On my second day in Edinburgh, me and two friends joined a tour to go on a roadtrip of sorts to the Scottish Highlands. It took us some time to understand the tourguide’s thick Scottish accent, but we got the hang of it after a while. He filled the long drives with songs and stories, some funny, some sad, most of them melancholic and all of them violent. He told us about Clan Campbell and Clan MacDonald and many others I cannot remember anymore. He explained why the Scots are so proud of their heritage and shared his thoughts on the upcoming referendum.
Deep in thought and thankful for a short break to stretch our legs, we passed Inverness and reached Loch Ness. The sun was shining and the sky was covered with white clouds, the water was a deep blue and it seemed all too quiet and peaceful for Nessie to appear. So we just enjoyed our lunch there and hopped on to see more of the hills and mountains.
no Nessie monster awaiting us at the Loch Ness
On our way back, we drove by some of the sets for Harry Potter, mostly for the Forbidden Forest. Mist covered the hills and gave it a mysterious look, making all the stories and tales we heard a bit more real and a bit more understandable. We did not visit Loch Lomond, but for me, a lot of the spirit of the Highlands is captured in this song:
By yon bonnie banks and by yon bonnie braes
Where the sun shines bright on Loch Lomond
Where me and my true love were ever wont to gae
On the bonnie, bonnie banks of Loch Lomond.
Chorus:
O ye’ll take the high road, and i’ll take the low road
And I’ll be in Scotland before ye
but me and my true love will never meet again
On the bonnie, bonnie banks of Loch Lomond.
Twas there that we perted in yon shady glen
On the steep, steep sides of Ben Lomond
Where in purple hue, the highland hills we view
And the moon coming out in the gloaming.
“Chorus”
The wee birdies sing and the wild flowers spring
And in sunshine waters lie sleeping
But the broken heart it kens, nae second spring
Though the wae fu may cease frae their greeting.
“Chorus”
