loch ness

after we toured the heck out of the isle of skye we headed eastward.
along this trek we saw our first real deal castle.
the highlight though was loch ness.
this baby has been on my to do list since i started creating such travel lists.
i had no idea what i was in store for.
all i knew was it involved
a body of water
a monster
and conspiracy-
3 finer things could not come in combination for tourists like myself.
oh loch ness you really dazzled me.
this loch is the finest for the fable backdrop.
23 miles long
1.7 miles wide at it's widest
second largest loch in surface area and depth in all of scotland
contains more fresh water than all the lakes in england and wales combined
so with all that going for it it's really the perfect place for a sea monster to dwell.
i'm sure i saw nessie (i prefer to call it lochie but my co-travelers didn't much appreciate my new nicknaming)
even if you don't get to see a sea monster that loch in itself is something spectacular.
a small ocean
surrounded by layers and layers of perfectly green hills
with a castle overlook
and quaint towns to satisfy your nessie souvenir desire
it was the whole package.
here are a few pics from our random day.

this castle (eilean donan castle- for precision sake) got me pumped up

oh loch ness- i've waited a long time to see you.

 massive.

 did i see lochie (or nessie)!?!

 i had to find a sign so posterity would believe i really saw the loch ness

i bought mary a nessie for good measure. 

 then we drove onward after being enchanted by loch ness (or at least i was dying with impressiveness)

we stayed on this lovely street in inverness. 

 we ate at this place called 27... i believe that was the name. 

when in scotland you must partake of haggis at some point in your trip. 

this hee'land burger was my opportunity. 

 the top patty is haggis

the other venison

who would have ever thought such a combination would be incredibly delicious. 

i mean haggis sounds disgusting- name inventors were not helping this dishes cause. 

but despite it's gross name it's quite delicious. 

haggis=sheep heart, liver, and lungs combined with spices, oatmeal, and whatever else... 

i guess i love all sheep options. 

i much prefer it to their black and white "pudding"

 these old school european streets were killing me. 

they really lived up to my expectations. 

 **love**

this 3rd day of our trip was jammed packed with loveliness.
isle of skye roadtrip
castles
loch ness
inverness
i felt like i was in a renaissance fair- but modernized and without any of the awful mid-evil hygiene....
beauty like you can't describe.
seeing loch ness was like something from a dream-
i'm pretty sure i got most excited for all the wrong things... it entirely involved mythical stories or creatures. (sorry mom-i loved the history too and my ancestors are legit.)
you know i look at life some times and i think things happened, but i can't be sure.
pretty much my whole life really.... reality? nah can't be....
what a beautiful thing living is.
seeing loch ness on this day was like an unreal thing that became a reality.
miles and miles of waterfront-
mystery in every inch.
i love conspiracy.

cheers to nessie.