Inverness!

Inverness! From whence Alexander Douglass and his family boarded a sailing ship for America. I feel an attachment to this city. It is a beautiful city, lying along both sides of the firth which reaches inland from the sea. The water in the river runs swiftly, likely from the tides. 

We have been blessed with a beautiful day today, partly sunny, with the sky changing with each mile we drove from Edinburgh. We took Beth to the airport and were sorry to see her leave but she has a tour in two days and needs to be home. She took the extra luggage that was packed with their new purchases with her. Jon then got a rental car at Edinburgh airport. We had to ask for a different car as the first one did not fit us well and we had a long trip. The second car they offered was much better and we were glad we took the time to make the change.

Outside of Edinburgh, heading north we were traveling through the highlands, the mountains. It is largely forested, except for the places in the valleys that have farms. Looking across the valleys, the cleared fields look park-like, surrounded by trees. The numerous sheep contribute to that park feeling by keeping the grass neatly “mowed”. Many, many sheep in pastures along the road, with farmhouses and barns in the distance, very picturesque. At times the scenery called up the Adirondacks in summer with the little stores and tourist shops. The trees were much taller than those we saw in Ireland and the great variety of trees, both evergreen and deciduous, really gave meaning to the “40 shades of green” associated with Ireland, but much more apparent here in the Scottish highlands. We saw many really beautiful views in the mountains.

We stopped in Pitlachry (roll the r) to eat lunch at the Fern Cottage restaurant and ate outside, with a view of the village park where families were enjoying the sun and children were playing. We walked up the street a ways to see the shops. Took some pictures of the houses on the hillside above main street. In this village the tulips were in full bloom as well as the pansies and lilacs. There blooming was a strong reminder that it is generally colder here and especially in the highlands, so the flowers bloom later.

There were many places on the main route where signs warned Average Speed Zone. These are areas where cameras keep track of traffic. Our taxi driver, from the hotel to the airport, told us to beware the camera areas. They were very strict and the fine was 1000 British pounds! Jon was very careful. The roads were generally good; we opted out of the scenic route which would have taken us much longer. As it was, the trip took us longer than expected, because of the slow speed zones, but we got into Inverness about 6 pm, checked into the Premier Inn, situated on the west bank of the Firth. Then we discovered there was no place to park in the Inn’s car park and we would have to drive a few blocks to a long-term car park. No problem; we could easily walk back to find a restaurant. But when we got to the car park, the machines that issued the parking permit accepted only coins, and we had none. 

Because we were concerned that the long term car-park might be filled before we got back from eating supper, we drove across the river where Jon could find a place to make a small purchase and gain the ₤4.50 in coin necessary to leave the car overnight. Once the car was settled for the evening, we walked back to the restaurant that had vegetarian dishes on its menu. No, we had no reservation, and they were full; they did not suggest that we wait. Same result at our second choice restaurant. We tried a couple other places, same results. So we walked across the bridge and, as we walked, we could see people eating in a second story restaurant. It was an Indian restaurant. They had a very large menu and we had a nice meal there, seated at a window table, overlooking the river.

After supper we walked along the river to the pedestrian bridge and walked back to our hotel. Our rooms have no phones, but are complete with all other amenities, including wi-fi, and we will have breakfast here in the morning. Jon is checking on the availability of a fitness center, More tomorrow.