I'm So Sorry!!

Yikes!  I am seriously neglecting the blog these days!  Truthfully, if you want to "visit" more often come over to Instagram where I am an annoying presence on a regular basis.  Basically, it allows me to post stuff in seconds, as opposed to the minutes it takes me to write a blog post.  Time is precious, folks! Anyway, my Instagram account is Barbiscrazy.  Apporpriate name, don't you think?

If you want to see some amazing pics from Scotland that my talented hubby took, you can go out to his Flickr account here.

So Much To Say!

Wow!  Um, sorry about the absence!  Life got away from me a bit, I guess!  You remember back several months ago, I told you I was going to Scotland. Well, I went...and I came back...and I have so many stories to tell!

We just got back last evening, so I am majorly suffering from jet-lag, so I will keep it short tonight. 

As you would expect, it was a wonderful trip. Scotland is so beautiful and full of history.  The people are extremely friendly, kind, and warm-hearted.  We met so many wonderful people on our trip, some we only spoke to for a few minutes and others we spent hours talking to.  People are fascinating!  I love meeting people and hearing what they have to say.  Ahhhh, it was grand!

Tonight, just a Cliff notes version of our trip...

Spent our first two nights in Edinburgh and explored that beautiful, interesting city!  So much to see and do there!  We got in a little trouble for breaking a law, but the guards were more amused at us than angry, so that was good.

Moved on to Glasgow and met up with some of my Mumford friends who flew there from Northern Ireland and England to be with us!  Wasn't that sweet!!!  It was the first time we had ever met in person, and yet it felt like I had known them forever.  Very, very sweet, fun, funny ladies! Explored Glasgow with them and met some of the locals.

Monday found us on a train to the Highlands, for the highlands and islands portion of our trip.  Spent two nights at a most amazing inn on Loch Ness.  If you're ever up in that area, I highly recommend Craigdarroch Inn!  Got a Goupon deal on it which made it affordable for us.  It was, by far, the nicest place we stayed!  The Highlands are gorgeous.  A little scary driving (oh, yeah, we picked up a car during this portion of the trip), as in winding, one-lane, two-way mountain roads.  Yes, I did say ONE lane, TWO way - thankfully, there are lots and lots of "passing places" so that you and the oncoming car don't crash head-on into each other.

The last two nights we spent in Fort William and explored that area.

Oh, I forgot to mention the four hour hospital visit on the Isle of Skye.  Well, yeah, that happened.  Lack of sleep, proper nutrition and hydration all combined and I came down with a kidney infection.  They pumped me full of really strong antibiotics and fluids, and then, against doctor's orders, I released myself from the hospital and we continued our journey.  Unfortunately, my illness prevented us from climbing Ben Nevis, which is the biggest disappointment of our whole trip.

Now for a few pictures that will swiftly convince you that you, too, really want to visit Scotland!

This was the view from the roof our hostel in Edinburgh.  Yes, we did climb on the roof (our room had a window out onto it), and no, that is not what got us in trouble with the guards.  That is a story for another time.
Edinburgh Castle

Elgin Cathedral
Something about walking through the ruins of a 13th century cathedral enthralls me!  The history that those walls have seen...I have no words!

Then there's Loch Ness.  We walked down to the Loch one morning and this...

This gem was just alongside the road while we were driving around the highlands.  We came around a corner and I saw it and said, "STOP the car!"  It was raining, and I got a really high fever right after this stop, but it was so very cool!!!!!
So, are you checking airline prices to Scotland yet?  I have 762 more pics to prove that it is amazing, in case you think these are an anomaly!

Anyway, my banana bread is out of the oven now, so I need to go to sleep!  More stories later.

Friday Fotos

 It was a good week.