SUNDAY

TheHighlands

This was a wonderful all day tour that took us over 300 miles.The tour guide was knowledgeable, helpful and loved his job.There is an extreme difference between the lowlands and highlands of Scotland - not only in population but also in industry.It was a pretty day and beautiful countryside but probably very bitter in the winter.

We saw the Forth Road Bridge which was constructed in a very unusual manner but has lasted hundreds of years with only minimal repair.

We visited Loch Ness- home of the famous monster.There has been no physical evidence of its existence but the myth continues, although it is not as prevalent now as it was in the 1930's, and the monster is typically referred to as"Nessie".We took a boat ride on the Royal Scot ride down the loch which is very beautiful.It was a cool, brisk windy day - very invigorating.

We stopped in several small villages, very neat and clean.They have a lot of bed and breakfast inns for tourists and keep their small towns very neat.I did not observe a lot of homes in disrepair, most were neat and clean.We experienced a taste of some of the highland whisky and their famous ice cream - now that was a combination.

Our tour guide was very informative and shared the following observations, comments, etc.

In small towns, there are electronic signs depicting your speed, thereby encouraging you go slow down and obey the speed limit.

Gasoline is over $10.00 per gallon and of course, everyone drives on the left side of the road.

There are a wide variety of landscapes - the highlands are more rugged - they were developed from an ice age more than 18,000 years ago.Tourism is the biggest industry.People come to fish for salmon, trout and shoot the wild red deer.Commercial fishing is also a large industry.There are lots of sheep grazing in the fields.The Scot's Pine tree is protected by Trees for Life.

There are bins on the street that hold salt for the roads when they are treacherous.Houses are neat and orderly.There are stone hedges along the roads.

Commercial logging is a very good business in the highlands but it is regulated so the scenery will not be destroyed.There are not enough jobs to sustain the population.

Gaelic is the national language and most signs are in both Gaelic and English.

We traveled by the house used to film "Monarch of the Glen", a BBC program (one that I watch all the time). The estate is used primarily for hunting and fishing and is in a somewhat state of disrepair because it would cost over one million pounds to restore it.

This tour was well done and one of the highlights of my trip.

Mary King's Close

We took a tour of Mary King's Close.This is hidden below the Royal Mile and is where real people lived, worked and died during the 1800's.It is a network of streets and rooms.On the tour, the tour guide goes back in time and explains how life was centuries ago.It is said that a small child was left in her room where she died and still haunts the streets today.This is where the plague occurred when the city was overcrowded and full of stench.At that time there was no sanitation - no sewer system, no waste disposal, no flush toilet.It was said you could smell it from 50 miles away