August 2, 2024
Today I woke up early, so I got ready while Sharon slept later. I was all ready by the time the alarm went off. LOL
We had room service breakfast sandwiches and coffee. We joined the other gals and walked down to our assigned rendezvous point at the theater by 8 a.m. We were called shortly and walked off the ship and onto our waiting bus.
We had Elizabeth as a narrator and she did a nice job. We drove through the countryside through Inverness and rode to the Culloden Battlefield and Visitor Center. This is a very somber place. . . The site of a battle between the Jacobites led by Bonny Prince Charley and the British government troops. On April 16, 1746. 1600 men were slain, 1500 of them Jacobites. Jacobite supporters, seeking to restore the Stuart monarchy to the British thrones, gathered to fight the Duke of Cumberland’s troops. It lasted less than an hour. It is said it is the equivalent of our Gettysburg. There are some similarities in the cause, etc., more or less a civil war. But this is much smaller, covers a much smaller area, and the fighting only lasted an hour. But it is no less tragic in its loss of life. It effectively wiped out many clans. Tartans were banned after that, so that the clans would not be able to distinguish their members by their dress. I believe tartans were again allowed due to a law in 1822.
We left there and were driven around Inverness to see some sites. There is the Castle of Inverness which is being restored to its original glory and is very beautiful. We also saw a statue with a unicorn on top which is the national symbol of Scotland.
We stopped at a local hotel, the Leonardo, for a light lunch which was very good. It was chicken with roasted potatoes, green beans, carrots with gravy. Yummy. The lunches we’ve been served on the excursions have been planned ahead and very efficient. The tables are already set and we are directed into the room, grabbed a drink and sat. They came around serving our food. It doesn’t take long and we were back on our bus heading to our next stop. We actually just went a couple blocks and were dropped off so we could do some shopping. We were parked in front of a cathedral, so we went in and looked around. It was an Episcopal church and very ornate and we were able to walk through even up to the altar. We shopped a bit, then stopped for a drink on the corner before heading back to the bus.
We drove on through the countryside and alongside Loch Ness. Unfortunately, we did not have a photo op of the Loch; and if Nessie was in there, we didn’t see her! We stopped at the Loch Ness Visitor Center and museum, but we didn’t have enough time to go through it. That is a shame, but that seems to be the rule on these excursions. I have maybe a shot or two of Loch Ness. It is the largest of the lakes/lochs with 16 billion gallons of water. It is over 700 feet deep at the deepest part and I think 27 miles long. We shopped a little at the shops located there, then boarded our bus for the trip home. We drove up through some hills, climbing a couple thousand feet. It was very picturesque, but the narrow roads are really scary for this road warrior! The weather had cooperated all day, not really sunny, but partly cloudy the entire day. But just as we left, it started to rain lightly, but we got on the ship without getting very wet.
We arrived back in time for dinner at our usual table. We have had the same waiters and host and we have enjoyed getting to know them. The other gals went for a nightcap while I came back to the room. I wanted to write in the blog tonight before I forgot everything!
Till next time. . .
Dale
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