The Northern Isles Day 13
The Northern Isles
Day 13 – Tuesday, July 22, 2003 – ms Rotterdam – At Sea & Oban, Scotland
AT 5 AM I looked out our verandah door and saw the ship entering the Oban Harbor and the HEAVY fog with a good mist. By 6:45 when the alarm went off it was still very wet outside.
The ship is anchored about a mile from the city out in the mouth of the bay. We will have to take a Tender to the docks and from there see the sights. We showered, took our breakfast at the Lido and then checked our email.
Several people have had trouble seeing our pictures when they are imbedded in the email (these are sent as HTML format) so I have decided to send them as ZIP attachments and all of you should be able to see them by opening this file and looking at the JPG files.
At 8:30 we met Bob and Susan outside our room and we walked to the Queen’s Lounge to get a boarding number to get on the Lido. We waited until 9 AM, they were loading about 90 people per ship and taking them to town. Organized day trips take a priority.
The sea was a little choppy when we left the Rotterdam at 9:15. The fog was lifting quickly and it looked like there was going to be some sun. Once we got to shore we walked to the Tourist Information Center and were told that it would be best for us to rent a car if we wanted to travel to Inveraray to see the area and the castle.
We decided to try this, Gennie and I would pay for the car rental (40 Pounds) and Susan and Bob would take care of the entrance fees and the gasoline. We went over to the Fiat dealer and it was so simple. By 10:30 we were on the road with Bob driving on this Scottish town and out on to the countryside on our way to Inveraray.
The Scottish countryside is quite beautiful, very green and covered with heavy forests with views over glens and mountains. We followed A85 to Connel, Taynuilt, and on to Loch Awe where we saw the ruins of the Kilchurn Castle, from the 1400's. We turned South on A819 to our destination on the shores of Loch Fyne.
The roads are narrow and in some areas, only one car could pass. Driving on the left side is a challenge, specially when one makes a turn (right and left). We arrived and noticed that today (Tuesday) they were having the Highlands Games in the Inveraray Castle grounds. There were hundreds of vehicles and maybe as many as a thousand people watching and participating. Very colorful spectacle.
We entered the Castle grounds, the ancestral home of the Duke of Argyll, the head of the Clan Campbell. The Castle is among the earliest examples of Gothic revival in Britain—its fairy-tale exterior belies the grandeur of its gracious interior, which reflects many fascinating tastes of the family through the years.
Inside, the castle contains a fine collection of family pictures and superb tapestries set in rooms of outstanding beauty. The armory hall alone contains 1,300 pieces.
Fine French 18thcentury furniture, English and Continental china and family artifacts form part of a unique collection spanning the generations, which are identified by a magnificent genealogical display. The family allows the public to enter a portion of their home as they live in another.
We left the Castle and went back to the city to see the sights and to possibly shop for some woolen goods, here in the Highlands of Scotland. There were a lot of tourists but it was fascinating to see the architecture, stone buildings with slate roofs, and all the flowers that grace the windows, doors and sidewalks.
Bob and I found a shop that specializes in Scotch Whisky so we went there to price their wares. What an education we got! One of the proprietors took the time to explain the different varieties and show us local distilleries.
He pointed out a bottle of Girvan that sells for Ł250 (Pounds) (about $500). But there was a bottle from Campbelltown (1919) and Glenfiddich that sold for Ł10,000.
I thought about buying one of these for you but I did not want to spoil your taste. I chose a couple of bottles and the salesman suggested another and gave us a taste of both. His suggestion was excellent and I bought two bottles for myself and a little one for a gift.
We continued to look around this charming town, taking a lot of pictures and then we went to check out their historical jail while Gennie and Susan went to the woolen shop. Bob and I met them there, walked back to the car and decided to drive back to Oban - about an hour.
I really wanted to experience driving on the left side of narrow roads so I drove back. It was not too difficult even though it was a 6 speed stick shift that I had to negotiate with my left hand. On these roads, with their twists and turns, I only got it to 6th once and then had to shift down quickly to maintain my RPMs.
We got back to Oban at 2:15, left Gennie and Susan right downtown and Bob and I went to return the car. It went smoothly, so we walked back to meet the ladies to go on a tour of the Oban Single Malt Whisky Distillery.
It was a good tour seeing how they manufacture this alcoholic beverage. At the end we were all given a healthy sample and then turned loose in their shop.
When we were done, we walked back to the dock/pier and got in line to take a tender back to the ship. We got on the first one to arrive after we got back and we were taken back to the ship.
Once on board, we went to the Lido, got a few things to eat and then returned to our room to get ready for the formal dinner tonight. Gennie packed a bag of clothes while I edited the pictures and began this journal. The ship was to leave at 5 PM but did not steam out until about 6 as the tours had difficulty getting every one back and on board quickly.
We met Bob and Susan at the Crow’s Nest at 7:15 for a glass of wine. We also spoke to Ian McLean and his friend Lois. He is from Scotland and he was wearing a kilt tonight and his McLean colors.
We spoke of Oban and his summer home close to here. After drinks we went to dinner at LaFontaine and all was good. We are getting used to their fine food.
At 10 PM I will go and e-mail this journal and check for any notes. We will not have time tomorrow morning. We are getting less daylight hours as we go further South.
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