Scotland

If it isn't evident yet, we had a very busy spring, and are headed for a busy summer. Gotta get all this in while we can though. I'm envious of the expats here who are assigned for two or three years.
Our third trip out of the country was Scotland - in celebraion of our third wedding anniversary at the end of May. As if to test our loyalty to this beautiful country, it rained incessantly for the first four days, and it was much colder than we remembered it!
We returned to the castle where Nate proposed four years ago - it was even prettier than I remembered, even with the rainclouds. It was fun reminiscing over everything Nate had to go through to make that event so special. I will never cease to be amazed that he put such effort into asking me to marry him, but I feel tremendously blessed to have such a wonderful memory, not to mention such an incredible spouse to share these experiences with. Okay, no more mush - had to get it in there - it was our anniversary!
After walking down memory lane, we drove into unchartered territory (for us) - the Scottish Highlands. After being brought to our knees in drenching rains in Oban (cute harbor town - probably a great place in better weather), we finally enjoyed some sunshine when we reached Loch Ness. Although we didn't have the privilege of spotting Nessie, we had a great time exploring some ruins along the banks. Now we understand why the Highlands are more touristed than the south of Scotland. We drove off the road a few times while gaaping at the scenery, and I know we weren't the only ones!
Four years ago, we mainly explored ruined castles - this visit we saw a lot of castles in which people still live. One of our favorites was Cawdor Castle, which some of you may remember was mentioned in MacBeth. This castle had a description in every room written by a sardonic Scotsman who was very funny. The castle also had acres and acres of gorgeous sculpted gardens, as well as nature trails. We had a picnic lunch outside the grounds and spent most of the afternoon there. The picture above has nothing to do with Cawdor - that's Inverness, and I just liked the picture, so there you have it.
Our final stop was Glasgow, where we caught up with a friend of Nate's - and now a friend of mine as well! Des was a great host, taking us around the city center, and pub crawling later that evening. We're planning on visiting him again sometime in September to go see a Celtics football match - he has season tickets. Looking forward to seeing some football in the midst of some true fans! By the way, scotch truly is the water of life - I think I've found my new beverage of choice! See below if you want to know why.
On a final note, I know I didn't get to write much about Rosslyn Chapel, but I feel this is already getting a bit long. It was cool though - probably one of my favorite churches - very ornate and full of symbolism that people still haven't been able to fully decipher. I'd recommend that stop for anyone visiting Edinburgh!

Other Firsts for Megan and Nate in Scotland

• Beholding over 1300 weapons in one room at Inverary Castle - Nate dubbed it the "1300 Ways to Kick Your Ass!" room.
• Megan enjoys a single malt scotch
• Megan outlasts both her husband and a Scotsman on the previously mentioned pub crawl (I have the photos to prove it, but I'll spare my two companions out of respect and admiration for their valiant attempt that evening)