In the deep lies a creature – a creature of myth and legend – a dragon – a beast
The Loch Ness Monster.
We reached Loch Ness, where this legendary creature lives. We have all read the stories – the photos have been debunked. People say that she never was here, or that she is long since gone (as the first sighting was in 565 A.D.).
So, looking for her is pointless – – – or is it?
The weather was perfect (19 degrees Celsius), the wind
was calm, the sun was high in the sky. I was sure that THIS was the time. We joined the search aboard the Jacobite Warrior – a vessel equipped for the challenge. With sonar reaching the depth of 750 feet on our journey, we crisscrossed the Loch with our eyes locked on the sonar screen looking for anything. We waited and watched. We watched and waited. Nessie did not appear. I’m not sure what went wrong – everything looked to be perfect for our historical viewing. I guess it just wasn’t our day.
The Loch is beautiful. The mountains falling into the water. For such a worldwide legend it was very peaceful and quiet. We stayed on the less traveled West side of the lake by the Falls of Foyers. The falls were beautiful as was the hike down to them.
FYI – The sun sets at 11:00 PM and rises about 4:15 AM this time of year so you have plenty of daylight to do your own search for Nessie.
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).
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.
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.
people and the sites. We sang songs (always in perfect harmony), we made wrong turns that ended up to be great directions; we also made many wrong turns that ended in U-turns, in detours, and once in the middle of a field (don’t tell Hertz). We ended this 30 day segment where we began, in Barcelona.
We spent the night in Bayonne, France. It was a small city on the river with cute shops, restaurants and a gothic cathedral. We walked around the city and took in the sites.
r the world to be healed by the water from the grotto. There are hundreds of people in wheelchairs, walkers and even a gurney. It was very interesting to witness. We would definitely recommend a visit to Lourdes, France.
We finally arrived in Andorra to breathtaking views. We rented an apartment in the mountain village of el Tarter. We cooked dinner and enjoyed the view from our balcony.
we found ourselves in an area looking more like Austria than Spain. The weather had turned so instead of shorts and T-shirts we were wearing long pants and jackets. It was 39 degrees on Monday morning – my Florida blood was not liking it one bit. The sun did manage to come out and we hiked the mountains and enjoyed the sights.
Valley, Portugal. Missy is researching our next stop and I am trying to concentrate on writing this entry. I say trying because I can’t help but to look up from my laptop: in the shade of an olive tree overlooking the vineyard, listening to the birds – this is truly a place to remember.
Driving north we went to the walled city of Obidos. This magnificent city sits on top of a hill surrounded by ancient city walls. The walls were tall and at times a little precarious. 
Missy has found our next spot so we can now just sit, relax and listen to the birds – before we have to drive these hills to find dinner tonight.
The rhythm of the Flamenco dance flows though the city – you cannot escape it. The energy is intoxicating. Seville takes all.
The Plaza de Toros de la Maestranza encapsulates the history of Spain’s traditional bullfighting. The narrow streets of this fantastic city will captivate you as it has us.
This beautiful complex is one of the most fascinating in all of Spain. Unfortunately, when you travel without too many advanced plans you have to forgo some sites. This was one of them. When we walked up to the ticket booth they were sold out for the day. We asked about buying online – yes, they can get us in on June 9. What about waiting in line for stand by – yes make sure you are in line by 3AM. Needless to say there is plenty to do in Granada without the Alhambra.
Let’s discuss high speed for a second – I do not believe that anything in Morocco is high speed!!! To get on the ferry you must arrive approximately 1 hour in advance to wait in line even after you have tickets. Once you are on the ferry you wait in line for the entire 45 minute ferry ride to get your passport stamped – one passport official for the entire ferry full of passengers. One passenger told me that he once had to wait a hour after the ferry reached the other side of the channel to go through passport control.
