Back and Forth Across the Pond

When Steve and I first moved to Scotland just over two years ago, his company provided us a rental car for the first three months. However, when it came time to buy our own we opted to go without. Steve could bike to work, and he had decent bus service during the snowy, winter months. When we moved from the bungalow to this apartment, we were closer to both Steve's work and the city centre. A car was even less important. We would rent a car when we needed one - like when we had company or wanted to go see the family for the weekend. And we were content with that arrangement. We decided the time had come to resume the driving lifestyle. It took us a couple of months to fine tune our expectations/desires and find a central meeting place. Steve wanted a used BMW. He likes the quality of the machine and the nicer finishes. He works hard for his money, so he deserves to have a car that doesn't feel like it's made by a 3D printer. But I'm a novice driver over here. The noti...

Munlochy is a village nestled in the Black Isle northeast of Inverness. The clootie well there harkens back to an ancient Celtic tradition where people would visit holy wells and springs in search of healing. They would take a strip of fabric or a rag (known in Scots as a clootie), saturate it in the holy water, and tie it on a nearby tree. Originally, the pilgrims prayed to the local spirit or god. After Christianity arrived, Christian saints supplanted the local deities. The Munlochy well was dedicated to St. Boniface, who served as a missionary in Scotland circa 620 AD. Today, the Clootie Well attracts tourists who festoon all manner of fabric-esque items all over the trees in the area. Steve and I visited the well early on a Sunday morning. I found myself of a divided opinion about the perpetuation of the tradition. On the one hand, I love keeping old traditions alive and like that so many people want to be involved. On the other hand, it's obvious that many people are doin...

We do not currently own a car. We didn't really see a need for one because we live just about a mile from the city center, and a mile-and-a-half from Steve's work and our main retail park. When we need a car, such as when someone visits or we want to go somewhere, we simply rent one. Sure, having to either walk everywhere or be tied to a bus schedule hasn't been ideal. But we've been content. However, we have decided the time has come to be mobile again. This weekend, we enjoyed a 48-hour test drive of a Mini Cooper Clubman. We wanted to put the car through its paces and to do the type of touring we expect to do when we own a car. We put about three hundred miles on the car over the weekend as we explored nearby areas that have long been on our To Do list. On Saturday, we braved the intermittent rain to explore Ruthven Barracks. The barracks sit atop a rather large hill and we see them every time we travel south. The time had come to see them up close, so we travele...