It was a very rough morning getting up in time to leave my hostel and go to the tour bus that would take me and a small group of people to the Isle of Skye. I miraculously made it in time to the bus station and hopped on the Highland Experience Tours bus to find others yawning and waiting for our departure from Inverness. Our tour guide that day was a kind old man named Sandi (or Sandy?). As he drove us away from Inverness towards the western coastline of Scotland towards Skye, he gave us little facts about Scotland regarding the geology, terrain, and different little facts about Scottish history. The rest of his tour continued this way for the duration of our journey. Although I would've enjoyed a bit more history and folklore of the region and landscapes we drove past, it was a very informative and relaxed tour that Sandi gave.
We stopped a few times for the restroom and to stretch our legs before we crossed the bridge into Skye. Sadly, the weather was not the greatest for seeing the landscapes that were on this remarkable island, but they were still a site to see, even on an overcast day. Among the stops we made included Kilt Rock, Portree, Eilean Donan Castle, Invermoriston Falls, and Loch Ness (no Nessie wasn't home sadly). Another highlight we stopped to see was the highland cattle! I think the bus driver thought I was having a heart attack when I first saw them out the window... (whoops)
Despite the day being so rainy and cold, it was still a great experience to see sites that I would not have seen otherwise. Another great factor of being on this tour was the fact that all individuals/couples were from a different country. That day, our little travel group of 4 consisted of people originally from France (Morgan), Germany (Julian), Italy (Sayenn), and USA (yours truly:)). It was great to share this experience with these people, explore new places with them, and best was to get to know them.
Although there could always be improvements to circumstances such as the weather or what we wanted to hear from our tour guide, I wouldn't have given up what I did experience that day which was learning more about the people I got to travel with while travelling a country I have fallen in love with.
Now back to work this week for me!