A Europe trip was long overdue for this New Yorker. I managed to clear 19 days (flight time inclusive) to figure out how to plan such an itinerary and came up with:
Day 1 – Fly from NYC to London overnight
Day 2 – Check in hotel, brief sightseeing, sleep
Day 3,4 – Explore London
Day 5 – Daytrip to Paris via Eurostar
Day 6 – Travel to Edinburgh, sightseeing
Day 7,8,9 – Tour the Scotland highlands
Day 10 – Travel back to London, Harry Potter tour
Day 11 – Fly from London to Barcelona, sightseeing
Day 12-18 – 7 day cruise
Day 19 – Fly back home
The most challenging part is planning it all (and saving enough money as well). The flights, hotels, where to go, how to get there, things to avoid, not getting lost, saving money, optimizing time, eating, bathroom stops, what to pack, currency, backup plans for when things go wrong, survival, etc. Somehow, everything went according to plan with a few minor mishaps. Follow me on my travels as I cover the itineraries, highlights, and other random encounters and experiences.
From Skye to Edinburgh
This was a sad day. It was the last day in the Highlands and the last day in Scotland. Nevertheless, the path back is full of sights. Before leaving Skye, the clouds cleared up a bit and revealed a good view of the Cuillan mountains (great spot for mountaineering, maybe next time). Picture time.
One last goodbye to Eilean Donan castle. And look at the horns on these highland cows.
Perhaps everybody has heard of the Loch Ness monster. Well, we came across the Loch where he lives in Ft. Augustus. I spotted him by the way 🙂
What’s the highest mountain in the UK? Ben Nevis. It’s 4,409 feet tall. I caught a glimpse as the clouds moved around. A hike to the summit sounds like a great day-trip. Someday.
Inverlochy castle (13th-century) has that classic look with its rectangular shape with the towers at each corner.
Glencoe, a beautiful area to spend hours exploring. More reason to come back. In particular, the 3 Sisters peaks (was too close to get em all in one frame). I tried be artistic and attempted to capture the reflection in a puddle.
Loch Nubnaig in the Trossachs National Park. 5 stone hops was my stone throwing record for the day.
Once we were back in Edinburgh and said our farewells, there was enough time to check out the National Monument of Scotland which sits on a hill.
We dined at a Thai restaurant; Chaophraya (I recommend) and then called it a day. Goodbye Scotland. Hopefully it’s not the last time.
jc path to the marathon 