CARBOST, ISLE OF SKYE, Monday, July 20, 2009 – So here we sit, Will and I, in the Talisker Distillery, the only whisky maker on the islands off the western Scottish coast, waiting for Grams and Bops to complete their 2 ½ hour “Connoisseur Tour,” during which they will sample FIVE different, very peaty whiskies. I expect I’ll have little help co-piloting on our way to our hotel tonight! Anyhow, while Will plays with his iPhone, I thought I’d catch you up on our doings. I hope to file this and the post from yesterday when we go through a little village in the north of the island tomorrow that has wireless. I can’t let my readers down. All four of them!

I’m hoping the hotel tonight has wireless, because Will is getting homesick for Daddy and Mitchell, and we need a Skype-session. Will lay in bed this morning imagining all the things Daddy would like about Scotland (big breakfasts and nice hotels, among them), and all the things Daddy and Will would be doing together here: telling stories at night about Nessie, putting on Will’s new Viking hat and making scary faces, snuggling in the big bed. But Will wants me to promise to drive when we come back with Daddy – he’s convinced that Daddy’s stressful experience driving in Greece is the reason Rick doesn’t want to go back there!!! (Rick wants to go to countries he hasn’t been before, while Will and I can’t get enough of that place.)

We woke early at our now beloved Letterfinlay Lodge (I’m sleeping better now, thanks for asking),  where our trusty clerk the “Dingaling Man” served us delicious porridge, egg and bacon for breakfast. I was 8:30 a.m., and Will looked over at the barred-up bar on the edge of the dining room and asked, “When does the bar open?” Oh dear, we’ve been with my folks a little too long apparently! J It reminded me of the other day, when Bopa, in his usual grumpy demeanor, struggling with jetlag, forced a smile for the camera. Will said something to the effect of, “We need to get Grandpa some whisky so he can smile.”

The weather has turned decidedly worse, which is funny because it’s been rather November-in-Portland – Mother said the TV news predicted gale force winds today. The perpetual mist that coats you whenever you step outside was here yet again this morning. But off we set at 9 a.m., headed for Eilean Donon Castle, one of the most picturesque and photographed castles in Scotland. On the way there, we drove through dramatic, mossy-green mountains and glens, all streaked with waterfalls. The roads were narrow, the rain constant, the tour buses lumbering straight toward us (“Remember: Oncoming Traffic in the Middle of the Road.”) But for the most part, the traffic was light and we felt utterly alone and isolated – no towns, no people, no animals, no trees, just vast seemingly empty vistas and slate-gray lochs. A shaft of sun came out for one glorious moment, when a full rainbow stretched from one side of the glen to another. Astonished, we pulled over, but by the time Dad and I got our cameras out and turned on, it was driving rain again. I’m not sure I caught the rainbow, but I’ll post it if I did.

Around 10 a.m. we arrived at the castle in a driving rainstorm and those gale force winds Mother predicted. We fought our way into the reconstructed castle, which sits on a tiny tidal island in the loch. The castle, dating back to the 15^th century but destroyed only to be rebuilt in the early 20^th century, was extremely cool, with great views of the rain slanting sideways across the loch.

We then journeyed on to the Isle of Skye, on our way to the Talisker Distillery – which from the remote location and single-track road leading to it one would assume would be a tiny, quaint place. Well, somehow the hoards are here with us. We had a nice lunch in a tiny pub, boasting itself “Possibly the Best Pub in Carbost,” being the only pub in Carbost, which overlooks yet another loch. Will and I are now camped out in the visitor center, awaiting another hair-raising car drive to our hotel in the driving rain and flooding roads. Oh joy. But the hotel tonight looks really charming, and we plan to eat in the pub there before collapsing to prepare for our drive around Skye tomorrow. I’m hoping Mother remembers to ask for my to-go dram of whisky – I think I’ll need it tonight!

The weather improved a bit, and we arrived at the lovely Eilean Iarmain hotel, a tiny, isolated old place on the Sleat Peninsula of Skye. Dad declared he loves it here more than any place in Scotland and wants to spend the day here tomorrow — all day, no driving. I think I’ve worn him out. I think I’ve worn myself out because I tend to agree with him!

It is absolutely gorgeous here; our rooms look out across at the western coast of Scotland, and the mountains are lush and shrouded in those ever-present clouds. But the sun broke about a half hour ago, and Will and my parents are out for a walk while I revel in a rare moment of wireless — not free, but wireless no less.

We are right on the water, there are little boats bobbing around, and we are going down to have dinner in the pub shortly. I wish you all were here with us! Thank you for your comments, Kymberly and Rehan. I will respond to them when I have a chance. This is a truly special place.