We have already become so sluggish that we can only summarize three days together.
Pomposity à la Toni Kroos is spreading...Somehow, we are struggling to find suitable headlines for our entries. They should always be somewhat related to the subsequent text. So yesterday, we were considering "Pure Culture - Fish n 'Chips & Highland Games" or "Experiencing Scotland like a mixed plate - a little bit of everything"! The latter would have been too morbid. And then this morning, the idea of calling it a "Declaration of Love" came to us! Because we have definitely fallen in love over the past 2 1/2 weeks, and it's not just because of the whisky and ale, which flow regularly in our abode, albeit not "in streams"! It refers more to the incredible warmth, consideration, mindfulness, and the dialect of the people here! Without even mentioning the landscape (which we have already raved about)! Yes, this country has captivated us. That doesn't mean that we will come back here with all our belongings (or children) every year...But maybe every other year is possible!
Let's summarize the past three days quickly: a definite strength of ours! Clear, short, and concise summaries that only include the truly, truly important things from the day! Similar to the five-minute news on Pro7 between Galileo and the next "blockbuster"! We just don't have time...
Since we have been bitten by the hiking bug, we wanted to lace up our hiking boots, shoulder our backpacks, and go to the Cairngorms on Friday! After a short search on walkhighlands.com, we found a suitable hike and decided to climb Monamenach.
The website rated it as a three out of five on the difficulty scale, so we thought it would be doable...or so we thought!
However, Ida quickly lost interest in climbing uphill after a relatively short night.
A look à la Merkel: "We can do it!"
So, off into the backpack. No problem, because the photos of the hike didn't make it look that steep; the Feldberg mountain climber would be laughing...
Here, we learned firsthand that height and steepness in photos do not reflect reality at all!
It! Was! Exhausting!
While Ida happily sang in the backpack (sometimes made-up songs, sometimes her beloved movement songs; including the movements, of course, which is great for the backpack carrier), we climbed the steep hill with plenty of breaks. And by now, without any laughter.
The enormous vastness and absolute solitude were the rewards for the effort. Unfortunately, there was also icy wind because without trees, there is no windbreak. So we quickly took some photos, handed out cereal bars, and started the descent. Ida wanted to do the descent on her own as well.
Although she fell several times, there were also many laughs.
Even our accident-prone little one had to giggle when she face-planted into the heather. Throughout the entire four hours, we only encountered one startled capercaillie. As our city child observed, "There is nobody here at all! It's strange!... No, not strange, but simply wonderful.
On the way back, tired from cooking, we randomly stumbled upon a rather rundown fish n 'chips shop, which, to our surprise, was packed with locals. So, it had to be good! The slightly overweight and sweaty owner behind the counter further intensified this impression. Haddock and chips wrapped in newspaper. Naturally with salt and vinegar, as it should be. It was truly excellent! So, if you ever find yourself in the idyllic Monifieth, we recommend a visit to "Seaways Chip Shop".
To our delight, we were able to eat outside the tent for the first time during the entire vacation. It was a hot 18 degrees Celsius that evening with only a slight breeze! We are slowly adapting.
Evening playground fun
For Saturday, we had an event planned that was not part of our original travel itinerary, regardless of how we rearranged it. However, due to the location of our campsite, we unexpectedly got to experience the Highland Games, which more than made up for the unplanned changes to our vacation.
Arrived...
You can't get more Highland culture in one place! Highland dancing competitions for all age groups (starting with under 6-year-olds), tug-of-war, caber toss in kilts, and of course, pipe bands!
Highland Dancing Tug O War
Pipe bands
We were amazed by everything. Even Ida enjoyed the bagpipe music and kept dancing. It was a glimpse into "ancient times" when competitions like these took place hundreds of years ago! It's not hard to imagine because, except for the ice cream man and the bouncy castle, everything that was there has existed for almost 1000 years!
£2.50 for five minutes of fun!
By the way, these games originally served to select the fastest, strongest, and bravest men from each clan who were then allowed to serve as warriors or clan messengers! Intelligence apparently didn't play such a dominant role in these selection battles...The drummers of the pipe bands impressed us all the most (including Ida). The wooden sticks and rhythmic twirling always give me goosebumps! Ida probably felt the same way because she commented on the band as follows: "There are children too - why am I not allowed to do that?!" Memories of my time in the Spielmannszug Bausenhagen (a German drum corps) came back when we got to play together with a pipe band for a spring concert. Sorry for the expression, but it was simply awesome!
In addition to the incredible acoustic impressions, the setting in an incredibly picturesque landscape on the Drumtochty Castle estate added to the experience! The event organizer mentioned several times during his opening speech that it was a "magical Glen"!
Deeply impressed, almost enchanted, we returned to the present and to the campsite after four hours of Highland Games! Unfortunately, we had another competition to witness up close. Challengers: Ida, who should be sleeping but didn't want to; Opponents: Lena and I, who didn't want to explode but eventually couldn't resist! After two hours of fierce competition, we won, although we suffered some nerve losses. But who can blame her? It's bright outside, actually warm in the tent (hard to believe), and quite loud because of the people outside! Who can, or rather, who wants to sleep well in those conditions?!
After this struggle, we only wanted to go to bed! But suddenly and unexpectedly, our campsite acquaintances Mike and his wife Amy appeared in our tent with a bottle of Glen Moray. They proactively took it upon themselves to come in, and before we could even say "Come on in," they were sitting in our cozy living room. Strangely enough, against the backdrop of German mentality, we didn't find it uncomfortable or inappropriate. Without wasting time on small talk, we immediately delved into conversation: about jobs, their home in Insh near Aberdeen, and family! We even debated whether German or British sausages taste better...I think 99% of the readers will agree with us, even though we didn't come to a consensus; but honestly, the British can't make bratwurst or bread products!
So, the evening passed with emptying the whisky bottle, lots of laughter, and before we knew it, it was 1:30 a.m. God Agathe! As a result, we received a very warm invitation to visit the charming village of Insh whenever we want! They have plenty of room, and we can even use one of their cars if we want to explore the area! It was a wonderful end to the day with incredibly friendly and hospitable Scots, although Amy is originally from Rosamunde Pilcher Land! We were all very happy, which was also due to the golden liquid!
For Sunday, we didn't have anything planned, and since the weather was forecasted to be fantastic (23 degrees Celsius and sunny), we decided to spend the morning at the beach. This time, we remembered to put on sunscreen, which we had forgotten the day before and ended up with a slight sunburn. We learned from Mike and Amy that anything above 20 degrees Celsius is already considered almost too hot for Scots, and if it reaches 25 degrees, they start considering a heatwave! Understandably, it felt like all the visitors at the campsite were walking around shirtless by 9 o'clock in the morning. For comparison: we were still sitting in fleece sweaters and long pants (outside the tent, of course) having breakfast! Additionally, this temperature seems to invoke another British cliché! Suddenly, there are billboards everywhere advertising "Schöner wohnen" Polarweiß (a paint brand) at the beach, emphasizing the nonexistent tan with SPF 150 sunscreen! Just like tennis socks and sandals are typical for Germans, the nonexistent tan, followed by the color red, seem to be typical for the British in most cases! Apparently, even a thick layer of sunblock doesn't help anymore! We were more than amused! At one point, we even thought we were witnessing a Marian apparition, but it was just 10-year-old Kimberley running into the water wearing only a bikini...
In any case, Ida had a great time and quickly joined in running through the waves half-naked (since all her clothes were immediately soaked) and digging holes that were repeatedly swallowed by the sea ("What's the point of doing that here anyway?")
We spent the afternoon in the Tesco supermarket because of the "intolerable heat." They cool it down to a pleasant 10 degrees during the summer so that customers feel at home and comfortable. The day ended once again outside in the evening sun, with a quickly whipped-up salad and fleece jackets already back in use. The change from the day's high temperature to the low temperature at night is quite significant here!
On Monday, we will reluctantly and with some excitement start packing and playing car Tetris! Although we still have four days in Glasgow, we don't need most of our travel gear anymore because we have rented an apartment (for some relaxation, so to speak).
We wish everyone a good night and a calm start to the week! Take care...
