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08/05/06 - Inverness, Scotland (photo album for first 2 weeks in Scotland) A castle tour and then back to civilization |
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After the isolation of Durness, it was a shock to pull into
Inverness, the only actual city in the Highlands. It is a
popular jumping off point for tourists to begin their tours of
the Highlands and it was busy with visitors and locals, alike.
Although the population is only about 40,000 - not large, by our
American and Mexican standards - it felt like a much larger
city, bustling with car and foot traffic, department stores and
a prominent shopping mall (with a Gap, no less!) and is the
fastest-growing city in Europe. Caroline was exhausted
from all the difficult driving (well, passengering) of the past
few days, so we had a low-key evening: dinner at McDonald's and
a pint at a popular pub before heading to bed at the Palace Best
Western (yet another unimpressive yet expensive hotel), located
right on the lovely and fast-flowing River Ness.
While Caroline took this opportunity to catch up on some much needed rest, Scott went back out to check out a 'film festival' going on downtown. The 'festival' turned out to be a young couple showing a few of their short films (as well as a sitcom pilot) to mostly their friends and fellow stars of the movies in the small 3rd floor attic of a pub. Scott actually found it quite entertaining, and was also able to enjoy another pint and some Scottish folk music down in the pub afterward. In the morning, after breakfast at a mediocre French-style cafe and a leisurely stroll on the lovely and surprisingly quiet river walk by our hotel, it was time to leave Inverness and start heading back south to the Borders. But first we wanted to tour one of these castles that are so plentiful in Scotland. There are so many scattered about the country and the admission prices tend to be steep (as is everything priced in pounds for us poor Americans!), so we really wanted to pick a good one. Some are just ruins, while others have been redone in Victorian style, and all are at varying levels of quality in their restoration work so it can be difficult to choose a good one. After a small amount of research at the Inverness TI, we decided to go a little out of the way and pay a visit to Cawdor Castle, one of the slightly less publicized castles on offer. We were intrigued, as the original family still lives there during the winter and offers tours of their home during the summer months. While the castle may not be what everyone wants to see, we were fascinated to observe how modern-day people had made slight modifications to a castle-home dating back centuries. Many of the furnishings were still antiques, while some items, such as the specially-designed tartan carpets were modern (and very unique!). While maintaining the basic structure and architectural elements of the original castle, the rooms on the self-guided tour used by the family for daily life were nicely decorated and quite cozy, indeed, and from the bedrooms you could hear the stream burbling down below. It would have made a lovely inn! We really enjoyed perusing the modern family photographs scattered about the house - they all look so Scottish! Also interesting were the old spiral stone staircase, ancient kitchen that is no longer in use and the small dungeon that was uncovered recently after being hidden by restoration work completed during the 1800s. A definite bonus was the lovely collection of the shaggy and rather bizarre-looking Highland Cows in the pasture as you enter and exit the castle. Another whirlwind but wonderful trip under our belts, we arrived, exhausted, back at Ellem Old Inn, our home exchange house, at dusk only to discover we had no power! We rushed about, trying to find candles and flashlights before dark and climbed into bed. Our host's son, Aaron would be here the next afternoon to mow the lawn and maybe he could figure something out... Well, to make a long story short, we waited around, called the neighbors, and then Scott called the emergency number for Scottish Power, since the electrical meter was actually running. They came 'straightaway' this evening, fixed some faulty equipment outside the house and power was restored. And, although not overly helpful with the power situation, we did have a lovely chat with Aaron, while he cleaned out the freezer, and his London-ite girlfriend, Ali, before they headed back to Edinburgh for the evening. Aaaahhhh, there's nothing like 'living like the locals'! |
The River Ness - that's our hotel on the far right
Cawdor Castle
Cawdor Castle
Highland cow Highland calf |
