The water of life

"Freedom and Whisky gang thegither" --Robert Burns

While Aberdeen may have lacked a certain something, the day that followed was the best I've had in Scotland so far.

Today consisted of two main events. The first was Balmoral Castle. Situated in some of the most beautiful country I've ever seen, Balmoral is the Queen's "country home." It's actually over 50,000 acres of land situated in the highlands. The castle itself is beyond words. It has a certain rugged beauty that doesn't exist in other castles. It was oringinally built by Queen Victoria in 1855 and has been the royal residence ever since. Currently, the entire royal family spends the month of August at Balmoral, enjoying all of the simple pleasures that they can't have in London. The castle is surrounded by beautiful mountains on all sides and has acres upon acres of gardens and landscapes that can take the breath away. I know that I'm not usually the biggest nature enthusiest, or lover of royalty, but this was something else. The reverence and respect that the British people--even the Scots--have for the Royals is astounding. Even in an age where royalty is seen as superfluous and over-the-top the royal family still garners a lot of admiration. All in all it was a wonderful time.

The last stop was the Royal Lochnagar whiskey distillery outside of Balmoral. Initially we were going to go father into the Highlands to tour a still but we decided that this was far more practical. The entire experience was a true delight. The distillery, although owned by an international beverage company, is very small and very traditional. We saw the entire facility, including the warehouse full of oak barrels, and got to sample the goods. I've recently started to enjoy whiskey. Not only do I find it a pleasurable drink but it bears a certain admiration in my family. My grandfather worshiped the drink. To him, single malt whiskey (usually Glenlivet) was something that could make the world good again. He was somewhat of a hapless man at times, but when the whiskey was poured life had a different sort of glow. Although he's been gone for six years now I felt that visiting Scotland and especially a distillery--places he would have loved to have seen--was keeping his memory alive. So, along with the tour and the drink being extradordinary, the spirit of my grandfather made it all the better.

Finally, we drove home. We've made this entire trip using a 2002 AAA atlas which has been very reliable yet at times outdated. We had no idea what this trip home would be like, except long. So when we found ourselves in the middle of the Highlands were were overjoyed. The road was narrower than I would have liked but as it wove in and around the countryside I couldn't help but be in awe. Mountains ran along our sides, heather dotted the landscape, and sheep far outnumbered people. At times the road was so steep or dippy that I feared for my life, but the experience will be one that I will never forget.