Castles, a pint and a wee dram

Scotland has something for everyone.  The countryside is stunningly green, there are so many castles that even my wife is saying “no we can skip that one”, the pubs are just as you imagined they were 75 years ago, and it is the birthplace of Scotch whisky (no “e”  if you are in Scotland).

In the last 5 days we have been to 12 castles, 1 palace and an Abby to boot.  We have explored these castles and climbed to the top of the sometimes endless staircases.  The castles have been spectacular; the ones left in ruins leave everything to your imagination and the ones that are still standing are a gateway to another time.  We have enjoyed them all.

On our third day in Scotland we stayed in a fishing village at a pub with rooms.  The experience  was wonderful, we felt we were part of the “real” town.  The pub is where all of the town goes at the end of every day to talk and have a pint or two.  The pub was listed as one of the top rated in all of Scotland to get the “perfect pint”.  BTW – a pint in the UK is 20% larger than a typical US pint.  We loved it, and the drive home was just 20 yards away.

In my opinion, no visit to Scotland would be complete without sampling a ‘wee dram’ of uisge beatha or ‘the water of life’ …the name given by the ancient Celts to the fiery amber nectar now called Scotch whisky.  We toured the one that started it all -The Glenlivet.  The tour was fantastic and allowed us to see the entire distilling process and allowed us to try a few drams.

Our Scottish adventure will continue with a day at the Highland Games and our search for Nessie…