Japanese Futons Are Back!

Finally I have created the ultimate conclusion to my years of Globalized Futon videos: THE ANSWER.

Here we go... exporting everything to my blogspot domain... But... there is a caveat: "Please note that Blogger does not support photo/video importing. You will need to download all of your photos/videos using the Download Media Tool, then upload to your blog posts to blogger.com manually" And I have too many photos and videos on my Multiply blogs to go and do it all manually later. But at least the tools are available, and worth giving it a try. Best of luck to all the people out there on Multiply who want to back up their past blogs. I love you!

Hiroko's "Kamon" (Family Crest)

Recently, one of Hiroko's aunts passed away. They cleaned up the belongings, and shared some of the important things. We received the Harada family crest, or "kamon". In Japanese it is called "Maru ni Chigai Ya" and are the feathers of arrows used in Archery. I looked up this crest on the net and found some very interesting (though not 100% accurate) info on the origin of this crest. It turns out that a samurai named Minamoto no Tametomo was the first to get this kamon, and the arrow feathers signify that he was a great archer. He was born in 1139 and committed seppuku (spilling his guts out with a short knife, then falling over on his face) in 1160. He was the youngest son (eighth son) of Minamoto no Tameyoshi in the Heian period.

Here is some information for you:

Minamoto no Tametomo (源 為朝?, 1139 – April 23, 1170) (also known as Chinzei Hachirō Tametomo (鎮西 八郎 為朝?)) was a samurai who fought in the Hōgen Rebellion of 1156 (against his brother Yoshitomo). He was the son of Minamoto no Tameyoshi, and brother to Yukiie and Yoshitomo.

In the Hōgen Rebellion, he fought to defend the Shirakawa-den, alongside his father, against the forces of Taira no Kiyomori and Minamoto no Yoshitomo, his brother. The palace was set aflame, and Tametomo was forced to flee and was banished to the island of Ōshima in the Izu Islands. In Ryūkyū, it has long been believed that he made his way down to Okinawa during his exile, and founded their kingdom by siring the first king of Chūzan, Shunten. This tale was included in Chūzan Seikan by Shō Shōken, the first history of Ryūkyū.However, historians today discount this story as a later invention by Shō Shōken.

Tametomo is known in the epic chronicles as a powerful archer and it is said that he once sunk an entire Taira ship with a single arrow by puncturing its hull below the waterline. It is also added in many legends that his left arm was about 6 in. longer than his right, enabling a longer draw of the arrow, and more powerful shots. It is also said that he was 210cm tall (which would make him a giant among men, and prone to hitting his head on absolutely everything).

In 1170, as the conflict between the Minamoto and Taira continued, Tametomo became surrounded by enemy Taira warriors on a small island. In some legends, it is said that Taira cut the tendons of Tametomo's left arm. Thinking that he wouldn't be able to fight anymore, he killed himself by slicing his abdomen, or committing seppuku. He is quite possibly the first warrior to commit seppuku in the chronicles.

His brother Yoshitomo went on to sire the very first shogun in Japan after arresting the Emperor Shirakawa-go. Here some of the English records are in conflict because the above mentions that Tametomo fought for Shirakawa-go, but in the information on his brother Yoshitomo, it says that HE fought for Shirakawa-go (and then later arrested him, and installed military rule). That's pretty cool, actually.

Anyway, here is the Harada Kamon, and below you can also see a painting of Tametomo, and Tametomo's armour, which is still in a museum in Itsukushima, Hiroshima, Japan.

This shows you that the Haradas are descendants of Minamoto Tametomo (or maybe a retainer who was awarded the kamon for fighting bravely with Tametomo, as an archer? Not sure about this, and neither are Haradas, but I perhaps I know more about their origins now than they do!)

It has been quite a while since I actually wrote a real blog, and this is kind of nice.

If the kamon doesn't show up, I'll add it again separately, as I have to do this via my computer, and not through the iPhone.

Isn't history great?

Amazing New Harajuku Starbucks!

I came for a haircut today, to Harajuku because it has been four
months and I want one more very short cut before I let it get a wee
bit longer again.

There is a new building across from the Condomania store. It used to
be a big Gap store but has been replaced by a really fashionable
concept, this past February. Today is the first day to visit as I
wanted to test out the new Lady Gaga perfume (kinda melts me).

Then I came up to the 6th floor where you cans we a bunch of trees
from below. It's a Starbucks! And what a Starbucks at that. First of
all I was surprised to see they sell a new coffee at a very expensive
price: Short at ¥610 or about $8.00! Wow! But they also use the Clover
machine which I read about in the latest Starbucks book. The system is
really simple, and acts like a reverse French press using suction to
pull the coffee down to a press filter plate after water is poured in
from the top. The description of it in the book doesn't do it justice.
It is cool! And the coffee is really good, too. See the description in
the attached photo.

Then I went outside and was stunned by this outside garden area (non
smoking) with a ton of awesome seating, steps, tables and more for
people to kick back and relax on. It is very impressive and this
concept is well worth the visit if you happen to find yourself in
Tokyo.

Very nice indeed!

Geo(Bangkok)Caching

It really is great using geocaching to sightsee. You have history (or
not) at your fingertips as you wander around seeing new things.

We didn't do any geocaching in Chiang Mai as there were none in our
area and few in the city but we had an opportunity to try out our
skills in Bangkok. And we found three of four caches wandering around.

The first one was outside a girls catholic school that was built in
1925. The fun part of the history is that there is a LTR station
right above the school and also a very high wall at that station
blocking the view of the school. The reason is because the school
fought against the transit line as they didn't want dirty minded men
looking down on the girls doing sports in the schoolyard. The school
lost (thank goodness as that transit line is a lifesaver) but in
exchange they were able to preserve the purity of the young girls with
the high wall at the train station. Other stations don't have that
wall.

The second cache is outside a monster shopping center (which is
extremely impressive!) but he purpose is to point out the Erawan
Shrine that you can see in photo four. This shrine was built to
overcome the bad karma that was created when laying the foundations
for a nearby hotel on the wrong day. Lots of problems occurred and
many workers died until the karma was "fixed" by the erection of the
shrine. Now people pray there regularly.

The third photo is a cache at the entrance to the transit station near
our hotel. And that's about it for that.

And that is our two days in Bangkok!

I love you!

Swimming Frenzy

On our way back to the station we walked into a small park because we
saw a little waterfall and thought it might be a great spot for a wee
respite from the heat (39C and tons of humidity). But when we arrived
we were totally entranced by the children splashing and swimming
around like tadpoles in the very shallow artificial river and lake. It
was wonderful to hear their high pitched voices ringing out amidst the
rocks as they tootled around on whatever imaginary adventures they
were creating in their minds.

This brief respite was a highlight of my day.

Kyu (Former) Furukawa Residence & Garden, Part 5

And last but not least, Rene and I together for the grand finale shot!
Taiko roll please!

Kyu (Former) Furukawa Residence & Garden, Part 4

Still seeking Serenity? Maybe this will help...

Kyu (Former) Furukawa Residence & Garden, Part 3

And more Serenity...

Kyu (Former) Furukawa Residence & Garden, Part 2

Continued...

Kyu (Former) Furukawa Residence & Garden, Part 1

Today Rene and I visited a fantastic garden in the 15th and Final
Installment of the Seeking Serenity Series of videos depicting great,
and serene gardens in and around Tokyo.

Here are the photos (in several posts) of the photos we took today.

I hope you enjoy them as much as we enjoyed the garden!

Thanks for following the Serenity Series videos over the past three
years and a great big thank you to Sharon in the USA who first sent me
the list of gardens she thought were great. She really helped me to
get out and see the more serene side of this bustling megalopolis I
fondly call, "The Big Rice Bowl". I love you Sharon!

Fukagawa Hachiman Matsuri and the Emperor!!

Rene and I rode to a Geocacher Meeting point (to give back a cache I have been holding for six months). The thing that pushed me to come out to the meeting with Rene (what does he care about meeting Tokyo Geocachers, eh?) is that there is a HUGE (as in 30,000 participants and over 500,000 spectators huge) festival that only occurs once every three years and is one of the three main Omatsuri in Tokyo. 

And we got to see the emperor and empress!!! About 70meters away. And the people! Holy .... No words. Just Wow! Talk about the most crowded experience I have ever had. It was so cool because Rene and I are very tall and we had clear views all the way! It was great. 

Here is the info on the Festival:

Fukagawa Hachiman Matsuri

The Fukagawa Hachiman Matsuri is held annually in mid-August by the Tomioka Hachimangu Shrine in Koto Ward, Tokyo. Tomioka Hachimangu, also known as Tomioka Yawata shrine, is Fukagawa's greatest shinto shrine, and was established in 1627. The festival, is believed to date back to 1642, and is one of the three greatest festivals of Edo, together with Sanno Matsuri of Akasaka Hie Jinja Shrine and Kanda Matsuri of Kanda Myojin Shrine.

The Fukagawa Hachiman Matsuri is a wet and wild festival, and has been nicknamed the   -  mizu-kake matsuri  -   or water-throwing festival. The three-day festival will have several large portable shrines on display. The festival ends on the last day with an all-day parading of 54 portable shrines called mikoshi. The portable shrines carry a part of the main shrine's deity or kami. Every three years (1996, 1999, 2002, 2005 etc.), the full-scale version of the festival, known as Hon-matsuri, is held during five days. During this big event, there is held a large parade, where the mikoshi (portable shrine) bearers are hosed down with water throughout the six kilometer parade route, by the onlookers.

Fukagawa Hachiman Matsuri is literally the festival of the Hachiman god in Fukagawa, who is the deity of warriors. The Fukagawa Hachiman Matsuri festival is characterized by the traditional chant of   -  wasshoi! wasshoi!  -  , which is taken up by the mikoshi bearers as they run through the streets. The festival will have entertainment and numerous temporary stalls selling food, drinks and trinkets. There will also be several large portable shrines on display.

A large number of events take place during the Fukagawa Hachiman Matsuri, such as -

Japanese drum performances;
Karate performances;
Jazz performances;
Shorinji Kempo performances;
Dance performances;
Kendo (Japanese fencing) tournaments;
Aoi Daiko drum performances; and
Indonesia, Balinese gamelan performances.

The Fukagawa Hachiman Matsuri is most often held on the main avenue   -  Eitai Dori  -   (Tokyo's road leading from the Imperial Palace eastwards to Chiba prefecture). The venue of the festival is either a 3-minute walk from Monzen-nakacho Sta. on the Tokyo Metro Tozai Line, a 6-minute walk from Monzen-nakacho Sta. on the Toei subway Oedo Line., or a 15-minute walk from Ecchujima Sta. on the JR Line.

the festivities of the Fukagawa Hachiman Matsuri include around 30,000 participants, and attract over half a million spectators. Everyone is welcome to join the crowds, and participate in throwing water on the bearers. If you are in Japan during mid-august, do come and be a part of this celebration, and take in the essence of the Japanese fervor of celebration. 

Change is Fantastic

Everything grows, everything changes. This is the meaning of life.
That which doesn't grow or Chang has ended its life cycle and is entering the decline/death cycle.

So embrace change and be sure to step into your fear. That is where the biggest growth occurs.

And on a side note, for those of you who did not notice, Multiply is closing down this SNS or social network side of their business.

Why? Well, if you go to the Multiply blog you can read the official reason, but in a nutshell, AsiaPac is booming wit commerce on Multiply while the SNS is draining resources.

They will be providing more info soon, but they have said we can download and save our stuff if we want. For me, my stuff has run its course so I won't be Savin it, however for many other people it is important to do so. And Multiply will all us to do so if we so choose.

Time to change.

Embrace it.

Something new, something better will come along. It always does.

All you have to do is believe.

And keep an open and positive mind full of positive energy that you emit out to the Universe. It will come back magnified to you (as will any negative energy you may emit...)

It's all up to you how you see this change. Me? I see it as a great thing, another grand adventure, new change, new opportunities for growth in the IT industry, change and improvement in platforms and how we communicate with one another.

It never was about writing blogs. It was always about connecting with YOU. Each and every one of you.

I believe.

I love you!

See you wherever we meet next. Probably Facebook for now, eh?

Cam

Mini Hike

This morning Carol took Hiroko and I out to hike up Moose Mountain. It
looked like it was going to be a lot of fun with a plethora of
different terrain. Unfortunately the clouds rolled in and the thunder
started booming so after a mere 1.6 out of 6.4km to the top, we
decided to turn back. The rain came ... and then it went and the blue
sky came out again.

Damn.

So on the way back to Calgary we stopped at Allan Bill Park and then
did the Fullerton Loop 6.4km hike. It went a fair way up so Hiroko was
puffing quite hard (Miss Triathlete wasn't even breaking a sweat) and
we were all avoiding big, sloppy "real cow pies", the kind if you
stepped in you might sink to your knee.

It was wet, but it was good. Nice to feel the back of my head damp
from sweat. After spending several weeks in Italy walking for 10hours
a day, and then very little walking on the bus tours and since coming
to Canada,we really miss it.

Tonight Dave & Quan Ling with their girls, and Sam are coming over to
Carol & Lorne's for dinner so it will be nice to see them all again.

Lorne is currently vacuuming, Hiroko and Carol are showering
(separately) and I'm uploading these three photos to share with the
world.

Just imagining living less than an hour away from this kind of stuff
makes our heart ache. Hiroko says she doesn't miss Tokyo "AT ALL". And
I don't blame her one bit. The wide open space is something that is
hard to find, living in Tokyo.

We head back to Tokyo on Sunday, arrive Monday, and then need to get
ready for hosting Rene. I have to remember that we promised to take a
train out to Matsumoto City to meet him there and bring him back to
Tokyo to stay with us for a few days.

When I get the. Keep all rendered I will upload it, however this is
likely to be the final update on this leg of our Great Adventure. It
has been amazing and I can't believe that as of tomorrow we will have
been away from Tokyo for two months!

30 Minutes Further On

So we walked another 30 minutes more and came to the river again (and
past some really big poop). This was a great place for us to stop,
take a rest, and then turn around.

Another great day.

Hiking In

So the hike in was pretty nice. We didn't go the full 6.8km as we had
a few hours drive to do, but after a 30 minute relaxed walk we came to
a mountain meadow. Then we walked for another 30 minutes. Another 30
minutes pictures to come...

The Falls

Sunny day today on the way back to Calgary. We stopped at these great
falls and then hiked in for an hour. Hiking in to follow.

Today's Trip in the Rockies

Today we went for a short hike, then To Radium Hot Springs, then down
to Vermillion to buy some steak for dinner, back up to the hot spring
pools and then home.

It was a great day.

Today's Trip in the Rockies

Today we went for a short hike, then To Radium Hot Springs, then down
to Vermillion to buy some steak for dinner, back up to the hot spring
pools and then home.

It was a great day.

Continental Divided We Stand

I don't get a chance to come here often but all through my life I have
always felt humbled whenever I come to the Continental Divide.

The flow of life changes direction at this point. And that is
powerful. Spiritually it shows us that we can change our lives, we can
change direction. We can change the purpose of our existence. If we
make an effort.

Also it is amazing that we can be this far into the wilderness and
experience LESS mosquitoes than Winnipeg!

Two days here.
Glorious.
I am so happy that I could bring Hiroko here. I know she'll never
forget it because even though I've been coming here on and off for 40
years I have never forgotten.

The Rocky Mountain Range is very special and powerful.

Amazing.
Always.

Hiroko says "Mata ne" from Winnipeg: http://youtu.be/pYhedjtvg5w

Ootnaboot with Hiroko & Bad_Brad, 2

Here is the remainder of our adventure out in Lockport Manitoba. It culminates in the grand finale!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJifOTYxnWo

I love you!

Ootnaboot with Hiroko and bad brad, Part 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32dclCOdBvA&feature=youtube_gdata_player Cam

Second five of 10 in GeoLockport

We actually found an egg!

First five of 10 in GeoLockport

Enjoying caching with bad_brad and Hiroko, part 1.
This is the way caching is supposed to be! Tons of history and easy
caches as opposed to having to dig through pine trees and getting all
itchy.

No Longer a Muggle, Them!

Last night we introduced Bruce and Tanya to the world of geocaching.
Thank goodness we found three caches because the first couple we dug
and dug but couldn't get.

Now that they have found a couple of caches with us I can happily day
that they are no longer muggles! Welcome to the magical world of the
geocacher, Bruce and Tanya! I love you!

7/08: Glorious 32C and Walking

Last night Hiroko and I had dinner with Bruce and Tanya. It was a
great time with them. Then we went out for a walk and found a couple
of geocaches. I have to admit that the Manitobans seem to love tucking
caches away in bushes and prickly pine trees so we tend to be
*stumped* a lot (har).

This morning we met Lisa, Kiera, Alayna, Holly and Javan for breakfast
at Smitty's and enjoyed a great two hours with them. Then we trundled
back to Bruce's and sat for another couple of hours with Bruce and
Tanya in the house and in the yard. We really enjoyed the time with
them and hope we can visit again next week or the week after in the
evenings with them.

Then we walked back to my parents'. I think it was only about 7km
which were we walking for exercise we could have done in an hour.
Instead we took it really slowly as we wanted to be out in the sun and
the 32C weather. So we geocaches our way back and got five out of
about eight different locations. The ones in the pine trees stumped us
as usual and also gave me itchy arms.

We actually really miss walking. When we were in Italy we were walking
for 10hours a day but after we left Italy it dramatically decreases
and here in the prairies everything is so big that you need a car to
get anywhere. So today we walked.

I showed Hiroko what a Slurpee is (Winnipeg is the Slurpee capital of
Canada - learned that from a geocache believe it or not) and what
Hickory Sticks taste like as we walked the last km home. She had a
brain freeze.

And near home we found some sidewalk paintings which made us smile.

Today 7/06 Just another ordinary day

Well, the rain stopped about 10am and it turned into a lovely day.
Instead of going to the Folk Festival (sorry Darrell) we went to Grant
Park Shopping Center (near where Darrell used to live a few decades
ago) and Hiroko picked up two books at McNally Robinson.

Then we drove down Wellington Crescent for Hiroko to see the wealthy
old money part of town. It was a very nice slow drive. We went into
Assiniboine Park and I took Hiroko into the Conservatory. She played
with the turtles, we admired the banana trees and took time out for
some head.

We were a little hungry so we walked over to the Duck Pond. The ducks
didn't look too tasty so we had lunch at the restaurant. We had a
modified version of pulled pork poutine. We had the fries replaces
with onion rings. We also had a great breaded chicken burger. And a
couple of glasses of red wine (Argentinian and Canadian).

We had time and both felt a little sleepy so we wandered back to a
great big open field, lay down under a tree and snoozed for 30-45
minutes. What a glorious way to snooze!!

On the way home we stopped at the supermarket for groceries, the LC
for some alcohol (we drank Mom's 4L box of wine over the past couple
of days), and filled up the gas tank.

This came up today so thought I would share it with you as it may be
of interest.

How many of you knew that Winnie the Pooh is based on a real life bear
that a Canadian Military officer in the Great War saved, and called
Winnie, after his home town of Winnipeg? There is some amazing history
for you!

Bearing All

On our way back we stopped by the bears and took a few shots with the
lovely Hiroko.

And then we came back and cooked up some bear burgers. I mean beef
burgers. With Wine!

Historical Caching

We dropped Hiroko off at St Boniface Hospital and Nancy showed her
around for 30 minutes. It was a great experience. During that time
Brad and I had a Tim Horton Coffee and a geocache. Then we picked up
Hiroko and grabbed another cache along the promenade of the
Assiniboine River.

We caught a river taxi down to the Legislative buildings and took a
few photos. Then we walked back to the Forks (grabbing another
geocache along the way), had a glad of wine with Brad, then walked
back to the car. It was a great day!

Geocaching with Brad and Nancy

These are all just a few hundred meters from their home!
I think they are hooked.

6/30: Going The Royal Mile

We took two more photos from our vantage point above the city. At the
top of the Royal Mile you can see Edinburgh Castle, of which I wrote
about a week ago. At the bottom of the Royal Mile is the Palace
Holyrood where royalty actually resided in medieval times (warmer and
more pleasant than the dreary castle). Mary Queen of Scots lived here
and when she was forced to go up to the castle she apparently wasn't a
happy camper. Bonny Prince Charlie, it was said, that when he rode
into Holyrood on his returned attempt to take the throne from the
English, was given a royal cheer from the locals.

Unfortunately it was closed. So we went drinking scotch instead, at
Golfer's Land. You can read the very interesting history in the plaque
on the wall.

When lunch was done we wandered to a modern standing stone place that
explained the amazing geological history of Scotland. That became our
final earthcache for this trip. From that vantage point we took a
better photo of the hill and rocks above.

And that's it. What an amazing geoeuroadventure!

See you in Canada!

6/30: Last Cache in Edinburgh

This morning we packed up after breakfast and headed ootnaboot for
some fresh air. We had spent so much time on the bus the past two
weeks that we just wanted to be out in the fresh air and on our time
schedule.

Sonwe walked past the Cowgate to a church with a clock tower that
tells the time perfectly twice a day. Next we wandered over rogue end
of the line and grabbed a cache near a former warehouse used for
unloading trains of coal. The train was closed down and decommissioned
a long time ago.

Finally we climbed this big mountain and grabbed the cache that was
under the shadow of the rock wall. The scenery looking down over
Edinburgh was phenomenal!

Love Cows

We decided to grab a few more geocaches today in Edinburgh. On our way
to the first cache we saw this amazing building rift in front of an
old gate. It made us laugh.

6/29: Killiecrankie & the oldest Cathedral in the Highlands

The battle of Killiecrankie went to the Jacobites. In fact it was so
successful tha even the Jacobite warriors were grim when they went
back to. Left he dead after. Read the info plates.

One red cost kept 5.5m or 18feet to get away from the pursuing Scots.
Many of his fellow soldiers drowned trying to cross the river.

The famous Rob Roy fought in this battle and was very successful.

The cathedral you see as built 1400 years ago. The small church added
was built 400 years ago. It is one of the oldest cathedrals and most
important ones in the highlands during the ancient times.

6/29: Curling!

This was so cool to see an 1800s curling rink and all the tools. Very
awesome to see how it was authentically rebuilt.

6/29: Highland 1800s home

Totally different and "modern" compared to 100 years earlier. A stark
comparison to how the Scottish life changed after The Battle of
Culloden changed the way of life in the Highlands forever.

6/29: Highland 1700s Village 2

All Sod homes.

6/29: Highland 1700s Village 1

This is a reconstructed 1700s village. The buildings were amazing. And
smoky as hell! It was so neat to see this. More photos coming.
About 1/3 of the buildings have been reconstructed on top I the actual
village layout that existed. All by hand in the traditional way.

Loch Ness Scenery

More Loch Ness Scenery on YouTube...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08PYjqqrTGo&feature=youtube_gdata_player


Cam

6/28: Highland Lessons

How they dressed, ate, slept, lived, killed and loved. And how they
stunk! What an amazing 50 minute live lecture. So fascinating.

Just imagine wearing the same 7m of material all year and washing it
only once (in water and urine) to remove the blood, shit, pests, oils,
smoke, etc. that accumulated through the entire year. What Matt and
Alyssa are wearing is what they would wear all year. It is all they
would have. One set. That's it.

The weapons here are all real. They are not replicas. They were used
in war. And they all killed. The stains are of the remains of human
death.

Powerful. Very powerful.

6/28: Urquhart Castle

It was quite a rainy day today with apparently flooding going on in
eastern England.

After visiting Culloden for a scant 30 minutes we had two hours in
Inverness. I wish we could have had an hour at Culloden however a lot
of the people just saw a big field with stones and perhaps didn't
really feel or understand the fact that this field is where Scottish
history changed forever.

Then we went to a great whisky distillery and had a tour that was
fantastic. I even found my namesake in whisky!

On the way back to Fort Augustus we made a (far too brief) stop above
Urquhart Castle. This is the only castle on Loch Ness and it was built
by and used by Robert the Bruce. It was also used by the jacobites. I
wanted to go down and into the castle ruins but we only had a few
moments. By the time I had taken these few photos everyone was already
on the bus and waiting. Sigh... History lesson lost.

This ruins is used in a scene of Outlander when Claire is recalling
the story of the kelpie and the prince. She is sitting near this ruins
and sees Nessie. When Claire is back in time the castle is stile
functioning.

I also found many Lovat signs so those of you familiar with Jamie's
grandfather, Lord Lovat or the Old Fox (promised forces to Prince
Charlie but didn't deliver, and therefore was able to suck up to the
British)will know that name.

Tomorrow we head back to Edinburgh.

Sigh.... This was a wonderful part of this trip. I am so glad that I
read the Outlander books and learned so much of the history of the
area.

6/28: Culloden, Part 2

Powerful. Very powerful.

6/28: Culloden Part 1

Unfortunately we were only given a scant 30 minutes to walk trough
this very dark history and the end of the Scottish Jacobites as well
as the final battle for Scotland' freedom. 30 minutes is not nearly
enough to feel the power of this battlefield where the Scottish army
were decimated and the survivors massacred by the British government
forces.

I could spend an entire day here.

1600 Jacobite soldiers were killed in a matter of 45 minutes while
only a small amount of English died. The Scots were severely out
numbered, outgunned and their Highlander charge was totally
ineffective on the swampy, flat marsh plain.

It was amazing. I will split the photos up.

Look at the clan headstones. You will find a critical one in the group.

Wow....

Cam

6/28: Highland Recap

Today we drove around Loch Ness and heard some more stories of the lake, from the science to the mysteries. The rain on the lake and the low lying Scottish mist added a very good feeling of mystique to the entire experience. 

We travelled to Culloden, the final stand between the Jacobites and the British government troops. On a marshy, boggy field the Scottish Highlanders loyal to the exiled King James were heavily outnumbered, out gunned and completely unprepared for the massacre that took place. In a scant 45 minutes 1,600 Scottish warriors were decimated by the British troops who lost very few soldiers compared to the Jacobite losses. This was the end of the drive for a free Scotland and the beginning of the "ethnic cleansing" that was about to take place. 

I wish we had more time than the scant 30 minutes because walking amongst that history, if given enough time, surely one cannot fail to feel the energy that remains. The headstones of the clans who fell, the warrior lines marked out, all was there for the eye to see. And the terrain they battled in, once viewed directly, it was so plain to see why the highlander charge failed miserably. I will have to go back. 

We spent two hours dining and wandering in a vey rainy Inverness and then moved over to a whisky distillery for a very good lesson on how single malt whiskies are created. Art! The smell in the 20hr fermenting bin was so overwhelming that every person who stuck their head in had the very same reaction! But the overall aroma of the tour was a delight. It ended in a taste test of Singleton Single Malt Whisky. 

We then headed back to Fort Augustus and on the way stopped above Urquhart Castle where we had only a few moments to take a couple of pictures. This castle is the only castle on Loch Ness and it was used by Robert the Bruce during his day. Oh. My. God! It was also used by the Jacobites during their uprisings. Again, I wish we had more time to explore this castle because it too was very important in the history of the highlands (and shows up in Deborah Gabaldon's "Outlander" series). 

Dinner tonight in Morag's Lodge was lasagna and salad by candle light (power failure due to big storm). It was quite good. 

At eight o'clock we headed over to the clan house to enjoy an amazing story of how the highlanders lived for nearly 1,400 years. We saw the small home in which 20 family members and their animals would live. We had a demonstration showing us how the 7m of kilt material would be pleated and worn by a highlander man as well as the clothing the women wore all year long. Our instructor Mr. Robertson showed us real weapons that were used in battle and explained that they had killed many people (mostly Fraser clan weapons) and he showed us how to use them. That. Was. Fascinating. 

What a great day! 

Tomorrow we are into our last day and head back toward Edinburgh. On the way there should be several events and stops so hopefully it will be as interesting as the past four days. 

This is a good trip and we are getting a fairly good amount of history along the way. 

6/27: Highlands. Fort Augustus Loch Ness

And geocaching!
It was a fun filled evening and the haggis-stuffed chicken was great too.

6/27: Highlands. From Skye to Loch Ness

Today we traveled around the Isle of Skye and saw a lot of great
history. There was an ancient Viking tower where the local MacLandlord
and his wife Saucy Mary would collect tolls for the ships to pass.
When the payment was made, his Viking wife Mary would flash her
breasts for them in thanks.

We went for some great walks (previously published photos) and
generally enjoyed the day.

Then we came back to the mainland and drove up to Fort Augustus,
another fort that was built by the English (taken by the Jacobites,
etc etc. ) and finally used as a prison of hard labour after the
battle of Culloden. This fort shows up in the amazing "Outlander"
series as well. Jamie, the other main character of the series was in
jail while he was young for several years but not in this prison. He
was in the Fort William prison that we saw the other day.

Tonight we checked in to our hostel had dinner and took a tour of Loch
Ness where we saw Nessie!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4VPO5p1Ev0

Then we did some geocaching and got two caches as well as suffered an
attack of midges. Those bastards hurt!


Cam

Via iPhone (please excuse any bizarre autocorrections)

6/27: Highlands walking

Great wee hill walk today. So lush and mushy

6/26: Highlands: Bonnie Prince Charlie

This area is where Bonnie Prince Charlie rallied the Scottish
highlanders to fight the English. This spot is in Outlander! Awesome!!

6/26: highlands: Hogwarts Express

This is the bridge they used in the Harry Potter Series. Amazing!!!

6/26: highlands: castle!!

The most photoed castle in Scotland. The inside has been totally
redone and the tour was amazing.

6/26: Highlands 2: Braveheart

40% of Braveheart was filmed out here. Ben Nevis is the highest peak
in the UK at 4000+ feet. Gorgeous here.

6/26: Highlands 2: Dunollie Castle cache

Dunollie Castle is situated on the Ganavan sands road approximately a mile to the north of Oban. It sits overlooking the small strait between the mainland and the island of Kerrera, which is also owned by the MacDougall estate. The small grassy island is Maiden Island which in itself has an interesting legend attributed to it. The castle was the seat of the clan MacDougall, Lords of Lorn, who were a significant force in Scottish history - at one point they owned a third of Scotland. (That's a whole lot of real estate by any standard!). The MacDougalls were previous resident in Dunstaffanage Castle which was taken from their care, declared a royal castle by Robert the Bruce and the Campbells made keepers. There have been fortifications on the Dunollie site since the 7th century, originally by the kings of Dalriada. (One of a few old names for Scotland.) A keep and courtyard fortress was built in the 13th century with the current four storey keep being added on the castle enclosure in the 15th century. In 1746 the castle was abandoned and the family moved to newly built Dunollie House, behind the castle. Dunollie Castle is still owned by the MacDougalls.

Cam

Via iPhone (please excuse any bizarre autocorrections)

Scottish Highland Day 1 Photos 2

Scottish Highland Day 1 Photos 4

Scottish Highland Day 1 Photos 5