Back To Scotland

I flew to Edinburgh for a friend's birthday party. Snow was blowing (not falling!) when I arrived and I couldn't wait to warm up in the room before hitting the town. After enduring the snow, rain and Edinburgh's famous steep hills for 24 hours, I walked to the castle before my train to Aviemore.

I was rained on. I was tired of lugging my backpack. It was heaven putting it down on the train. That trip was one of my most pleasant journeys because I had four seats to myself in first class. I watched it get snowier as we headed into the Highlands.

Unfortunately I didn't sleep well in Aviemore. I was on the couch and the wind was howling all night. The next morning the snow melted away. It was so windy the ski fields were closed so we visited the nearby village of Carrbridge. We did some hiking but the rain was too much for me. My umbrella broke and my boots leaked. 

The stream that runs through the famous bridge was gushing muddy rapids. We found refuge in a pub where there was a cosy fireplace and we watched the snow fall outside. 

The next day we did a tour of the Cairngorm Brewery. I learned a lot about beer making and tasted 10  of their beers. We even got to stick our heads into a giant vat to check out the yeast. 

However without the excitement of skiing, I missed home and couldn't wait to get on the plane back to London. Scotland is indeed a much different place. It's a little too quiet for me in winter time. If it weren't for the fireplaces, I would not know where else to find respite from the unforgiving weather.