Today I took a three-hour cruise on Loch Ness and I’m sorry to report that I didn’t spot Nessie. I looked around quite a bit hoping to get a quick view of the mysterious creature, but I guess my three hours wasn’t quite long enough to actually see her. My cruise left the dock at about ten this morning and slowly made the way up the River Ness. The morning was cold and wet, clouds covered the tops of the surrounding hills, and a strong breeze made the falling mist seem almost like rain. We passed moored boats and people fishing on the banks, and eventually came across the locks that would raise the boat to the height of the loch. As we entered Loch Ness the weather was starting to clear up, though the wind and cold persisted. We chugged along for about an hour until reaching a well known castle (I can’t remember the name of it) and our boat stopped to let some people off and to allow others on for the trip back to Inverness.

Well, to sum up my thoughts on the cruise was more interesting in that I was thinking about the Loch Ness Monster, and not really thinking about the scenery. Don’t misunderstand me, I wasn’t really trying to spot the monster but knowing the legend kind of made it more fun for me—much like when I went to Dracula’s Castle last year. It’s all about having an imagination to make an otherwise kind of boring trip through a river and lake more like an adventure where something great could happen.

When we docked and got back to Inverness I was “chilled to the bone” and decided to find some place warm to rest. I ended up in a Scottish pub with soup, fish and chips, and a beer… is that the perfect choice after taking a cruise through Loch Ness? I think so too.

I’m back in the hostel and trying to decide whether I should head out again. The city really doesn’t have a lot to do, it’s a nice city but just not really that fun or interesting. Tomorrow I leave for London at about seven at night and get there at seven in the morning, so twelve long hours in a bus. I’m looking forward to getting someplace that’s warm though, so in about two days I’ll be in Texas and hopefully warm.