Scotland

Monday 6/15/09
Got up bright and early this morning and had a fantastic ‘Traditional English Breakfast’ as supplied by our bed and breakfast host. We were very well fed and very optimistic about the day’s journey north. When we left Keswick the sky was mildly cloudy, but there were also patches of blue sky, although it was colder then it had been the day before. Our journey north went relatively smoothly, all the roads were well marked, and the directions were accurate, considering how lost we got on our last 4 hour car ride, this was a piece of cake. The only hitch was that it was raining, heavily. We past 4-5 lit up display signs on our way up that said “Danger Heavy Rain and Flooding, Use Caution!” Fortunately, although we did have heavy rain, we did not encounter flooding. We were able to appreciate how beautiful a drive it would have been if the sky hadn’t been shades of grey or black, and if the clouds hadn’t been low enough in places to swallow the tops of the mountains we were passing. We did have a couple occasions where we were able to pull off when the rain paused and take a few pictures, but the rain always caught up with us quickly. Once we got to Fort William we had intended to do laundry tonight, so we asked at our hotel where the nearest laundry mat was. They happily told us that they do laundry at the hotel free of charge for guests. So we loaded up all the clothes we needed cleaned which entailed changing out of what we were wearing into something that hadn’t been worn as often, unfortunately that meant shorts for both of us. So our time exploring the shops in the town, and some of the surrounding hillsides has been much colder then either of us anticipated, mainly due to the fact that we’re both in shorts while our laundry is being completed. Since the stores here all seem to close by 5pm anyways we decided to retire to the hotel early, and take a nap or read a book. I find it very funny that a couple days ago Morgan decided to pick up the Dan Brown novel that I brought with me, and now is sitting next to me so enthralled in the suspense that he ‘grumps’ if interrupted. Soon I’ll have to try to pry the book out of his hands, so that we can go find some dinner. However it might be simpler to wait another hour and let him finish. I don’t know what we will do this evening. It’s still raining outside, so not much chance for more exploring, and all the shops have closed with the exception of the pubs. Originally we had planned to see the new Harry Potter movie tonight, but it seems that either we read the release date wrong, or the release date has been changed yet again, because it is now not coming out until next month. We may still go see a movie if the weather doesn’t improve. With luck tomorrow’s weather will improve for our train ride on the ‘Jacobite train’ across Scotland to the coast.