We left Inverness early in the morning to drive over to the Isle of Skye for two days. It was heavily overcast with light rain or mist most of the way, so we did not get any nice views of the famous Loch Ness. Stephanie spent the whole morning with a death grip on the…
Author: Garrett and Stephanie Estep
Retired early to travel the world.
Scottish Highlands, Inverness. (May, 2022).
Cawdor Castle sits several miles east of Inverness, and is the next stop on our Highlands tour. We arrived early afternoon on a Saturday and, once again, got lucky as only a few other tourists were there. A relatively empty parking lot also made it easier for Stephanie to park. I approached the ticket booth,…
Stirling, Scotland. (May, 2022).
Scotland has a very efficient train and bus system that will get you to pretty much any city you want to visit. But many interesting sights are several miles or more out in the countryside. For the first time on our travels we decided that a rental car would give us more flexibility and options….
St. Andrews, Scotland. (May, 2022).
ScotRail’s half price sale made a day trip to St. Andrews super affordable, though our choice of trains was somewhat limited. We took the 9:30 AM train from Edinburgh Waverly to the train station at Leuchers, where we hopped on a local bus for the 10 minute ride to St. Andrews, arriving shortly before 11:00…
Edinburgh, Scotland. (May, 2022, Part II).
The Edinburgh Castle and Palace of Holyroodhouse bookend the Royal Mile in Old Town. No visit to Edinburgh, a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site, is complete without a visit to both. The Edinburgh Castle dates to the 12th century, and was used as a residential palace until the early 17th century. Thereafter it was primarily…
Edinburgh, Scotland. (May, 2022, Part I).
Our plane from New York landed in Edinburgh about 8:00 AM. Passport control was a quick trip through automated scanners. Customs was non-existent. No forms required. Our checked bags arrived at the luggage carousel before we did. Instead of jumping into a taxi we took a 30 minute tram ride into town. Our Airbnb, in…
Cuenca, Ecuador. (April, 2022, Part III).
In my trip planning notes Amaru Zoológico Cuenca was designated as both a zoo and a hike. And so it was. We arrived about 10:00 AM on Monday and paid $12 for two tickets. The lady at the ticket desk told us that the one-way route is 4 kilometers (2.4 miles) and would take at…
Cuenca, Ecuador. (April, 2022, Part II).
The weather in Cuenca is slightly more predictable than in Quito. It is rainy season, so there are clouds overhead at all times. But it is generally nice in the morning, with partly sunny skies at some point in the afternoon before rain comes later in the day. At this elevation you definitely feel the…
Cuenca, Ecuador. (March, 2022, Part I).
Dear Ecuador (specifically, Quito and Cuenca): You know you want to be a tourist destination when you have those cutesy letter signs (“Quito” and “cuenca”) for tourists to pose in front of for pictures. So why have you not figured out how to clearly post the opening dates and times for your cultural sites? In…
Galapagos Islands Photography. What would I have done differently? Part III of III.
No matter how much time you spend preparing to take successful photographs, it is almost impossible to get everything right on your first visit to a new location. For a place as unique and special as the Galapagos Islands, you want the best photographs you can take. Hopefully this series of articles will help. Disclaimer:…