For me, every journey begins with music, and Scotland is no exception. Once a year, a folk music festival would take place on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. I would pack up my young daughters, and we would spend the weekend immersed in live music, creativity, and barefoot dancing on the grass to the sounds of spontaneous jam sessions. American, Irish, and Scottish folk songs blended in the air – it was a kind of escape, our own mini-Woodstock within the chaos of the world. As a young mother, it was soul-reviving, moments of pure magic.
What stood out to me then – and even more so today – was that every Scottish song felt like a love story, a kind of love letter to the land. The melodies carried a deep connection to nature, a bond between people and their homeland, and a powerful longing to return for those who had left. It was such a profound love of country that I knew Scotland must be a truly special place.
And so, it naturally became the next destination for Karibou. I immersed myself in months of research and planning, and invited my father to join me on a scouting trip, knowing it would be an experience we would cherish forever.
Now, as I sit here reflecting on the realization of this dream, I am overwhelmed with emotion. With my aging father by my side, we embarked on an epic seven-day, 3,500-kilometer journey through towering mountains, rolling valleys, serene lochs, and a whisky lover’s paradise.
And so, the love story with Scotland begins the moment you travel through its wild, almost untouched landscapes. It immediately envelops you, igniting a passion like the embrace of a first love. With every kilometer, every turn in the road, the feeling intensifies – as if experiencing nature for the very first time. It is a dizzying, breathtaking journey, one that even brought me to tears from pure excitement.
The beautiful mist over the Highlands, the sound of roaring waterfalls cascading down the mountains as if the earth itself is weeping, while magnificent herds roam – wild and free, unbound by time.
It felt like stepping straight into the heart of those Scottish folk songs.
But it does not end there. Scottish culture is a return to simplicity – an embrace of nature’s raw beauty, a taste of the purest ingredients of single malt whisky, and gathering together with neighbors. No pretension, no overthinking – just connection, tradition, and a good drink.
And like those melodic love letters, I already long to return.
