Hey, where are you going?
I'll keep it brief. I just want to let you know that I haven't dropped off the face of the earth, I just went to the other side of the earth for an extended romp around Scotland. OH MY GOD DID YOU KNOW SCOTLAND EXISTS? THEN WHY AREN'T WE ALL THERE? Oh, you don't like the real possibility of cold drizzly rain every single day of the year? Well that kinda weather is right down my alley, so I was HOME.
Glasgow has the BEST CEMETERY EVER, called The Necropolis, on top of a hill.
I have one hundred photos of Glasgow sights, but I am choosing this photo of The Necropolis to share with you because look at it.
Actually, Glasgow is lousy with museums and not just local, volunteer-operated repurposed houses with a couple dusty dioramas, but huge, stone temples to the past with so much awesome stuff they have to keep most of it in storage. Oh, man, Scotland has lost track of more history than we even have. I couldn't get it all in. My eyes got sore from looking. Drew's feet got sore from walking. My feet couldn't have been happier.
Criagmillar Castle outside Edinburgh.
Would you like to know how it feels to be inside the courtyard of a 14th century castle? I don't because I ALREADY KNOW and it's AWESOME.
Fluffy coo
They really do have these fluffy coos in Scotland, although I suspect they keep them around for the tourists as they are outnumbered by their less fluffy cousins. They seem to know that their job is posing for photos.
Urquhart Castle on Loch Ness
Here is Urquhart Castle on Loch Ness (pronounce "Urkurt," but in a Scottish accent). It's very popular because of its position right on Loch Ness which is popular because of a fish monster.
Girnigoe and Sinclair Castle, Wick, Scotland
Here is a cooler, just as ruined castle on the east coast that we got to explore by ourselves because there are no road signs to it and there's a bit of a hike to get out to it. I hope that never changes.
Inside a Neolithic cairn
When you travel with me, you get to see all KINDS of burial ideas! Here's a stone-age one: build a big pile of stones with a secret chamber in the center.
Outside a Neolithic cairn. In particular, the Grey Cairns of Camster outside of Wick.
This is another thing that requires a good GPS and a guide book because there is not a lot of signage. WHY AREN'T MORE PEOPLE INTERESTED IN STONE AGE DEATH CAVERNS?
Stacks of Duncansby off of Noss Head at the far northeast corner of Scotland
I'm beginning to appreciate all that I put Drew through as my driver and companion to every offbeat, off-the-beaten-track bit of beauty that I was able to research during my vacation preparation. Here we are on another hike in the far northeastern corner in the rain to view this bit of earthly mightiness. Pretty cool though, right?
Drew at John O' Groats
We'll leave Drew here at John O' Groats. In my next slide show, we will cross the Pentland Firth to the Orkney Islands, even norther than Scotland to find Skara Brae and other stone age treasures, then head down the west coast.
You're coming back for the second half of our trip, right?
Right?