searching for Nessie

We visited Loch Ness last week, no sign of Nessie unfortunately. We took a boat from Inverness down to the loch and got dropped off at the castle. It was a really awesome day with amazing views!

leaving the highlands

I only have a few short hours left in the Highlands of Scotland. It's an extremely bitter sweet feeling. I still have more than half of my trip ahead of me, but the highlands are one of a kind and something I had been looking forward to seeing them for years. The highlands truly surpassed every expectation I had. Easily my favorite region of the world I have ever been to, they captivate my imagination and bring me a sense of peace and joy. I know it sounds cheesy, but it's true! There's something about this place that really affects me. I can't wait to come back here, next time in the winter or spring. In the winter months, all of this is covered in thick snow! Summer is the best time for 'tourists' to come to the highlands because it's mostly sunny and warm(ish). I can't wait to come back when it's stormy and raining constantly, real Scottish weather. I was told by an old man here that when it rains in the winter/spring, the hills come alive and gigantic waterfalls sprout out everywhere on the side of every mountain and hill. He said you can just sit and watch them for hours and be spiritually moved by them. I can't wait to one day come back and see it.

It doesn't really get dark here until super late in the summer, and in the winter that's opposite. We've gotten almost 18 hours of daylight here, it's rad! Anyway, I'm writing this as I pack up my room and preparing to leave the hostel in Inverness. From here we'll take the train down to Stirling for a few nights. I'm really excited for Stirling because that's very history Scotland. The Wars of Independence centered around there and I can't wait to visit where the battle of Falkirk took place. Stirling is also home to the huge Wallace monument. From Stirling we'll make our way over to Loch Lomond. One of the more famous and beautiful loch's in Scotland, it's also right around where my ancestors lived. The lands of the CLan MacFarlane (my ancestors) were situated between Loch Lomond and Loch Long. It's going to be a very meaningful experience finally visiting these lands. After Loch Lomond, we'll go to the west coast for a few days in Oban. After Oban, we'll finally make our way back to Glasgow. After a few nights, Janelle will leave and go back to California, and I'll stay there for another week or so before returning to London and starting Europe Semester!

highland cathedral

My favorite of the three major national anthems of Scotland is Highland Cathedral. Seeing as how I'm writing this on my last night in the highlands, I thought it would be appropriate to talk about it. 

I've always favored this one over Flower of Scotland and Scotland the Brave for some reason, I just kind of connect to it. I think it's the first two lines that really get to me. My experience in the highlands has been one that I will never forget. I've seen the most beautiful sights, and have met some of the most colorful and interesting people (even if I couldn't always understand what the heck they were saying). I am so blessed to have traveled here, and even though I still have about half of my Scotland trip ahead of me, it's still sad leaving the highlands. I know that I'll be back, and hopefully soon!

HERE it is sung with words, and HERE it is just instrumental. Both are so ridiculously epic 

Land of our fathers, we will always be
Faithful and loyal to our own country
In times of danger, we will set you free
Lead you to glory and to victory

Hail, Caledonia, to our ancient prayer
In this Highland Cathedral, let our standards, bear
Joining, together, with one dream to share
God bless the people of this land so fair

Chorus:

Gone is the past, let us start a new

Let this hope of peace, always remain

Spirit of Scotia, be strong and true

Then your children will smile again.

Rise, Caledonia, let your voices ring
In this Highland Cathedral of our God and King
Whom, joy and liberty, to all, will bring
Come; let your heart, with love and courage, sing

Chorus:

Lonely the exile, o'er distant seas,

The home of their birth, gone from their eyes.

Bring back their souls o'er the ocean breeze

To the land where their fathers lie.

highland cows

The animals on the Isle of Skye were awesome, and I finally got to see some highland cows!!

They've got huge longhorn sized horns and crazy hair with bangs.

Did I mention they were ridiculously fat?! Fattest cows I've ever seen, both the highland and normal ones. And the baby highland cows are the cutest animals in existence, I wish I got a picture of one (look them up on google). There were also sheep and goats EVERYWHERE.

Alas, the Isle of Skye

I'm sitting here in my hostel in Inverness and after 24 hours of trying, I still cannot easily put to words my experience visiting the Isle of Skye yesterday. It was by far the most breathtaking and inspiring place I have seen in my almost 20 years of existence. I took hundreds of pictures, and none of them even closely compare to what it was like seeing it in person.

Our bus stopped a few miles before the bridge so we could take pictures of the isle from across the small channel between mainland Scotland and Skye. I knew then that this was a special place and I was in for a once in a lifetime experience. We journeyed over to the isle and had lunch in a small town. Janelle and I passed on the sit down expensive lunch so we could just buy sandwiches from the co-op store and have more time to walk around. We walked to this small paved jetty and I just sat on the side and took it all in. 

I still can't believe that it was real. It went by so fast, it's already starting to feel like a lifetime ago I was sitting there. I watched the small waves break on the rocks and boats go in and out of the harbor. The green highland hills and mountains in the background were perfect, I will never forget that sight.

We walked through small areas of seaside shops and homes. As we've traveled more and more north up into the highlands, the people have been harder and harder to understand. In Skye, it was impossible to comprehend 99% of what anybody said. They don't just have a strong accent, they speak an entirely different language: Scottish Gaelic. The primary school on Skye is the only one left in Scotland that teaches exclusively in gaelic. The residents I met either spoke only that, or an equally impossible to understand mixture of gaelic and 'english'.

The homes here were modest, and everybody was going about their daily lives without a care in the world for affairs off the isle. After lunch, we continued the drive inland on the isle to a few different lochs and glens. We saw a bunch of animals (I'll post about them separately) and went to completely deserted areas of the isle. 

We went into the main harbor and had coffees and teas. There's an extremely old ruined castle right in the middle of the bay, and a lighthouse on the other side of the bridge. The bridge is actually very new, until a dozen or so years ago the ferry was the only way on and off the isle.

I will never forget the Isle of Skye, and I pray that I get to go back and see much more of it. It was the highlight of the trip thus far, and will be extremely hard to beat. I've never seen bluer ocean and greener hills.

Eilean Donan

One of the most iconic castles in Scotland. I never dreamed I would be able to make it up north to in on this trip, but alas, we did! Eilean Donan Castle: friggin awesome!

It's situated on this small island on the side of a beautiful loch. Most of the inside is still intact and had tons and tons of old relics that have been put in it.

We went to it on our bus tour up to Isle of Skye. It was an extra bonus for the trip that we were stoked we got to include!

It was ridiculously sunny the entire day, I actually got sunburned! Who would have thought. For years I've blamed my Scottish skin for always getting burned in southern california, and in Scotland of all places I fry. As you can kind of tell from this picture, the Scottish beard is coming in strong. I've decided NOT to shave or even trim it while I'm in Scotland. It just doesn't seem manly to shave here.

the highlands at last!

Finally! I'm in Inverness, de facto capital and gateway to the Highlands of Scotland.

The highlands are more beautiful that I could ever have imagined, and I've only scratched the surface. We're in Inverness for the week, situated above Loch Ness and on River Ness. It's a small town, and I can hardly understand anything anybody says... it's awesome! I'm trying to work on my accent, but I don't want to try it out here and insult somebody. 

I kinda wish the weather wasn't so good lately. The only time it's really rained was in Edinburgh. Since then it's rained a little, and drizzled a ton. But the summer weather is kicking in and it's actually been mostly sunny the past few days. I think it's supposed to start raining again later in the week, I hope it does!! I'd love to come back sometime in the winter and see all of this covered in thick snow.

Tomorrow yet another one of my lifelong dreams is going to come true. We're taking a bus tour to the Isle of Skye! I didn't think we'd be able to see it on this trip because it's so far north and out of the way. It's on the west coast, it's also the most beautiful place in Scotland, in Britain, and (in my opinion) in the entire world. Look it up and your jaw will drop. We're also going to Eilean Donan Castle, one of the most iconic and epic castles in Scotland. I honestly can't believe I get to go to these places tomorrow. Rest assured I'll take over a thousand pictures in one day, easy. I'm getting chills just thinking about what tomorrow holds.

God has blessed me beyond my wildest dreams on this trip. I have already seen things I never thought I would see, and have met some truly amazing people. My back has help up better than imagined. I knew it would be tough and a struggle, and it has been for sure. But I'm managing and Christ is with me and giving me the strength I need day by day, I've had to lean on him daily in order to survive. 

On the top of the Scottish Royal Coat of Arms, there's a banner that reads "IN DEFENS". It's a shortening of the Scottish motto: "In My Defens God Me Defend". It refers to a Scottish prayer that I've recently taken to heart.

In my defence God me defend

And bring my sawl to ane good end

ane vertuous lyf procureth ane happie death...