Live virtual Transatlantic on the Regal

[scubacruiserx2]

Our next stop was on Loch Shin to hear about the "Wee Hoose"which is best explained in the video

 

 

 

When I saw the bird sitting on it I thought of it as a wee bird house .

 

 

There some wee flowers growing there

 

 

Edited May 12, 2020 by scubacruiserx2

[scubacruiserx2]

I'm not sure where we stopped next except to enjoy scenery and wildlife

 

 

 

 

 

 

With the open shallow area it was a good place for birds to fish and where they could see you approaching

 

 

Unless they were busy

 

 

[scubacruiserx2]

Dunrobin Castle

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunrobin_Castle

 

 

 

 

 

 

There were a couple of buses here already and Matthew suggested that we go through the castle and down to the zoo

 

A huge tree

 

 

It's also called the Museum

 

https://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/golspie/dunrobincastlemuseum/index.html

 

 

 

[AF-1]

Funny story about the wee hoose

[scubacruiserx2]

11 minutes ago, AF-1 said:

Funny story about the wee hoose

 

We heard several of funny stories during the day .

 

[scubacruiserx2]

The Castle

 

 

 

 

 

 

[scubacruiserx2]

 

 

We saw flowers like these in Chile last year

 

 

 

There was a group of people seated in the garden to learn about and watch a demonstration of Falconry

 

http://www.dunrobincastle.co.uk/garden.html#falconry

 

After showing and teaching about the Falcon he unmasked the bird and sent it flying 

 

 

 

In a dive the Peregrine Falcon is the fastest animal in the world attaining speeds of 240 mph !

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peregrine_falcon

 

The bird circled overhead before diving on a target that the handler would swing around his head at the end of a rope . The bird never caught the target until he was allowed to and I never got a clear photo of the bird when he was flying . This one is take from the Dunrobin's Castle's website .

 

 

 

 

Edited May 12, 2020 by scubacruiserx2

[scubacruiserx2]

Falconry at the Dunrobin Castle

 

 

 

[scubacruiserx2]

A couple more photos from the grounds before ascending to the overlook of the castle

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The green plants at the bottom of the photo are Rhubarb standing 6 feet tall . We have also seen and eaten some while in Chile .

 

 

 

[scubacruiserx2]

There are 189 rooms within the castle, making it the largest in the Northern Highlands.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunrobin_Castle

 

 

 

 

Just like on the Regal

 

 

Not like the Regal

 

 

 

 

[AF-1]

anyone living in the castle now?.  I read where it was a boarding school

[scubacruiserx2]

1 hour ago, AF-1 said:

anyone living in the castle now?.  I read where it was a boarding school

 

I found this on Travel to Scotland :

 

 A warm welcome to Dunrobin Castle, home of my ancestors for over seven hundred years. I'm so proud that people from all over the world pay us a visit and I enjoy being able to share the magnificent castle and gardens with others. Lord Strathnaver.

Dunrobin Castle is the most northerly of Scotland's great houses and the largest in the Northern Highlands with 189 rooms. Dunrobin Castle is also one of Britain's oldest continuously inhabited houses dating back to the early 1300s, home to the Earls and later, the Dukes of Sutherland.

The Castle, which resembles a French chateâu with its towering conical spires, has seen the architectural influences of Sir Charles Barry, who designed London’s Houses of Parliament, and Scotland’s own Sir Robert Lorimer. The Castle was used as a naval hospital during the First World War and as a boys’ boarding school from 1965 to 1972.

Dunrobin Castle is on the east coast of the Northern Highlands overlooking the Moray Firth, just north of the villages of Golspie and Dornoch .

[scubacruiserx2]

 

 

 

The way up

 

 

 

 

 

[scubacruiserx2]

We left the castle before the large group and had an early lunch

 

 

We walked just across the parking lot to a beach with a picnic table

 

 

The company , beach and food were all excellent

 

 

Moving toward our next stop we encountered some wildlife on the way

 

 

 

 

[scubacruiserx2]

Next up was Dornach Cathedral

 

Dornoch Cathedral is a parish church in the Church of Scotland, serving the small Sutherland town of Dornoch, in the Scottish Highlands. As a congregation of the Church of Scotland, which is Presbyterian, the church is not the seat of a bishop but retains the name due to being, historically, the seat of the Bishop of Caithness.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dornoch_Cathedral

 

Matthew wanted to show us the gargoyles there but when we got there  it seemed like the church was in use

 

 

I felt a bit like a paparazzi lurking in the bushes - but this was good stuff Scotland the Brave on the pipes and a wedding !

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Strangely , we would run into this car later

 

 

As a footnote , this church was where Elon Musk of Tesla and SpaceX fame was married in 2010 .

 

 

[AF-1]

wow maybe he married a scottish gal.  

[scubacruiserx2]

When the wedding began we moved around to the side of the cathedral to have a look at the gargoyles

 

 

Since they were back lit and I didn't bring my flash it's hard to see the detail

 

 

 

 

The Castle , now a hotel

 

 

The cathedral

 

 

and the Charities Shop

 

 

[scubacruiserx2]

A visit to Glenmorange

 

 

The meeting area

 

 

 

They claim to have the tallest stills in Scotland - as tall as a giraffe !

 

 

We we're not allowed to take photos inside . It was quite hot in the still room and it vented to the outside 

 

 

Here's the herd of giraffes

 

 

The photo came from wikipedia and was taken by Jack Shainsky

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glenmorangie_distillery

 

And the final product

 

 

The screen shot was taken from their web site

 

https://www.glenmorangie.com/en-us

 

The parting shot

 

 

That's a 1962 Coupe deVille Cadillac . My dad had a 1961 Sedan de Ville colored pink that we used to call the Pink Panther .

 

After the tour we had a wee dram of  scotch and made a few purchases for medicinal reasons . As we were leaving the wedding party pulled up in their cars for some photos . As it turns out , the Father of the Bride is the Still Master there . That must have been some wedding party !

 

[scubacruiserx2]

 

We had contacted Matthew asking if we could see heather in the highlands not nothing that we would be there at the wrong time . But Matthew had found a little in bloom which we stopped to look at .

 

 

 

After arriving back at the port we heard the pipes again and walked down to see them . It was a full band of talented young people

 

 

 

We near that our time was drawing to a close as they began Scotland the Brave

 

 

 

[scubacruiserx2]

A farewell wave

 

 

Moving out

 

 

 

The Seven Seas Navigator

 

 

[scubacruiserx2]

Leaving Invergordon

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[scubacruiserx2]

 

With a budget of $380 , we thought that we could find a semi private tour to Mt . St. Michael . We wound up doing a private tour with Radio Taxi and boy are we glad that we that we did ! We met our guide and driver , Jaime , at the appointed time and we all we could think was " is this car really for us ? "

 

 

Well it was ! We felt like kids in an eye candy store ! So with a 2-1/2 ride we got to know Jaime . He's a great guy will excellent English and people skills . Unlike a number of our previous contacts with some of the French , he likes Americans and has been to , and driven across much of the U. S. He had been in South Florida recently on vacation and knows the area where live . He also shared with us some of the history of Mt. St. Michel.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mont_Saint-Michel

 

And before we knew it we were there ! We asked him if we could stop before we got there and here's our first glimpse :

 

 

Switching to the telephoto camera to pull it in , across a rapeseed field .

 

 

Wheat and rapeseed fields shot with HDR .

 

[Coral]

Wow - I would have been in Paris today for a post cruise stay........ Another year.

[AF-1]

How far of drive was Mt. St.- Michel from cruise port?

[scubacruiserx2]

1 hour ago, Coral said:

Wow - I would have been in Paris today for a post cruise stay........ Another year.

 

We have another cruise planned on HAL to Norway after we leave France .