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As I mentioned in my post about Iona, we took a day trip by boat to see the Islands of Staffa and Lunga.

Lunga, one of the Treshnish isles, is all about the puffins. It also includes something called Harp Rock, which is a rock shaped like, you know, a harp.

Whenever people ask me what my favorite part of our trip to Scotland was, I answer with all sincerity "Scotland!". I loved every bit of it, and would go back to any of the places we went to again in a heartbeat.

Ferries were a big part of our Scotland trip.

We started with a drive across the mainland to the "Isle of Mull", a very large ferry boat that took us, with our car, to (you probably guessed it), the Isle of Mull.

For me the most interesting place we visited in Edinburgh was the Camera Obscura. It is named for the actual camera obscura on the top floor, which uses a mirror to project an image of its Edinburgh surroundings on a table in the middle of the room. The lower floors of the Camera Obscura building are a museum of optical illusions. I liked the scientific approach they took -- they don't try to do the tourist trap "mystery spot" nonsense.

Edinburgh Castle was the major attraction on our first day in Edinburgh.

The walk to the Castle took us up the Royal Mile, through very modern looking bleachers, and up to the castle. Somewhere in there we got hit up for money for tickets.

It turns out the bleachers are temporary -- they are only set up once a year for the Military Tattoo, which is going on now -- we were out of Scotland before it started.

Arthur's Seat, only a mile from our hotel, offered us running and climbing challenges on our second day in Edinburgh.

The Inn on the Mile is named for its prime location on "The Royal Mile", which is a main drag in the tourist area of Edinburgh. The Inn sits at the intersection of The Royal Mile and North/South Bridge. North and South Bridge are in fact bridges.

Chris and I are back from our trip to Scotland with Flex and Nealie.

There is much to relate, but I want to start with a quick summary.

We flew out of Detroit Metro and after a hectic "layover" (more of a "sprint to the next flight" over) in Amsterdam, we landed in Edinburgh, where we got the first stamps in our brand new passports (that's a whole other story).

Happy New year all.

Chris and I went for a walk this morning, Chris is wishing her mom and dad a happy anniversary.

So far, a perfect start to the year.

Gonna go watch the Outback Bowl. South Carolina (where I was born) is playing Michigan (where I grew up). Technically, I can't lose.