We ate breakfast in a sunny room overlooking the Loch. I tried smoked haddock, spinach and a poached egg. (I know! Fish for breakfast!) It actually was fairly good. As we left the lovely guest house, a torrential downpour began and lasted exactly the length of the 15 feet from the door of the guest house to our car door. All of the time I had just spent drying my hair was wasted. We were soaked. Then, as soon as we were in the car, the rain stopped. Very unusual weather indeed.
Today, we drove, and drove, and drove. We left Skye for mainland Scotland. There were great sights as we drove off. The weather was its same fickle self - rain, then sunshine, then hail - changing every 15 minutes. In a bit of sun, we stopped to admire the island views one last time before we left. Beautiful.
Our first stop was Spean Bridge for lunch at "Chippy Chip Shop." We thought it sounded promising. When we went in, droves of Americans on tour buses were leaving. It was clear they catered to a number of tour buses there. They also made an awful fish and chips. Sadly, this was Tony's first foray into Scottish fish and chips. The fish was actually very fresh, but I have no idea how the batter could taste so bad. Thankfully, that was not our last meal.
After lunch, we drove a short length to Fort William. It is a cute town on the coast with old buildings and a pedestrian-only High Street (the UK equivalent to Main St.) that looks like it would be bustling, if the biting cold wind wasn't whipping around. We picked up a few souvenirs and headed on to Oban. The terrain began to get more lush- greener hillsides and much more trees. Along the water, it was downright gorgeous. 
Oban is a large city along the water. We stopped in the city center for a stroll. Again, it was too darn cold. We walked a little while and stopped in a few shops. The waterfront was very scenic and, again, I am sure it would have been a blast in warmer weather, but that wind was too much. (You should know, Tony loves wind. He is always happy when a crisp breeze blows his way. This wind was even too cold for him!)
From Oban, we came to our hotel, the Ardanaiseig Hotel. Ardanaiseig is Gaelic for 'place where ferries depart.' Our host said there is no evidence that ferries actually left from this location, though. Despite the mouthful of a name, this hotel is spectacular. The grounds are vibrantly green with grass and moss. Flowers bloom all along the driveway. It reminds me of Western Washington State, Vashon Island to be precise. I can't wait to explore the grounds tomorrow.
The building itself is a stately, castle-like building, with a library, a drawing room, stairways next to stairways and hallways that twist and turn. An Agatha Christie novel could have been set here. There are several pieces of artwork, largely predictable in nature- large bouquets of flowers, paintings of gentlemen in preparation for the fox hunt, stately portraits of ladies and lords from the 17th and 18th centuries, but there are a couple that piqued our interest. One was a painting of several men, that appear to be barristers or members of parliament discussing something serious. Upon closer look, some of the gentlemen were recognizable. You can see Ringo and Rod Stewart. Mick Jagger was to Ringo's left. There is also a painting of a stern-faced woman, who kind of reminds me of Kathleen Turner, scowling at you as you walk past. Funky.
Tony did a great job with this place, though. The room is beautiful with pristine garden views. The drawing room, dining room and library look out on the loch. Tony picked the hotel in part because of the restaurant. An acclaimed chef is located here and he selects a multi-course menu every night. We had no idea what we were getting into- all told, there were 8 courses. Some were very small and others- the soup, fish, meat and dessert courses, were much larger. We started with a trio of small appetizers- smoked salmon and beet, fried monkfish (DELICIOUS!), and a bit of lobster in a tasty sauce with a bit of radicchio. Next, a bleu cheese foam atop an apricot mousse thingy with an almond biscuit on top. Then, cream of squash soup with tapenade and croutons. Then fresh turbot with mussels, followed by steak and celery root. Then a small pistachio milkshake before a huge orange and chocolate concoction served with orange sorbet and a brownie. Then, they brought out small squares of fudge and truffles. We brought the last one to the room. How do you say food coma in Gaelic?
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