Scotland

---

Oban is a delightful port town - the exit point for the islands of Mull, Iona, Barra, Jamieson - but because I couldn't get any accommodation on the islands (booked out for all the EU/UK holiday makers!) I didn't go there - will go later. Spent several days walking around and chatting with the locals and savouring the fresh seafood. Walked up the 167 steps to the picturesque romanesque 'tower' built by this wealthy bloke to his own memory - he employed stonemasons in the wintertime (at reduced rates) so that their families didn't starve, so he was at least trying to be philanthropic! It was never completed to the grand plan of a hotel, so it's known as a folley. Basically, I wanted to rest and relax here in the seaside ambience, eating fish n chips with my fingers by the sea at night. Very enjoyable.

The YHA was smack bang on the water front and had the most delightful sunsets to admire. Apparently the week prior to my arrival there were gale force 3 winds and lashing rains, but I had fabulously sunny, hot days - averaging 25degs - steamy on occassions. Accommodation was clean and very well run - for £25/night also expensive! Found the local supermarkets and bought supplies to self cater in the Y to reduce costs. Also found the local library which let me use the internet for free for 4 hours and that's where I and the VERY patient library assistant helped me to work out how to upload the photos you can now see - including the mistakes where I put the photos onto the wrong entry and the site will not let me to rectify the error - so that's as good as it gets for now!

However, because I was talking to the used car salesman who said he knew of an RV van for sale (elderly couple who were too ill to holiday with it anymore and it had only had 2 owners, 1990 model with only 26,000mls for £3,500) I decided to stay and look it over - my hopes were so high as I'm sick of carrying the BLOODY heavy suitcase and just want to unpack - but it was too slipshod and he couldn't display all the bits that were added on (and Tez wouldn't fit in the shower next year when he joins me for Ireland) so unfortunately I passed it up. I am SO looking forward to buying one and having all the choices as to where I can go and for how long - bring it on!

As a consequece of staying another unplanned night, I had to move out of the YHA (all booked out) and went to the backpackers hostel - well, what an eye opener - not as fresh and modern looking as the Ys but there seems to be a more friendly atmosphere (so many more people willing to sit n chat n share stories n info) and decidedly 'hippy' decor n feeling for me! AND it's cheaper - £11/night with self-catering facilities. Met a woman who's living in Glasgow and we hit it off - went for dinner at the local and enjoyed good conversation - she has invited me to stay with her in Glasgow (on the couch) when I get there and she will show me her city - sounds good.

Took a fabulous bus ride to Inverness via Loch Ness - what a great PR exercise 'Nessie' is - there were Nessie shops and paraphenalia everywhere and tourists to match - boat tours, hotels, monuments etc... Very pretty scenery the entire way up into the highlands. Inverness city is the administraton centre for the highland area and the River Ness is a beautiful meander through town. I booked into the backpackers and immediately met 2 Indian girls (Schweta and Nitu) who were studying at cambridge uni and were on a 2 day break, so we went walking about town, had lunch (girls were vegetaian - so 3 different veg curries, rice n puries!) at the local Indian restaurant, meandered through the local museum, strolled to the supermarket for supplies, returned to the hostel, cooked dinner and then wandered along the river where we watched a fisherman on the shore play and land a salmon from the river bank - about 10lbs, 60cms long and took about 20 mins - and attracted a crowd of about 50 onlookers - some offering unwanted advice and generally annoying/distracting the fisherman - everyone clapped and cheered for the performance - I offered to pass the hat around for donations for the entertainment - he did 'the picture' so he could 'prove it back inthe pub' and released it back into the river to another round of cheers from the appreciative crowd. When we got back to the hostel, we and 3 others joined up for a' tea party' and a chat - till midnight - great conversation, stories and laughter.

The next day, I did about 12kms - did the churches n cemetry tour of the town - there were 11! - then scaled the hillside to an ancient pict fort ruin overlooking the town, back into town, wandered through the secondhand shops, found a bar doing really bad karioke at 3pm, went to the library to find the free net down (I wonder if it's because it's the hols?) found a polish deli and purchased a bag of frozen Pierogie (Canadian bloke staying at the hostel and trying for citizenship, told me about them - he was having them for his dinner and they smelt good) - a national 'dish' of boiled potatoes, mashed, formed into balls (with fillings eg savory: cheese n onion or sweet: strawberry, which is what I got), boiled again then frozen - purchased 2 fruit scones and a jar of homemade summer berry jam and clotted cream and went back to the hostel to have high tea (very tired with sore feet) and relax.

In the evening, myself and the Indian girls, another Aussie girl, the Canadian bloke, a Danish doctor just back from the Faroe islands and an American guy sat down and we had dessert and tea. The pierogies - you put them in boiling water for 6mins then drain and coat with melted butter, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and a scoop of the clotted cream to go with it and it was like chewing bland rubber - bloody aweful! Tea and converstaion was good. Afterwards, myself and the Dane and Yank went into town to a pub for a beer and a walk - we were told that if you are on the streets after 12.30am, you can be arrested! Not sure if it's a put on by the Scot who 'warned' us or if it's for real?!

Reading the programme for the Festival currently occuring here, I noticed that were free tickets available for a Scottish dance company's dress rehearsal/premier for their new production before taking it on to the edinburgh Fringe festival and then on tour - so I scrambled down to the box office to get the 2nd last seat and it was such a wonderful event - the title was 'Parallel (X) Parallels' and it was themed on quantum physics and the thought that there are two (or more) parallel universes and that there is mystery everywhere - the final scene - male dancer finds a point of interest on the floor and he extends his finger toward it and gently lifts it up into the air (arms raised above his head) as the lights turn to a golden flood through the mist of the 'smoke' machine and he breaks out into a smile of joy - brought me to tears!

Following day, took a bus to Cawdor castle - a working one - which had beautiful gardens and gardeners to go with it, also a pristine forest across the stream, in which I strolled for an hour in silence enjoying the enourmous Sequoia, Oak, Lime, Beech trees etc - the ground was so spongey underfoot from the years of mulch deposited. The castle itself was very interesting and had numerous relics as well as a very witty written commentary by the Dowager Countess of Cawdor - most of the tourists (there was a cruise ship in port and lots of Americans streamed in) didn't read it and so missed the giggles. had a delicious soup in the cafe there and bussed it back again.

Took a bus ride to Cromarty on the Black Isle - it's a penninsular really and no-one I asked knows why it's black or an isle! - and stopped off at Fortrose (a little village with ancient ruins) and then walked the 2mls to Rosemarkie, where I had coffee and scone at the seaside bistro - with the view all to myself - then went to the Pict museum and spent a good hour viewing the 'rubbings' and other assorted memorabilia as well as listening to a great audio/visual display about a local seer who predicted many thins which all came to pass - including a prediction that "when there are five bridges across the Ness River at Inverness there will be a calamity" - but it hasn't happened so far and everybody's waiting! Bussed on to Cromarty - a delightful fishing village at the tip of the penninsular - had a late lunch, strolled around the village and bussed it back to Inverness.

Then there's the BellaDrum Music festival - a small version of Woodstock - starting with a 'craking good ceiledh' (pronounced kayley - that's a Scottish traditional knees-up dance with MEN involved), lots of bands playing a variety of music on several stages, massage tents, healing therapies, children playing (faces painted), camping everywhere, Italian garden setting in a beautiful green valley and four days of fun , culminating in a masked Venetian Ball - even in the rain it's still good. Receptionist at the backpackers supplied me with the tent and sleeping mat, a plastic floored blanket to sit on and a sleeping bag WITH sheet - will take my own peanut pillow I brought all the way from Oz and it's been a real boon (especially for my neck). Unfortunately, woke up on Thursday morning with a head cold and cancelled the estival - glad i did as the cold worsened - onto my chest - and 4 days in rain and cold nights just wasn't on. So I spent 2 days abed and then couldn't stand it anymore, so blogged on. Also, one of the Canadian guests at the backpackers was a wannabe hairdresser, so he dyed my hair for me - a new colour 'Violet Black'!

With a sense of joy, I unpacked and downsized the contents of the BLOODY heavy suitcase - gave most of it away to the 2 women in the bcakpackers and sent a small box of stuff home - ditched the big suitcase for a smaller one and am now much lighter and happier - but still anticipating getting an RV van!

Looked at going to Findhorn, but when I read the exorbitant prices for a 3 day retreat there ($565) with Carolynne Myss or Neal Donald Walsh etc gave it a miss - I feel I am aware of most of it and the money will get me to the Orkneys instead!

---