Location: Kyleakin, Isle of Skye, Scotland

Meag: Our parking woes continued today. We had to move the car before 8am so I got Sav up at ‘ass-o’clock’ (a Savanna-ism) to help me get out of the parallel parking situation that I had so expertly maneuvered the night before. After grabbing our stuff we spent an hour – AN HOUR – finding a parking spot so we could get coffee and food. AN HOUR. AN HOUR. Let that sink in. No coffee. Looking for a parking spot for an hour. Suffice it to say that neither Savanna nor I were particularly happy with this giant hunk of metal that we had decided was the best idea ever yesterday. Bet you didn’t think this would turn into a play-by-play of driving through Scotland! Yet here we are. Eventually we found salvation in a church parking lot. Conveniently there was a little shop selling sandwiches and coffee across the street so that is exactly what my caffeine-deprived and Savanna’s food-deprived selves got. #breakfastofchampions

Sav: I bought a chocolate covered waffle. Not really what I had in mind but WHATEVER I was hungry and tired because of the snoring ladies the night before don’t judge me. We headed out on the road without a plan, something I love to do.

We went on to the town of Plockton, which is supposed to be the second prettiest town in Scotland.We decided to take the backroad and found a wonderful array of marshland walks, hairy cows and cute tiny villages along the way.

Plockton is a fishing town where there was a ton of boats on the sea, a beautiful harbour and a long expanse of shoreline just waiting to be explored. We walked down to the water, went for a coffee and Scottish shortbread at a local shop, and went into a little craft store for some post cards. The smell of the sea was so relaxing and I swear we could have happily sat on that shore all day, but adventure awaits! Next was….

Meag: Eilean Dunan Castle! The drive was full of amazing mountain views and hills that the car struggled to get up AND AMAZING VIEWS. Approximately every five minutes we said “THIS IS AMAZING” or “this is insane can you believe we’re here?” And we were completely serious. Every corner we drove around was picturesque. The sky was blue, the grass was green and the cows were hairy AF.

The Castle was a sight to behold. Sitting at the convergence of three different Lochs, it was first built in the 13th century and was fixed up to show its former glory in the early 20th century. The inside of the castle itself was not particularly impressive. The rooms were furnished but mostly with stuff from the family who currently owns it (the same one who restored it), and there was not much historical information aside from the first room. But interestingly John Macrae, the author of “In Flanders Field”, seems to be part of the Macrae-Gilstrap family who owns the house. By far, the most impressive part of the castle was seeing it from afar.

After oo-ing and aw-ing by the castle, we drove the short trip from the castle to our hostel on, wait for it…

Sav: THE ISLE OF SKYE. We’re here! I didn’t know if we’d be able to fit it in this trip but it turns out we had more time than I initially thought. We crossed over a very long and very high bridge, from which we could see the long blue expanse of the Atlantic Ocean, dotted with green Scottish Isles.

We grabbed a bottle of wine and went to the beach, alternating taking drinks, skipping rocks and sharing stories. We talked a lot about the fact that we’ve learned not to put a timeline on our lives and that we’re exactly where we would want to be, given the choice of anything. Seeing the Isle of Skye stretched out before us, it was hard to feel anything other than complete contentment.

S&M

#YXYGirlsgohereandthere

Meag: P.S. Also I love Scottish accents. I have to watch people speak here. What are you saying? What was that again? Sorry, one more time please. Try again.