Scotland.

[Originally posted here on March 27, 2014.]

I finally made a Shutterfly photo album of our honeymoon in Scotland! It only took me six years to get around to it....

We flew into London, took a train to Edinburgh, and took almost two weeks driving from there to Aberdeen, up to Aviemore (in the Inverness area), down to Glasgow, and back to Edinburgh, then took a train back to London to fly home. Going through all these pictures has me aching to go back! I loved Scotland.

I thought I'd share some of my favorite photos from the trip.

Sir Walter Scott Monument, Edinburgh, Scotland.

Dunnottar Castle, Scotland.

Dunnottar Castle was built on a peninsula on the eastern coast of Scotland. Now in ruins, it was the most picturesque castle we visited.

Dunnottar Castle, Scotland.

Dunnottar Castle, Scotland.

Edzell Castle and Gardens, Scotland.

Edzell Castle was one of the ones we hadn't planned to visit (we'd never heard of it), but we bought a historical explorer's pass at our first stop--Edinburgh Castle--which included a ton of smaller, off-the-beaten-path sites. A lot of these ended up being my favorite treks, because they were largely unpopulated by tourists (we were the only non-staff at Edzell that day) and only the really unsafe parts were roped off, so there was a lot more to explore than at a lot of the more tourist-y castles.

Huntly Castle, Scotland.

Huntly Castle was another that we had nearly to ourselves.

Elgin Cathedral, Scotland.

Elgin Cathedral was burned down, rebuilt, and then left to crumble for centuries. (Also, northern Scottish accents are the best. And the Glasgow accent is the hardest to understand--even I had trouble at times!)

Elgin Cathedral, Scotland.

Elgin Cathedral, Scotland.

Elgin Cathedral, Scotland.

Glamis Castle, Scotland.

Glamis Castle is the setting for Shakespeare's Macbeth.

Loch Ness, Scotland.

No monster sightings, unfortunately!

Urquhart Castle, Scotland.

Urquhart Castle is on the western shore of Loch Ness.

Urquhart Castle on Loch Ness, Scotland.

(Urquhart was one of the most disappointingly tourist-y castles--plastered with signs, railings, and cement, and crawling with people.)

Doune Castle, Scotland.

Much of Monty Python and the Holy Grail was filmed at Doune Castle. It was my favorite castle to explore--tons of nooks and crannies, and out-of-the-way doorways that led to hidden hallways and unexpected rooms!

Doune Castle, Scotland.

Wallace Monument, Stirling, Scotland.

We watched Braveheart around when we were beginning to discuss where to honeymoon; hence, Scotland. Also, William Wallace is one of the several Williams that influenced our decision to name our son William.

Stirling Castle, Scotland.

Dunnottar.

And, of course, my favorite shot of us. Dunnottar was gorgeous!