Erik went to CrossFit and then on a run with me - we explored around the river and found a beautiful trail into a wooded area as well as the pretty city of Inverness. Then home for a quick shower and breakfast, and our tour guide Laura showed up at our house. We weren't quite ready when she knocked on our door, so we listened in as Lucy answered the door and greeted a very friendly-sounding lady with a very thick Scottish brogue. She turned out to be a warm, enthusiastic, cheerful lady not much older than I am but with completely silver hair. She was wearing a plaid skirt with tights of a different plaid and a hot pink jacket, and she sounded like a character on the movie Brave or How to Train Your Dragon. We hopped in her car and spent the day driving around the absolutely gorgeous Scottish highlands while she told us stories, both fact and legend, about the landscape and its inhabitants through thousands of years.
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| This is an area near Loch Ness, which is a very long, very deep lake - much much bigger than we realized. Laura was totally convinced that the Loch Ness monster was real, though perhaps not still alive. Apparently the legend of the Loch Ness monster goes back to ancient times so she thought it was a type of dinosaur that had survived. Stone was enthralled and the girls did a very good job of not rolling their eyes. :) |
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| We stopped to take walks and take pictures along the way - I loved this place for photos so I made the kids stop and let me take their pictures. Erik sat for a portrait as well. |
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| Lucy was really really thirsty |
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| And I didn't have any water bottles |
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| Then we stopped at a local coffee shop to buy special food for the Highland "coos" |
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| They are cuter from a distance |
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| Stone and Laura |
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| Lucy coaching the cow on his best angle |
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| Our next stop was a beautiful old castle. I made the kids pose for a family picture which will hopefully be good enough for our Christmas card, but Stone (predictably) wanted to explore the rocky shore of the lake |
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| It was super windy so the girls' hair whipped around and ruined the pictures |
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| Hopefully one of the photos will work (and we'll crop out Sophie's runners) |
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| Stone could have explored all day |
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| After photos and lunch in the on-site cafe, we walked through the castle |
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| And the girls showed off their style |
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| The mountains and lakes and castles are stunning, but another feature I keep noticing are the clouds |
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| I almost walked right past this small piece of art in a hallway of the castle - it was a collage of the prominent highland clans and Lindsay spotted McFie!!! |
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| Mountains and trees = Joy |
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Lucy frolicking on the Isle of Skye
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