As we drove, the beauty of Glencoe was emphasized by the dramatically shifting weather. Apparently a common saying in Scotland is “Don’t like the weather? Wait 5 minutes”. The weather seemed to be on a cycle, from clear, warm, sun-filled skies to overcast, to pouring rain at least six full times in the hours we were driving. The erratic weather simply added to my overall feeling of bafflement.

It was late in the evening when we arrived in Edinbane, the town in the island of Skye where we were staying. It didn’t feel late. I would have guessed it was around 4 in the afternoon when we pulled in, but I was surprised to learn it was already well past 8. It simply looked like mid-afternoon. At the recommendation of Hillary, our bed & breakfast hostess, we went to dinner at the “Old School” restaurant.

Old School was quite pricey, a good deal fancy, and very tasty. They had an appetizer of duck that was at least ten times better than my actual meal, though my chicken normandy was quite good. On draft they had Tennets and Tennets amber. I did not, under any circumstance, wish to try Tennets again after my taste in Glasgow. However, after much cajoling from my family, I reluctantly gave Tennet’s Amber a chance. I’m glad I did. It was among the tastier beers I’ve had here, though I didn’t love it, I hold it in high regard. I downed the first pint and immediately ordered a second.

As a side note, I find it funny that of the places we’ve eaten in Scotland, the two best by far have been the Kama Sutra and Old School. Not places I’d have eaten at by their name.

After dinner we went back to our hotel we went back to our hotel, and eventually, at 11pm, went out for a walk to watch the sunset. As we walked out to the pond nearby, a great blue heron descended a good distance in front of us and landed on the edge of the pond. He looked to us, regarded us for a moment, and departed as quickly as he’d come. I stood there shocked, having no idea that herons were native to the island, but very glad of it.