In the footsteps of Reinhold Messner ;o)

Heya,

this morning the lake welcomed us with a lot of fog that was swirling over the water surface. It was beautiful to see.

After breakfast, we set off towards Ben A'an, a small mountain that is 461m high and climbing it is supposed to be relatively easy. So off we go... the Reinhold Messner substitute badge pinned to my jacket and away we went... Since we didn't tell the weather witch where we were headed today, we were really lucky with the weather. We arrived at Ben A'an in bright sunshine and started our hike. After the first hundred meters, it was clear this would not be a simple stroll to the summit. We had to climb over rocks like mountain goats, navigating really rough terrain and small streams... so much for it being suitable for beginners. Well, I admit, I’m an untrained couch potato and of course I had more troubles than Mr. Fü. But I held on (even though I probably won’t be able to walk another meter tomorrow :o) ). Just before the summit, the 'path' became impassable for me. The steep 'way' was nothing but a wet, slippery mass of stones. I decided to turn back here since I would also have to go down this way... I just didn’t trust myself to do it. Mr. Fü didn’t want to go up alone and he said we were high enough to enjoy a nice view. We took a little break up there and then began our descent. Ha... anyone who says going down is easier than going up has no idea. Damn, that was exhausting. When we got down, we decided to quickly head to Callander since it was nearby. On the way there, we briefly stopped by Honey, Baxter, and Hamish Dubh to refuel our energy :o). Don't be fooled by the photo of my hot chocolate.... under the cream there are of course MARSHMALLOWS! With that good boost, we made a short stop in Callander and then continued to Doune Castle.

Doune Castle is a late medieval fortress built around 1390, and it is a movie star. In 1951, it served as a backdrop for 'Ivanhoe-the black knight'. Later, it appeared in 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail'. It also served as Castle Leoch in the series 'Outlander', and some parts were used for 'Game of Thrones'. And after finally seeing it in person, I can only say: And the Oscar goes to...Doune Castle.

Then we headed back towards the hotel, quite tired... and what should I say... it started to rain cats and dogs. So, what do we learn from this??? Right! We won't tell the weather witch anything anymore!

Now it's almost time for dinner, and I wish you all a wonderful evening.

See you tomorrow... same place, same wave!

Oidhche mhath! (Good night)