Scotland Day Seven

This morning, we slept in. I think everyone is feeling a little bit of touring fatigue, so we changed plans and had a free morning. Denise and I took advantage of it to get caught up on emails, read, and have a generally lovely morning in our hotel room. We were able to shop very briefly, then had lunch at that famous old Scottish restaurant, MacDonald's.

Following that, we returned to the hotel and got on the bus headed for Cawdor Castle, MacBeth's home. Yes, there really was a historical MacBeth, and he was apparently a very capable king, ruling for many years. The Cawdor Castle is in perfect condition, and looks as if someone could move back in tomorrow. There are tapestries covering the walls inside that date from the 1600's. The grounds around the castle are a garden that just goes on and on. We saw a hedge maze that was copied from Roman times, but did not have time to get lost in it.

After Cawdor, we went to a dock on the edge of the Ness River, and boarded a boat for a "three-hour" tour. I tried to find a Gilligan hat, but couldn't. It was actually a two-hour tour, ending at Urquehart Castle. Denise and I were here in 2002, but I think we saw more this time. While we were there, a wedding occurred in the castle. The men mostly wore kilts, and the bride had a sleeveless dress that made me shiver just looking at it. Understand, it was maybe 40 degrees outside, so she must have been freezing. It was a beautiful wedding.

Following the boat ride, we rode back to Inverness, where we had a dinner of chicken liver pate with oat cakes and onion chutney (the appetizer); and salmon on a bed of potato with field greens (the main course); and a fruit cup. All of it was wonderful. Afterwards, we repaired to a pub, then to our rooms.

Tomorrow, we will be seeing a sheepdog work, then to Perth and eventually to Edinburgh, our final hotel stay.