Susan is perhaps the luckiest person I know. How does someone win so many cruises? We had just returned from an amazing Caribbean cruise last December/January on the Azamara Quest when Susan asked if I could join her for another Cruise in July. Susan knows I am always up for an adventure especially if it’s a free cruise where we only pay port fees and taxes. I’m in! She then said it was a 13-day cruise around Ireland and Scotland- Uh oh, that’s a trip on the bucket list for John and me. John doesn’t have the vacation time I do, so I delicately broached the topic… …this could be an exploratory trip for me to figure out where we really want to go on “our trip to Ireland and Scotland”. He told me to go immediately. Susan’s friends David and Mary were also joining us to celebrate their anniversary. My heritage is very Irish and very Scottish. Maybe it was all the whisky/whiskey, but I felt at home immediately.
We flew the new nonstop Aer Lingus flight from Indianapolis to Dublin. What a treat! If you are flying their business class pod, get the single seat! There was so much room. It was an amazing 16-day trip- Thank you Susan!!!!
From July 25th Social Media Post:
Weeeeee!
I’m just a wee bit Irish. I’m just a weeeee bit Scottish. I’m a weee wee bit more English… and then there’s the bigger portion of German wee wee.
I’m a mutt. Granted, Uncle Tom assures me it’s a sh*t ton of royal wee.
Here in the highlands, I’m home.
Ultimately, a day at sea sailing along the west highlands of Scotland and then a full day in Invergorden is an amazing way to explore Scotland.
Also, did I mention in a previous post that Susan is amazing. She is.
We (she) hired a driver for 8 hours to tour the northern highlands.
First stop: highland cows.
Second stop: Urquhart Castle on Loch Ness.
Third stop: Tomatin Distillery
Fourth stop: Cawdor Castle
Fifth stop: Glenmorangie Distillery
Did you get that? It’s Cow, castle, booze, castle, booze.
The cow was cute (I grew up on a farm).
Loch Ness is gorgeous! The castle relics were gorgeous, but no Nessie swam by.
Tomatin Whisky is delicious! (No E in Scottish Whisky)
Cawdor Castle has had the same family living in it for over 600 years. Even their gardens have been there for hundreds (HUNDREDS) of years!
Glenmorangie Whisky is delicious.
Yep, I’m exhausted (and a little drunk), but I’m ready to keep going!
I’m very Scottish.
Unk has done a lot of genealogy research, so I knew what clan tartans and castles to look for for my family. Susan asked Unk to look into her family lineage while we were on our trip. Low and Behold- Susan and I are cousins. My 10th great grandparents on the Mulligan-Curtin line are the same as Susan’s 9th great grandparents on the Steele-Caldwell line. Susan and I often refer to each other as siblings because we have a special bond and travel well together, but now we can honestly say we are cousins!
