One place that took us by surprise was Oban. I don’t think either of us had heard of it, and after a couple of days of true remoteness, it was the perfect town to welcome us back into civilization. Right at the mouth to the sea, yet protected by several islands, it’s got the seaside feel but the islands take the edge off. We stayed right on the esplanade, and took tons of walks up in the hills behind us and on the other side of town. Great seafood to boot. Oban was also the site of Amanda’s moment of Zen — freshly showered and laundered with a new bag purchased 3 hours earlier, Amanda slips in mud.

Then, Glasgow. We both were eager to see Glasgow as we’d heard Glasgow is actually the far cooler city (than Edinburgh). That is very likely true, but as a tourist with limited time, it was tough to get a good read on the place. It was rainy, and the place we stayed was equally grim, but all of the tourist-y stuff was free (a first), they have a sweet little subway system, and we discovered the Kelvingrove Museum, a fabulous museum chocked-full of everything from mummies to Monets. Amanda also loved the St. Mungo Museum of Religious Life & Art, but after 1 1/2 hours, Joris — the monk! — had to drag her out. Ironic, or maybe not?

Farewell, Scotland. We will meet again.