Hello! <BR> <BR>We got back late last night. Thanks to all the advise we received from all of you, we had a terrific time!! <BR>The weather was just as we expected it to be-chilly and rainy. <BR>Going out of the Glasgow airport there are four roundabouts..."the driving final exam at the beginning of the class" as Dan said. We stayed on the motorways to the A9 then hit the B8019 to Kinloch Rannoch. He got a bit nervous on the B8019, but he did just fine. We kept the book we bought handy and referred to it from time to time. He turned onto the right lane once on the A9 at night- thank God there wasn't any traffic close. He did have a tendency to stay to the right in parking lots and car parks when another car was coming at us. I just 'gently' said 'stay left' to remind him.He even felt confident enough to drive on a C road (those sheeps eyes reflecting off the headlights is kind of eerie) and to Edinburgh. Well, we made it home each in one piece . <BR> <BR>Kinloch Rannoch is beautiful. The Highland Club there is a wonderful place to stay. <BR>We stayed at the Kirklee Hotel on Kensington in Glasgow. It is a very nice and clean hotel. The owners are very kind and helpful. <BR>We visited the Glasgow Cathedral the morning of our flight. What a beautiful cathedral! I guess that this is what the St. Andrews Cathedral would have looked like. <BR> <BR>What a wonderful time we had. We definitely look forward to visiting Scotland again. <BR> <BR>Thanks! <BR> <BR>Kittie <BR>

Kittie--- what else did you see/visit on the Highlands Region? Where did you stayed in Edinburgh? What souvenirs did you brought home? What places you considered a 'don't bother'? <BR> <BR>Agree with you; Scotland is a wonderful destination!

Maira, <BR> <BR>Dan and I agreed that we should win the lotto and go to Scotland for at least two months. We absolutely fell in love with the country. <BR> <BR>Since the place we stayed at in Kinloch Rannoch was a central location, we did a day-trip to Edinburgh. We saw the castle, walked the Royal Mile, saw St. Gile's Cathedral, did some shopping on Rose St. and Prince St. Unfortunately, we ran out of time and had to head back. <BR>Of course we had to hit the Hard Rock Cafe (we are collectors ). <BR> <BR>We went to Urquhart Castle and Loch Ness. On the way back we stopped in Invergarry at an old castle (ruin) and at the Well of Seven Heads. Now, this is the stuff we Americans go to Scotland for . <BR> <BR>We went to Eilean Donan ( my mother is a McRae) and because they were open for the first time in Nov. we got to take the tour. On the way there, we stopped at a cemetary that has some of my relatives (direct line) buried there. We then went to Skye but because it was getting dark, we didn't get to see too much. We looked for the Seagull restaurant in Broadford, but we couldn't find it. We asked directions, but we still couldn't find it. Oh, well. <BR> <BR>The Culloden Battlefield is eerie. It made me speachless to see the flags where the sides were lined up. The stones marking the clan graves and the short movie they showed made me teary-eyed. After that we went to the Clava Cairns. It is just amazing that these structures are standing after so many centuries. <BR> <BR>We went to Bruar Falls and the House of Bruar. This store has everything Scottish. What a wonderful place for two people who love to shop! <BR> <BR>On the way back to Glasgow, we stopped at the Queen's view on Loch Tummel and at Killiecrankie. We went to St. Andrews and toured the castle and the cathedral (or what is left of it). We then tried to find the Antonine Wall in the Falkirk area with no luck. We ran out of daylight and decided to make that a priority on our next trip to Scotland. <BR> <BR>I had the best salmon I have ever had in The Village Smithy restaurant in Pitlochry. I also tried haggis in "patty" form and found it o.k. I just wouldn't like to have it all the time . <BR> <BR>Kinloch Rannoch also has a wonderful hotel named The Dunalastair. We had a fantastic meal there! <BR> <BR>Actually there are no "don't bother" sites in Scotland in my opinion. We love castles and cathedrals and cairns and cemetaries and all that historic stuff. <BR> <BR>I bought winter scarves for myself (hey, it gets chilly in Tampa) and for my mother of MacRae and McFarlane print. We bought some scotch and of course, I have my mug collection. I also *had* to buy a tea towel. I have one framed in my living room. I will probably do the same with this one ( it's of Eilean Donan). I also love those books of historic sites. I also bought a little "tooth fairy" pewter round box. It looks great in my room at work. I bought a Rennie MacIntosh ring (I know he's dead) that I just love. We also bought shortbread and some heather honey. <BR> <BR>BTW, I did have a frozen mars bar. It was quite good! <BR> <BR>Kittie <BR> <BR>

Hi Kittie <BR> <BR>Glad to hear about your trip. But what about Irn Bru tasting?? Did you have any -- what did you think? <BR> <BR>Your post has made me homesick...

Kittie <BR>Haggis in a patty form? Is this the birth of the haggis burger?

A deep-fried mars bar would have been more of a challenge for you , Kittie, you should have sought out one of them!

I said that earlier, Tony (in an e-mail)I think the girl misunderstood the posting earlier

I goofed with the mars bar thing. I remembered 'mars bar' from the postings, but forgot the 'deep fried' part. I saw a frozen one and mistakenly thought that this was what was y'all were taking about. I'll look for the deep fried ones on our next trip- and yes, there will be another trip to Scotland. We absolutely fell in love with the country. <BR> <BR>I actually liked Irn Bru. It reminds me of 'Orange Crush' or the Faygo brand orange 'pop' I grew up with in the Detroit area. I do think the diet Irn Bru needs some improvement . <BR> <BR>O.k.... first, at the Dunalastair in Kinloch Rannoch I had haggis stuffed into mushrooms and then breaded and deep fried. You couldn't taste the haggis. Then I had it at the Village Smithy in Pitlochry in the patty form with a little bit of cream sauce on it. How is haggis usually served? I just took it for granted that the patty form was the norm. <BR> <BR>Kittie