Our ship docked at the port of Invergordon (“Inver” means
“mouth,” as of a river). During our drive to Inverness, we traveled
along the Beauly
Firth, then crossed over Cromarty Bridge. Our guide pointed out some seals swimming in
the water and one sitting on a rock. Also
during this time, he told us some of the history of this area. He said the Romans didn’t get up this far;
they “didn’t like the weather or the people, so went back.” However, Vikings settled here. During WW II, this was a refueling place for
the American Navy. Bombs fell here
twice; the first one killed a sheep, and the second hit an oil tank and two men
who were working there. He told us the
population of Scotland (which we don’t remember), but said that the number of
sheep is 2 million more than the number of people. Oil and gas are Scotland’s most important
products, with whiskey being next. This
east side of Scotland is drier than the west side, the driver said - though we
noticed that they still seem to have plenty of rain! Also, he said that, at 1,500-2,000 feet in
the nearby mountains, skiing is possible beginning in November. Although some of the area that we traveled
through has been called the “Black Isle” for centuries, it is not really an
island at all; and “black” refers to the dark evergreens that appear dark
against the snow in the wintertime (like the Black Forest, or Schwarzwald, in
Germany). Interestingly, the guide told
us that in Scotland they use some of the old measurements, such as miles and
pints (for beer) – “we try very hard not to be European!”
Our bus arrived at Loch Ness, traveling close beside its
dark water for some time. This lake is
22 miles long, one mile wide, and at least 740 feet deep. Its waters are stained a dark brown from
peat. Although Loch Lomond has a bigger
surface area, Loch Lomond plus many other lakes all could fit into the cavity
filled by Loch Ness. Of course, we hoped
that “Nessie” would lift his/her head while we looked out over the water, but
no such luck.
Soon we arrived at the jagged ruins of Urquhart Castle,
which stands next to Loch Ness. All that
remains are a lone keep and crumbling walls of this stronghold. During its turbulent history, Urquhart Castle
was plundered by the MacDonald clan of the Western Isles and then destroyed
during the first Jacobite Rising of 1692; however, legends persist that a cave
beneath the castle is the home of "Nessie." First, we saw a 10-minute film presentation at
the Visitors' Centre; then we walked inside some of the ruins and around the
grounds. It was now a lovely, sunshiny
day with gorgeous scenery.
 |
| Urquhart Castle (Inverness) |
Returning from Urquhart Castle, we
passed through Dingwall, originally a Viking settlement; later, MacBeth was born
here. (Shakespeare wrote of him about
500 years later.)
When we were walking from our bus on
a long walkway to the cruise ship about 5:30 PM, we watched a high school
bagpipe band assembling. A few minutes
later, we could see and hear the band from our balcony. We
arrived at our dinner table about 6:30 PM and shared a table with Linda and
Curt from Kansas City, whom we had dined with previously; Penny and Marty from
Palm Springs, CA; and Gail and Murray from Toronto.
After dinner we returned to our cabin until about 9:30
PM; then we went to the Piazza for dancing.
Since tonight was a 70’s dance night, the music was much too loud for
Sally, even without her hearing aids!
(Ear plugs might have helped a little!)
Besides, a large group of passengers were monopolizing the dance floor
with line dances led by the ships cruise staff.
After trying to dance to a couple of songs, we retired for the night.
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