The Isle of Skye: One of our new favorite places on Earth!

In order to see the beautiful countryside of Scotland, we had to rent a car. It sounded so nice...driving at our own pace, windows rolled down, music on, but... there's one small drawback:
Yes, that's right. We had to drive on the left side of the road. It was weird and scary at first, but once Nate got the hang of it, it was kind of fun! As you can see here, the inside of the car is flip-flopped. That took some getting used to... especially when we hopped in and out of the car. We kept going to the wrong door!

The views from Edinburgh to the Glencoe Valley were amazing.

If you've seen a Harry Potter movie, you probably recognize this bridge. They show it each time Harry travels by train from London to Hogwarts.

This lake appears in the background of the scenes when the train is riding over the bridge.

After driving through Glencoe Valley and the land of Harry Potter, we took a ferry to the Isle of Skye.

Words cannot begin to describe the beauty of the Isle of Skye. As we drove from the ferry to the town of Portree, we were amazed at the island's beauty.

Portree. The main town on the Isle of Skye.
The sunset became even more brilliant later in the evening. I don't think this would be a bad place to own a sail boat!

The next morning, we woke up to this:

Then we headed on a loop of the island. This was our first stop.
Can you find Nate? Hint: He's wearing a blue jacket.

The rock in the distance is called Kilt Rock... because it looks like a kilt!

Everything was SO green!

To break up our trip in the car, we decided to take a recommended hike. When we started, we had beautiful, clear-blue skies.

And then...the clouds rolled in.

It started to rain and my hooded jacket was not exactly water proof!

The rain quickly stopped and we enjoyed the rest of our hike. We had absolutely gorgeous views!

To complete our Scottish experience, we had to see some sheep in the road (like in the movies) and we did! I'm glad I wasn't driving, because I was so excited that I might have veered off of the road.

This was our last stop on our loop. How would you like that white house to be your vacation home?

Nate & I spent a lot of time here just relaxing and taking in the view. We had the ocean, rolling hills, rocks jutting out of the water, old castle remains, sheep, and... each other. Not a bad combination!

Coming soon... our adventures in Inverness & Loch Ness!

Anniversary in Edinburgh

After a long journey from Bath, we finally arrived in Edinburgh. As we rode the bus from the airport to the hotel, both of us were in awe of how beautiful, and almost magical, the city looked. The buildings were very different from anything else we'd ever seen in Europe. That evening, we enjoyed walking around and getting a feel for the city. It was so laid back and relaxing. While we were out, the Edinburgh Military Tattoo, a marching band of drummers and bag pipers, was having a dress rehearsal, so we took advantage of a free mini-concert. As they left their rehearsal, we snapped a quick shot. I would not want to be wearing a skirt on such a windy night as this. Excuse me, it is a kilt.

The next morning was our 3 year anniversary! So I woke up and fixed myself really nice for the special day and Nate says... I think we should go for a hike. A hike!? I thought he had lost his mind. But it turned out for the best. There was a perfect hike that led to spectacular views over the city. We found some interesting ruins on our way up.

It was another windy day, but it was gorgeous the way the wind blew the grass.
We made it to the top! The wind made Nate look like he had a mohawk!

It was a breathtaking view!

The hiking trail was over a point called Arthur's Seat. You can really see the trail and the Edinburgh Castle in the distance.

Edinburgh is known for it's Royal Mile, which is a road that stretches a little over a mile from the Edinburgh Castle to the Palace of Holyroodhouse.
The Palace of Holyroodhouse. Another one of the Queen's many vacation homes.

At the other end of the Royal Mile is the Edinburgh Castle. We spent the afternoon exploring the castle grounds.
Every August, Edinburgh hosts one of the largest festivals in Europe. We arrived a few days too early, but many performers had arrived early as well and were putting on street shows along the Royal Mile. We were able to watch a juggling act, a bed-of-nails act, and a Houdini-inspired escape act. As you can tell by my face, we really enjoyed watching these shows!
Edinburgh was once the most crowded city in Europe; the result of some of the world's earliest skyscrapers.
As we ate a delicious desert, we watched the sun set over the Royal Mile. It was a great way to conclude a wonderful anniversary day!

Maria & Nate in Bath

The tour left Stonehenge and brought us to the city of Bath. Since we were spending the night in Bath, we abandoned the tour and explored the city on our own. Our first visit was the site of the Roman baths built over a series of hot springs. When the Romans ruled Britannia during the 1st century, the city was extremely popular because of these baths. So popular in fact, that the city simply became known as Bath. If you don't believe us, click on this picture to see it written in stone.

When the Romans headed back to Rome, the baths silted up and the city lost its appeal. In 1687, Queen Mary bathed here and within 10 months she gave birth to a son. She credited the conception to the healing powers of the waters and, as a result, the town became a popular spa resort for the rich and famous. Most of the buildings in the city, including the site of the Roman baths, were built according to the Georgian style that was popular in the 18th century. These pictures were taken inside the Roman baths:
The Pump Room is an elegant Georgian restaurant that was built above the Roman baths. We stopped and enjoyed a strawberry lemonade made from the water flowing out of the hot springs. The water flows out of the elegant fountain in the background of this picture.
Once put on ice, the drink was really tasty!
The city recently constructed the modern Thermae Bath Spa. Since we were staying in a city famous for its hot springs, we couldn't resist visiting.
There were four different steams rooms with different scents. Each one was so relaxing!
The spa's main heated bath is located on the roof and has commanding views of the city.
After feeling refreshed from the spa and getting a good night's sleep, we walked through the town and enjoyed its unique architecture the next morning.

This famous part of the city is called the Circus because it's a circular area surrounded by these large townhouses. Not surprisingly, the Latin word 'circus' means ring or circle.
Another famous part of the city is the Royal Crescent. This area is a semi-circle of townhouses overlooking the picturesque countryside. Due to its awkward shape, we had difficulty capturing it in a photo. We had to use a borrow and image from someone on the internet, which is why this is the only picture on our post that contains a blue sky.
A beautiful bridge.
Here's an example of the dreary weather. Our hotel was located on the other end of this beautiful park.Our hotel was appropriately named the Parade Park Hotel.
After touring the city, we took a bus to London, the Tube to King's Cross train station, a train to the Luton train station, a bus to the Luton airport, a plane to Edinburgh, and finally, a bus to the Edinburgh city center. We're exhausted just remembering all that traveling, so we need to take a break before we post our Edinburgh blog!