Castle Hopping!

Today was an ambitious day for me...after running some errands this morning, I decided I was going to see some castles! The weather was beautiful here and since days like this don't happen very often, I decided I was going to make the most of it!

First stop was Crathes Castle...a beautiful castle just outside of Aberdeen built in the 16th century. The castle itself is stunning, but once again, it was the castle gardens that took my breath away! It just so happened that there was also a wedding in the garden...and a Scottish wedding means bagpipes! I can't even explain how beautiful a sound it is...

I walked in the gardens at Crathes Castle for hours...the flowers were in full bloom and could be seen in every color of the spectrum! I must have taken a million pictures, but every flower was so unique...so different that what we have back home. The colors, the shapes, the height, and the fragrance...indescribable!

Next stop was Drum Castle. This castle was less impressive than Crathes Castle, but still had something beautiful about it. This castle also had stunning gardens similar to Crathes...they were smaller, but still had so many unique and beautiful flowers.

Balmoral Castle & The River Dee

Today I took a road trip into the Scottish Highlands and visited Balmoral Castle. Balmoral Castle is one of the Scottish homes to the Royal Family. The interior of the castle is off limits to tourists (apart from the Ballroom), but I was able to access and explore the castle grounds which were absolutely exquisite! The Castle sits along the River Dee which is a flowing river that runs through the heart of Scotland.

I picked the perfect weekend to make the trip...the lush gardens were in full bloom and the flowers were spectacular! I have never seen anything so beautiful! I've posted a lot of pictures on Facebook--check them out!

Funny Story...As part of the castle tour, I was able to visit the Royal Stables and see the Queen's ponies. After admiring the ponies for some time, I decided to walk on and see more of the castle grounds. Just as I was RIGHT behind one of the ponies, it let out an enormous amount of gas! I should have known what was coming when I saw it lift it's tail...Luckily no one else was around to hear it because I would have been concerned they thought it was me!...Needless to say, to save myself from the stench and what else might come, I quickly made a run for it! Here is a picture of the culprit...cute but very dangerous! :)

ok, ok...I'll admit it...

I have been a MAJOR slacker! :) After some gentle (and not-so-gentle) nudges from my mom and friends, I guess I will get back to blogging!

This weekend has been a lazy one...Over the last month, I have worked an obscene amount of hours, so rather than make any big plans for the weekend, I opted to stay in and catch up on some rest. I spent much of the day yesterday researching trips to various places like Lake Geneva, Prague, Athens, and Lisbon. I'm thinking that I need to go ahead and get some trips booked otherwise they won't happen and I will leave Europe with alot of regret! I will keep you posted on where I decide to go...

Tomorrow I am off to London for a few days for business. I'll be in Bentley (countryside; outskirts of London) on Monday and Tuesday and then I am back to the city on Wednesday. I am very much looking forward to the change of scenery! Tomorrow evening, my co-worker is taking me down to the seashore for dinner. I am really excited...will post pictures when I get back to Aberdeen!