Tuesday, August 20

Soundtrack: “Take Me Out” Franz Ferdinand

Itinerary:

• breakfast in Inverness
• explore Doune Castle
• drive to Edinburgh
• ghost tour of the catacombs

Inverness
After a night of wine hiking and campfire, my body was calling for a big, hearty breakfast. We drove into town for a traditional Scottish fry up at the Rendezvous Cafe (fun fact: the Beatles performed there in 1960). Our breakfast included: a fried egg, bacon, link sausage, lorne sausage,  Stornoway black pudding, haggis, tatty scone, baked beans, mushrooms, sliced tomato, and toast. I tried haggis for the first time and enjoyed it. It has a savory flavor that Anita described perfectly: “It tastes like Thanksgiving.”

Doune Castle
The drive to Doune took us through  beautiful Caingorms National Park (and thankfully, it had wider roads than Loch Lomond & The Trossachs). There’s so many places in Scotland that I want to return to for camping.

Doune Castle was originally built in the 13th century, and rebuilt a century later after it was damaged during the Scottish Wars of Independence. In contemporary times, it’s served as a shooting location for Monty Python & the Holy Grail, Game of Thrones (used as Winterfell in the pilot episode), and Outlander (Castle Leoch). These are three of my FAVORITES, so we were psyched for the tour. I have a lifelong fascination with castles, likely due to my love of historical fiction and fantasy novels, and this documentary that we watched multiple times in high school World Civ.

The self-guided tour features audio tracks recorded by Terry Jones and Sam Heughan, which is a fun touch. Strolling around a castle courtyard with Jamie Fraser’s voice murmuring in your ear is about as good as it gets. The gift shop even features an Outlander-themed selfie station, complete with Claire’s costumes that can be slipped on over your clothing.

Edinburgh
We arrived in the city around mid-afternoon. Being in town during the last week of Fringe meant that the city was packed with people, but it also added a buzz of energy to the atmosphere. Street performers were ubiquitous, and we stopped multiple times to take in a song, drum line, or puppet show. I turned a corner and was awestruck by my first glimpse of Edinburgh Castle looming atop a hill above the city.

After dinner at BABA, an excellent Mediterranean restaurant, we grabbed a few pints at a bar that featured haggis bombs (Irn-Bru with a shot of Jägermeister). From there, we walked to the Old Town area near St. Giles Cathedral and Mercat Cross, the starting point of our ghost tour. As twilight set in, the golden lighting made the city even look more storybook magical. A gothic tower twisted against the backdrop of blue sky, which at first glance looks like the home of a Disney villainess (in actuality, it’s Scott Monument, a Victorian-era spire honoring Sir Walter Scott). I’d only been in Edinburgh for a few hours and I was completely enchanted by this place.

On High Street, we reached peak Fringe Fest crowds, and dodged people passing out fliers for their shows while navigating the packed cobblestone roads. The ghost tour took us through the alleys and closes of Old Town, and our guide shared informative stories about life in Edinburgh in the late 1700s. Eventually, she led us underground into the catacombs beneath the city, lit solely by candlelight. The air in the vaults was thick and humid, and we listened to true stories about murderers, bodysnatchers, and ghostly encounters.

To cap off the night, we had a few cocktails at a speakeasy hidden beneath a vintage barber shop. An elaborate menu noted the techniques used to create their cocktails, including Sous vide, fat washing, and centrifuge. We stayed until the bar staff announced last call, then walked back to our Airbnb, giddy on handcrafted cocktails and love for Edinburgh.