Sojourning in Scotland

One of the major blessings in my life are my friendships.  This week two Tri Delta friends of 56 years visited me in Scotland (Virginia Harrigan and Sharon Shirey).  We had a wonderful time and did more things than I thought possible while they were here.  I took the train to Edinburgh and met them and my Scottish friends for dinner at Maxie's.  Barbara Henderson and I have been friends for about 20 years and her daughter owns the house I am renting while in Scotland.  It was a fun night.

They had visited every major site in Edinburgh before I met them in Edinburgh and rode back to the Highlands with them. They seemed to enjoy the Royal Botanical Gardens and Holyrood Castle the most.

On the way back to Nethy Bridge, we

 visited Blair Castle with it’s own private army, and stopped at a shopping area with the very best of Scottish products.

We even visited Ballathie Country House, a showplace Virginia had just read about in a glossy magazine that had just arrived at her house the day before she left.  We ate lunch and met a Trump supporter. She gave the magazine to the staff who did not know of the nice just-published article.

 We visited out of the way bookshops in the middle of nowhere, visited fishing villages of Scotland with a private fishing museum tour by an actual fisherman, and  saw a number of beautiful gardens,  We visited the ruins of a Cathedral and a working Abby down a long country road far from any village.

Trump Supporter with Hat

One of us even zip-lined for 2 hours through forest and glen overlooking small rivers (Sharon).  We all took the funicular to the top of a nearby mountain for stupendous views.

We tried to find Nessie in Loch Ness, - but ended up in a very touristy Loch Ness attraction, got totally lost numerous times but found our way home every time  (it took 3 of us to maneuver numerous round -a -bouts).

Visiting the last Scottish Highland Games of the year in Pitlochry, a picturesque town an hour away by train, was a highlight this week.  They even had a special tent area for International visitors with food and wine.  Sharon, my visitor friend is from New Orleans and she NEVER meets a stranger or dog she doesn't  love!  These interactions enriched us time and time again.

We ate our way across the Highlands at small and large restaurants, sampling the foods known in this area and explored anything that caught our interest.

Ballindaloch Castle

We celebrated Virginia's birthday with a visit to a great castle nearby and had special treats all day in her honor! The whole week was jam-packed and the weather was near perfect despite weather reports of rain 80% of time.

Hotel/Restaurant a half mile from my house - huge for a 3 store village !

As for me, it was extremely helpful to have use of a car for the week to get my bearings again in this rural area near so many great sights.  My cousins and my sister and brother in law are also coming and I now feel comfortable taking them around in their rental cars! 

In short, I am loving my location at “North Fork” – there are no numbers, only names for the houses in my village (many also in Gaelic language).   This house is available for rent and I will be happy to send you pictures and a contact for this great location in the middle of the Whiskey Trail and the Highlands of Scotland.  The small 3 bedroom, 2 bath home with a separate bar-be-que hut is perfect. 

When I do not have a car (often), it is so easy to catch the bus 3 minutes from the house to nearby larger towns with anything I need or train service elsewhere in Scotland!

I will be here until December 1 when I return to my beloved Italy.  I still plan to have time for reflection, increased spirituality, walking the woodland trails, and having time to think. I hope to come home after this “Senior Sabbatical” with a better idea how I want to spend the rest of my life!  Time for this already seems much too short and will probably remain a work in progress!