Ridge of the Bridge

21ft February 2018

This is one of the mottos of Scotland and the motto of the Order of the Thistle.

What can I say? The journey was long, very long... say almost 24 hours from Prato to Inverness.

We arrived in London yesterday afternoon around 3.30 p.m. (UK time) at Gatwick airport where we stayed for another five hours, until the National Express bus, that would take us to Victoria Station, arrived.

From here the real journey began. Departure at 22.30 from the Bus Station and expected to arrive at Inverness Bus Station at 12.00.

I had never made such a long journey on a bus before. I admit that it was quite exhausting, a rush that put a strain on my migraine and my legs not accustomed to these constraints.

At 7.00am we arrived in Glasgow which presented itself to us in all its grey splendour. I dozed off immediately afterwards and woke up when we were already in the Highlands. Silvia said the sign was there too, but I was asleep and I missed it.

Luckily it was a sunny day, so we were able to admire the landscape along the road. There is a lot of snow around here but it's less cold than I thought.

Pam and Irene, our guest's friends, were already at the Inverness bus station when we arrived. They took us straight to the B&B and seemed thrilled to have two girls with them that: speak English, are not vegetarians and love dogs.Yes, because here in the B&B there are currently four dogs, one louder than the other but very sweet and lovely.

We were introduced to the housekeeper Therese who explained more or less what to do tomorrow morning: clean the rooms. Not bad.

After a well-deserved shower and a well-deserved nap, we went out to join Pam and Irene for dinner. Chicken, mashed potatoes and peas with homemade gravy sauce. I've never tasted that sauce before. It's my new drug now.

They lodged us (for now) in the new building, in a double room with external bathroom. The place is really nice and practically ten minutes (about) walk from Loch Ness, which we coasted when we arrived.

But now stop writing, it's time to sleep. Tomorrow awaits us our first real day in Scotland. Let's hope for the best!

22nd February 2018

This is the meaning of "Druim na drochaid" the original Scottish Gaelic name Drumnadrochit. In fact, there is a bridge over the Enrick River, a tributary of Lake Loch Ness.

Today we did our first assignments. It's nothing special, just learning how to clean and fix up the rooms. In all in the B&B there are 11 rooms (including ours) divided into three buildings.

After the first three hours of work and after a big lunch of chicken soup with vegetables and potatoes accompanied by cheese, bread, butter and sauces, we finally went out to explore.

For now we only went as far as the village church, which unfortunately was closed. To get there we walked along the café/postoffice that sells Lavazza coffe and a couple of delicious little shops that I will certainly have to inspect before I leave.

Along the way we took some pictures of the church above, which is (obviously) adjacent to the cemetery and in front of which stands a small grove.

We inspected it, at least in part, and found the remains of a building, we do not know what it was, you can only see part of the extern walls.

After the walk we immediately went back to the b&b where Pam and Irene were already preparing dinner. They do have dinner very early around here.

Anyway, tonight there was beef stew with rice, bread and butter. Who said there's no good food in Scotland?!

During the dinner we had a chat with our guests who gave us great tips on what to visit when we go to Edinburgh, from castles and museums to statues and festivals. Unfortunately, as they themselves admit, festivals are mostly held in summer (like Tatoo Festival). Then Irene told us about the misadventures of tourists trying to go to the island of Skye without booking. She told us that last year the police had to guard the entrance to the road leading to the island, so much was the turnout.

In short, even today was a pleasant day and despite the migraine and the pain in the neck (I'm a damn wreck) this experience is proving to be more and more beautiful.

Ah! We finally managed to get to know the cat. Lovely little hairy kitten who demands attention every three seconds.

Italian Original Post on my blog htps://lifetimediaryproject.com