Fort William

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(Sketchy wi-fi...pics to follow) It looked like a great day was ahead of us! The sun was out and when the alarm went off at 6:00am, we were excited to start the day with a nice hot breakfast! Alam had told us that breakfast started at 7:00 and we would have plenty of time to meet Christine by 8:00 at the train station. At 7:05 I head up stairs to find absolutely no one. And I mean no one! No front desk, no one in the kitchen, nothing! So back down the windy stairs to give Alida the bad news. We finish packing, head back and still no one is around. So we leave our key on the front desk and head out for a taxi.



After we get dropped off, i see my first man-kilt! ( Damn, i forgot to put the mirrors on my shoes) We are not standing at the train station for 5 minutes before Little Ninja (Christine) pulls up! It was perfect timing. A quick coffee and sandwich before we head on to the Glasgow train and our adventure begins. 3 1/2 hours, beautiful scenery and some great girl time later, we arrive at our destination and the beginning of the "Great Glen Way" trail in the Highlands of Scotland.



Our B&B, The Lawriestone House, is a beautifully quaint building with a kind of grumpy guy named Sam in charge. At least he was grumpy at first, but kind of warmed up after a little southern-Australian hospitality from Ginger. We check in or try to and get booted by Mean Man Sam and told to come back after 3:00. Turns out this place is beautiful with great rooms, clean bathrooms and gorgeous decor! Highly recommended!



This might be a good time to explain our nicknames. We all chose a travel name for the trip. Alida chose Wheezy and then her husband bought her a square of Scotland land so she can now be called "Lady Wheezy". Christine chose Ginger and her alter ego is from the South, but she keeps saying Australian things, like "put anotha shrimp on the barbie" and ..., so poor Ginger seems to be suffering from a rare disease called AC or accent disorder. It is quite entertaining. I chose the travel name I have used since my first girls trip 21 years ago with my Southwest Airlines friends, "Sasha".



We decide on Indian food for lunch, because why not, isn't that what Scotland is known for? Turns out, they should be, it was delicious. A delightfully situated place called Tandoori Indian with a stunning view of the river , super friendly staff (no doubt because we were the only table there) and excellent food.



As we walk through the cobblestone streets of town we stumble upon a whiskey tasting house. My eyes light up like a little kid celebrating his first Christmas! Whether Lady Wheezy and Ginger are going to follow me or not, I don't care. I am going in head first! I tasted the craziest whiskey ever! After asking the salesman what his favorite was, he poured me a taste. It smelled like leather that had been softened through the years with lemon pledge and then toasted over a warm crackling fire. And let me tell you, that is exactly what it tasted like. Wow, it toasty going down and left the wildest after taste in my throat. Strangely about 3-4 minutes later, the aftertaste started changing and the longer I waited, the more I liked it. So I bought a mini of Ardbeg 10 yr old Islay Single Malt Scotch Whiskey. Yummy in my tummy!



With Lady Wheezy and Ginger now Whiskey fans, we decide to take the two mile trek to the only whiskey distillery in town. After passing a spooky, really old cemetary and getting super silly pictures, we realize a cab is the only way we will make the last tasting of the day. We flag one down and off we go only to find the bugger has already closed. So now we sit in our B&B, while Ginger and LW take much needed naps. We will head back to town for dinner and an early bedtime as tomorrow begins the first day of the Great Glen Way walk!!



Stay tuned for the real blog to begin!!

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Photos

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Ginger made it!

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Train ride from Glasgow to Fort William

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Lady Wheezy doing the taxi stance

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The Lawriestone House

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Scissor kicking my way through Scotland!

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The Whiskey House

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After the Whiskey House in the cemetery

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I heart you baby!

Comments

[SoftTiger]

YEAAAHH! Have fun.

[SoftTiger]

Nice! Is there alot of open fields in Scotland?

[SoftTiger]

Stature of the Taxi, AWESOME!

[SoftTiger]

Never put your camera so close to the edge where there is water. Lucky it didn't fall. Do you see the Loch Ness Monster?

[The Dickwoods Travels]

No loch ness yet. We hit the Loch Ness where Nessie resides on day 4 and 5 I think. :)

[Mr Dickwood]

Thanks Baby!
I love you too!