Highland Games and a Day Off

Hello everyone, Levi here. So we just got to go to Braemar yesterday for the Highland Games. This is in the area of the Balmoral Estate, where the Queen sometimes spends a few weeks. She is a patron of the games at Braemar and often attends. We were lucky to be present when she arrived and I took this very blurry picture.



You can see some of the beauty of Scotland that runs right through Braemar here. The surrounding area is an amazing combination of woodland and hills of heather.



Here you can see the caber in mid-toss. The gentleman was successful in his toss of the heavy caber. Called the Braemar Caber, it is 19' 9" and weighs 132lbs. The goal is to get it to go end over end, in a straight line. Some cabers are heavier, but this one is particularly long and that makes it more difficult than it already is. Until you watch it, you think it is purely brute strength. But after watching, you realize the timing and skill involved.



This is the inter-service tug-o-war competition. The effort required is immense. It is a fierce competition and requires 100% effort from everyone involved. This picture is of special importance to me. It captures a memory that I will never forget. While this tug-o-war was going on, there was a group of singers on the stage in the background to the left of this image. The group is called Highland Heartbeat, and the music was haunting and beautiful. The strange dichotomy of the beautiful music and violent struggle just seemed to epitomize the essence of Scotland. Beauty and struggle, hope and despair, victory and defeat. It was almost overwhelming...


A day off.


So yesterday afternoon, after the games we checked into the Thainstone House Hotel. It is a very handsome building with attached grounds that make you feel a thousand miles away from anything.



We went for a few walks around the grounds and discovered many wonderful areas.



Including an ancient looking door from the woods, into more woods.



Tomorrow we are off to new hosts in Fraserburgh and new adventures. The time off was very nice and relaxing... Talk to you soon.