Today we woke up in Inverness to loud clinking of bottles and street noises. Our apartment is right in the city and has all the noises to go with it. I personally love staying in the city even with all the noise. For breakfast we visited Perk. It’s a lovely little cafe where we got coffee and one of the best donuts I’ve ever had. It was filled with Biscoff cookie butter and topped with glaze and cookie crumbles. We got to chat a little bit with the guys who make all the delicious goodies and found out they make everything from scratch or they source it locally. Next we headed off to walk around an old cemetery. We have an ancestor that we found was born in Inverness so we thought we might search for some relatives. The cemetery is right on the river and I thought to myself what a beautiful place to be laid to rest.

Next Mom and I went shopping for some souvenirs and gifts. We went in a quilting shop so Mom could get some fabric. The woman in the shop was from Shetland and we got to chat with her for a bit. We visited the Victorian Market which has been a shopping market since the 19th century. There are several lovely shops and the market is beautifully decorated for Christmas. Next we stopped at Marks and Spencer which has a department store and grocery store rolled into one. We found some beautiful Christmas tea and cookie tins that will be a nice keepsake even after the yummy goodies are eaten. After that we stopped at Morrison’s which is a traditional grocery store. We love just walking around and seeing what different food items are available here. We got a few staples like HP brown sauce and some chocolate biscuits I like that I haven’t been able to find in the US.

After shopping, I decided to go on a little walk on my own. I found my way to the River Ness and followed it for a while before crossing a little bridge. I then walked down the other side of the river for a while. The weather today has been warmer but the wind has been pretty intense. The river was very choppy as I walked and I watched the yellow and orange leaves being blown in all directions. I saw many other people walking along the streets lined with old stone houses and several churches. I stopped in a little cafe to get a hot chocolate and continued on. I then found a nice little bench on the river to sit while I sipped my hot chocolate bracing myself as the wind blew. I watched the water and the birds. I watched people walking by themselves and with their dogs. It made me miss my sweet puppy Sherlock at home. But still I felt at peace with the scenery in front of me and my warm drink. It’s little moments like these that I remember most from traveling. Little peaceful moments that are just simple.

After my peaceful river side adventure, I started to head back home for a rest. I did stop in Leakey’s book shop to browse before heading back. It’s a large second hand book shop and was covered floor to ceiling with every type of book imaginable. There was also that distinct comforting old book shop smell that I can’t quite describe but I’m sure some of you will know what I mean.

For dinner we went to Hootananny. I have heard that word all my life as a Southern term for a party or gathering so I was shocked to see a place in Scotland with that name. Upon Googling it I discovered this is also a Scottish word meaning celebration. They had all the traditional comforting pub food. I had the cullen skink pie which is a smoked fish with veggies and white cream sauce. It was delicious of course. I also enjoyed bites of Scott’s cheese plate and Mom’s sticky toffee pudding for dessert and some local beer.