2022 Scotland and Iceland

In August Dave and I were able to travel to Scotland and Iceland with Dave's work, DR Horton.  They take us on some really cool trips.  We will always be grateful for these adventures.  We had been to Scotland before but I never dreamed I would visit Iceland. 

This is the Holyrood palace in Edinburgh

I loved this colorful street.  I love all of the old architecture in Europe. 

Hot Chocolate.  It was chilly.  

This is the old Abbey at Holyrood.  We didn't visit the Castle because we had been there before but when we visited Scotland before we didn't have time to go to Holyrood.  I thought Holyrood was fascinating.  I loved learning more about Mary, Queen of Scots. 

There were lots of bagpipe players along the royal mile.  

We always love to try soda in other countries.  Sometimes they are good and sometimes they are not.  These were similar to what we get in the US just different packaging. 

This is Loch Ness.  We were hoping to see Nessie but no such luck.  It's funny to hear people in Scotland talk about the Loch Ness Monster.  The old timers are believers but the people who haven't lived there forever think it is just hogwash. 

This is the LDS church.  We were able to attend church here.  It is possible my favorite church experience of all time.  There were not more than 20 people there.  They were so happy to have us.  It was testimony meeting and I couldn't understand a word that was being said. 

In Ulapool we took a tour to a waterfall.  This man was our guide.  He was the only guide all decked out in his traditional clothing.  He sang Celtic songs to us.  I was in heaven.  I was so grateful we got on his bus.  It was a treat. 

We missed the girls first day of high school.  I had to take a short walk away from the group to cry for a minute.  I was so sad to miss but I didn't want to miss the opportunity to travel with Dave.  The girls were troopers and told us they would be fine.  Our friends took good care of them and sent us lots of pictures.  

Dave was missing Titan so when we saw this dog he took a minute to play with him. 

These lobster traps reminded me of Burt. 

This is our cruise ship out in the water.  We go on smaller ships and they are full of DR Horton employees.  They rent the whole boat.  It is nice because Dave is able to connect with people in the company that he would otherwise never see. 

driving on the wrong side of the road on the wrong side of the car.  Dave is brave.  

There were these structures all over the place and they keep finding more.  It is similar to stonehenge. 

We came upon an active archeological site.  This is why we love renting a car because it allows us to see things we otherwise wouldn't be able to see. 

We took a hike out to these cliffs

We were able to visit an old Viking establishment out on this island. 

more cliffs

This is an ancient village that was uncovered in a storm not too long ago.  It dates back to before the time of Christ. 

We visited so many churches but this was one of my favorites.  It was in the Orkney islands.  It was all stone and was dated to the 1100s.  Crazy that these places still stand.  On a corner by this church were fresh shortbread cookies that I still dream about. 

This church was built out of a metal storage structure by prisoners during WW2.  (I think)

the inside is all hand painted. 

Iceland is a land of waterfalls.  There were waterfalls everywhere  It became no big deal after a few days.  You just expect them to be everywhere. 

We didn't visit the famous blue lagoon but we did go to a blue lagoon. It smelled terrible but you get used to it.  The water felt so good.  The outside air was cold so I never wanted to get out. 

In Iceland the people genuinely believe in trolls and fairies.  When our guide told us this I started laughing. She gave me a look that could freeze fire.  She was not joking.  There are these little fairy house all over the place. 

After walking past these rocks I began to believe in trolls as well.  I mean can't you see them coming to life when no one is watching?  It make me think of the Disney movie, Frozen. 

So many waterfalls.  There were some amazing, huge, beautiful waterfalls. 

We are getting really good at selfies. 

See?  A troll

and a viking. 

We decided to do a sea kayaking tour.  It was not as exciting as we had hoped.  We saw nothing and just paddled in a big circle. 

This is a pond where they used to drown adulteresses and witches. 

while we were gone the girls had volleyball tryouts.  They both made varsity as Freshmen.  I was so proud of them.  They have worked really hard at volleyball.  They were the only Freshmen to make Varsity.  There was one Junior and the rest were Seniors. 

Our last stop was Reykjavik.  This church was super interesting.  We missed going inside by about 3 minutes.  I guess we will have to go back.  

In Iceland a lot of their structures are built with corrugated siding. It is the most durable in the harsh elements.  They paint them vibrant colors.  

I always tell Dave I hope he never quits his job because DR Horton is going to help me travel the world.