Scotland.
Ireland.
Geocaching.
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And a little horse back riding.

Once upon a time, in a city with no level ground…

We started in Edinburgh, a city that looks like someone took a medieval fairy tale, added a few pubs, and decided nobody should ever have to walk on level ground again.

The architecture, the narrow streets, the centuries of history—it's spectacular. We had Donald showing us around, which made everything even better. Someone who knows the history and the hidden corners can transform a good day into a great one.

Edinburgh Castle was a highlight. We saw the Scottish Crown Jewels, explored the grounds, and admired the kind of views that make you take seventeen photographs of essentially the same thing.

Of course, I was also looking at the geocaching map. This surprises absolutely nobody.

Loch Ness, ancient castles, and Gary's unfortunate education

From Edinburgh, we headed north toward Inverness and the Highlands. Mountains, vast stretches of countryside, lakes, stone structures, and scenery that seems to change every few minutes. The place is almost unfairly beautiful.

We explored Loch Ness, including a boat trip and Urquhart Castle. We did not see Nessie. I'm not saying she doesn't exist; I'm just saying she apparently had other plans.

We'd hoped to make it to the Isle of Skye, but Scotland's weather and traffic had opinions about that. Plans changed. We did, however, get to Eilean Donan Castle, which looks almost too Scottish to be real.

Enter Gary, our guide, who had signed up to show two Americans the countryside and instead discovered that one of them had a GPS-related personality disorder. He took it remarkably well.

Somewhere along the way, we encountered a geocaching adventure called Highlander's Home, an Australian fellow named Mick, and wind strong enough to make walking feel like a negotiation with the atmosphere.

And then there was the beef stew. Fantastic beef stew. The kind of beef stew that makes you question every previous bowl of beef stew you've ever eaten.