April 26, 2018 -Day Two
Before leaving the USA, we booked a day trip for the day with the Hairy Coo Bus Tour through the Highlands of Scotland. Got lucky again with beautiful weather. Blue skies, sunshine and white puffed clouds wake us this morning.
We meet up at the Deacon Cafe (Uber) at 8 AM, only a 5 minute ride to the Royal Mile. There are about 25 of us for the tour. Out driver, John, is hysterical. A thick heavy Scottish accent carries us through the day as he tells tales of Mary Queen of Scotts and beheadings! We laugh and listen to Scottish music and other favorites of Johns’s, like the Game of Thrones. This will be a long day as we plan to return at 8:30 PM.
Our first stop is the Deanston Distillery for the whiskey tour. Marianne and I opt to skip the tour and have coffee, sandwiches and scones instead. Others, however, have no problem downing a few ounces of Scottish whiskey at 10 AM! We chat with a young couple from NYC (of course!) She is a research scientist at Columbia and he is an actor who plays Aaron Burrs son in the broadway play Hamilton! (we meet up with them later in the day too on the boat tour).
We are now driving thru the Central belt of Scotland. Everything is GREEN! Sheep are everywhere! It’s breathtaking. We pass huge stainless steel sculptures of Kelpie Horses on the side of the road. I am feeling like I may have a stroke since we don’t have enough photo stops but I do the best I can and take deep breaths.
On the drive through Callander , John points out the best hardware store ever!
Another stop is at Glen Cove for a photo shoot! Yeah!
And, of course, the final destination awaits! A boat tour to spot the LOCK NESS MONSTER! (This is where you use your imagination.) We walk the grounds in town too to see some sites and enjoy a Scottish IPA on board ship!
Of course, it wouldn’t be a day without seeing the Hairy Coo’s!
Our awesome tour guide and driver John sharing some food!
The last hour or so of the tour, we stop for ice cream, play some silly game of John’s called Busokie and see a huge double rainbow! This is the way to see Scotland!
Finally we reach Edinburgh and its time for dinner at Babas, at our hotel.
We order wine and small plates and share. Turns out to be the best meal of the week. Roasted carrots, cauliflower, hummus and pita. Unbelievably delicious! A+ to the chef!
A nightcap at the hotel bar! Goodnight Scotland, until tomorrow!
