Inverness

My goodness. I can hardly describe how happy this place makes me. It is a breath of fresh air. It is beautiful. It is wonderful. I felt an immediate connection to the land upon stepping off the plane and even at the airport with planes buzzing and jets taking off the overwhelming sound was silence. There is a heavy calm about the area which is a welcome change from honking taxis and bustling city streets. A place where the gentlest breeze finds a voice.

It is also a familiar landscape. The sea is near, the ground is green in winter time and the air is fresh. I am reminded of my childhood home and it makes me glad.

Today we hiked around Inverness. A town of about 50,000 people it is the capitol of the highlands. We walked along the river via a beautiful path and onto a grouping of islands in the river. We crossed the river and wandered into a graveyard set on a hill a little ways from the river. There were beautiful gravestones dating back from 1860. There were many stones detailing the places that young men died in action during the first world war. There was even a description of a man who died in Banff in the 1930's. After, we hiked around the town stopping every couple of inches for Ashley to take another picture. That poor camera got a workout today and in the cold too!

Tomorrow we are hoping to go to Urqhart castle on Loch Ness. We will also be going to Drumnadrochit (don't try pronouncing that in church) which is where Nessie is usually seen from. We may even be able to ride through the countryside on horseback if we are lucky. Here's hoping.