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Nice and Easy...True Bliss
07/30/06 - Ellemford, Scotland (photo album for first 2 weeks in Scotland) Exploring the beautiful Scottish Borders by car and on foot and some good old-fashioned just sittin' around!
It's hard to believe that our first week in Scotland has already drawn to a close. How time flies when...you're doing nothing! It's been an enjoyable week; our first few days after settling in, which were uncharacteristically hot, humid and sunny, were filled with driving through the too-quaint-and-picturesque-for-words Scottish countryside and visiting the small towns of Coldstream, Kelso, Hawick and Selkirk. Then we decided to slow down a bit and for the latter part of the week, our main activity each day has been taking a "walk" through the scenic green and brown hills and pastures near our house. I might add here that what the Scottish refer to as a "walk", most Americans would consider to be a moderately strenuous hike! But we've really enjoyed getting out and seeing the scenery at leisure with the bonus of getting some good old-fashioned fresh air and exercise (finally!). These last few days, the weather has cooled off a bit and been cloudy at times, but no real rain...yet - perfect "walking" weather! When not out walking, we have been spending our time relaxing in the garden with coffee or a good book, picking produce from the garden or preparing a meal (aah, that would be Scott), while enjoying some wine and cheese in the waning hours of the day. We even found a jigsaw puzzle to work on. In some ways, the week has been reminiscent of the Michigan summer lake vacations of our youth. It's been really low-key - exactly what we had been craving for the many manic months prior to our departure for Europe. It's been bliss! But, us being Scott and Caroline, we can't sit still for too long and we've decided to go off on a little jaunt tomorrow. We plan to drive up to the Highlands and to the Isle of Skye, which is where the beautiful landscapes and scenery are located that most people think of as "Scotland", for a 5-day driving tour. We are pretty excited and we hope you'll stay tuned!	Scott uses one of the clever little built in steps to climb over a wall (apparently the sheep have a difficult time with these)