Scotland

The day after Clara and I arrived, I went to Holm Mills to see Neil, my friend from the Isle of Skye. After a quick hello (Neil was working that day and Holm Mills always seems busy), I transferred myself to the cafe with my newspaper for lunch and a couple of 'holiday beers'.

There surely is no better way for an expat Scot to celebrate being home than to eat a plate of haggis. Despite the fairly unusual ingredients, I love it, especially with a bit of brown sauce.

Neil dropped by my table a couple of times to chat and after lunch we stood by the banks of the River Ness for a few minutes and did our best to catch up. It is always good to see Neil - I hope we will be able to meet again at Christmas time. Unfortunately, the timing of my visit to Scotland clashed with Neil's holiday plans as he was shortly to embark on a journey to the south of England and Wales. However, there is always next time.....

Conveniently for myself, Holm Mills sells a lot of great Scottish products and souvenirs. Just before I returned to Japan, I visited the shop again to pick up gifts for some of my colleagues, friends, and family.

As you can see, the first day of my holiday was a gentle reintroduction to Scotland and a solid foundation for the remainder of my time.