoe It was absolutely STUNNING! Pictures don't do this place justice. All of the scenery we were passing on the bus was beautiful, but it was here that we actually got to get off, walk around, and take pictures (not through the bus windows). The photo on the right was taken on the bus as we were driving up to Glencoe. In Glencoe, there are three peaks called the Three Sisters. You can see part of one peak in the middle photo. If you look closely, in this photo you'll also see a waterfall cascading down. When it rains, there are hundreds of waterfalls along these mountains. This location was used as the backdrop for multiple Harry Potter films and in the Prisoner of Azkaban, it was were Hagrid's Hut was located. Some Scottish terms: Glen - valley Ben - mountain Loch - lake Loch Ness The absolutely picturesque scenery continued as we made our way to Loch Ness. We saw the Loch from the village Fort Augustus. We opted not to do the boat tour on the Loch, but found a great spot right along the shore where we took pictures (photo on the left) and ate the sandwiches we brought for lunch. Even though it was quite chilly, we saw people paddle boarding and kayaking in the Loch. Fort Augustus is also home to the Caledonian Canal (part of it is pictured on the right). This canal runs from Inverness to Fort William. Whiskey Ice Cream
On the drive back to Edinburgh, we made a couple stops. One was to try see the highland cattle, but because the cattle got moved to a different pasture, we only got a quick glimpse. We stopped in Pitlochry for a quick bathroom break, but the driver recommended we try the whiskey ice cream at the Scotch Corner. It was very yummy! This corner shop also sold tablet, a Scottish confection.
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Kaylee MikiI'm a college student from Hawai‘i studying abroad in London and looking forward to traveling around Europe and sharing my experiences. Archives
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