Day #134 - Aberdeen and Inverness, Scotland

Streets of Aberdeen

Inverness

Inverness Castle

Inverness - overlooking river

Town of Inverness

Monday, July 26th

I took a 2-1/2 hour train from Edinburgh this morning north to Aberdeen - my first visit into the Scottish Highlands. The name 'Highlands' is given primarily because it's a mountainous region. The 10 largest mountains (hills) in the UK are all located in Scotland - with the largest being 4,409ft near the town of Fort William. Scotland is also home to thousands of lochs. A loch is a Scottish Gaelic word for a lake. There are said to be over 30,000 freshwater lochs in Scotland. On the western side of Scotland, there are many islands referred to as Hebrides ("islands at the edge of the sea"). What a unique place to visit.

Aberdeen is located on the eastern coast of Scotland. The train ride was great. The tracks ran parallel to the ocean and I got to look out over the cliffs as we headed north. A tremendous view. Aberdeen is often used as the starting point for touring the many castles found in Scotland. There is actually a route called the "Castle Trail' that brings you by some of the more famous ones. This is something that would require a vehicle - as most or not along the train route. That's OK - I've seen my share of castles.

I took a few hours to walk around the city of Aberdeen. A neat place - but I didn't get the feel it was much of a tourist location. The people on the streets were business related. There weren't any 'take away' spots necessarily - just a place to stroll around and take it all in. I spent some time in the tourist center. I was able to gain some valuable information for the next few days. I can already see that I won't have enough time in Scotland. There are so many hiking areas and great places to see. The area is filled with unpredictable weather, untamed and rugged terrain, and unbelievable sites -- formulas that add up to --- "a place I need to be".

After spending some time in Aberdeen, I took another 2+ hour train ride over to Inverness - referred to as the capital of the Highland region. Inverness is located in the central part of the Highlands - easy access to Loch Ness -- the area I'll be touring tomorrow. I spent some time walking the streets toward early evening. Spectacular views. A little river flows through the middle of town. The Inverness Castle sits up on the hill overlooking the river. Several really cool bridges span over the water.

I'm staying at a place right in town. I'm down in the lobby using my computer right now. There is this older lady using a computer as well. She is continually asking me questions. She is asking the hotel guy as well. She's driving us crazy. It's clear that whatever she is doing - she wants us to sit and walk her through it. I listened to her and was attentive at first. Then, she started going into these stories about her work and medical stuff - I just had this distant stare going on. Now, she keeps talking to me. I am not even looking up anymore. Is this rude - or should I just straight-up say: "Please don't talk to me anymore tonight". I'm going to stick with the "completely ignoring her" approach and see how this works out for me. I'm in business mode right now -- even if I wasn't however, this lady would not be the #1 person on the most interesting list. You would understand if you were here.

Tomorrow I try to spot the Loch Ness Monster - wish me luck.