Alva Highland Games, Edinburgh Concert, & THE HIGHLANDS

As we go through our time here at the festival, the days get more and more action packed. Saturday had BEAUTIFUL weather. It was our first day of full sun in Scotland and it matched perfectly with our trip to the Alva Highland Games. We watched a variety of athletic events including the children's hill climb where they run up a mountain and back! We then moved on to to Edinburgh for our first full formal concert of the festival. After our sound check, the students got to see where JK Rowling wrote most of the Harry Potter books and the grave stones where many of the character names where devised. The concert was absolutely PHENOMENAL! All the groups sounded great and our grand finale, bagpipes and all, was a huge hit.

Sunday was more traditional Scottish weather: Rain. We did a full day tour of the Highlands stopping several times to see points of interest including, Loch Lomond, Glencoe, Neptune's Staircase, and Glenfinnen Viaduct. The kids pushed forward through the rain and had a good time exploring some of the most beautiful landscapes that this country has to offer. A highlight for many was Neptune's Staircase, a system of 9 locks, that carry boats down 100 feet between two lakes. We actually got to see the locks in action which was really a neat sight! The students also enjoyed seeing the Glennfinnen Viaduct which is the long train bridge seen carrying the Hogwarts Express in the Harry Potter movies. We were even lucky enough to watch an actual steam train go across while we were photographing!

On the docket for tomorrow is a trip to the Atlantic coast town of Ayr and Culzean Castle! We'll play two concerts and see a new side of the beautiful country. As always for more photos and videos, check our Facebook Page LHS Strolling Strings!