Hanging with the Loch Ness Monster!

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The colors of the rolling hills are really changing season. I would expect them to be a lot greener in the summer.

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Headed up to Northern Scotland on a day trip with a boat ride on the infamous Loch Ness - home to the apparent Loch Ness Monster. No one really knows if there ever was one...but no one can say there wasn't!! The tour was about 12 hours long...mostly on a bus. And, our bus driver was on perma commentary...everything had a story...which was great...until you wanted a bit of piece and quiet to enjoy the pretty countryside. People were saying he was like the radio...he was always on! Then...he played an excessive amount of accordian and bagpipe music...which I thought were nice for the first little bit but after awhile it all sounds the same and you go a bit nutty. Tons of people were listening to their ipods just to gain a little sanity I think!

But, the coolest part of the day was definitely the boat ride on Loch Ness. It felt very mysterious on there as it was SO dark on the water. Like Guinness dark. The water looked dirty and murky...but that's just due to local environmental factors that cause the water to turn a deep, dark brown. The depth of the lake has not been determined - but it is estimated to be 900 feet deep at some points! Its 39 km long and it's the largest fresh water lake in Britain. There have been apparent 'Nessie' sightings in recent years...but no one really knows if the monster does or has existed...but it adds to the mystery to the Loch.