Scottish Highlands & Haunted Castles

I am writing from my dorm room in Carbisdale Castle.  No, castles and dorm rooms don’t usually go hand in hand, but in this case, it works.  Understandably, castles and wireless internet have not yet developed a relationship, so I won’t be posting photos until our next stop.

Today was just another day in Scotland – glorious sunshine, rugged beaches, pelting rain, a whiskey distillery, bloody battlefields and snow-capped mountains.  You really get it all in one neat little tartan-ed package here.

I did more today than I would on a typical Tuesday, starting with our stop at the Culloden Battlefield.  It would be a kid’s paradise, perfectly designed for a marathon session of Capture the Flag or Cops and Robbers.  Or, in actual fact, the site of one of Scotland’s most significant and destructive battles.  We huddled in a circle, shielding ourselves from the biting wind and cold, and listened as Carol told us that we were standing on the site of a mass graveyard.  Eerie.

From there, it was through Inverness to the Glenmorangie Whiskey distillery, where we could lift our spirits from the somber Culloden.  I used to work at an Irish pub where we served this whiskey, and I never thought I’d find myself at the actual distillery.  Whiskey isn’t quite my drink of choice, but I can see why the Scots drink it – it definitely gets you warmed up.

After that, it was on to a beach, one that wouldn’t be out of place in Australia or Florida, for some football, photo-taking, and frisbee.  It is also right by the church where Madonna and Guy Ritchie said their ill-fated vows.  I think we had a better time than they did, even with the sudden rain shower that sent us all back to the bus.

I’ve got to go – seven o’clock and dinner is being served.  In the castle.  Where I’m sleeping.  My little girl dreams have come true.

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