Scotland (final day)

I really loved our Scotland journey, and was so relieved that Hazel handled the long hours in the car (thanks to the ipad and endless snacks).

Heading back to England we decided that we wanted to see Hadrian's Wall, and so we stopped at Chester's Roman Fort where the GPS directed us.  Once there, we came to find only about a 10-foot long portion of the wall.  That just means that we'll have to go back another time to find more of the wall remains.

Overall I give Scotland two thumbs up!  

Just like England.

And here's Hadrian's wall...

Scotland (part three)

Our next day of our Scotland journey consisted of more driving.  This however was probably the most beautiful drive I have ever been on in my life!  Lush greenery, mountains, lakes, and more.

Our main motivation of this daily trek was to go see the Glenfinnan Viaduct; which is best known for being the Hogwarts Express in the Harry Potter movies.  If it weren't raining, and I had better footwear, we could've hiked much closer to the bridge, but it was still magical nonetheless.  

Other high points were visiting the village of Glencoe which has been a movie set location for a variety of movies, such as, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban;

and seeing the stunning Stirling Castle, which is one of Scotland largest and most important castles!

(Also, we came across a little village that was hosting the World Highland Games.  Sadly, we just missed it).

(pic from the internet)

Edinburgh, Scotland (part two)

We thoroughly enjoyed spending all day in Edinburgh.  I was in awe looking at the structure of the castle built on the edge of a cliff.

Probably my favorite part was listening to the street performers, and witnessing a spontaneous nap from Hazel (which hasn't happened since she was probably 4 months old).

Other highlights were seeing the exact cafe where J.K. Rowling wrote the Harry Potter series, and going to a free children's museum where I saw the creepiest dolls ever made.

Now for a picture overload...

Other news:  Johnny and I tried haggis, but shockingly don't have any photo proof of this event.  And by tried, I mean sampled a fourth of a teaspoon...

(Haggis is a savoury pudding containing sheep's heart, liver, and lungs minced with onion, oatmeal, suet, spices, and salt, mixed with stock, and traditionally encased in the animal's stomach and simmered for approximately three ours.  Most commercial haggis is prepared in a sausage casing rather than an actual stomach).

Gross.