After arriving safely in Scotland, we ventured out of our hotel for some local shopping before the group tour we were on began. Doesn't the combination of modern structure into existing old-school buildings make for a unique city-street? 
And this was our first stop - a fabric store - just across the street from our hotel. For those of you who don't know, Alaina is a quilter. :)
Here's just a snippet of the wild "man country" of Scotland. Trees, hills and running water - beautiful.
Then the roads began to get winding and we traveled through rugged mountain passes - such as this one.
In that same pass, there was a sign warning of the danges of landslides - and therefore, no overnight parking. Hiking trails were abundant throughout this area.
Just another breath-taking view of a Scottish loch. Opposite of this view is an aquaduct of steam train railroad tracks - made famous by the filming of Harry Potter movies.
Take a break from the breath-taking scenery with this silly little sign. Eric likes to snap foreign signs that he finds humorous - such as this. The sign even resembles a "Scottie dog!"
Here is the view on our way to the Isle of Skye (via ferry). We didn't know if we'd get to take the ferry beacuse the water was so rough and choppy. Look at those clouds! Whew!
It was on the Isle of Skye that we came across one of Scotland's infamous castles, the Eilean Donan - probably one of the most photographed. We've speculated that the recent move, "Man of Honor" (starring Patrick Dempsey) was filmed here. Beautiful views and still open for public events. A wedding took place here just after our tour ended.
Another view from Eilean Donan castle.
Views such as this were literally right around every bend in the road. This area is known as the Highlands - and where Eric's family clan originated - the MacDonalds!
After a day of touring the Highlands capitol, Inverness, we stayed at this beautiful castle. To be specific, the left spire. Alaina asked Eric if they could stay in a castle one night - both agreed - this was it! Nearby was a beautiful wooded walking forest where we spotted a red deer and waterfowl.
A definite highlight of the trip, at least for these two farm kids, was the sheep dog herding demonstration. Here dogs are spaced at intervals while other Collies weave the sheep among the dogs. The breeder was hilarious because of his strong Scottish accent. Alaina jumped in a demonstrated how to shear a sheep, then fell in love with a newborn pup. Sheep dogs get started working ducks before they progress to working with sheep.
This pretty much sums up the roadway experience - except in places where it was one-lane. No wonder Alaina fell asleep almost every time she stepped on the bus!
Leaving the highlands. Alaina is walking through heather, which turns purple in August (a very popular tourist month in Scotland). You may get an idea of this from the Sound of Music scenery.
Eric enjoyed swinging the clubs on the practice course of St. Andrews - where golf was born. 
Despite having a pro golf instructor give away free tips, Alaina still has a terrible slice. Fore!!
It rained while we were in St. Andrews. But it is home of the University of Scotland, St. Andrews golf course and surounded by the North Sea. Interestingly, it is in the kingdom of Fife, where Alaina's family originates. This snapshot of Eric in a graveyard marks the interesting religious history of St. Andrews - home of the Cathedral of St. Andrews, built in the 1320s.
You can see we're back in the busy city now - Edinburgh streets are brimming with traffic (and while we were there, road construction). This view looks down towards the coast. Edinburgh is home to many famous writers such as Sir Walter Scott and Robert Louis Stevenson. While walking around we even saw the coffee shop that J.K. Rowling began her Harry Potter books.
This is a view from Edinburgh castle - we would later climb to the top of the dark monument on the left-side of the photo - known as the Monument of Sir Walter Scott. It's blackened from the soot. The tower is 200 feet high with a total of 287 steps and was built in 1844. At the top you can look out over the city and see four beautiful stained glass windows.
Here is a view looking down from the top of the Sir Walter Scott Monument. Gotta love that traffic (and tour buses).
Here is a beautiful shot of Edinburg Castle - a sight you cannot miss in Edinburg (photo taken from the top of the Sir Walter Scott Monument). It's perched on an extinct volcano, also known as Castle Rock. Signs of human inhabitants start showing up around 900 B.C., and has a tenuous history since! Every day a cannon is still fired.
Of course, Eric would want to be the one firing the cannon - but here's he's just admiring the view.
