Loch Ness

Nessie and the Urquhart Castle on the right

The iconic sight of Scotland is indeed a beautiful place.

'Loch' means lake in Gaelic, the native language of Scotland. The surface area of the stupendous Loch Ness is 56 km² it stretches narrowly from northeast to southwest. The water of the lake flows out at it's northern tip forming the River Ness. 

Though there are several things to see by the lake, for example the ruins of the medieval Urquhart Castle and the village of Durmnadrochit yet the lake is most famous for the legend of the Loch Ness monster a.k.a. 'Nessie'. The earliest stories of the legendary monster date back to the 6th century. She is imagined most commonly as a plesiosaur, an aquatic dinosaur that is thought to be extinct for many millions of years... That idea comes from a 1934 photograph which is claimed to be taken of the Loch Ness monster. What you can see on the photo is a large, long-necked animal that emerges from the water resembling to an ancient plesiosaur. Many people question the reliability of the photo whether it's a hoax or not... Anyways, tourism at the Loch Ness centers around the legend, you can visit the Loch Ness Center & Exhibition. There's even a Nessie sculpture in the lake in front of the visitors center :)

Date: March 2002

Livestock of the Highlands

Flocks of sheep and herds of cattle are essential components of the Scottish landscape. These are the most common Scottish breeds:

Scottish Blackface Sheep with her lamb.

Highland cattle cow and calf. There are black coloured variants as well.

More super cute highlander calves :)

Date: March 2002

Scotland

Scotland is a far memory that shines in the corner of my mind every time when I think of it. I was there during a 6th grade school trip back in 2002 and I want to return since. Why? Because I have been to some places (only in Europe), but I consider Scotland as one of my dearest travel memories.

It was a 10-day-long trip at the end of March and the weather was still chilly, we were freezing every night. The trip from Budapest to Scotland takes two days by bus, unbelievable how we could endure such a long time of boredom. But it was worth it anyway, 'cause Scotland is an adventure.

Fascinating and untouched nature: mountains, lakes. river and flocks of sheep as far as eye can see. Many historically important castles and fortesses rule these amazing landscapes, sometimes the only signs of human presence in the vast lands. The northernmost point I've been so far was in the Isle of Skye which belongs to the Inner Hebrides. So enjoy my beautiful postcards, the souvenirs of an unforgetable trip :)

Date: March 2002