“Alive with history” – a slogan that is not my own but was printed on a bus around Stirling. And I stole it for this blog post because it sums up our ten days in Scotland very nicely. History was almost omnipresent wherever we went. Sometimes it almost felt like walking through a beautiful history book.

We were based in Louise’s (John’s sister) house in Alva, a town just outside of Stirling (famous for its castle and the Wallace monument). And this is how we spent our time:

Visiting the majestic Kelpies and the mightily impressive Falkirk Wheel. 

Picking and eating extremely sour fruit while visiting “The Pineapple”.

Relaxing on the beach at Tentsmuir Forest, close to the university town of St Andrews. A warm, sunny day on the beach. In Scotland. In September! We would have never expected that.

Briefly strolling through Crail before eating award winning fish & chips in Anstruther Easter.

Going back in time and marveling at Louise’s tapestries in Stirling Castle.

Painting pottery in Crieff.

Wandering through the streets of Edinburgh, listening to a very entertaining brass band and assisting James the magician on the Royal Mile.

Climbing Arthur’s seat for a 360° view on Edinburgh and its surroundings.

Enjoying a movie night “at home” with Paddington Bear.

Learning about the fish ladder and how water can be turned into electricity in Pitlochery. The new visitor’s center at the dam is worth a visit.

Driving through the Highlands. The scenery surrounding the road from Glencoe over the pass was absolutely breathtaking in evening light. We almost photo-stopped on every corner.

Watching a helicopter filming a scene of a historic drama. By sheer coincidence.

Walking up the glen from Dollar to Campell Castle, stopping on the way to take in some considerable waterfalls.

Admiring all sorts of animals in Edinburgh Zoo. But the absolute star of them all was the tiger literally posing above our heads.

We had a great time. Thank you, Louise, for everything!

The learning curve:

• Massive traffic jams even happen in the Scottish highlands.
• We are only human after all… and get sick sometimes.
• When fruit trees are laden it probably means they are not ready to be eaten!
• The taste of tap water changes more often than a Swiss dialect!