Scotland the Brave, Sep. 16

PERIOD : 26/8 – 6/9 2016 COST: 2000 EUR C.A (guided tour, coach transfer, dinners, excursions and entrance fees

Scotland is surely one of the most fascinating European nations. Nevertheless it’s a part of the United Kingdom, the atmosphere you could breathe there is more authentic and rustic than in England. Being honest, I was a bit skeptical about this destination because I was afraid it was too touristic and similar to England (which I do not love very much). Indeed, I was surprised to notice that nature and history are still a great part of Scottish life and that there are many hidden and folkloristic places to be found out. Mentioning Scotland, maybe the first image that comes to mind are castles. Castles and fortresses are dominating the Scottish landscape and during the tour I visited some of them. The first one was Inveraray Castle, property of Campbell Clan , who still lives in the private higher floors. Inside the castle you can see pictures of the family and the members of the clan living around the world, precious and ancient furniture, swords and armaments and the family tartan’s garments. Out of the castle, in the namesake village of Inveraray, you can meet a famous bagpipes musician – who participated to several films set in Scotland. Going north, the next stop was at Skye Island. This place was magical, since in late august all the moor was covered with heather. Moreover, we had nice walks and a great fish&chips in the fishermen’ village of Portree. Going back to mainland, we continued our trip north – since our aim was to reach Orkney Islands. After getting and spent a night near John O’Groats village we caught the ferry and, after a shaky hour of navigation, we finally arrived to Orkneys. This place was totally different from mainland and resembled the Nordic landscapes of Iceland and Norway. The first site we visited was (quite obviously J) the Italian Chapel. This is a gem, built by Italian war prisoners during II World War, when works on Churchill Barriers were going on. This church was using scraps of this project, and the most part of the icons and elements in the site was created by Mr. Domenico Chiocchetti, from the little mountain village of Moena. This person came back to Orkneys several times, to restructure his work of art. The “legend” says that this was not the only reason why he came back: at the altar, on the floor, there’s a small metal heart which seems to belong to a girl named Barbara, who was in love with Mr. Chiocchetti during the war years. After he came back to Italy, he left Barbara’s heart up there in the Italian Chapel – as a commitment for the period spent together. After this romantic but sad history, it was time to visit some prehistoric sites on these beautiful Isles. The first one was the Ring of Brodgar, a circle of impressive ritual monuments built 5000 years ago in the Orkney Islands. The second place visited is one of the earliest prehistoric sites in Scotland and it has being preserved by sand dunes since 3200 BC: Skara Brae. This place gives a rare insight to the life and times of these ancient people and, with the help of the guide, we could better understand the logic by which this this spot been created and preserved. After visiting Orkneys, our northernmost point, it was time to head south – to Edinburgh. Before arriving to the Capital, we stopped at St. Andrews – where the Royals attended university. After having a walk in the “Old Course” – which is one of the first golf courses in the world – we had lunch at the café where Prince William and Kate went out for the first date together J Edinburgh is famous worldwide, so I think there’s no need to repeat again the stunning place we can visit there. A corner, which impressed me and i loved most was near the Castle and commemorated the “witches” who were chased during Medieval times. In this corner you can find a plate dedicated to them, and I found it particular and curious. Here you have a pic of it. If you have any question about Scotland and the tour I did, please feel free to contact me by mail/Instagram direct/ FB message 😊 Camilla