Inverness 5-01-10

We spent a leisurely morning in Pitlochry, a lovely town that's known for its hiking trails and big with outdoorsy types. I'd love to have more time to explore the area, but we're headed out this afternoon for Inverness.
Dad and I walked around the town, and I bought a couple of soft, warm wool sweaters and a hat to keep the rain off my head. It was nice to just stroll for a bit, with no hurry to get anywhere or do anything by a particular time. When we got back to the B&B, Mom wanted to go to the post office, so I gladly headed back out for a short walk with her. We stopped in at Heathergems, where they make "stones" out of the stems of the heather plant, and fashion them into jewelry and gifts.
We left Pitlochry around noon and got to Inverness around 2. Stopped at a roadside info center, got some maps, souvenir bath powder (smells of highland heather), and a recommendation of a pub to get a late lunch. Checked into our B&B, where the rooms are named for famous Scots -"Bruce," "Hamilton," McGillivray," etc.
We crossed the scenic pedestrian bridge over the River Ness to the town center and strolled around a bit, stopping to shop in a cute Victorian-style market area. But for the most part, we were unimpressed. To us, it seemed like a place that was probably pretty hip and jumping about a decade ago, but hadn't had a good clean and spiff-up since. I think we would've been happier to stay a bit longer in Pitlochry.

On the plus side, I found out that Inverness is where Karen Gillan (aka. Doctor Who's companion Amy Pond) is from. Also, it was apparently a big football (soccer) night, so maybe the majority of the population was at the match.
Dad and I decided that we simply couldn't wait for breakfast to eat again, so set out on foot in search of food. It was not easy to find. The restaurants we came to were either full, or had stopped serving, but we finally found a pub that was kind enough to find us a small table. I think we probably looked pretty pitiful by then. There weren't many menu choices still available by then, and since the place was so crowded, it took a while for the food to be ready, but we finally did get something warm and satisfying.