Europe Trip -Day 2

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There is a way that nature speaks, that land speaks. Most of the time, we are simply not patient enough, quiet enough, to pay attention to the story.
Linda Hogan:

The rays of the early morning sun peeped at me through the half closed red curtains of the bus and woke me up from my deep slumber. These warm rays were playing a game of hide and seek with me, appearing right across my face before suddenly disappearing as the bus rumbled on. It was as if they were welcoming me and beckoning me to have a look outside at the lush greenery and scenic beauty that is Scotland.

I looked outside and took in the natural beauty that is still left untouched by people. Seas of farms, gentle slopes of lush green mountains, and open skies with no man made travesties blocking my sight. I was almost tempted to wake Pari to experience this wonderful sight, when I realized that we still had a long day ahead of us.

Now fully aroused from my sleep, I pondered over our plans for the day. Upon reaching Edinburgh, we were supposed to check in the motel that we had booked online back home. Then after freshening up, we would take a quick breakfast and then head over to the bus stop where we were supposed to board a sightseeing bus for a one day tour of Stirling Castle and Loch Lomond. After the tour, we would then head back to the hotel, where we would sleep like logs, shaking away the weariness engulfing our tired bodies.

We reached Edinburgh at 8:50 am in the morning, more than an hour and half later then the estimated arrival time. Our tour bus departed at 10:30 am. We had hardly one hour to find the hotel and then catch the bus. Despite the worries about the tight schedule, I could not stifle a smile, when Pari quipped that Scotland buses also seem to run on Indian standard time.

We found the hotel or should I say the property management without problems. What we had booked was a fully furnished apartment. But we were told that we could not check in until 3:00 pm later that day. They told us though that we could keep our luggage with them, which we did. After freshening up, we went to the bus station directly so that we could catch the tour on time. There we had a brie sandwich for breakfast. Brie is a type of cheese made from Cows milk. It is quite a famous cheese worldwide, though I wonder why. The cheese itself was bitter and smelt like fungus. Later I learnt that the cheese is usually aged for four weeks after preparation maybe that explains the smell J. I think that maybe it is one of the foods where you have to develop a taste for it.

The tour bus was on time and our first stop was Stirling Castle. En route to Stirling castle we took a short break near some bridge for photographs or that’s the reason the driver gave, though at that time I suspected that the driver needed a cigarette break. It was quite later that I learnt the bridge, called Forth Bridge, was one of the more famous bridges in Scotland. The length of the bridge stood at 2.5 kms and it is a rail bridge. There is a nearby road bridge called Forth Road Bridge. Building a bridge of this scale in later 19^th century was a pioneering effort.

When we did reach Stirling Castle, we were told we had one and half hour to explore the castle and have lunch. Since we were stuffed (note the sarcasm) with brie cheese, we decided to skip lunch for now and set off to explore one of the largest castle in Scotland.

The Stirling castle has a lot of history associated with it. Perched on a high rocky hill, surrounded on three sides by steep cliffs, it has witnessed some of the most important battles of Scotland including the defeat inflicted upon the British by the popular Scottish legend, William Wallace in 1297. As we entered the Stirling castle, we were greeted by a large statue of Robert the Bruce, one of the most famous Scottish monarchs, who was responsible for defeating the British in 1314 in the famous battle of Bannockburn. From the castle grounds we could see Wallace monument, dedicated to William Wallace. It felt so calm and peaceful as we walked through the castle grounds, the peace broken by the chatter of other tourists just like us. But the cannons on the castle walls reminded us that it was not always so serene. As we walked each nook and corner of the castle, we tried to imagine what it was like in olden days, imagine the hustle and bustle during battle, and that made our trip more memorable.

Our next stop was the quaint village of Aberfoyle. By the time we reached the village, which is also called ‘The Gateway to the Trossachs’, our hunger got the better of us. Our lunch consisted of the traditional ‘fish and chips’ and roasted vegetables. Fish and Chips are very popular in Scotland and England. It consists of deep-fried fish (mostly cod or haddock) in batter or breadcrumbs with deep-fried potatoes. The place where we had lunch kept birds like falcons and barn owls. We could photograph holding them, for a small price of course. These birds are common in the Trossachs area. The Trossachs is an area of glens (valleys) and lochs (bays) and wild mountains. One of its most scenic lochs is Loch Lomond.

Loch Lomond is one of the largest lochs in Scotland. The loch contains a large number of islands. We took an hour long cruise along the loch. The gentle breeze, the calmness of the water, the green mountains with hidden springs, a hazy layer of mist enveloping the top of the mountains, the small woody islands all combined to create a magical spectacle of nature at its best.

Our drive to and fro from Loch Lomond was very picturesque. One of the highlights was the gardens of two privately owned houses. There were flowers of most varied colors. Pity the bus did not stop for photographs, though I managed to sneak in a few blurry snaps from the moving bus.

We reached Edinburgh late in the evening and were longing at the prospect of calling it a day. We collected the keys to the apartment and ordered a takeout and wearily slogged our way to our apartment. Living in the fully furnished apartment was a new concept for us, accustomed to living in hotels. It was a pleasant experience and we think this concept will catch on as more people are exposed to it.

People who tramp miles of trail in wild places gain a perspective that can't be had at any price in tamed areas with paved parking and visitor amenities.