Sunday, July 13, 2008

Castle Visit & Golfing

This morning we woke up and took a drive to find the Loch Ness monster. Our hotel is about 15 minutes from the beginning of Loch Ness which is a really huge lake. While driving along we ended up seeing a sign for the Urquhart Castle so we decided to go. Not sure when it was built but a missionary in 500 AD happened upon it and it also went through numerous battles throughout the Middle Ages. The part that is left today is mostly ruins but it was fun to walk around the grounds and see the remains of the castle. There was a trebuchet right before the entrance of the castle which was great to see in person as Megan and I have seen it only on "Little People, Big World". The highlight of that trip may have been the man I saw in a kilt, and not like a staff member being paid to wear a kilt for "historical" purposes, but a dad with his two teenage daughters in a full kilt. We were in the gift shop and I tried to discretely take a picture without the flash which is why the shot might be a little blurry.

Next we were on to Royal Dornoch. The course lays directly on the Firth of Dornoch which is really an inlet of the North Sea. The day was gorgeous, probably hovering around 70 as we teed off and got a little chillier as the round went on. On two of the par 3's I took a 7 and a 10, ouch. The course wasn't too hard, but the greens were HUGE and it was impossible to read a putt. Luckily we had caddies that would do that for us. Dad had a 69 year old Scot named Hamish and I had a 15 year old named Robert. Both were incredible caddies actually. They are included in a picture below.

Overall it was a fabulous day and looking forward to our play tomorrow when we go to Nairn which is known for their fast and "perfect" greens.

Dad 88
Justin 98

oops...

# of people we've seen in kilts: 1 (YAY! Hoping to double that tomorrow)

# of Scotch and Cokes: 5

# of times we've been lost: 1 1/2 still because we didn't get lost once today, although I almost got us killed driving because I kinda forgot to look right with oncoming traffic. It sounds really bad, but it's easy to do, I swear....

Games of Cribbage: 18
Justin: 10
Dad: 8

Cheers!






6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Keep the commentary and photos coming - it's fun to live vicariously through you guys! Check out this link for Scottish slang to impress your caddies (or to interpret what in the world they are saying)! Lindsey http://www.firstfoot.com/php/glossary/phpglossar_0.8/index.php?letter=a

Anonymous said...

If you had simply said "catapult", I wouldn't have had to look up what the hell "trebuchet" meant.

Tell your dad to get him butt back here and fix the stock market

Eric Olsen said...

Sweet! Who did you get to catapult?

Unknown said...

I loved Scotland when we visited and found the best answer in talking to a "local" was: Idinothearya. The second or third time they thought I was deaf and went away!
Seriously, I am envious of the trip. The Scots (not Scotish, never Scotch) are wonderful people and the scenery wonderful.
Keep info coming!!!!

Mike Loftus

Anonymous said...

I'm with Bob on "trebuchet"...just because you're in a foreign country doesn't mean you should stop speaking English :-)

Ask around and see if 'The Donald' has built his new course in Aberdeenshire. Is that anywhere near where you both are traveling?

Loved your photos - the remains of that castle nestled in the hillside was a really beautiful picture. When you have cloudy/overcast skies - there are no harsh shadows. . .making for beautiful OUTDOOR shots.

By the way, if a kilt is good enough for Sir Sean Connery, when are you two going to don one?? It's just a matter of choosing the right tartan. If you decide to go 'commando', watch yourself getting out of a car.

CHEERS! JOY :-)

Justin Elder said...

First, you can't complain about non-english words and then use the word tartan now can you? That's just unfair. (That last part is exactly how Scots talk because they always ask things in a question, which is kinda fun)
Second, good advice about the underwear, no need to pull a Britney Spears in Scotland.
Finally, apparently "The Donald" is having difficulty obtaining the land permits in Aberdeenshire at least according to the locals. Though the plans are still to complete by the end of 2009 I believe. Interesting.