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. 

Los Angeles.

So consider this a break from all the Scotland posts. Last weekend, Lai did something amazing for me. I woke up on Friday morning as she threw my weekend bag on top of me. "Surprise, we are going to L.A. tonight!" she said, beaming. I was exhausted, confused, and annoyed because I assumed that she was messing with me. After coming to my senses, I realized that she was, in fact, being truthful and that we were heading to L.A. I'm still in awe of her planning, execution, and thoughtfulness. Seriously, who does that?!

Two of my best friends just moved down to the city, so we flew down and spent the long weekend with them (thanks guys!). I've collected photos from our amazing trip below; I'm still smiling and a little awestruck that it actually happened.

 

Scotland Day 3. Dunstaffnage and Glencoe.

We left the idyllic port of Oban and set off north with Skye as our goal for the end of the day. Our first stop was Dunstaffnage Castle, and from there we drove to the awe-inspiring beauty of Glencoe. I asked an important question and we continued on our way to the Isle of Skye, crossing the bridge at Kyle of Lochalsh.

 

Scotland Day 2. Inveraray and Oban.

After spending our first day in Glasgow, we drove northwest across the River Clyde, along Loch Lomand, and around Loch Fyne to arrive at Inveraray. After spending a few hours there, we continued west to the small seaport of Oban.