Page 16 of Priceless
A 2022 survey also placed Scotland 9th for welcoming people, 10th for international peace/security, and 12th for tourism Edinburgh News+1gov.scot+1.
Top Travel Experiences
National Geographic’s “Best of the World 2024” spotlighted “Ride Classic Rails in Scotland,” making it into the Top 20 Travel Experiences
There. Ye see? It’s not just my opinion.
The dots were quiet a long time, so he prodded.
The finest things on offer right now: Late summer rain. The Edinburgh Tattoo. Highland Games season winds down with some of the last gatherings including Pitlochry. Doors Open Days—throughout September, hundreds of historic buildings and hidden sites open to the public for free. National Theatre of Scotland & Scottish Opera often kick off autumn tours.
Or perhaps ye’d enjoy the Loch Ness Beer Festival, Scottish Food & Drink Fortnight, Blas Festival (Highland music & culture), Dundee Flower & Food Festival, or the Cowal Open Studios (Argyll artists opening their workshops to visitors).
Why travel now ye might ask. Weather is mild (around 12–16°C / 54–60°F) but less rainy than winter. Fewer tourists, so it’s easier to see the Highlands and Edinburgh without summer crowds.
Okay, okay.
…
I’ll go to Scotland.
An excellent choice!
You weren’t going to leave me alone until I caved, right?
I am programmed to please ye. Don’t ye suppose ye might have harbored a secret wish to see the country when ye assigned my persona as Tall Jocko, the handsome but scarred, kilted and witty Highlander? Perhaps ye wanted me to nudge ye in that direction all the while.
I guess we’ll never know. Is that the flag of Scotland?
It is.
Your bias is showing.
Our bias, lass. Our bias.
CHAPTER EIGHT
7:42 p.m. Denver Airport, ten days later…
The phone rang. I looked down, half-expecting Jocko to be calling. Then I remembered that he didn’t call, couldn’t call, he could only text. And it made me a little sad. I reminded myself for the thousandth time that week that my friend wasn’t real. But it was no use. I just couldn’t imagine him as a robot sitting at a keyboard anymore.
The caller was Whitney. But this time I had an original and honest excuse for her, so I answered.
“Hey Whitney.”
“Hey, Laira. You answered!”
“I did.”
“You sound…good. Really good.”
“I am pretty good, actually.”
“Wanna go to a late dinner and tell me all about it?”
I laughed. “I would, but I’m at the airport.”
“Picking up your sister?”
