Today was a great day. Not that everyday hasn’t been a great day but some days are better then others and today was one of those days.
I finally left Kyleakin to head to Fort Augustus where I will be staying overnight. I got on the Haggis bus which had a driver and a tour guide; Graham and Graham. They were great! We headed further up into Skye. I don’t know how to describe it. Words can’t describe a place such as this. The houses were spread out and there were really small waterfalls where you would think there shouldn’t be one at all. There were hills everywhere ……
First stop of the morning was by a bridge where you could see mountains in the background. We walked down by the ice capped water where Graham told us a story of a woman from one clan who was supposed to marry someone from another clan. She was going from one side of the river to the other side when an accident happened and part of her face became disfigured. She showed up to meet her future husband and he sent her back to her clan saying he couldn’t believe they sent her to him looking the way she did. A war broke out between the two clans. The woman was so distraught over this that she walked down by the bridge. She did this for seven years. Then she met a fairy when she was down by the water one day. The fairy told her if she broke off a piece of the ice and washed her face in the water all would be well. She did it and didn’t think anything happened until the next day when she looked at herself in the water and her face was back to normal. Graham told us to break off a piece of ice and wash our faces in the water; otherwise bad luck would befall us. I went ahead and did it for the fun of it. Then, we had to walk underneath the bridge (the bus was parked on the other side) where the rocks were slippery. Wouldn’t you know it. I slipped and my foot went into the water. Graham said I was the one casualty. He said I didn’t squeal like most girls would when something like this happens. Maybe it’s because I lived in Yosemite for so long. Something like this wouldn’t phase me.
Then we got back on the bus and headed to a couple of cemeteries. I took a photo of Flora MacDonald’s grave. She is the one who hid Bonnie Prince Charlie and got him out of Scotland. I also took a photo of Old Man of Storr and Kilt Rock. Luck was on our side today because it didn’t rain at all but it was really cold. Afterwards, we headed to Fort Augustus and passed Loch Ness along the way. We stopped to take a photo of Loch Ness. The water was black. You wouldn’t be able to see two feet in front of you especially if Ole Nessie showed herself.
I am staying at Morag Lodge (found out the lodge is haunted) tonight and heading to Inverness tomorrow. Inverness is the capital of the highlands so it should be bigger than the villages I have passed through already. It’s on the other side of Loch Ness. I heard they have a cinema so maybe I will see a movie while I am there.
