‘Wherever I wander, wherever I rove; the hills of the highland forever I love.’ – Robert Burns
Almost two weeks ago, my husband and I landed in Edinburgh and began the anniversary trip we’d planned for 2020. Feeling excited, grateful, and a bit tired, we dropped our bags off at our hotel, The Scotsman, the original home of the nation’s famous newspaper and a historic icon.
Everything in Scotland seems historic.
After checking in, we walked down the Royal Mile to a café where we ate a light lunch followed by a small, Scottish version of Death by Chocolate to celebrate (to us) our long-awaited arrival.
But then, every day in Scotland felt like a celebration. The country captured my imagination in a way I haven’t experienced before. I’ll be exploring that more, I’m sure, but for now, I’ll just say that the trip has already taken on a dream-like quality. And we want to go back.
Scotland, we learned, is a land of towering castles, huge stone monuments and memorials, cathedral ruins, long-ago battlefields, verdant green fields, long and deep lochs (lakes), rain and biting wind, sheep and highland cows (coos), cashmere and lambswool, bagpipes played and colorful tartans worn with pride. And more.
I’m still deciding what to share here at Glimsen—there’s just so much!—but I thought I’d start out with just a few photos that show some of the natural beauty we saw. We were constantly surprised that flowers and shrubs were still blooming even in the midst of chilly temperatures and strong winds.
Castle grounds often included carefully-planned and maintained gardens. Most of these pictures came from such gardens. Other places we visited had a natural, often wild beauty, and in future posts I will share that wild beauty as well as beauty in art and architecture. For now, here are a few photos to whet your appetite.
Edinburgh Castle
City street, office building
Lacecap hydrangea protected from the wind by stone wall in castle garden
At the Biblical Garden, across the street from cathedral ruins in Elgin
Famous maker of cashmere in Elgin
Defending the ferns ;)
More posts and photos of Scotland to follow! Be sure to subscribe by clicking the green button below so you don’t miss anything!
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Here at Glimsen, I share glimpses of the beauty around us in nature, the arts, and the unexpected. If you like what you see, click the green button below to receive my posts and updates by email, and you'll also get a free gift of beauty in your inbox (see below). I look forward to connecting with you!
