Exploring the Isle of Mull

Now that I've described what there is to do at Glengorm castle & estate, I thought I'd continue with what else there is to see and do on the island if you're staying long enough to do more exploring. It's also worth noting that if it's raining at Glengorm, you could quite possibly get into your car and drive to somewhere else on the island and find sun! The reverse is also true, of course.

I wrote about the Isle of Mull earlier this year and what we've done on our previous trips there - Duart Castle, of course, the isles of Iona and Staffa, and pony trekking, to name a few - so I will try not to be too redundant.

We keep returning to Mull because, although many islanders rely on tourism during the non-winter months and the island is well-visited then, there are still fewer people than on Skye and the mainland. I liked Edinburgh, but there were just way too many people there for our taste. Tobermory can get pretty crowded because it is a tiny town with one main street of shops, but we spend most our time out walking anyway. It's not that we don't like people, but...well, maybe that's part of it. We just really like our peace and quiet and value time alone.

Oban

Duart Castle

The ferry ride from Oban to the island takes 45 minutes. You drive your car into the belly of the giant ferry and then go upstairs for the sail out of the harbor, past Kerrera Island, Lady's Rock, and Duart Castle (seen in the Sean Connery film "Entrapment"), and finally land at Craignure ("Crayn-nyur'") on the Isle of Mull. Before you come to Mull with your own or a rental car, make sure you read instructions about driving on single-track roads. Once you get the hang of it, this style of driving is logical and not even difficult (I say this having only observed M driving there, not doing so myself). The road from Craignure toward Salen starts out as a two-lane road, but after a few miles you get this...

single-track road

If you have a guy on your tail seemingly pushing you to go faster, stop on the left side of the road at the very next passing place. If the passing place is on the left, pull into it. If it's on the right, stop opposite on the left side of the road. STAY LEFT! When you see an oncoming car, use the passing place in front of you in the same way, and either use your left blinker or flash your headlights at the oncoming car to indicate that you are waiting for him. If he gets to a passing place and flashes at you, drive on and pass him while he waits. Give him a bit of a wave as you pass to thank him for waiting.

Be aware that on the other side of every bend and curve in the road there could be suicidal grazing sheep and frolicking lambs, or a group of highland cattle. They have the right-of-way.

So...once you get the hang of driving on Mull, what can you see and do? In order to not reinvent the wheel, I thought I'd provide a few links I've found to what others have already written followed by photos of what we've done.

Links

Holiday Mull's extensive website offers tips on driving as well as links to wildlife tours, self-guided walks, accommodations, places to eat, and things to do.

The Scotland Info Guide site offers similar information with less flash and flare. Helpful for the basics.

Check out the Round & About Mull & Iona diary for scheduled events during your visit!

This blog post by a country hopping couple lists ideas for things you should do on the island with pictures. I'd add to their list a boat trip to Staffa, combined with the boat ride to Iona.

The Walk Highlands website offers helpful information on various walks you can take around the islands. The site shows you how difficult each walk is, how many km/miles it is, and roughly how long it will take you.

What We Did

Visited Tobermory

Although we are not shoppers, I do enjoy stepping into the quaint little shops, and I always find something to buy. Don't miss the bakery, the chocolate shop, the book shop, or the soap shop.

I believe the whisky distillery offers tours, though we haven't done this yet.

Stop in here if only because it smells so wonderful!
Isle of Mull soaps make for nice gifts to take home.

I love handmade pottery, and we have several pieces from Mull.

Aros Hall, next to the big church (which is a cafe and shop, not a church).
This is where the Producers' Market is held on Mondays.

A tip for when you find the bookstore (on the north arm of the harbor): check out the local interest books. There are some unforgettable collections of stories, tales, and legends about Mull collected and written by islanders as well as several great books describing walks to take on the island. If you didn't bring any Ordinance Survey maps with you, pick up one or two of those as well.

This is our Scotland shelf. Of the 24 books, 10 of them are about Mull.

Of course we had to have fish-n-chips while in Scotland, and our favorite place is on the Fisherman's Pier in Tobermory. It's a little van near the clock tower.

Hikes / Walks

This is the main reason we come to Mull. We are by no means serious hikers, which means unless you have a physical disability or serious injury, if we can do it, you can do it. This is where the hiking books come in really handy. You can decide how far you want to walk on any given day, how much up-and-down you can handle, and choose a walk that fits. We've done the Ardmore Shore walk, been to 's Airde Beinn (the crater loch), walked much of Glengorm's land in the north, and this time added a few new walks.

It's during our walks that we really get to explore the island and forget about everything but where we are.

Speinne Mor, the hill we didn't quite climb. I know it looks like a little bitty bump,
but the walk was more strenuous than we were prepared for.
It didn't help that we kept losing the darn trail, which was described as
"clear and easy to follow".

Loch Frisa

the Mishnish lochs

waterfall on the Aros Park walk from Tobermory

Lochan a'Ghurrabain, Aros Park walk

Calgary Bay

This beach is a popular site during the summer months on a fine weather day. We tend to go for a drive on days when it's raining, and it's rare that the rain doesn't let up for at least a bit. So we like to stop here and stroll on the beautiful white sands. There's also a walk from here called "Art in Nature" where you'll apparently see sculptures along the way.

The waves leave artistic patterns in the sand.

Loch Na Keal is another place to stop, and especially to hike along. If you're knowledgeable about the tides, you can get to McKinnon's Cave - and you can read about the legend in one of the local books about the island! 

Salen

We stopped for a restroom coffee break in Salen, and something helpful to know is that there are public restrooms here in case, as happened with us, the restaurant is closed and the coffee shop's restrooms are out of order and being seen to by the local plumber.

Not far from Salen are the ruins of Aros Castle, and that is a nice short walk through some bracken, along the shoreline, and around the ruins.

There is much more that awaits us!

What's Next?

Climbing Ben More  Yeah, right. Perhaps at least we can get up Speinne Mor next time.

Hiking on the isle of Ulva

Exploring more of central and southern Mull

Attending a performance at the Mull Theatre, "the smallest professional theatre in the world"

Attending a ceilidh

Meeting Iain Thomson, Mull's "singing shepherd," and hearing him sing live at a pub or ceilidh

Do you have a holiday destination that you love returning to over and over again?

25 Things That Make Me Happy About Germany

Today is October 3rd - Tag der Deutschen Einheit, or the Day of German Unity. Twenty-five years ago today the former East and West Germanys were officially reunited into one country. In our mailbox yesterday was a special issue of Bild, which I assume was delivered to all households (we don't subscribe to it), and in it were articles about Germans and Germany emphasizing the number 25. There were interviews with twenty-five 25-year-olds who were born on October 3rd, 1990, there were lists of 25 things every German should do or have done, 25 German museums one should visit, 25 German books every person should read, etc.

There were also 25 fun facts to discuss, such as 71% of Germans cross streets even when the Ampelmännchen is red (!?), 22% of all couples in Germany have sex less often than once a month, and a German is sick on average 17.6 days of the year (I assume those are workdays).

The article I liked the best was an interview of Germany's finance minister Wolfgang Schäuble, in which he listed "Was mir Freude macht, wenn ich an Deutschland denke" - what makes him happy when he thinks about Germany. Some of his answers seemed rather politically motivated, but that wasn't too surprising. When I took my walk that afternoon I pondered on what I would say to that and decided to make that my next blog post. So here are the

25 Things That Make Me Happy When I Think About Germany

1) Weihnachtsmärkte / Christmas Markets

The season starts at the end of November, so it won't be long now. I just can't get enough of the atmoshere, the handmade gifts, the food, and the Glühwein.

2) Sundays and Holidays

As I've written often enough, in all but the most touristy of towns and cities, most stores and businesses are closed on Sundays and Holidays like today. Here in the Schwabenland we are not allowed to mow lawns, trim hedges, blow leaves, or do any other work outside that is noisy. It's hard for some to adjust to that, but I appreciate it. It forces encourages M and me to relax and enjoy the day as well.

3) the German Language

It's surely not without its challenges, but in fact that is one of the things I like about it! 

4) Esslingen

Anyone who knows me or has read this blog a while knows that Esslingen is my favorite city in the world.

5) Public Transportation

Being able to get anywhere in Germany - even the smallest of villages - by train and/or bus is so fabulous! If you don't have a car, you can't get from my hometown in Wisconsin to the next town south (14 miles away) unless you walk or hire a cab.

6) Walking and Biking Paths

They're everywhere, and not just next to busy highways. Through fields and forests, along streams, over hills and mountains...

7) the Wine

And I don't mean Riesling! I like Grauburgunder best, which is a dry white, and there are plenty of wineries in our area to chose from. I also like the fact that I can ask a waiter or waitress for a recommendation, ask if a particular wine is dry or sweet, and they can answer my question.

8) German Films

At some point I'll post a list of "must see" original German films, but suffice it to say for now that there are quite a lot of really good ones. My all-time favorite movie is still Nirgendwo in Afrika (Nowhere in Africa - 2001), which is even available in English because it won the best foreign film Oscar that year.

9) Spargel Season

White asparagus, my friends. Available from mid-April to June 24th. Read more here.

10) Straub's Krone

This restaurant in our tiny little village (and its chef and staff) has become the standard by which we measure all others. The biggest compliment we've given any other place in the last three years has been "Well, it's not Straub's Krone, but it's pretty good."

11) Castle Ruins

Palaces are nice, but I'd rather tromp through castle ruins, especially ones that attract few tourists.

12)  Location, Location, Location

Germany lies in central Europe, and within a few hours' drive I can be in France, Switzerland, or Austria. Within a few hours' flight I can be in Vienna, Rome, Edinburgh, Amsterdam, or Copenhagen.

13) die Altstadt

Most towns and even large cities have an old section where the buildings look like they did centuries ago. Here in the south the houses are half-timbered, the streets are made of cobblestone, and the churches were built in the 13th or 14th century. So charming...

14) the Food

Trust me, it's not all Bratwurst and Sauerkraut (neither of which I eat). Traditional German fare is hearty and filling, creative, and delicious.

15) Punctuality

It's a typical German thing, and of course not all Germans are punctual. But most are, and this fits to my personality as well. I appreciate other people valuing my time, and I value theirs as well.

16) Churches & Cathedrals

I'm not a religious person, but I love beautiful churches. I enjoy challenging myself to recognize religious figures - saints, for instance - and Biblical stories on artwork. Every church is different, and most of the old ones are stunning in their majestic beauty. 

17) the Two-Mattress, Two-Duvet System of Double Beds

Many expats - including me - have written about this. Some are confused, some are annoyed, others are intrigued. I love it. I don't have to share my blanket, M doesn't have to touch my scaley feet, and if either of us farts, the other one might not ever know.

18) the Landscape

The Swabian Alb, the Alps, the Bodensee (Lake Constance), the northern coasts, the chalk cliffs of Rügen (which I've never seen but hope to), the forests, the valleys... 

Horb in the Neckar Valley

19) die Nationalmannschaft

I've enjoyed watching soccer far more than I ever liked American football. And I adore our boys: Schweini, Poldi, Neuer, Müller, Götze... I miss Klose, but they can't do it forever.

20) Michael Jung

Equestrian eventer and Olympic champion from our little area! He has won many competitions locally, nationally, and world-wide, and he is a pleasure to watch.

21) Day Trips with my Schwiegermutter

She and I have very similar interests and like to learn as much as we can about the towns we visit. We both will gladly return to the same place several times until we know it well. 

22) Kaffee und Kuchen

On Sundays and holidays it is common to have an afternoon cup of coffee with a piece of cake or two. There is quite the coffee culture in Germany (Germans drink more coffee per capita per year than beer), and it's always rich and aromatic.

23) Germans' Sense of Humor

If you think Germans have no sense of humor, you're wrong. Their humor is typically subtle and ironic, at times self-deprecating, and often depends on dialect, so we outsiders miss a lot of it. I don't get all the jokes, of course, but that's ok. I find Bavarian comedian Michael Mittermeier hilarious.

24) Reasonable and Sensible Gun Laws

In Germany you cannot walk into a sporting goods store, fill out a form, wait three seconds for the automated background check, and walk out with a pistol, handgun, shotgun, or semi-automatic rifle. Germany has made it very difficult and expensive for people to obtain guns.

25) All the Places I've Yet to Explore

I'd like to visit all of Germany's sixteen Bundesländer (states), and I've got seven more to go! I have quite a few cities and towns on my list of future places to visit, as well as areas like the Lüneburger Heide, the Erzgebirge, and the North Sea coast. My favorite place will always be the Schwabenland (Swabia), but I look forward to getting to know other parts of Germany as well.

Happy Birthday, Germany! It's a beautiful day to celebrate!

September Highs and Lows 2015

Obviously the highlight of this month was the two weeks we spent in Scotland together. The rest of the month was mainly about planning, packing, and getting ready for the trip, and unpacking and getting back into the daily routine.

HIGHS

• a day trip with my Schwiegermutter to the Kloster (monastery) ruins in Hirsau

• on the same day we went to the Stiftskirche in Tübingen for a special tour of the choir, which has been the resting place of tomb monuments of important Württemberger since the Reformation

Graf Eberhard im Bart, founder of the Tübingen University (1477), among other achievements

• meeting up with a friend of ours in  Tobermory for a pint - he lives on the island with his family, and he kept us entertained with stories of island life, mountain biking and running, dealing with highland cattle...


• visiting the Great Polish Map of Scotland close up and standing on the peak of Ben Nevis! Post pending - I'm very eager to write about it, but I want to make sure I do it justice.

panorama of the map - Mull is the light-shaded island in the foreground

• meeting my 10,000-step goal every day for 22 days in a row (still going!). I find it is much harder to exceed those steps at home than it was while we were on vacation.


• the weather - in Scotland it was much better than we'd expected with some sun almost every day and not nearly as much rain as is common, and since we've been home it's been sunny and pleasant. The cool crispness of fall is refreshing after the scorching weeks we had this summer.


• reading the novel Edge of Eternity, by Ken Follett. I picked it up in Oban and ditched the book I'd brought along and was dragging myself through. The novel takes place during the cold war - not at all my area of interest - but it's the third of a trilogy and he is such a brilliant writer that it's hard to put down.

LOWS

• sitting next to a woman on the plane who was so heavily perfumed I got a headache, then in Frankfurt having to walk through the perfume section, followed by sitting amongst a group of stinky hormonal teenagers on the flight to Stuttgart. I apparently have a rather sensitive nose at times.


• missing our connection to Stuttgart because of a delay in Edinburgh and having to sit in Frankfurt for five hours


• both of us getting a cold while on vacation

Funny Moments

At our friends' home in East Linton near Edinburgh, one night after a huge and delicious meal plus dessert, we were lounging in the living room, watching a little TV, having some wine, chatting with our friends, etc.. At about 9:30 Keith asked us "Would you like some supper?" I must have looked at him like he'd grown a second head, and thought to myself, "Has he gone mad?!" There was no way I could fit in so much as a bite of cracker, much less another supper!  Turns out "supper" in Scotland is what we Americans call a bedtime snack!

After coming down from Arthur's Seat and deciding where to go next in Edinburgh, M asked me, "Do you still want to find Old Friar's dog?"  "What? Oh, you mean Greyfriar's Bobby?  YES!"

Old Friar's Dog

At our friends' home in East Linton, I chose the side of the bed with the reading lamp on the night table. The night table on the other side had a decorative bowl on it, and M doesn't read at night like I do. One night I got up to use the loo while it was still very dark. I heard M fumbling around a bit, and when I came back into our room he got up as well. I turned on the lamp next to me so he didn't have to navigate back in the dark, and when he came back in he paused a moment and said, "Hm. No wonder."  "What?" I asked. "I tried to turn on my lamp for you, but it was a bowl."


I wish you all a happy October!

Glengorm Castle, Isle of Mull

*This is not a sponsored post - I do not make money through my blog. We just love this place!

Glengorm Castle

I certainly must begin with a post about Glengorm. We got married here in 2006 on one of the most beautiful days imaginable. Even the photographer was surprised. We returned with my children and M's mother in 2007 for a wonderful week before touring through the highlands, and in 2010 we were here again with M's mother and my daughter (my son opted out of that trip), but that time we stayed at Glengorm for two weeks.

When we got married we stayed in the castle in one of their B&B rooms - Laorin.

In 2007 and 2010 we stayed in a self-catering cottage - the same one where M and his family had stayed in 1985, when they first got to know Glengorm. Sorne Cottage is no longer used for short-term rentals, but we have fond memories of our time there.

These are two cottages; we stayed in the one on the right.

This time M and I stayed in the Steadings, which accommodates two in a flat above the coffee shop. It was really perfect for us, both in location and in ammenities. There's a jacuzzi bathtub, a computer with wi-fi, a well-appointed kitchen including a water boiler for tea and a fancy coffee press/machine, an enormously comfortable kingsize bed, an open fire place and a woodpile and axe outside (M did some chopping to get the logs down to size), and a collection of books and DVDs for those who prefer to remain indoors on rainy days. While it would be silly to do so, a couple could be quite happy for some time never going further than the flat and the coffee shop.

the Steadings flat is above the nature lab and its entrance

We could pop down for a cappuccino as of 10:00, and the coffee shop sells Glengorm beef and lamb - both of which we bought for meals we cooked that week - and venison. They also sell homemade jams and chutney, shortbread, some staples one might need for cooking, dried herbs, beverages, mugs, postcards... And they offer delicious meals until 16:30. Don't neglect a stop here if you come to the estate for accommodations or to hike on their grounds!

Tomato-Basil soup (as delicious as my grandmother's!), roast beef sandwich & salad

The castle and estate have a very interesting history even though it's not very old. It was built in the 1860s by James Forsyth, an unkind man who ran the tenant farmers off his land when he decided to convert the estate to one suitable for stalking/hunting and fishing. One of the evicted tenants cursed Forsyth and said he would not live to see his castle completed, and this came to be true! The name Glengorm means "blue valley," and the name was suggested by another evicted tenant because of the smokey bluish color produced by the burning of the tenants' homes! Forsyth liked the sound of the name but didn't grasp the irony.

The estate changed ownership quite a few times, and in 1969 the Nelson family bought it. The current owner, Tom Nelson, grew up on the estate. It is a working farm where they raise sheep and highland cattle with the help of their Border Collies Spot and  Flea, and they have an extensive garden which provides fresh produce for the coffee shop, the castle breakfasts, and markets around the island. They also have two "working Cocker Spaniels" whom you will see in and around the castle, but an insider assured me they do very little work! :-)

This video shows many beautiful images of the estate and the grounds, and you'll meet Tom himself as well as Glengorm's wildlife steward, Stephanie Cope. We arranged a walk with Steph through the grounds to the hide on Loch Mingary, where we were able to see and photograph an eagle, two young stags, curlews, hen harriers, and divers (loons). The video does not exaggerate - Glengorm truly is that beautiful.

at the hide

Steph writes a blog about the wildlife project, and this is my favorite post of hers, explaining the colored markings you'll see on the sheep in the fields. She's not only a knowledgable nature expert, but she's an excellent and entertaining writer!

One of the things we love about Glengorm is that it's familiar. We know we want to walk along the paths to Dun Ara (an ancient hill fort overlooking the coast) and the bathing pool on our first day. We know where to find the standing stones, and on our second walk we'll go through Sorne Forest and wander past the ruins of tenant cottages from the days of James Forsyth. We'll then get more adventurous and stray from the clear paths, and inevitably we'll end up calf-deep in a bog (hidden swamp) or in a field facing curious and skeptical highland coos - not a problem as long as it's past calving time and they've no bairns to protect. We'll explore parts of Mull we haven't seen before as well, but we like to begin with what we know we love.

coastline and bathing pool from Dun Ara

We also really like the self-catering idea. We enjoy cooking together and appreciate the privacy, knowing we're the only ones who will be in the cottage/flat during the week. We don't have to tidy up for maids, we wash our own clothes and towels as needed, and we don't have to make smalltalk in the mornings over coffee (or tea, in M's case). We built time into our schedule and went to the Tesco in Oban before our ferry arrived to get most of the things we'd need for the week, which saved us money over doing the shopping on the island. We bought quite a lot and still spent only slightly more than what dinner at the hotel near the Edinburgh airport cost the night before!

As I mentioned before, the coffee chop sells Glengorm meats as well as local bacon. We'd planned on this, and on Sunday we bought a 1.5kg leg of lamb for about €31 ($35). That may seem like a lot, but it was beautiful meat, and the stew we made fed us for three days - in other words we got six dinners out of it. Lamb stew reheats wonderfully for leftovers!! We left our recipe in the  kitchen drawer for future guests to try. :-)  Oh, and when we discovered that there was no pot in the cupboard large enough for our stew, I inquired in the coffee shop if we could borrow one - they were happy to loan us a huge pot!

By the time we'd finished off our stew we'd bought beef to make Gulasch, which fed us for two evenings. Our plan worked very well - we made two hearty meals that are still tasty as leftovers, and made plenty so we didn't have to cook every night after our long walks. The coffee shop is open every day from Easter to the end of October, but I imagine you can still get Glengorm meat by contacting them if you are there during the off season.

In a future post I'll write about what we enjoyed doing when we left the estate to explore other parts of Mull, but I'll end here with things we recommend while staying at Glengorm along with a few additional photos so my kids can relive their memories.

Recommendations while at Glengorm:

• have a Ordinance Survey map and/or buy one of the many books about walks on Mull, and walk every path through and around Glengorm that you can find. You can stray from the paths, but make sure you wear (waterproof) boots because you're likely to land in a bog.
• join a guided walk with wildlife steward Steph Cope - she can tell you all about the flora and fauna on the estate
• have a meal in the coffee shop
• if you're in a self-catering accommodation, plan to cook a lamb stew!
• ...and bring a knife sharpener for the kitchen knives (we always pack one when we travel)
• visit the Producers Market in Tobermory on Monday - we bought a delicious Glengorm venison pie along with fresh greens and bread
• treat yourself to a full Scottish breakfast (and cereal, yogurt, fresh fruit, toast, juice, coffee or tea) at the castle one morning - you need to reserve at least a day before, and you can do that via email or phone.
• walk out to the coast with a picnic lunch and soak in the fresh ocean air, the rays of sun or the wild clouds, and the peace.

full Scottish breakfast, sans black pudding

sheep, coos, castle, Sorne Forest, and one of many bogs

the view from our castle bedroom (2006)

one of the paths to the sea

You'll sometimes have to share the single-track road to the castle with others.
This may require some patience. Don't rush the coos;
they'll move when they're darn well ready to.

Glengorm's standing stones

We will never get tired of Glengorm or the Isle of Mull, and we will keep coming back.

Impressions of Scotland

We've just returned from two wonderful weeks in Scotland. This was our fourth trip there together but our first time back alone since our wedding* in 2006. I am eager to write about it, but there is so much to say! I'm planning a themed multi-post series, so you can easily skip the bits that sound boring to you.

*We still get trouble about this from our parents, but the only guests at our wedding were our witnesses, who live in East Linton (see below).

Tobermory

The short version is that we spent a week on the Isle of Mull in a self-catering flat, then two nights in the Trossachs at a lovely B&B, and ended with three days and four nights in East Linton near Edinburgh at the home of dear friends of ours (my Schwiegermutter's crazy mountain-running cousin and his Austrian wife). From their home we took three day trips. We enjoyed every minute of our time in Scotland!

We hiked walked, we tromped around castle and priory ruins, visited a few churches and one museum, we ate great food, we drank tea, we stargazed, we slopped through bogs, we didn't smash into anything driving on the left side of the road, we climbed Arthur's Seat (that's not a dirty euphemism - it's a hill above Edinburgh), I stood on the tippy-top of Mull's tallest munro - Ben More - though we didn't walk up it - and we walked around the entire coastline of Scotland in one day (stay tuned!), I pet an owl (also nothing dirty), I met my 10,000-step goal every day - often by lunchtime, I touched some standing stones (but they didn't transport me back in time), and we enjoyed crackling fires in the evenings.

this is Tee. I want an owl.

I thought I would start with several things that we noticed in the first few days. These are not necessarily new things for us, but they reminded us that we were no longer in Germany.

Scottish Hospitality

The first thing that struck us almost right off the plane was how friendly and chatty everyone was. I never say that Germans are unfriendly, but they are very business-like and professional and don't smile a lot while working. Nothing wrong with that! We'd arranged a rental car through ADAC/Sixt, and we queued behind a couple at the counter. The woman was punching stuff into her computer and all the while chatting - asking them where they were going, if they'd been to Scotland before, etc. When it was our turn she asked all the same things, and we gave short German answers. I kept it short so she could better get her job done:

"Where are you going?"        "The Isle of Mull."

"Oh, nice! Have you been here before?        "Yes."

We weren't rude - I smiled as I answered. But I've gotten used to not chit-chatting with people who are working.

When we checked in at the hotel that evening, it was the same thing. The lad at the counter was friendly, chatty, and asked all kinds of questions that Americans tend to love answering and elaborating about. By the time we got to our B&B in the Trossachs, we were used to this again and had nice chats with the prioprietors - but not while they were cooking our breakfast!

I think part of German efficiency is asking only the questions that are relevant, and giving only the answers that matter. I do not mean to imply the Scottish are not efficient - we found that they were. They're just also unnecessarily friendly - and that's not a bad thing either!

Driving

The second thing that struck us (besides nearly a car) was that driving on the left side of the road sucks! I was in a constant state of alert as branches, parked cars, curbs, and stone walls whizzed by me as M concentrated on staying far enough from the oncoming cars shooting past him. I have grumbled often enough about the narrow roads and lack of shoulders in Germany, but this is worse in Scotland in part because everything is on the "wrong" side. M did a great job driving and avoiding accidents and sheep dashing about, but we were fortunate quite often that the rental car had good brakes. I could have driven according to our rental car agreement, but I wisely did not.

In the end, we actually both prefer the single-track roads on Mull, where oncoming traffic means using a passing place and some stopping and waiting. Part of the appeal is that there's not a lot of traffic on the island.

Tipping

The third thing that struck us is that we have no idea how to tip in Scotland. None. It's so easy in Germany - round up to an even amount and pad it a bit (roughly 10%). It's even easier in the U.S. - add 15-20% to the pre-tax amount and leave the money on the table. But we (still) have no idea how or how much to tip in Scotland.

Tantallon Castle ruins, North Berwick

We do need to fix that tipping thing, because we're planning to go back again in 2-3 years. Or we'll just avoid it and stay at self-catering cottages where we'll cook for ourselves! :-)

So stay tuned for more about Scotland if you're interested. We're not experts on Scotland, but the more often we visit, the more we long to return. We are drawn to its rugged wilderness, its unpredictable weather, its history, and its spirit.