Inverarary Scotland,

Inveraray was not in my original plans. I wasn't going here and had no inkling that my plans would indeed change!

Travis was in a play this fall, "The 39 Steps". It was a very good play, a very funny and extremely enjoyable play! There were only 4 people performing for like 30 characters. It was fast moving and entertaining. Well Travis played a Sheriff of the jail in Inveraray. He also played the wife of an innkeeper in Scotland and he rode a train to Edinburgh. So that play perked my interest in Inveraray. So we checked it out on a map and saw that it was only 11 miles from our first night stay. So into the plans it went. And we are so very glad we went. Very beautiful setting for a town right on a loch! After we parked the car we went over to pay for parking but the sign said free parking from November to Easter. There was an older Scottish gentleman standing there and he started talking to us and we asked him where the jail was and a bank and a post office. He told us where to find all three and he told us that this was the first planned town in Scotland. The people laid out plans where the buildings would go. There was a castle just down the road and the town use to be with the castle.

Bud had to pay 20 pence to use this toilet!

We went to the jail down the street!

Carleigh could be a lawyer here and Travis could be the Sheriff!

This was a court house so you could get a trial before they tortured you, burned you, cut off your hands, flogged you, hung you, humiliated you for certain crimes. Theft, adultery, witchcraft, fornication, being outspoken, etc. This was the jail used for all of Scotland.

Women could have their babies live with them in prison up to 12 months of age. Children caught stealing were put in jail, often boys and girls in the same cell!

Altogether not a nice place that is for sure! Not heated, tried to make it so the rain wouldn't come in but that just made the rooms all sweaty because of poor ventilation. The food was basically porridge made with water. The prison warden brought in a cow so the prisoners could have milk in their porridge but the people that ran the prison felt it wasn't a food idea so they had to get rid of the cow and hay and the prisoners had to go back to water.

And the cells were so small that they had to warn you to duck!

It was a very interesting tour that we were so glad we took!