Since the previous day had been heavy on driving, it was time for an easier day. Dunrobin Castle was "only" an hour away. It looked amazing. It had it all: palatial rooms and decor, expertly manicured gardens, and a falconry show. Of course the first thing I visited was the women's restroom. There was, as always, a long line. But this view greeted me when I finally had my chance.
I don't think I've ever seen a toilet tank so high up. I couldn't fit it all in one photo, so I did a panorama picture going up. I felt very clever having figured this out.
Entry, complete with a fire in the fireplace.
Dining Room
Dining Room from the other side. Look at the ceiling. It's incredible.
The old music room, now filled with trinkets and memorabilia spanning a couple hundred years.
The breakfast room.
The Drawing Room- with more ornate ceilings.
The library, complete with lion skin rugs.
Elaborately decorated radiators.
Official and royal dress. The family has been to coronations.
Another bathroom photo. Sorry I cannot help myself. This one has a real chair over the toilet. When indoor plumbing was put in, they took out some of the corner, circular stairwells and put in the water closets there.
On to the older part of the castle. The first part was Victorian; this next part is Georgian.
Its opulence would be daunting to be surrounded by day to day.
On the other hand, your family history would have been meticulously recorded and you could see what your ancestors looked like in the days before photographs.
Onto the gardens. There were three formal gardens, plus a croquet field, and the whole falconry area.
They are stunning.
The gate that leads out to the beach.
Formal gardens up close.
I think the big leaves were giant rhubarb?
The falconry presentation was about a half hour long. It was fun to watch.
Then we headed back to Inverness and took our own walking tour. This was the Victorian Market. There was a whole food court, where we had planned to eat dinner but it closed at 5 pm.
Leaky's bookshop is a defunct church building stuffed to the rafters with used books.
The bouncy bridge lived up to its name.
We stopped and listened to an outdoor concert for a half hour or more and then we were ready to find some dinner. We didn't realize the Victorian Market food court closed at 5 pm until we arrived at 6 pm. Oops. We ended up following our ears to a restaurant with live music. They had some good burgers. I was a little disgusted to see bottles of mayo just left out on the tables. I know technically you are supposed to refrigerate ketchup and I see ketchup left out on restaurant tables, so I don't know how this is any different. But I still felt grossed out. Mayo should be kept cold or it gets more greasy looking. Anyway, Heinz has a pretty high opinion of itself. I didn't try any.
We ordered haggis as an appetizer. When in Rome and all that. I don't know that I need to try it again if given the chance. These were breaded and deep fried. It tastes like organ meat and an interesting collection of spices.
We probably overstayed in the restaurant. There were people waiting for seats, but I enjoyed the live music. The people around us didn't seem in a rush to leave either. Between sets, we listened to an entertaining history lesson about traditional Scottish dress, with audience participation- one for the gals and one for the guys.
When we were tired, we walked back to our rented flat. We happened by a bagpipe and drum group practicing for a parade.
I noticed that street name signs are attached to buildings in Scotland.
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