Family Vacation in the U.K., 11th October 2016, Day 12: Edinburgh to Loch Ness

We woke up early and reached the place from where we would board a bus to travel to Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands. This trip, which I had booked through TripAdvisor, was conducted by the Highland Explorer Tours company. The office of this company is located on the Royal Mile road. Their bus arrived a little after eight a.m. In the meantime, we meandered into a nearby cafe to partake of some coffee and cakes. A small crowd collected as the time to start the tour neared. Inside the office, we exchanged our trip vouchers for actual tickets. Each ticket would cost around 45 pounds. For this price, we would ride the bus for over 12 hours, visiting many of the highlands areas including Stirling, Callender, Loch Lomond, Fort Augustus and, finally, Loch Ness, before returning in the evening via a route that would cover the Commando Memorial. En route, we would pass the famous Ben Nevis mountain. At Fort Augustus, we were served a dry lunch consisting of sandwiches and shortbread. 

The entire trip was a memorable one indeed. The sights of Scotland were marvellous. We spent a lot of time at Loch Ness, also having our lunch here, and a bit of local shopping. We also took many photos, both along the way, at the Loch itself, and at the Commando memorial. Here are some memories: 

At Loch Ness

Loch Ness replica made from steel wires

The Commandos' statue at the Commando Memorial

Tributes to deceased soldiers

Vacations have begun in India

The arrival of mid-April is the time when schools and colleges finish with their terms, examinations and all, and close for the summer break, which is approximately 1 1/2 to 2 months in all. I still remember that when I was a schooler, my school used to wind up around the 11th of April. Most times, due to the financial problems my father had, we would stay at home, though a few times, we did take small trips to places around my home city Mumbai; for example, we went to Pune, or Matheran, or places similar to these. Once or twice, we went afar, such as our trip to Aurangabad/Ajanta/Ellora and one trip to Kapadwanj, our native place in Gujarat, where we stayed for over three weeks in our ancestral house.

When I had daughters of my own, they studied in a school that did not allow children the same privileges we had; the school would continue to function till the 1st of May, when the report cards would be given out and the official vacations would begin. Considering that the children had already finished their final examinations nearly 3 weeks ago, the school management's insistence bordered on obstinacy at best and a kind of devilry at worst. I remember how bored my daughters would get, and how stupid it all looked. Both of them have now completed school, but the school in question continues with the same policy it had in those years when my precious kids went there.

Vacations are also the time when people go out of their home city, and as a result, there is a sharp fall in my professional work. Today has been a dismal day, with hardly any patients in the clinic and barely a few calls on the cellular. With such practice, it becomes difficult to maintain internal calm and be philosophical about money.

There is news brewing at the home front, and I will share it here when the time is right. In the meantime, read on ...