Glasgow, Scottish Highlands – Day 6

Loch Lomond, Scotland

Ugh. Today it rained all day, which means the two optional excursions that I purchased (one a boat ride on Lach Lomond and cable car ride to the top of Ben Nevis mountain) were canceled.

One would think that there would be a back-up plan of some sort, since this is the first tour of this kind in Scotland, and it’s fall, and it rains in Scotland, especially in the fall.  Needless to say, I was very angry about the poor planning. (Still am.)

So we drove around and the bus would drop us off in shopping areas. I didn’t come here to shop! I really didn’t like that at all.

Smoky Scottish Hills

Sheep on Scottish Hills

Trying to make something positive come out of this miserable day, I thought I’d take in the breathtaking scenery.  While others shopped at this particular gas station, I decided to ignore the weather since it wasn’t too cold and stay outside to take photos.  The sheep were everywhere, and they’re so cute!  And the backdrop of the scenery… It’s like you’re in a different century, or in a fairy tale.  But don’t turn around, or else you’ll find yourself back at the gas station.

Rainy Day in Scottish Highlands

Since there was no backup plan, we drove slowly through the rain and passed by a statue to fallen soldiers (all soldiers who lost their lives in all the wars), and then to a couple of little towns, and one of them was rather picturesque, Oban. Despite my unrestrained anger bout the lack of substitute activities/events/attractions, I completely fell in love with the Highlands and the little towns. The gently rolling emerald hills, the fresh air, the pristine cleanliness – courtesy of the rain, and the cute little sheep. How could anyone not find this place gorgeous?

Oban

Oban, Scotland

Oban Port

Ship in Oban

This town was rather cute, and I bought some wool yarn here. You see, I’ve been looking for yarn since I came to England. I read that the Cotswalds region has been a major wool center in centuries past and I was hoping there would be some remnant of that. But Bob, my tour guide in the Cotwalds, told me that there really wasn’t a wool trade of any kind there anymore. So, I was hoping to get some wool in Scotland. With so many sheep around, and the cold weather, how could there not be wool around? Well, it turns out that it’s very expensive and very few people still make it. But I did manage to find several skeins for a gift (to my best friend) and a skein for myself. I find squishy things make good souvenirs, especially since it’s easy to transport in a suitcase (it’s squishy and non-breakable, and I had vacuum bags which allow you to push the air out of things to make them smaller and thus more packable).

We also make a half-hour stop in Fort William but that was yet another shopping stop. We literally were dropped off in front of a store and told we had a half hour in the town. How far could we really go? After that brief stop we were back on the road, to our hotel.

Aviemore

Rainbows

Window in Aviemore

Bagpiper in front of Aviemore hotel

Bagpiper in front of hotel

Our hotel was in Aviemore, a cute little town, which happens to be a ski resort.  And if you think, as I did,  that that rainbows in the picture was a sign of better things to come, you (and I) were sorely mistaken.  But isn’t that an awesome double rainbow?

Before dinner, I decided to go for a walk and explore the town a little bit.  Walking aimlessly has frequently resulted in surprising finds.  This day was no exception.  That’s how I ended up at the local train station (where the picture of the rainbows was taken).  Walking further along the country road, I stumbled upon a scene that looked completely staged, but wasn’t.  Take a look at the window (and please ignore my reflection) and notice the oranges, flowers, lemons, and bananas on the table by the window.  But I couldn’t stick around and keep taking photos since the owner of the house was mere yards away, working on his yard.

After dinner, I wanted to use the internet and spied an internet cafe in the town on my earlier walk.  On the way back to the hotel, I walked by a different hotel (the one in the picture) and heard pretty good bagpipe music and figured it would be a good idea to stick around.  You can see the bagpiper and the hotel in the picture.  He was actually pretty good and it wasn’t the same song you always hear on TV for a parade or a policeman’s funeral.