Wild and Sexy Scotland!!! - Day 1

So before you ask, I titled this posting, "Wild and Sexy Scotland" b/c of the tour group that I went with in Scotland. It's called the "Wild and Sexy Haggis Scotland Tour" and the tour guides end up saying that literally EVERYTHING in Scotland is "wild and/or sexy." Whether it's, "Wow...look at that gorgeous sexy mountain" or "Look at that wild and sexy hairy coo" - it's ALL about being wild and sexy in Scotland - HA!

Anyway, the tour group that I went with was FANTASTIC and well worth every penny (pence). Both guides were 100% Scottish and knew so many things about the "real Scotland" and made the trip an absolute blast!

I have to say that so far out of all of my travels over the past 3 months (WOW, it's already been 3 months!), Scotland is at the very top of my list as a fave! It's by far the most stunning and gorgeous place I've seen, even including my time in Spain, Italy, and Germany. I've discovered that when it comes to travelling, I'm much more of a "scenery" person than I am a "big city" person. While big touristy cities DO have their charm, nothing compares to the crisp mountain air and the peaceful sounds around you - Ahhhhhh bliss! :-)

My first day on the tour I met these 4 Canadian guys that were on a big holiday together and have been best friends all their lives - they were hysterical and we ended up hanging out during the whole tour. They were (L to R in the pic above): Ryan, Curtis, Dan, and Darcy. SUPER cool guys!

The first day on the tour, we left Edinburgh and headed up into what they call the "Highlands." Along the way, we stopped several times for "wee walks" as we headed into Stirling, Glencoe, and then Fort William - where Ben Nevis (which is Britain's largest mountain) lies.

The guides also pointed out cool things like the "loch" (which is Scottish for "lake") and the surrounding land that Sean Connery owns! It was quite funny though b/c BOTH of the Scottish tour guides (Dave and Fergie) had not a single nice thing to say about Sean. Apparently he spends on average 3 days a YEAR in Scotland (to avoid paying taxes supposedly) and when he does come and visit he stays in the Hilton - HA! I thought that was pretty amusing...

We finished up day 1 with a visit to Fort Augustus and the famous "LOCH NESS", home of the legendary Loch Ness Monster!!! I never really knew much about it to be honest, and aren't quite sure what to think about the whole thing. However, there have been reported sightings as far back as the early 6th century and I find it hard to believe that thousands of people have been making the entire thing up for hundreds and hundreds of years, ya know? I'm not saying it's a "monster" but there are a lot of unexplained things on this earth and "Nessie" (as the locals call her) is certainly one of them. BTW, the picture below is of Loch Ness (Nessie-less of course...).

That evening we stayed in a REALLY great hostel (best one I've been in so far) with its own pub and everything! We had a "jacket potato extravaganza" which consisted of a super buffet with everthing in the world to put on your potato followed by a few drinks in the pub. Then the Candadians and I went on a walk around Loch Ness around dusk to try and catch a glimpse of Nessie, but no such luck. So we headed back to our rooms to rest up for day 2 of the "wild and sexy Haggis Tour!" WHOOP!

Speaking of Haggis, I actually DID try some and it's not half bad! For those of you that are unsure of what it is, it's one of the most famous Scottish dishes and a must-try if you ever do Scotland. Basically it's a meat mixture made out of the heart, kidneys, lungs and liver all ground up and mixed with onions, oatmeal, and spices - boiled in the sheep's stomach for an hour. Sounds DISGUSTING but it's kinda like corned beef hash almost - and served on a bun. Don't knock it until you try it! :-)