Full On Scottish

We started the day with Irish porridge laced with whiskey. A real kickstarter! After breakfast I took a brief walk around and found my first Scottish cat. Not particularly friendly, but neither is the Scottish version of the ADA. We both burst out laughing — handicapped parking right in front of two flights of stairs!

Our new driver, Steve, a former police captain, picked us up and regaled us with stories, history and verdant vistas. We stopped at a little restaurant that specializes in hot smoked Scottish salmon (all ocean farm raised, by the way) and I met my second Scottish cat who resides there. Mitzi is one smart feline. As we traversed the Applecross Road on our way to Skye, a heard of Scottish cattle stopped us for a bit. We made it to Kinloch Lodge, home of Lord and Lady MacDonald. The Lodge has seen better days, but is still a lovely Inn if you like patina. The dining is the real reason to stay in this lovely remote location. Five course fantastic meal with great wine and peaty water. It was a delightfully refined meal until a group of 12 loud Americans showed up. It always reminds me how loud and confident and bullish we are. I’m first on the list of this, but when we see ourselves compared to the British, we are garrulous and gross. I need to keep this in mind — speak in a whisper, be exceedingly polite, and realize you are the foreigner here. I’ll let you know how I do.

I did take that peat water bath. Let’s see if it will rinse some Scottish manners into me.

10:19 PM and still daylight out. Oh, and I’m getting another chalazion cyst on my eye. Hope the peat water cures that too!