Irvine to Edinburgh

Day 7 - May 17

Woke up in Scotland to a beautiful day, just after a rain the night before. Bright blue sky, sunlight sparkling, everything just washed clean from the rain. Great day to be in Scotland! Drove up the west coast a wee bit to get on a ferry to cross the Firth of Clyde to get to Benmore/Younger Botanic Garden. Ferry ride was great - the mountains in the distance across the firth (bay) were a beautiful sight. The botanic garden was even better. Lots of huge evergreen trees - sequoias, pines, firs, cypress, hemlocks - and loads of other exotic plants too. Hiked up the mountainside to an awesome view of the highlands. This didn't feel like a garden, but rather an incredible spot to hike with great views everywhere. I think this was my favorite place. On the hike up, our professor said "It's a great day to be alive" and I agreed wholeheartedly!

Back on the bus (too soon if you ask me) and on for a drive through part of the Highlands. So pretty! Mountains, valleys, lochs, sheep, cows - green everywhere and an awesome blue sky. We stopped at Loch Lomond for a bit. There happened to be a wedding going on at a church nearby. What a thrill of seeing the groomsmen all dressed up in their kilts. Normally a guy in a skirt wouldn't seem manly, but those guys couldn't have looked better! Back on the bus for more driving, past Stirling with the castle up on the hill, the William Wallace monument, and lots of pretty countryside with yellow covered fields of canola. So pretty! Gotta come back and cover all the Highlands.

In Edinburgh, first stop was the Royal Botanic Garden. Awesome parklike plant oasis right in the middle of town. Anything and everything you can imagine in this garden. You can tell that the people treasure their gardens there by the amount of time, energy, and funds they put into them. Ours pale in comparison. Loads of people there enjoying the garden on a Sunday afternoon. Perfect weather. Great day!

Wandered the city a little that evening. It takes forever for dusk to end there - well after nine before it got dark. They are so far north that it takes a while for the sun to disappear. And then it comes up sooner too. Kinda hard to get used to that. Edinburgh is a cool town at night though. Didn't get the same feel as in Dublin with the scary atmosphere. Much more laid back and friendlier people. I'm loving Scotland for sure!