Hopefully the last blog wasn't too much for you all, because this one is going to be similar. We've been lazy so we are rolling a few days together again...

So, our last morning in Fort William we were up early and had a good breakfast to keep us going for our day ahead. I'm really getting used to these cooked breakfasts.... On checking out our hosts gave us a very kind wee little gift of chocolate and wine to say sorry for the construction noise outside during the time we were there. The little noise there was hadn't bothered us at all, but it was a very kind gesture from them all the same. The construction was the building of a balcony which would adjoin the breakfast room overlooking the loch, and will be very nice once completed. Stephen, our host was so excited he took us out to show us and explain it all. When I asked him if it was going to be a balcony or a verandah the look on his face was priceless, and he said he didn't know there was a difference. Once I explained the two to him he said they'd probably make it into both. He even said himself he was a bit ambitious building a balcony in the Scottish highlands as the weather doesn't really favor them. Remarkably the builders still used old timber pegs to join all the beams instead of galvanized bolts and nails like we do. So, having taught Stephen a new word and him giving us a tip to visit Stirling Castle on the way to Edinburgh we set off leaving Fort William in our rear view mirror.

Shortly out of Fort William we were driving through the hills passing many hikers setting out for a days walk. At one point we passed a Scottish man dressed in full kilt attire playing the bagpipes in front of a mountain. We would have stopped but it was only 11 degrees outside so we kept going.

One of our must see things for the Scottish highlands was the wooly cows. We passed one on the way into Fort William but couldn't stop to get a photo. Not far out of Stirling we found a rest stop/cafe which was also home to Hamish, the resident wooly cow (who even has his own Facebook page). We pulled in and said g'day whilst his owner fed some other smaller wooly cows some vegetables. A few photos to satisfy our photo album and we were off again in the drizzling rain.

Arriving in Sterling the rain had cleared allowing us to explore the castle. We ditched the audio guides as they were a bit annoying, and explored the grounds ourselves. It appears a lot of the old royals preferred Stirling castle over Edinburgh (with the exception of Queen Elizabeth I) and it withstood many battles and is still mostly in tact. We learnt the history of many kings and what to do in battle and peace time. Whilst in the Great Hall we saw 2 of the other guests from our B & B in Fort William. They must have taken Stephen's advice as well.

As it was getting late we made our final voyage to Edinburgh and our hotel. Settling in for the evening out of the cold weather, we enjoyed a beverage in the bar and a warm dinner.

Living up to Scottish standards, the weather today remained cold and wet. Very different to Rome! After another hearty breakfast we braved the run to the car and headed out in search of the Famous Grouse - Scotland's oldest whiskey distillery. After a few navigational errors and 2 and a half hours later (google said 1.5, it didn't allow for the lack of street signage) we arrived. While waiting for the next tour to start we had a quick lunch in the Famous Grouse cafe, then it was on to the tour. We were shown the distilling process for single malt whiskey and what is required for it be classed a Scottish whiskey, as well as how the marrying process is done to create blended whiskeys. We also got meet their newest cat (apparently they are common in all whiskey distilleries to keep the mice away) before sampling some of their most 'Famous Grouse'. With it still pouring rain we dashed back to the car and headed back to our hotel, this time navigating the way correctly.

Today was washing day in the city. We found a nice little laundrette where the lady offered a cup of tea on arrival whilst we waited for our washing to complete. In the time we were there they had around 4-5 mini blackouts which stopped all the machines and the lady had to flick the switch to turn the dryers back on. For all the trouble (which was in no way her fault) she gave us an extra £1.20 of drying time. Washing done and it was on to find Edinburgh castle, which was easier said than done. Google led us astray again and up the garden path to Cannon Hill, a beautiful lookout in the middle of the city. With this birds eye view we could see that Edinburgh castle was a long way away. We decided it would take too long to walk there and our timed parking would expire before getting back, so we admired it from afar. Cold and wind-blown we headed back to the hotel to snuggle up and watch a movie.

Today is our last day in Edinburgh and our last day with the car. After a fond farewell in the car rental lot we headed for the airport terminal, and narrowly avoided the body scanner. Thankfully whilst having some lunch, Jess checked the tickets and realized our flight was earlier than first thought.

Back in Paris and a long slow trip to our hotel in peak hour traffic, but worth it as the Eiffel tower can be seen from our hotel window. We found a restaurant called 'Le Wilson' so naturally we had dinner there. Afterwards we headed to the Eiffel tower to enjoy the view of the city from the 2nd floor. We were going to go to the top but the queues for this were way too long. By the time we got up the sun was quickly setting and the lights on the tower came on. A very spectacular sight. Heading back to the Trocadéro we stopped to watch the light show again before walking back to our hotel.

A wonderful few days and looking forward to one more day and then the long flight home.