Portree Hospital

Day 9
Today, we head to the Isle of Skye. But, before we do that, I want to mention some things about food and the grocery store. I love going into grocery stores in other countries. Everything on the shelves is sort of the same, yet so different. Take the cereal aisle, for example (pictured). None of these boxes are seen in the US, yet the contents are probably the same. I especially like the title of the one called, "Wheetos". I do have some favorite items I have tried, as I like to try things that are different, and here are some I like best.
(1) Porage: Nothing more than oats, but they are rough ground into an array of sizes that produce a creamy oatmeal that goes well with toast and blueberries.
(2) Malt loaf: This came in a wrapper that prevented me from seeing it, so I had to buy one. Wow! I love this! It's a dark, dense, moist bread with rasins and malt. When toasted, it makes a crunchy surface with a semi-chewy inside. Top it with a little orange marmalade, and it is yum!
(3) Tea bags: The tea in the UK is ground finely, as opposed to the course ground in the US. The Scottish Breakfast or English Breakfast produces a rich and dark cup, and it does it fast. I purchased extras of all of these to bring home with me. Oh, take a look at the picture of the pastries in the case at the Costa coffee shop. Costa is a Starbucks like shop, but look at the variety of tasties.

We left Fort William and headed for the port town of Mallaig - I've no idea how to pronounce this - 'mahl-egg', or 'mahl-eye-gh', or, well, I didn't google it to find out. It just so happens that on this route is the Glenfinnan viaduct. Yep, the Hogwarts Express train crossing from the movies. We had to get there an hour+ early to get a parking spot, hike up the trail, and stake out our vantage point on the hillside. The train was about 20 minutes behind schedule. I'd guess that there were about 300 people waiting patiently. Only one grumpy American guy was heard complaining about people getting in front of him lower on the hill and calling them out to move - what was he expecting? The train did not disappoint us. As it crossed the viaduct, it blew the whistle and cranked up the steam. Pretty cool. The architect and Scotland board of tourism never anticipated this much popularity. As the train moved past the occupants waved, people on the hill waved back, and I thought I heard Harry Potter saying, "We'll take the lot!"

After a quick lunch in Mallaig, we drove onto a ferry and cramed in like so many car shaped sardines. The weather was beautiful, and the crossing was quick. Arriving on the Isle of Skye, our first destination was to the Fairy Pools. I was kind of expecting a little roadside stream with a few pools, but the place covered about a 4 mile stretch up a wide and barren valley. Paid parking was required, as is the theme at almost every point of interest. We all walked for a bit, and then Adam and I continued farther up the stream. Clouds at first overshadowed the sun. However, for about half the time, it broke through to amplify the crystal clear blue water and pools. The blue color of the water is created by the pale blue rock that lines much of the stream bed. If you come here, be sure to bring a windbreaker jacket as the winds are brutal. Surprisingly, the water was not as cold as it looked. Some people make it a point to take a dip in the water, but I prefer my swimming holes a little warmer. I hear that the faries live in the larger bolder size rocks. None came out to greet us while we were there. Regardless, this was a most beautiful place.

Wrapping up the day, we checked into our AbnB in the town of Portree. We are within an easy walking distance of the harbor, shops, and restaurants. Dinner, however, was not going to be easy. All the restaurants were in one of three conditions - booked weeks in advance, closed due to lack of staff, or closed early in the afternoon. Thankfully, there was a small grocery that provided what we, and many others, needed. We dined at the AbnB on a premium spaghetti dinner with bread and salad, which turned out to be a great alternative.

Another day has passed without seeing a hairy cow. If we don't see one on this trip, Kim is going to cry. Gotta find one of those cows soon!Read more