Morgans Guide to Amsterdam

A- is for Awesome

M- is for Magnificent

S- is for sensational

T- is for Terrific

E- is for Excellent

R- is for Ridiculous

D- is for Different Experience

A- is for Amazing

M- is for Memories

Hi Im Morgan,

Or as some of you may know me "Mr M"

Welcome to my one and only ever blog post for Life's Shiny Pretty Things (LSPT).  I would like to begin by apologising to you all for making you endure the opening of this post.  The reason for it is becuase the last time I wrote something on a creative level that another person might actually read it would have been in the 3rd grade and looked  very similar to the above.

I promised Anna several months ago that I would write something for LSPT during our time in Europe and I  feel that my time in Amsterdam is something that may be worth sharing with you all.  This will be a slight departure from what you may normally expect when you read LSPT but I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it for you.   

Ready? Ok, here we go :) 

Amsterdam - The  Red Light district, Smoking Pot, Live Sex Shows, Anne Franks House, The original Maddam Tussaudes and Windmills are a few things that spring to mind when someone utters the words Amsterdam. I intend to give my account of the first 3 points mentioned above, much to my mothers disgust I'm sure.

We arrived in to Amsterdam on the train at Amsterdam central station, which is basiccally the heart of the city. After leaving the train station the first thing you will notice- well atleast the first thing I noticed - will be its stunning acrchitecture, followed by the ovelwhelming smell of  Pot, ...Sativa, Indica, Blow, Puff, Draw, Weed, Ganja, Grass, Bhang, Dagga, Mary Jane, marijuana, Dope, Hash(eesh), Herb, Wacky backy, Tea, Thc, Pot, Chronic, Sensimilia, Bush, Solid, Lambsbread, Reefer, Greenleaf, Sweetleaf, Bud, Kif, Toke, Rope, Hemp, Hop, Smoke, Greens, Colly, Doobage, Shit, Black, Rocky, Slate, Gold Seal, Golf Ball, Northern Lights, Desert Orchid, Skunk, Gear, Orange Leaf, Pollen, Black Widow, Squidgy Black, Redline, Hippie lettuce......... 

What ever you call it its in your face from the moment you leave the train station.

Now before I go any further on this topic I must make you all aware that Anna and I don't condone the use of illegal drugs and are not under normal circumstances drug users ourselves but as they saying goes "when in Rome"- Sorry Mum.

Let's get the most important thing straight...In Amsterdam it's important to know the difference between Coffe Shops and Cafe's.  Cafe's are pretty much what you would expect. Friendly staff, Coffee, Croissants, light meals etc.  Coffee shops are very similar but their cofffee tends be shit as does their food. The main differnce is that a Coffee shop can legally supply Pot as long as it is no more than 5 grams per person per day. 

Breaking it down simpler for you...

Coffee shops = buying/smoking weed, shit coffee

Cafes = drinking actual coffee, eating their delicious cuisine .. minus weed. 

"Coffee Shops" are not allowed to supply Alcohol if they are supplying pot and can be clearly identified by a specific green and white sticker on the window near the entrance.  

My only advice for you if you wish to partake in this aspect of the Dutch culture is to talk to the attendant in the coffee shop before selecting anything to smoke.  I am by no means an avid smoking - truth be told I dont even really enjoy the effects of pot-  but by letting the person know your needs and requirements they then actually reccommend something that won't "ruin your day" as Inga from Pop-eyes Coffee Shop - yes that's a real name - so eloquently put it to me.

Random Amsterdam Factoid 1- The city takes its name from the river "Amstel" and the word Dam comes from, well the word Dam.  Some 500-600 years ago they built dam walls around the river Amstel, drained all the water out using windmills and built the beginings of the city now known as Amsterdam.  The dam walls are reffered to by the Dutch as "Dykes".

The city was then built on the remaining swamp land which is why most of their buildings are leaning to one side or as we say in Australia "are on the piss" - something we continually remarked to the locals "ahh why are you're buildings on the piss"? much to their delight.  One of the Catholic church towers had its foundations made from 1000's of cow skins in effort to combat the sinking effect caused by the swamps

So let's move on to the 'thing' that you all want to hear about (or what we were fascinated by anyway...)

The Red light District and live Sex Shows-yes. Live sex shows. 

Sexy, Sleezy, Smutty,Exciting but unforuntaly demoralising.  There was and always will be something very exciting  to most hot blooded human beings about the red light district, as was the case for me.  We arrived in the red light district at around 8:00pm and the streets were a buzz with tourists, families - yes not even kidding, families, locals and even one Jewish Rabih trying to arrange a 3 way with 2 working girls........ I shit you not - every prostitute waved him on and it actually got quite awkward. 

As mentioned the majority of the girls are very attractive, but behind their pretty smiles and 'come hither' looks I couldn't help but wonder how free they actually were.  Its often said that the eyes are the gateway to soul, and when I looked into the eyes of the women I could see only Sorrow.  That got me thinking.. Where did they come from? How did they end up in their current profession?

Anna and I contemplated paying one of the girls some money for an interview to ask these types of questions, but neither one of us had the courage to actually go through with it. So instead we ended up speaking to some locals and the consensus we got from them was that a lot of the women come from Russia -Except for the Asian transvestites- and there is a lot of speculation over whether or not they are being forced to do this against their will or if they choose this lifestyle for themselves. Or as almost every local put it "we're not sure how free they are to leave". 

I know life for most Women who live in the free world is not without its difficulties, but for the vast majority you are free to make your own choices.  What resonated with me the most was that a lot of these women aren't. So the next time you drop your Iphone and crack the screen or the next time you get mcdonalds at 10:35 and they have stopped serving the breakfast menu, remember ... that things could always be much, much worse...... You could be a Russian sex slave about to start a 12 hour shift in the red light district and an American naval fleet just docked in the harbour that morning.  

At the end of my time in Amsterdam I came  to the conclusion that there is much more to this place than Coffee shops and sex shows, which admittedly for me were the 2 major draw cards that led me to buying my plane ticket.  Rich in history, bursting with culture and overflowing truck loads of diverse types of food that will have you drooling at every turn.  So far on this trip Amsterdam was easily my favourite place and if you're ever in Europe I highly recommend spending some time there.

Amsterdam We will be back!!

[ One of the canals near the Red Light District - you're not allowed to take pics in the actual area, so we took one of the canal instead .. compromise..]

[ Left: Me with Sean Connary & Right: Anna with Michael Jackson - having fun at Madaame Tussaudes ]

[ An example of the houses 'on the piss' - they are sinking from being built on swamp ]

[ Enjoying our canal cruise - Amsterdam as we learnt is called the Venice of the North ]

[ Anna loving life in an amazing cheese shop - one of her favourite foods! ]

[ Indulging in our other favourite food - ice cream .. so so delicious ]

Words with meaning - The 'Anne Frank experience'

1. A wax replica of Anne Frank (we found at Madame Tussaudes museum in Amsterdam)

2. The church she would peer out at from an attic window in her secret Annexe - when she talks about the church she can see in the published book - this church is exactly it.

3. A view of the house she hid in for all those years - view is from across the canals. The house is the one with the blacked out windows (the house is in it's original form, they have just converted it in to a walk through 'museum' so to speak)

4. A close up of the house - the one with the blacked out windows. It was her fathers workplace and his boss, Viktor Kruger was the one who helped hide them for all those years (he was sadly arrested when they were betrayed & the Germans arrested them).

A very profound and emotional moment for me & Morgan but I am naturally more emotional than he happened the other day in Amsterdam ... we visited Anne Franks house where she hid with 7 others during World War 2. Most can probably say the same, I know most who have travelled, more specifically to Amsterdam will have been to visit the same house & I'm sure had the same experience. But as with all things of the heart, we take different lessons away from the same experiences. And this was incredibly emotional for me and something I took huge lessons away from. 

Here is the terrible part though, I'm going to embarrass myself more than you know right now with this admission... I in fact didn't know she was so young, Morgan & I had thought, that she was older and helped hide others. When in actual fact, she was a mere child being hid by her fathers boss & associate. I also didn't know she ended up getting captured, and dying in one of the worst Concentration camps of that time - Auschwitz Birkenau death camp. I thought she had lived, I thought she survived, that she was one of the lucky ones so to speak, that she had gone through her terrible experiences but lived to experience life again. But she wasn't. She died alone, and starving, in horrors unimaginable. 

I couldn't contain my tears in the exhibition and was quietly crying most of the time. 

Going through that house, being able to walk through the very rooms that she hid in with her family (& others) for so many years is haunting - the feelings in there are indescribable. You can be in the exact rooms that they lived in, walk through the secret door which led you up to their secret annexe, stand on the floors they couldn't walk on for most of the 24 hours in a day for fear of someone hearing. It was astounding & heartbreaking all at the same time.

But what got me the most, was her diary. Her words, her insight, her wishes & dreams. That is what touched me the most. 

Throughout the whole tour I had overwhelming feelings of gratitude. For my opportunities in life, for my family, for my freedom...& don't get me wrong. I am acutely aware that in this day and age there are sadly, countries that still persecute for speaking your mind or being different - but for the majority, we are free. 

And that's just it...that's what got me.

You see, the thing is, today, us young, free, fearless women have incredible platforms to share with the world our hopes & wishes & dreams. We aren't subject to hiding in dark rooms writing in diaries as our only means of escape, not hiding away fearing for our lives - we have the right to express, to dream... to live.

There were many quotes from Anne's diary throughout the 'museum' -they've turned the house in to a walk through museum- but there are 2 that resonated with me the most, and I believe will so for the rest of my days...

"When I write, I can shake off all my cares. My sorrow disappears, my spirits are revivied" - Anne Frank, 5th April 1944

"I long to ride a bike, dance, whistle, look at the world, feel young and know that I'm free" - Anne Frank, 24th December 1943

It hit me in my soul - her greatest wish, was what I take for granted every, single, day. I can walk outside, breathe in fresh air, have the sun on my face, dance down the street, laugh with my loved ones. I am free. 

What's more, I can share this freedom with like minded people - I can blog. I do blog. And so do you. And that was a huge lesson for me. I have this platform to share things, personal things, not so personal things, whatever it is that is on my heart or in my head and that, is a responsibility I take very seriously. I was crying in that museum, not only for the incredible tragedy that I witnessed before my eyes in pictures and words - but for the freedom that I have to write, to share & to live. I realised that I am more lucky than I will ever truly realise, and that we each have a responsibility if we are writers or bloggers - and to not take that responsibility lightly. 

"The two of us looked out at the blue sky, the bare chestnut tree glistening with dew, the seagulls and other birds glinting with silver as they swooped through the air" - Anne Frank, 23rd February 1944

So go outside. Look up at your sky wherever you are in the world, take in a deep breathe - and be happy that you are free. 

I am. 

Finding your travel 'groove'

"Travelling isn't easy you know"

"You're going to hate living out of a backpack by week 2"

"You two are probably going to fight like cat & dog"

"Be careful about only spending two nights in a city, the minimum you should spend is a week"

Pish Posh! Not us, no way no how. The above, believe it or not (it's probably really believable actually) are just some of the one liners Morgs & I got delivered to us before we went away - and no matter how much you think you aren't taking in peoples negativity, believe you me, you do. Starting this trip was quite nerve wracking - remember this post? - but here we are, 25 days in and we both couldn't be more blissfully happy & well on our way to finding our groove. We could sit here and say how much we didn't listen to peoples negativity or advice all we like but that would be a lie. We did. We totally did. All of it... and yet, none of it has come true. Don't get us wrong either, we bicker. oh do we bicker .. but only when we both need a time out, which we will generally call honestly & before it's too late and 10 minutes later are laughing over some new thing we've discovered or seen or explored. 

So here is our advice to you....

Find your own groove, dance to the beat of your own drum, live your own goals and values & do whatever is right for you. Travelling is a crazy thing that everybody should do at least once in their lifetime to learn things about themselves they never knew. But when that time does come - throw away most advice and do what you want most. 

Morgs & I were told we should be in a town for a minimum of 4 nights...but are finding 2-3 is our favourite amount of time spent exploring that town top to bottom. We were told we'd fight like cat & dog - but are more in love & in sync than ever. We were told we shouldn't have planned everything so concrete as we might want things to change ....but we couldn't love our plans anymore. But that's just the thing about you and your own dreams of travel. Do what feels right for YOU. Don't go to countries or towns because others have before you or do things you think would sound cool. Tread your own path, create your own memories and live your travel dreams true to yourself.

I read a quote the other day that I felt couldn't be more relevant right now in our lives...

"You are here. Be present. Live"

So here we are. Being present. And living. 

We're throwing caution to the wind, eating dessert for breakfast, lunch & dinner - yes that's seriously happened 2 days running now, napping when we want to, going out when we wish but having quiet nights in and exploring new cities on our own time with our own plans ... but it's 'us' - & we couldn't be happier.

So go on, live the life of travel that you and only you were born to lead and relish in every beautiful thing this earth has to offer us - they say the world is your oyster..& it's true. 

....................

Below are some pictures from our time in Scotland (Inverness, Isle of Skye, Aberdeen, Keith, Elgin & Edinburgh) & give you our view of how we're seeing this big beautiful world around us. 

Love Anna & Morgs xx

p.s We have finished our trip in Amsterdam & are currently on a train to Brussels - Morgs has put his hand up and said he would like to do the post for Amsterdam so stay tuned for that in the coming day or so.

1. Cruising the River Lochness, ciders in hand - loving life.

2. The photo that will eternally melt my heart. Morgan awaiting the cruise with coffee in tow writing a postcard home to his grandparents.

3. We pulled over to stretch our legs driving from Drumnidrochit (i.e. Urquhart Caste) to Isle of Skye & this is the view that met us.

4. An old beautiful church in Inverness.

5. Making it to Isle of Skye & sitting having a cup of coffee planning our adventure for the day.

6. Town of Portree, Isle of Skye - peeking out over the beautiful harbour with the sun shining.

7. The moment I realised I was so happy I might cry. Sitting in the sun in Isle of Skye with a coffee, my favourite person (i.e. Morgan) & a jam & cream scone 

8. First sighting of the Fairy Pools in Isle of Skye.

9. View across Isle of Skye after climbing a hill.

10. Sitting having some drinks our one & only night in Isle of Skye enjoying the gorgeous atmosphere.

11. Just made it to Edinburgh and we hit the double decker red tour bus (best way to see a city!)

12. Fairy Pools in Isle of Skye.

13. More fairy pools in Isle of Skye.

14. Sight seeing in Edinburgh - just about to enter Edinburgh castle

15. 3 of my favourite things about travelling - Morgan, the impromptu drinking of cocktails early afternoon, & the beautiful sights.

16. Looking over Edinburgh from a very big hill (it was actually an inactive volcano!) we climbed.

17. A look at Edinburgh fringe festival a top our double decker bus tour

18. Having a wine the first night in Inverness watching the Basketball finals of the Olympics live

Edinburgh Fringe Festival for dummies

[ Welcome to the Fringe Festival 2012 ]

[ Getting caught up in the Fringe atmosphere ]

Sometimes when you're travelling things just work, perfectly. You don't mean to have been there at that time for any good reason, but the timings are right. We first had this occur with London - we just accidently planned our stop there when the Olympics were on and it ended up being the best thing ever. Cue Edingburgh, where we have just had the same thing occur.

We arrived in to Edinburgh with the 2012 fringe festival in full swing and immediately tried to act like 'fringe pro's' - "please, as IF we don't know who we know we want to see & where to go" - when really we were just 2 un sure, wide eyed tourists accidentality there at the right time with no clue about 'nothing'. What seemed overwhelming at first, fast became a cultural explosion of awesomness however and in fact ended up becoming the main focus of the trip. 

Edinburgh is a beautiful enough city without the Fringe Festival, but with it, it just goes to a whole new level. Imagine a city, almost shut down (except for double decker buses and black cabs) that is heaving from every bar, corner street and venue with fantastic comedy acts, theatre, live shows and music acts. That is the Fringe Festival. 

We got lost most days stopping every few metres to watch another actor, comedian or street artist sell to us why we should come and see their show while wowing the crowd with their skills - be it singing, street performance, dare devel acts, or acting ... Our favourite was a group of fully made up cabaret girls lead by a pimp/ring master yelling at them when to stop and where to go with them flitting about the streets stopping to dance & coo for photos every now & again. The vibe was just magical & most of the time you didn't know where to look. 

When people say 'don't believe all the hype' .. They weren't talking about this festival that's for sure. Believe the hype!! Our favourite part was the big 'tent lands' or venue areas that are set up with 3 or 4 tents / rooms with non stop comedy acts playing, which meant that you can be out in the sun drinking whatever it is you please on tables & chairs, then head in to each show as you prefer (some you need tickets for, some are free). Morgs & I did this in an area called "Pleasance Courtyard" & "George st square" and had some of the most fun over the whole 4 days just soaking up the festival atmosphere this way. 

We ate in pubs and people watched whenever we got a spare second, and worked out in the end which shows we wanted to go and see - Jim Jeffries, Greg Proops & Tim Binns as "Ian Montfort" - a hilarious spirit connecting comedian. Jim Jeffries was one of the most offensively funny shows we've ever (& I mean ever) been to, and is certainly not for everyone but was definitely for us. Greg Proops however was equally as hilarious in his own right & had an amazing show but I loved his impromptu add ins from audeince responses that were just as entertaining. Morgan & I got 'picked out of the crowd' with "Ian D Montfort" (a character comedian Tom Binns plays) and I have never laughed so much in my life! Before the show started a lady had actually come up to us and gotten us to write on a piece of paper, how we met, a dead celebrity we would like to hear from, a siblings name, a pets name & a few other things. He somehow makes the whole thing hillarious (he has an uncanny way of mimicking real 'pyshics' that can sometimes be way off" BUT here is the thing. He got every single thing we wrote down?! He knew we'd met "drunk at a party 5 years ago" (something I wrote), that I had a cat called Tarzan, that Morgan had a brother called Laith & that I had put down Marilyn Munroe. So whether he is a spoof or not, the character he plays and the information you get is the most entertaining hour you will experience! Hopefully he makes it out to Australia & if he does, put it down in one of your 'must see shows' list. 

So there you have it. Edinburgh fringe festival. Whether we were simply walking the streets, eating in pubs, drinking & watching a live singer, catching a comedy show, being wowed by impressive theatre, or soaking up festival atmosphere in one of the huge venue areas it was an experience we will remember long after this trips ends and something we might just put back on our 'to do' lists again. 

If you're ever thinking about getting to Edinburgh, I can't recommend planning it around the Fringe Festival enough (& besides, its the warmer months anyway - win/win)

Anna & Morgs xx

[ Cabaret girls performing in the street with their 'pimp' close by barking orders at them ]

[ A thin pole, that gets covered by so many posters all day everyday it ends up being a thick, huge pole - all adverts for things you can see & do ]

[ Free show in the main strip of Edinburgh - there are these stage all up the street where you can stop to listen to bands & choirs. SO many talented people ]

[ Pleasance Courtyard - lots of tents with tables & chairs & bars to sit, relax & chat at in between shows - this is where Morgs & I caught most of our shows]

Date night + High Tea in Edinburgh

Dear Edinburgh,

Even though we're oceans away from our hometown and not missing it at all, we found ourselves  strangely drawn to home comforts that are so familiar to us on our 2nd night with you. For us, that meant home cooked meals & coffee dates and it took you to supply both experiences in the one day.Your incredible city gave us our first 'uh huh/wow/this is really happening isn't it' moment and I just wanted to say thanks. There we were, sitting in your beautiful castle, drinking delicious coffee indulging with some decadent cakes at high tea, and we couldn't wipe the stupid grins off our faces. We're here. We're loving it and we're exceptionally grateful for all the wonderful moments you've supplied us with so far - including that 'hey this is it we're living the dream' moment. That afternoon, as you opened up your sky's and let it rain - boy did you let it rain - you forced us inside for an impromptu date night with 'just us two'. We got to reflect on what has been and what was to come with our favourite home cooked meal and cider and it was nice. So nice. So thanks. Again. For a lovely day filled with our favourite 'good stuff' and unsuspecting 'wow' moments. Love Anna & Morgs 

[ The entree of high tea devoured in 0.2 seconds ]

[ Gorgeous high tea cafe within the castle confides of Edinburgh Castle ]

[ Home to the apartment for a home cooked meal .. I was on Salad duty ]

[ & Morgs was on Chicken duty ]

[ Dinner by candlelit a'la backpacking style ]

[ Dinner is served - floor picnic'ing, there is really no better way ]

Driving the North of Scotland

Our Route ...

A - Inverness then drove to

B - Portree, Isle of Skye then drove back to

C - Elgin, then drove on to 

D - Keith then continued to drive on to

E - Aberdeen, then finished our drive to

F - Edinburgh

If you think driving in a country you are extremely unfamiliar with, seeing green countryside and mountains all around you sounds beautiful, I can only confirm that to be true. Morgs and I have just finished up on our 'road trip' of the North of Scotland and although we think driving on this trip was both a blessing and a curse, we believe it is the best way to see what we can only describe as the most breathtaking parts of Scotland. 

Flying in to the tiny Inverness airport with sheer excitement, madly scanning the ground below for any resemblance of a city (with no such luck) we were really not sure what to expect. But like every other city we've been too on our trip to date, it never once disappointed (note: except for Belfast.....). We had been warned by many, as you too will be if planning a trip overseas that there are only so many churches, old buildings and cobble stone streets you can see before 'you've seen them all', but just that didn't and doesn't fly with us. We have yet to meet a church or street or old building that we haven't felt like exploring and admiring. Each city that we've stopped by has served us up something unique and different and in it's own imperfect way, made each place... perfect. 

Elgin & Keith held special signifcance to me as I had visited with my best friend 6 years ago to spend time with her family, so those stop offs were to show Morgan my old 'stomping ground' - but are still worthy towns for tourists to pay special visits too. 

So with all the places in the world we could have gone and all the towns we could have seen, this is why choosing the towns we did whilst in Scotland was worthwhile to us and how they've each contributed to our memories for life. 

Inverness -  Is THE perfect city to explore by foot in the morning, then explore River Lochness and Urquhart Castle in the afternoon. The town is full of gorgeous cobblestone streets and buildings and...pubs! We adored roaming the streets stopping off to admire the beautiful lake running right through the middle of it and then hitting pubs for lunch and dinner. We spent a day out on the River Lochness (15 minutes out of Inverness) and Urquhart castle (another 10 minutes from Lochness in Drumnadrochit*) with breathtaking scenery surrounding you from all angles at all times. Note: You will want to stop the car every 100 metres or so to get out and re admire the scenery that lays in front of you. Just stunning. 

*Morgans favourite word in Scotland so far. He will randomly bust out every once in awhile "Drummmnaadrochittt" said in a thick Scottish accent on a daily basis.

Portree, Isle of Skye - We were so very lucky to have decided upon Portree as it ended up being a coastal town with some of the best fish & chips in all of Scotland (or so we're claiming). We walked the whole town in about 15 minutes and spent ample time people watching as we gorged on jam & cream scones & coffee. It's full of darling little b&b's so there are lots of great places to stay and the perfect town to base yourself in if you're wanting to explore the fairy pools like we did - they're about a 30 minute drive away. They also have a town band that walks the streets every Tuesday night so you can tap you're feet, indulging in ice cream as you hear & watch some talented bag pipe & drum players against the sunset - just magical.

Elgin - A small Scottish town that is worth the visit for some wee exploring and pub hopping. It is actually the town of Cathedrals - which is funny, as we didn't see nor visit one. We spent our time 'living like the Scots do' and busying ourselves amongst the normal daily hussle of the small town with the locals by day, and pub hopping the many small bars & pubs by night. Worth the visit even for a lunch pit stop if you're ever that way. We based ourselves here for Distillary tours - i.e. Glenfiddich!

Keith - The birthplace of Chivas Regal and you are reminded of that as soon as you drive in to Keith as there are still rows of Chivas storehouses as you enter the town. If you are looking for a place to get the feel of a 'real' country town in Scotland then Keith is it. We had some of the best coffee & cake in a small cafe in the main street and adored walking around the small town hearing the thick Scottish accents of the locals. 

Aberdeen - The grey city aka the granite city...really lived up to it's name. It was, well, grey, and there was lot's of granite. We only stopped here for the night which we felt was long enough to get a taste of the city without getting too overcome by it's Grey'ness. We walked the main streets and ate some delicious food in a horror themed pub (The Castle, Aberdeen, just brilliant!) before stopping off on some bars for drinks on the way back to the hotel. 

Edinburgh - To be continued ... So beautiful, so big & so much to do it's getting it's own post. 

Memorable Quotes ..

Said in all seriousness (both of us) after just picking up our hire car for Scotland..

Anna:"Morgan, don't be stupid in this car ok. I need you to be careful & sensible pleasee, do you hear me?"

Morgan: "Yeah yeah hunny shit...I heard you. Now. Let's go do some f*cking burn outs" 

Remarking about the bathroom in our hotel - Morgan being too quick for me as usual...

Anna: "I feel as though this bathroom has been designed for a disabled person?"

Morgan: " Yeah babe, I rang ahead and let them know you were coming so they had it fully custom built for you" 

Said in a jokingly (but adorable) way as we were driving through mountains on the way to Isle of Skye...

Morgan: "whoaaa look at those random trees on the side of the mountain!! That must be where the giants live!"

Commenting after driving to fairy pools with no power lines seemingly in sight in the middle of nowhere...

Anna: "Right. So I can have reception in the depths of Mordor, and yet can't get it in the centre of Perth".

Yelling at Morgan when he was taking his hands off the wheel in curvy roads with some fully sick tunes on...

Anna: "MORGAN!! BOTH hands on the wheel please!!!!"

Morgan" Ah shit hunny but I can't do my disco raving with both hands on the wheel!"

Being very serious after arriving at the hotel in Aberdeen realising we'd gotten twin singles, not a double & making light of the situation...

Morgan: "Sooo what do you say, should we push our singles together tonight eh eh?"

[ Arriving in Inverness - great little city with a pretty river running right through it ]

[ The view from where we had dinner the first night in Inverness, Scotland ]

[ Morgan being his usual charming self - crossing bridges in Inverness to find what was on the other side]

[ Left - another big ole' beautiful church, Inverness, Right - Beginning to explore Urquhart Castle, a very old and original caterpolt (spelling?) from worlds long passed ]

[ Panoramic of our first sighting of Urquhart Castle in Drumnadrochit ]

[ Being Queen of the castle - Urquhart Castle - great view from one of the top old viewing spots ]

[ Morgan being at one with history - leaning on an original piece of the castle from the 12th century ]

[ The view from almost anywhere along the banks of the River Lochness, Scotland, Simply beautiful ]

[ Sharing a cheeky drink together on our lazy afternoon, cruising the River Lochness ]

[ The sun put on a show for us to really make us enjoy our afternoon - we couldn't have enjoyed ourselves more if we tried ]

[ & another cider, because that's what you do when you're on holiday ]

[ The view of Urquhart castle from the banks of River Lochness ]

[ Off to Portree, Isle of Skye, where we found a gorgeous bay with the sun shining ]

[ Beautiful afternoon for a whiskey tour - soaking up the sunshine at Glenfiddich distillery ]

[ The important part of Whiskey making! Where they separate the head from the tail from the heart ]

[ Morgsy after having just sampled the 12, 15 & 18 year old Glenfiddich whiskeys - 18 year old was our fav ]