Jenn's Visit

The rest of Jenn’s visit went by so quickly. I had a great time showing her around Edinburgh and seeing the city through a photographer’s eyes. I love watching all our guests discover the beauty here. And watching Jenn take pictures and see angles and light in all my favourite places made me realise just how much I’m going to miss this place.

One of the highlights was our trip to St Andrews. Brandon had a day off so all three of us got on a bus and headed up to Fife to see another part of the country. It took nearly two hours to get there but it was worth it for sure. We started out by walking from the bus station to what remains of the cathedral. The walls that are still standing give just a hint of what it would’ve looked like when it was one of the most important churches in all of Scotland. The day was perfect for the views with a bright blue sky helping to show off all the colours in the stone.

Brandon demonstrating how the average height has changed!

Gorgeous streets

The remains of St Andrews Cathedral

Walls and pillars give an idea of how massive this place once was

We walked along the wall down to the pier and took in the view of the shoreline. Jenn set up her tripod here and took some absolutely amazing photos before we walked back up to the cathedral and bought our tokens to climb St Rule’s Tower where we ate our picnic lunch and again had a great view of the shoreline and the castle.

This is a view of St Andrews Castle

Looking back down the pier towards the cathedral

I thought this guy was gorgeous

Thanks, Jenn, for a great photo!

The photographer caught on the other side of the lens

Back down the steep and twisty stairs and on to the castle. Also a ruin but with still quite a lot to see, we spent a bit of time here exploring. The best part was climbing down into the mine and countermine. During a rather turbulent time in the castle’s history, a group of men dug a mine under the castle with the intent to blow down the walls to gain entry. The only problem was that they weren’t all that quiet about it and those holding the castle hostage at the time heard everything that was going on. They dug down from inside the castle and after a couple of false starts and unsuccessful attempts, they found and stopped those who were trying to get in. You can’t see all that much of these tunnels now, but what you can see is pretty impressive. The countermine is crude and obviously more quickly dug while the mine is wider and has tracks for taking the rock out with donkeys and carts. No wonder they were heard!

After the castle we continued on past many university buildings to the town’s most famous attraction, The Old Course. Often thought of as the “spiritual home of golf,” the sport has been played there since probably the mid 1400’s. We saw the famous clubhouse which I can’t confirm, but I think is still only open to men and walked along the footpath that crosses one of the fairways. Jenn took some photos for her dad as specially requested and then we headed back to the main part of town for ice cream. Then after a little shopping in a very odd, very smelly and unusual curiosities shop, we got back on the bus and headed back to Edinburgh where we went home and had a great taco feast for dinner.

The famous club house on the Old Course

Hotel on the edge of the course

For the next couple of days we fit in all sorts of other city sights including Craigmillar Castle, Rosslyn Chapel and glen, Holyrood Palace and Abbey, Calton Hill, and Jenn went on a historic tour of the South Bridge vaults. We also hiked half way up Arthur’s Seat where Jenn took some photos of Brandon and I and made us feel like such superstars. Then on Monday the 11^th, the two of us boarded a tour bus to spend the day in the highlands. Originally Jenn was going to go on her own but we kind of rearranged the week’s plan when she so totally generously bought my ticket for the day as well. It was a long day of driving and unfortunately it wasn’t all that bright and sunny, but we saw loads of scenery and I was totally in love with it all. A quick view of Stirling Castle, a stop for tea bathrooms that also allowed us to fall head over heals in love with Hamish the hairy coo, and a trek across the desolate Rannoch Moor found us in the weeping glen - Glencoe. Along the way we learned all sorts of history and some of the most deadly stories of Scotland’s past.

A true Highlander - Hamish!

Hamish's daughter Honey

The fabulous Glencoe

After that, we found ourselves driving through Fort William along the shores loch after loch until we were finally at our most northerly destination, Fort Augustus on the shore of Loch Ness. We ate our lunch here, shopped a little bit, looked at the locks on the canal system, and then boarded the boat for our hour long cruise on Loch Ness. We were a little disappointed by the cruise, and not just because we didn’t spot Nessy. When we booked the tour, we were talked into adding the cruise because the girl told us that it was the only way we’d get to see Urquhart Castle. Turns out it would take hours on the loch to get anywhere near the castle. Our driver/guide, once we finally convinced here that someone in her office did indeed tell us we’d be able to see it from the boat, did apologise for the mix up but by that point there’s not really anything she could do about it.

The dark water of Loch Ness

Church in Fort Augustus

Small bridge over the canal leading into the loch

No bother, we continued on. Unfortunately though, we had to start heading back south again and in what seemed like no time at all, we were back out of the heart of it all. I’m sure that we were at one point really close to that magical hilltop I stood on back in 2008 - the one where I left part of my heart that sunny May day. I might have freaked Jenn out a bit by being so emotional about it!

We didn’t have very many stops on the way back to Edinburgh but we did have a really quick stop at a tiny waterfall where we experienced the lovely little beasties known as midges. They look like swarms of aphids but oh they are so, so much worse. They bite and those bites itch just as bad if not worse than mosquitoes. And somehow I ended up with quite a few bites on my neck and chest - both of which were actually quite covered by a t-shirt and sweatshirt. Not too excited to encounter those creatures again.

Was a lovely place except for the midges!

The day was over much too soon but it was nearly 8:00 when we made it back to Edinburgh. We had supper at the World’s End Pub on the Royal Mile and then headed home so Jenn could do some packing for her flight the next day. But just to send her off in proper style, we went back out that night to meet Brandon for a pint before bed. We had to gulp down our first drink because just after we walked in last call was called. So we ended up back at the World’s End for one more before we walked home. On the way we talked to a really friendly man who turned out to be a politician from the Isle of Man. Totally random…really great night.

The next morning Jenn and I got up early and got a taxi to Waverly Station. An hour long train to Glasgow later, we said a rather tearful goodbye at the airport bus stop. It was an amazing two weeks and I’m so, so happy to have introduced Jenn to Scotland. And now I can’t wait to see all the photos she took!