July 31: Last Day in the Highlands

Harry Potter's birthday dawned cold and cloudy, and we woke up and got to work! We needed to pack, clean, load the car, and get out the door to meet Laura at Culloden Battlefield at 9:30 for our last day in the Scottish Highlands. I did my tried-and-true Ab Ripper X video from P90X, some lunges and squats from my high school Cindy Crawford workout video, and called it good. A quick shower and the exhaustingly-familiar routine of gathering everything into the suitcases, triple-checking bathrooms and electrical outlets, grocery bagging food (and throwing extra away, which I hate), and loading up the giant van.

It was a cold, windy day, which gave us a little appreciation for the Jacobite soldiers fighting in the snow on this battlefield in the 1700's 

Laura explained the battle in such vivid detail, we could really see and understand and sympathize with what happened here

The red flags are where the English government troops were positioned; the blue flags in the distance were the Scottish highland rebels who wanted a different king on the throne

Sweet, happy Laura keeping us entertained and educated

Leaving the battlefield to enter the museum. Poor Erik regretted his decision to wear shorts.

A wall with the names of fallen soldiers. I wish our name were still spelled the original way. I don't understand why people change the spellings of names unless it's offensive or extra ridiculous. 

The kids experimenting with firearms

Next we headed to Clava Cairns, which are Bronze Age ring forts used to cremate their dead and practice mysterious rituals.

Laura bringing it all to life!

Taking some time to run around and explore

And Erik changed into pants in the car and grabbed a warmer jacket, then took some time out to work

Stone's favorite parts are when he can run around freely

And pretend to stab people

Next to a little church to learn about old Scottish customs

Including the public shaming of rule-breakers by the front door of the church. If that were the custom today Stone would have his own metal collar with his name on it at the Grant Road Building. 

Lucy bonding with a statue at Cawdor Castle

An impromptu Daddy/Daughter dance on the tartan carpet in the castle

These people were apparently shorter than we are!

Only Stone and I could walk through without ducking

Stone loves descending to dungeons

90's Lindsay

The gardens were absolutely gorgeous

I will miss scenes like this so much once we're home

Next, on to Fort George, a gigantic military base built by England to subdue the highland clans after the Jacobite uprisings. By the time it was done the highland way of life had been sufficiently destroyed by the government so they never needed the military presence. What a complete waste of time and resources. Interesting to see though, and the best part was the views from the high walls around it! We looked out at the ocean and saw several pods of dolphins jumping and playing in the waves! And it was so windy, the kids had a blast seeing how far they could lean against it and be held up.

Stone alone on the rampart with the Scottish flag

After we finished at Fort George, we said goodbye to Laura and set off for the next adventure - a three hour drive from the highlands down to Edinburgh. We stopped at a darling little town called Pitlochry to eat a delicious meal (one of my favorites of the trip! Amazing salmon for dinner and sticky toffee pudding for dessert) and walk around in the cold. Then talking and singing in the car, and driving over a breathtaking suspension bridge into the big, beautiful, dark and gothic city of Edinburgh. Our apartment was right next to the castle in the heart of the old town, and we unloaded the car and took our suitcases up and up and up many stairs to a round tower-shaped 19th Century apartment building, while the sound of bagpipes and drums floated up from the streets. It was a magical introduction to this amazing city.