Finally, this year's "big" vacation. Dave and I spent 15 days in Scotland, drinking in its beauty. We learned a lot of Scottish history in the process, such as who "Bobbie Burns," beloved poet of Scotland, was.
We spent out first week in Scotland, from July 30 to August 7, 2017, in a condo at Moness Resort. The resort was in Aberfeldy, an hour-and-a-half drive north of Edinburgh, in the "Perthshire Highlands."
We had our own bungalow, with a bedroom, living room, bathroom, and kitchen.
In the early morning, the fog really does lie like a blanket over Aberfeldy.
Dave and I explored the town, from its fish and chips and dark limestone buildings...
to its tweed coats.
The town was bedecked in flowers.
One gift shop sold adorable "door stoppers" in the shape of Highland cows and other Scottish beasts I brought home a collection of them to use as table decorations for my Scottish dinner.
We took a 2 1/2 mile hike in the "Birks of Aberneldy," which Bobbie Burns memorialized in a poem. He also wrote the words to "Auld Lang Syne."
The "birks," or woods, were spectacular, with waterfalls, sparkling lakes, moss, and ferns.
We signed up with Splash, an adventure tour company, to take a run on the River Tay. We squeezed into wet suits, but the ride itself was pretty tame.
We also visited a crannog, which was a wooden tipi-type home floating on the lake There are 18 crannogs in Loch Tay, and hundreds more throughout Britain. They were made by Neolithic people.
Our guide, dressed in Neolithic costume, showed us a wood carving by Neolithic people and a loom used to make their quilts and clothes.
She took us inside the dark crannog and passed around such treasures as an Iron Age ax.
We ended the day with a reenactment of the Battle of Killiekrankie, won in the late 1600's by the Highland guerilla fighters who wanted to bring back King James as a Catholic king in Scotland, following the Protestant Reformation. They were known as the Jacobites. The Jacobites were ultimately defeated in 1746, when King William's forces slaughtered Bonnie Prince Charlie's army at Culloden.
The Jacobites were a ragtag group.
The British redcoats brought out their cannon and muskets and shot at the Jacobites.
The Jacobites returned fire.
A few aristocrats on horses led the commoner Jacobite forces.
The Jacobites charged and slaughtered the British redcoats.
We attended a talk on 17th century crime and punishment, which was harsh.
There were many crimes punished by beheading.
Dave and I refueled at the reenactment with a Scottish treat--smoked salmon and tomato sandwiches wrapped in a baguette.
The characters at the reenactment were a joy to photograph!
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