The Michelin Star
We enjoyed the blackout curtains last night, as our room was still dark when it was time to get up, even though it only really gets dark for a few hours this time of year. Once we got ready, we went downstairs and had a lovely breakfast. The room was hopping with a big tour group, but breakfast was really tasty.
Afterward, we packed the car, and headed to check in for the ferry. I went to the gas station (sorry, petrol station), but there was a backlog due to tour vans and buses taking their sweet time inside the store while they had the entire station blocked, not that I’m bitter or anything. Once we had fueled up, we went to queue at the ferry station. We sat in the car for over an hour, but eventually, we were loaded on, and headed upstairs to find a table. Due to the fact that they put all the small cars on first, so they could be stored on the elevated platform in the ferry, most of the window-seat tables were taken. We found a suitable place, and Walt and Rosanna left to go upstairs and find a good viewing spot. Pat joined them, and Carrie and I sat downstairs and worked on photos and blogs. This part of Scotland can be rather difficult for internet speeds, and I’ve still not been able to upload photos for a few days. Hopefullly on Skye…
We had some snacks and worked away, and before you know it, it was time to head down to our car. We got back on dry land, and headed for the north most part of Lewis. As we had many discussions about the fact that there is the Isle of Lewis, and the Isle of Harris, but they are on the same landmass, we did ask a direct question about how they are different. Apparently, until recently, they were governed by different councils. That’s it, the only difference.
Our first stop was the Butt of Lewis lighthouse. It is the most northerly point of the Isle of Lewis. It was very windy, and we got some amazing shots. The waves crashing on the shore was impressive. There were also very windy toilets there. I wont go into too much detail, but it was an interesting sensation.
Next up was the Port of Ness. Since we had decided to skip lunch on the ferry, and I hadn’t snacked up like the back seat, while everyone was out snapping photos, I headed into a cafe and got a nice toastie to go, to share with Carrie - yum!
Next, we headed to the Arnol Blackhouse, a great example of how people lived from the late 1800’s all the way up to the 1960s. it was a long rectangular stone house with a thatched roof. Their animals lived alongside them, and they used a peat fire for warmth. It was very smoky inside, and that provided some extra benefits - the smoke kept insects out, and when it was time to re-thatch the roof, the smoke-soaked thatch was great fertilizer.
Across the street was an example of the type of home that replace the black houses in the 1960s. It was comparitively modern, but still very primitive.
Next up was the Dun Carloway Broch. Carrie and I had been here before, on a much nicer weather day. It is a great example of a tower house built around 200 BC. Since the wind was so high, they decided to only walk up a short way, take photos and leave.
Our next stop is our favorite example of standing stones. It inspired the stone circle from Outlander. It is the Calanais Standing Stones. The visitors center is being remodeled, so it looked like we had to park on the street and walk up to the stones. This walk is up a steep hill, and not a short jaunt. Luckily, some people were leaving, and told Walt, Rosanna, and Pat that there was a car park right next to the stones, so we got back in the car and drove up - Thanks, random strangers! This is a truly amazing site. It was definitely designed with an eye for the cycles of the moon. We enjoyed the walk around the site, and the photos we got.
Back in the car, we drove to one of our favorite B&B’s in all of Scotland. It is run by an amazing chef, Katie and her dog Ruby. Katie has been a chef at Michelin starred restaurants. She came back to help her family and run the family B&B. She has turned it to an amazing experience, and it is tough to get a table at her dinners. We arrived, loaded in, and she prepared us for her chef’s table dinner.
It starts with a cocktail hour in the lounge, where we receive the custom menu she will be cooking for us. Since Pat is not a fan of seafood, Katie had prepared a Chicken Supreme for her. The rest of us got halibut, sea scallops and langustine in a gooseberry reduction sauce, with lovely mashed potatoes and vegetables on the side. I did forget the salad course, which was a roasted pear, arugula salad. For dessert, we had a rice pudding brûlée with a poached plum sauce. AMAZING!
After dinner, instead of working on photos, Carrie and I went straight to bed. We were exhausted. What a day!
