Scotland Highlands and Loch Ness

We took a tour through the Highlands in Scotland. The country up there is absolutely gorgeous! It was interesting driving through Dundee and Perth. Many years ago, the highlands was full of clans (extended families). They were simple people but were convinced to join together to fight for a King that had been dethroned. They were either killed or given the chance to go to one of the "new worlds." Some went to Australia and New Zealand, while others went to America and Canada. The highlands are almost bear of residents now.

The Scotland Highlands have 3000 lochs (lakes). Here is the famous one where Nessy lives. If you look closely, you can see her behind us!!
Here she is....the Loch Ness Monster!

Here's more of the Highlands. Our guide told us many incredible stories of the people in Scotland. One story was about Mary the tragic. She was made Queen at nine months old. Yeah, that's not a typo! She was an infant! They sent her to Paris to get her education while her mom ruled. She came back during the Protestant reformation. The nobles agreed that she could continue to practice Catholicism. She brought back a husband who died from promiscuous acts. She married a guy who beat her so much that she feared for her life. She had a son named James. A man allegedly killed her husband and instead of taking action, she married him. The nobles imprisoned her and forced her to give the crown to her infant son and they would raise him to be a good Protestant King. She fled to England to seek protection from her cousin Victoria. Fearing that Mary would lead a Catholic revolt, Queen Victory stuck Mary in the Tower of London Prison for 18 years before she was beheaded. Soon after the beheading, Victoria died. The closest relative was King James VI of Scotland. So, he became King James I of England as well. Seeking to reconcile the Protestant beliefs and his mother's Catholic preference, he commissioned the translation of the Bible that we know today as the King James Version.

The next picture is in the Valley of Glen Coe. King William made all of the Highland clans swear allegiance to him. They had to travel to get to the place where they would swear to him. The leader of the MacDonald clan arrived on the last day, but everyone was gone. So, he had to travel another three days to get to where the guards were so he could swear allegiance. Shortly thereafter, Robert Campbell was sent to the MacDonalds in Glen Coe. He asked the MacDonalds to extend them Highlands Hospitality for the soldiers. The MacDonald clan let the soldiers into their homes, gave them the beds near the fire, cooked for them, repaired their uniforms, and took care of them for ten days. On the tenth day, they were given the command to attack the next morning at 5am. The soldiers woke up and killed their hosts: men, women and children. Some of the MacDonalds escaped and later froze in the winter cold. The people in that area still hold a grudge against Campbells.