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Of the two major cities in Scotland, Edinburgh is the more picturesque and tourist-driven, while Glasgow is three times its size and much more cosmopolitan. It’s also a whole lot flatter.

There are a lot of people, and some fun local pubs, though Scottish whisky has definately won out over Scottish beer (my favorites being the smokier ones like Ardbeg, Caol Ila, and Lagavulin).

Today we took a tour bus out of the city to visit Stirling castle. Just below the castle near the river running nearby is the site where the Braveheart-famous William Wallace triumphed over the British in his first battle for Scottish independence. I really just can’t get enough of Castles and mideval history.

We traveled on to Loch Lomond, a Scottish lake (just like the tourist trap of Loch Ness). It was serene. Incredibly peaceful.

Finally, we got to see a distillery for the local brand Glengoyle - a single malt highland scotch whisky. It was interesting to see how few ingredients can be combined in such a complicated process to create such a spirit.

Scotland has been fascinating. I would definitely return.