DAY SIX: Glencoe, Loch Lomond, Glasgow

On Day Six of our tour of Scotland we traveled south to what is described as “a magical region steeped in legend, folklore and history.”  We stopped at an impressive WWII monument against the backdrop of Ben Nevis, Scotland’s “mighty mountain.”   Along the way we passed the “al-u-min-iam” plant, heard the story of the 1691massacre in Glencoe of 200 members of the McDonald Clan; and, learned about the Jacobites, defined as followers of Scotland’s James VI (aka James I of England). 

We stopped for lunch at a non-descript roadside cafeteria where I took a chance on the sweet potato and coconut soup with a dessert of bread and butter pudding topped with custard sauce. The best meal I’ve had since we left the USA!  

At Loch Lomond, we boarded a small fishing vessel for a short trip along the “bonnie, bonnie banks” - immortalized in song – of the largest freshwater lake in the UK … with a year-round water temperature of 13-16 degrees … and a nudist colony nestled in the forest just above the water’s edge.

In the time we’ve been together, I’ve had several people question the reference to “Dixie” on Ed’s hat and my t-shirt which has given me a great opportunity to share our love for our hometown! Ours is a really great bunch of bus mates.  In the meantime, internet service is nothing, if not intermittent and unreliable, but the landscape makes up for it.  I am on the lookout for a Scot or Scottish flag (never Scotch … which we are reminded is a whiskey, not a nationality) to add to my foreign flag collection.