Scotland Days 13, 14, & 15. Edinburgh & Greenock.

We finished our tour of Scotland by exploring the capital, Edinburgh. We planned our trip so that we would be in the city during its annual Fringe Festival. The amount of shows, street performers, and public art was overwhelming and astounding. It was the best time to see the city as it was abuzz with culture. We managed to get tickets to the military tattoo, which was an incredible experience with performers from over 10 countries. 

After Edinburgh we drove to visit my maternal family in Gourock. We spent the night with them and my heart was full. I feel so blessed to have such amazing family that accepted me back even though we had been separated for years. Sometimes it feels like living across the world has created a chasm between us, but the feeling disappeared after seeing them open their door for us.

Scotland Days 11 & 12. Doune, Dunblane, & Stirling.

After an amazing time spent in Nairn, it was time to say goodbye to family and to drive to my hometown of Doune. Of course, in true Scottish fashion it absolutely poured when we visited. So much so that I wasn't able to take many photos. This normally would have bothered me but I was just so happy to see my hometown and to explore it with Lai that I forgot all about my camera. After visiting Doune, we stayed the night in Dunblane near the cathedral. It's funny but I swear I almost didn't need the GPS to get between the two towns. I still remembered the way from my childhood.

The next day we drove to Stirling, a medium-sized city in the heart of Scotland. We planned enough time to walk the city, exploring the jail, the castle, and the city streets. I was amazed at the architecture and ambiance of the city. I would have no problem living in such a beautiful city (though the rain might get to me).

Scotland Days 8, 9, & 10. Nairn and the Highlands

I am fortunate enough to have an incredible family who put us up while we explored the north of Scotland. We stayed with my aunt and uncle in Nairn, and used that as a launch point to travel to Fort George, Inverness, and Cairngorms - some of the most beautiful areas of the Highlands.

It was amazing to travel in this area, but my favorite part of this leg of the trip was the time spent with family. Since moving to America I have only seen the majority of my relatives once or twice. It was unreal being able to spend time together and it honestly felt like I had never left. It made clear the sacrifice my parents, siblings, and I made when we moved to the states. That being said, the distance made our short time together that much more special and I feel so lucky that I was able to see (almost) everyone.

Scotland Days 6 & 7. Gairloch, Ullapool, and Inverness.

After an incredible few days on Skye, Lai and I headed north, with a quick stop at Eilean Donan. The castle was as beautiful as anticipated, albeit swarmed with tourists (such as ourselves). After Eilean Donan we drove to Gairloch where we spent a night in a beautiful hotel (but infested with bats). The weather wasn't great, as is common on the West Coast of Scotland, so we enjoyed a night in after dinner. The next day, we continued our drive to Ullapool, a quaint fishing town that serves as a ferry hub for most of the highlands. We ate fish 'n chips (again) and then drove east to Inverness, the capital of the highlands.

Scotland Days 4 & 5. Skye.

Skye. What an incredible island. After driving through Glencoe, I didn't think Scotland could get any more beautiful. I was wrong. Skye is absolutely breathtaking in a way that cannot be properly captured on camera. I tried my best, but assume that the island is 20x more amazing than what you see below. We spent two nights here, which gave us a full day to drive around and explore the island. Here are my favorite captures of Skye.