We had a lot to do today, so even though we got to bed late, we set the alarm for 7. I woke up at 5:30 and couldn't fall back asleep, so in a way the alarm wasn't even needed.
We said our goodbyes and took our group photo. I thought it would be fun to get Ope in the photo via Skype, but I didn't think it would be possible because he was at the airport heading home. But Lyn called him (Skyped him) and we got the photo. I think he had the best smile of all.
We hit the road. First stop: Huntly castle, a ruined L-plan tower house, built and rebuilt from the 15th-17th centuries. One notable thing about Huntly is that parts of the original ornate facade remain. Robert the Bruce was a guest there in 1307.
We made it a quick visit because we had a lot of road to travel and our ultimate castle destination was Stirling castle, described by Steve and Laura as the best castle in the country.
Next, we stopped at Balvenie castle, a ruined 12th century castle near Dufftown. We passed by the Glenfiddich whisky distillery on the way to the castle. I had always wanted to tour a whisky distillery in Scotland, but it didn't happen in 2003. Glenfiddich is the only brand of Scotch that I know, mainly because in 2003 I bought some in the Edinburgh airport for my friend, Jim Owens. A lot of Balvenie castle was closed off for repairs, so it was a quick visit.
Cristina found out in the gift shop that Glenfiddich gave free tours. Even though time was tight, we thought we had to fit that in. So we did.
The fermentation and distillery parts of the tour were fascinating. But my favorite part was the cask warehouse, where the scotch is aged. Most of the character of the scotch, the flavors and hints of fruit or spices, come from the oak barrels that the scotch is aged in. The sheer craftsmanship that goes into the entire process is so impressive.
Our tour guide, Danilo, was from Brazil
We needed some lunch, so we hit a Costcutter (a little grocery chain) and grabbed some sandwich fixings and crisps (and digestives, which were half off).
The three-hour drive to Stirling was long and fraught with rain, sometimes coming down so hard that I could barely see the road even with the wipers on full speed. The road was smaller than the trip up, so slower, but much better than the roundabout hell of Aberdeen.
We saw snow on the mountains
We got to Stirling a little before 5, and it closed at 6, so it was a lightning tour. A couple of things were closed already, but we filled our time with seeing everything we could. Stirling is no ruin, so it was fun to tour a castle that had ceilings and furnishings. Totally different vibe. Lots of American tourists there. And it's up on a hill, so great views.
The William Wallace Memorial is in the background between Sofia and Cristina
It's good to be the king
We got to Steve and Laura's a little after 7. The original plan was to have a BBQ for 4th of July, but we were getting in too late to really be a part of the cookout, plus it was raining most of the afternoon. But Steve was a good American and grilled chicken kebabs in the rain.
We had to cut the after-dinner chat a little short to return the rental car. So long to the Skoda. Other than the flat tire, it was a good car for us. Steve drove his car out to the rental place with me and after a tricky job of backing the Skoda into the remaining awkward parking place, we dropped the key in the overnight slot and headed home.
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