Well it was Scotland next - the land of Lochs(Lakes), Glens (valleys) and Bens (Mountains). We were lucky to have great weather. Quite unbelievably it did not rain for all the five days we were there. Scotland has lovely scenery and the Scots are justifiably proud of their heritage.
We reached Edinburgh and from there, off to the Isle of Skye through various famous valleys and lakes - past Stirling Castle, cities of Dounne and Callandar, through Glencoe and Fort William. Isle of Skye is one of the largest islands to the west of Scotland. It is very sparsely populated with isolated houses once in 30 metres of drive. The houses are old constructions with no windows. In winter, to keep the cold off, the people sleep with the cattle inside! On our return journey we saw the Eileen Donan castle, Loch Ness, the city of Fort Augustus and Glen Nevis, where the movies Braveheart, Rob Roy and Highlander were shot. William Wallace, Rob Roy are the famous heroes of Scotland and by the end of the trip we had, by heart, their life histories.
Next day we went off for a trip of Loch Lemond, Stirling Castle and Trossachs. There is the palace of Linlithgow where Mary, the Queen of Scots was born. The Edinburgh castle is where Mary, Queen of Scots spent most of her life and gave birth to James-I, the first Scottish King of English. The crown jewels of Scotland are kept here along with the scone. There is the Military Museum, where some items are related to Indian Mutiny.
In the city of Edinburgh, there is the Camera Obscura with a mirror mounted on the top. By changing the position of the mirror one can see the image of the entire city on a round wooden table in a dark room behind. There is also a Holography section which distorts the 3-D pictures displayed in various glass enclosures and is fun to watch. Then there is the Nelson Column with 150 steps climbing which we can get a glimpse of the whole city; and the Royal Scotland Museum which is huge and very interesting.
The thing I remember most vividly about our trip was the amount of walking we did in those five days. The guide of our trip was this very energetic and enthusiastic person who would jump off the bus and ask us to join him. He would make us walk the next few miles before rejoining the bus. By the end of the day we used to be so tired, that was the first time I realised the benefits of a hot bath......
We reached Edinburgh and from there, off to the Isle of Skye through various famous valleys and lakes - past Stirling Castle, cities of Dounne and Callandar, through Glencoe and Fort William. Isle of Skye is one of the largest islands to the west of Scotland. It is very sparsely populated with isolated houses once in 30 metres of drive. The houses are old constructions with no windows. In winter, to keep the cold off, the people sleep with the cattle inside! On our return journey we saw the Eileen Donan castle, Loch Ness, the city of Fort Augustus and Glen Nevis, where the movies Braveheart, Rob Roy and Highlander were shot. William Wallace, Rob Roy are the famous heroes of Scotland and by the end of the trip we had, by heart, their life histories.
Next day we went off for a trip of Loch Lemond, Stirling Castle and Trossachs. There is the palace of Linlithgow where Mary, the Queen of Scots was born. The Edinburgh castle is where Mary, Queen of Scots spent most of her life and gave birth to James-I, the first Scottish King of English. The crown jewels of Scotland are kept here along with the scone. There is the Military Museum, where some items are related to Indian Mutiny.
In the city of Edinburgh, there is the Camera Obscura with a mirror mounted on the top. By changing the position of the mirror one can see the image of the entire city on a round wooden table in a dark room behind. There is also a Holography section which distorts the 3-D pictures displayed in various glass enclosures and is fun to watch. Then there is the Nelson Column with 150 steps climbing which we can get a glimpse of the whole city; and the Royal Scotland Museum which is huge and very interesting.
The thing I remember most vividly about our trip was the amount of walking we did in those five days. The guide of our trip was this very energetic and enthusiastic person who would jump off the bus and ask us to join him. He would make us walk the next few miles before rejoining the bus. By the end of the day we used to be so tired, that was the first time I realised the benefits of a hot bath......
