Time to Say Good-Bye . . .

Well, it’s hard to believe that today is my last full day here in Scotland and I return home tomorrow morning. First, I would like to take this time to say “Thank You” so much to everyone who took the time to read and leave such kind comments on my blog for the past 3 weeks! I really appreciate it a lot.

Scotland has been a place of great interest for me for a very long time and I am so happy that I finally got to see it. And what a wonderful and memorable experience!

Last year, someone commented on my blog entry I did from Spain that it sounded like I left a part of me in a small town called Ronda. I agreed with him. This year, I am certain that is also true for Scotland. I also believe that Scotland has left a part of itself in me.

In Glasgow, I enjoyed the beauty of art and received my first introduction to Scotland and the Scottish culture. Here in some of their amazing museums, I learned that Scotland is responsible for producing several great inventions, thinkers, literary geniuses and talented artists.

On this trip, I surprised myself for taking the leap and learning to drive on the left side of the road for the first time. But once I conquered my fears I was rewarded with the experience of driving the very beautiful “Road to the Isles” where I passed by several great and meaningful monuments and structures. I saw a quaint white church that brought a beautiful movie called “Local Hero” to life for me (Thank you so much AnnieNC for recommending this wonderful movie). I walked along the silver sands of Morar and enjoyed nightly conversations in the bar/restaurant in this family owned hotel in a small village called Arisaig. I was one of the few tourists there and sat among mostly locals who were there just to eat dinner and play pool. It was popular because of the great food served and because most places have already closed for the winter and my hotel was one of the few with a restaurant that was still open. I then visited the beautiful Isle of Skye with its majestic hills and beautiful Lochs and bays. The life is slow here and the scenery is breathtaking. I had a chance to finally see some very cool Highland Cows (thanks AnnieNC for introducing me to them) and Sheep. And then there was this beautiful deer I saw sitting at the bottom of a waterfall eating, Trudy the rabbit and little Molly the hotel manager’s pet puppy on the Isle of Skye.

I became an expert driving single track roads and sampled some smokey Single Malt Whisky from the Talisker Distillery. I have to say that it has some serious kick to it! I enjoyed the experience a lot. (Thank you so much Sandra for the tour idea). Being inspired by bloggers Candi, Marta and Maya, on this trip I tried to do something a little different and ventured on some short walks and it was awesome. It was cold during my little walks but I still seemed to break a sweat a couple of times, but that was probably mainly due to the “fear”, rather than the heat! :) All kidding aside it was a wonderful and adventurous experience that I would really like to do more of in future trips. I would say that the weather I experienced in the Highlands will also be remembered for years to come. My hair will especially remember it! I basically followed the locals and learned to walk in the rain and wind without running for cover. I actually brought my umbrella but never used it once. I remember seeing a beautiful full rainbow for the very first time and that made me think of all my blogging friend’s blogs like Anne, Barb, Maria, Annie, Leslie, Nancy, Sandra, Flygirl, Girasoli, Candi, Marta, Maya, Cindy, Eden, Sheri, Amy and all of my favorite bloggers who have such beautiful blogs.

I also ate very well (Thanks again Marta for sharing your magazine with me-Not sure if you already left yet for Oahu) and I was able to enjoy several great meals throughout my trip. Salmon, Sole, Haddock, prawns and a nice Scottish breakfast without the bacon and sausage. :) Sorry to say that I was not able to find the vegetarian restaurant to sample that famous Haggis dish. Being a part of a cool cooking group inspired by bloggers like Cindy, Maria, AnnieNC, Candi, Nancy, Jerry, Deborah, Whistlestop Café, Amy, Sheri and all the SSB members I think I have appreciated the food that I was eating much more. BTW, I have enjoyed drinking a lot of hot tea here and even liked it with milk in it which I have never tried before.

I slept at the base of the highest Mountain peak (Ben Nevis) in the UK and yet never actually saw it! :)

And finally, I end my Great Scottish Adventure in the bustling and history packed city of Endinburgh where I climbed to the City’s highest point, I walked the Royal mile from a Castle to a Palace and dined in these cool pubs like “World’s End” (what a name) and Deacon’s Tavern, I visited the smallest chapel (St. Margaret’s Chapel) I have ever seen. It is small yet large in charm and significance. Like the churches in Venice, this chapel will always hold a tender spot in my heart for the rest of my life. I enjoyed the festivities of St. Andrews, Endinburgh Patron Saint and saw this cool Art Car Parade, fireworks and some great entertainment. I sang with a choir and other locals during the blessing of the city’s Nativity Scene in St. Andrews Square. In the final days of my stay, I visited the Museum of Childhood, the Writer’s Museum, I saw a statue of a Skye Terrier dog (Greyfriars Bobby) who was so dedicated to his owner that he sat by his grave site for 14 years before his own death, I shopped at St. James Shopping Center, I walked and walked and walked to admire the amazing architecture of the Old and New,

and finally inspired by Menehune’s recent trip and seeing a play in London, I went to see this dynamic musical called “We Will Rock You” which was playing at the Edinburgh’s Playhouse Theatre. It was totally awesome!

Here’s my quick review of the play/musical “We Will Rock You”. If you are a fan of Freddie Mercury, the band Queen and love a great comedy/musical then this is the play for you! The premise is interesting! In our present day of increasing technology, the plot starts in the future where real instruments and Rock and Roll is banned (AI’s Simon Cowell was even mentioned! :). There is a character called Galileo Figueroa :) who plays the dreamer and he hears these lyrics in his head. And he and the Bohemians (aka the “Resistance”) join forces to try to revive “real” Rock-n-Roll and full fill an ancient promise! They mention rock and roll greats throughout the play and there was even one poignant moment while the song “Only the Good Die Young” when they mention all the great artists of our time who have since passed away. Bob Marley, Elvis, John Lennon, Jimmy Hendrix, Freddie Mercury and I loved how they also included Michael Jackson. By the end of the show, you will find yourself singing along with “We are the Champions” and clapping to the beat of “We Will Rock You”! They are playing here in Edinburgh until January 4, 2010 and then they will be moving on to London.

Back to my trip . . . as always, the people I have met while traveling have been a big part of my travel experience. Locals, hotel staff, shop owners and fellow travelers. It never fails that when I travel, someone shows great generosity and kindness when I most needed it.

Much thanks to Slow Traveler Deborah , the Slow Talk United Kingdom Forum and Pauline Kenny’s travel site, Slow Europe. It was their links to Undiscovered Scotland that led me to the wonderful apartment that I was lucky to find in Edinburgh. If it was not for Pauline creating Slow Travel in the first place and creating such a wonderful community of fellow travelers including some amazing solo travelers, I would not have had the courage to travel solo independently. And now I have so much more confidence as a result and I have learned that nothing is really that impossible to do if you have the passion and desire to do them.

So the question is how does Scotland rate in comparison to Italy and Spain and all the other places I’ve visited. Well, I have finally decided to stop making comparisons. I just think that each and every place has something wonderful and unique to offer and to compare one place to the other seems impossible and unfair.

I was quite pleased with the itinerary I did and have no regrets. The driving, the towns I selected to base myself in and the pace of my trip. I think it provided me the time to get a good look at the wide variety of special things that Scotland has to offer a traveler.

So would I recommend Scotland to someone else? Yes I would! It is a beautiful place to visit and the Scottish people are so generous and friendly! And the Highlands is a must. Even now when I think back to my time there only last week it almost feels like a dream because the peacefulness and visual of the scenery there seem almost perfect. And if I could, I would do it all over again.

Thank you Scotland! It was a fun and memorable experience! Thanks again everyone. And to my blogging friends, I have missed reading everyone’s blogs and I am really looking forward to catching up with all of you when I get home. I hope that you all had a wonderful Holidays and I’ll be talking to you soon!

And for those of you who have already seen “Local Hero” (particularly the end of the movie), you will understand this last photo that I am posting while on the road!

And now, I can’t wait to see where my Dreams will lead me to next . . . :)