I spent two days visiting Scotland; the first in Invergordon and the second in Edinburgh. I had a boat safety drill the morning of Invergordon, so I unfortunately did not have time to make it to Loch Ness to look for Nessie or to the famous battlefield from "Braveheart". However, I had a relaxed afternoon puttering around town with friends. We ended up tasting Scottish beer at the pub. My beer was called "T" and it tasted just like Miller Light. Another highlight from Invergordon was the spotting of a John Deere tractor at the dock.
Edinburgh was much more exciting! Saturday, August 6 was a whirlwind of sightseeing and umbrella dodging. We happened to be in port the same day that the Edinburgh Military Tattoo was performing at the Edinburgh castle, so the city was filled to the brim with tourists from all over the UK. The tattoo concert consisted of the world-renowned Massed Pipes & Drums together with the Massed Military Bands and the Bands of the Royal Regiment of Scotland..... Basically lots of bagpipes, brass, and kilts. I did not get a ticket to the concert, but saw the set up for it when I visited the castle.
The "Broadway Street" of Edinburgh would be considered the "Royal Mile". The castle is at one end of it and the British Monarch's official residence in Scotland (Holyrood House) is at the other. The space in between has a Times Square atmosphere of souvenir shops (selling kilts, scotch, and William Wallace dolls) and a theatre district. There is a picture of Holyrood House (it looks like a modern castle) and one of its beautiful gates - also a Gerard Manley Hopkins quote I found etched into the side of a museum. The giant, old looking castle you see is the main one in Edinburgh.
Next stop... Amsterdam................
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