Scotland Photos

I guess it's been a while since I've posted anything (a whole month, really???)  So I'll start with a different castle this time.  This is Blair castle on the edge of the Scottish highlands.  My grandmother's name was Blair before she married my grandfather, so I've decided (with no genealogical proof whatsoever) that this castle is part of my heritage.  We toured the inside, but no photos were allowed (browse here if you're interested).  Blair castle is home to the last private army in all of Europe (well, the last legal one anyway).  It was originally formed to fight off the highlanders and keep them from heading South to attack the townsfolk, but continues to exist to this day.

We stopped at Blair castle on the way to Inverness to visit Loch Ness.  I was really hoping to tour the grounds (they had ponies!  and gardens!) but when we finished touring the inside of the castle it was pouring rain.  So we got back in the car and drove on instead.

We took a boat cruise on Loch Ness and even though it was foggy and drizzly, the landscape was absolutely gorgeous.  And perfectly mysterious for our boat cruise and Nessie watching.

No signs of Nessie from the dock when we set off on the boat.

Our boat cruise included admission tickets to wander around Urquhart castle, which was blown up in 1692 to keep it from falling into the hands of the Jacobites.  While the highlands were gorgeous, the history was extremely gruesome.

And, just so you don't think it was rainy and dreary the whole time, here's a beautiful sunset from the cottage in the fishing village of Crail where my colleague and his wife have their weekend home:

And here's a nice panorama showing some of the medieval buildings of St. Andrews (where we spent most of our time because I was working with my colleague at the university there).

Incidentally, the beach in the foreground was used in the filming of Chariots of Fire.

Maybe it won't be a whole month before my next post!  We can always hope...