[steam whistle's loud, shrill blast] (Rudy Maxa) I'm boarding a steam-powered train for one of the world's most unforgettable rides through the rolling hills of the Scottish Highlands.

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[violin plays in bright rhythm] ♪ ♪ (Rudy) Scotland's landscapes speak volumes.

Tinged with sadness, they remember battles for freedom, bravery, fierce loyalty in terrible defeats.

magical, ancient, supernaturally beautiful, the glens and lochs are fertile ground for fairies and mythical monsters.

Scotland feels like home, a Jungian ancestral land that transcends nationality.

It's a place that works its way forever into the soul and the psyche.

In the words of Robert Burns, Scotland's beloved poet, "My heart's in the Highlands wherever I go."

Castles, lochs, bonny green glens, and one of the most magical capital cities in the world-- this is Scotland.

The Highlands occupy a mountainous region in northwest Scotland.

Along the west coast lies the rugged beauty of the Isle of Skye.

To the east, the capital, Edinburgh.

And that's the way to see the bragh glens of the Scottish Highlands is aboard the Jacobite steam train.

Into the Highlands the train chugs into a land of lochs and heather-covered moors, of treeless green expanse dotted with sheep, tiny villages, and coastal splendor.

So magical is this little train, it was cast as the Hogwarts' Express in the Harry Potter films.

[shrill steam whistle] [chugging of the steam engine] The Jacobites, for whom the train is named, were rebels who sought to return the Catholic Stuart dynasty of kings to power in England and Scotland.

The Highlands, this great wild area of Scotland has only 8 inhabitants per square kilometer.

In the years following the defeat of the Jacobites, Highlanders were driven from their homes by wealthy landowners who started sheep farms.

During what was called the Highland Clearances, many of the displaced were shipped off to Canada and America.

Rivalry among highland clans is legendary, and Highland Games sprang out of local competitions to see which clans could outbrawn or outdance the other.

Every summer, towns all over Scotland host Highland Games, and the competitors come from all over the world.

[bagpipes play] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Even the dogs are competing, showing off their herding skills with a gaggle of harried geese.

I suspect the dogs enjoy this a whole lot more than the geese!

[applause] Can you play a little something for us on the bagpipe?

Yeah.

Have you got any requests, your favorite song?

No, no, no, I want-- play your favorite song.

[plays a sustained bass tone] [while bass tone is sustained; melody is played above] ♪ ♪ What I want to know is which one of you guys is stronger?

About the same.

Yeah.

You're about the same?

That's a very diplomatic answer.

I gather that some people go around in a circuit doing this all the time.

Do you he a cole competitors here today that are from other places?

Well, there's boys from America, boys from Czechoslovakia.

they come from every other country.

Is there any money in winning?

Oh yeah.

Lot of money.

Lot of money in winning.

Big money?

(Rudy) There's some very young Highland dancers here today.

When do young girls start dancing?

Three.

At 3?

Quite a few start at 3, but you can't compete until you're 4.

[laughs] Well, do they learn in school?

Do they go to private schools?

Do they learn at home?

(woman) It's usually dance schools.

(Rudy) How much pressure is on these competitors here today?

Well, this is quite relaxing here.

It's not a championship; it's just a wee fun day out.

"A wee fun day out?"

(woman) A wee fun day out, and I hope they'll enjoy it.

♪ ♪ The Games at Aberfeldy have a special tradition.

The goal is simple; lift and carry a huge old stone from nearby Menzies Castle.

The stone weighs more than 250 pounds, and the tale goes that the stone was used by Clan Menzies to select their chief's bodyguard.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Getting the thing off the ground at all is heroic, rolling it up your belly is superhuman, and walking with it, well that's just plain nuts.

[applause & cheers] (man) Keep going, keep going, don't stop, keep going.

[applause & cheers] (crowd) Come on!

Come on!

♪ ♪ The Highland Games, like so much in Scotland, have one foot in the 21st century, the other in the 12th.

♪ ♪ Glen Coe is a long, deep glacial valley in the heart of the Highlands.

On a fine day, Glen Coe enchants like no place on earth.

But on a stormy day under fierce clouds, the ghosts of the murdered MacDonalds haunt this melancholy landscape.

In 1691, the King of England demanded oaths of loyalty from the Highland chiefs.

The MacDonald Clan was late in responding to the decree, so the King sent a regiment, headed by a Campbell, to massacre the MacDonalds.

For many locals, the memory of the massacre is very much alive today, and there's no love lost between the MacDonalds and the Campbells.

The Western Highlands are notorious as one of the wettest parts of Europe, but people here just carry on, playing golf, tending sheep, taking a wee walk.

The carpeted, velvety Highlands beg to be explored by foot.

The threat of rain is omnipresent, but the rewards for a wee walk in any weather are great.

You can't very well visit Scotland and not try the national dish, haggis.

This age-old meal is often served with a modern flair.

(man) This is from here, this area.

I know it is.

Lovely.

Lovely!

(man) Here we are.

Enjoy that.

Well, this is lovely.

Bon appetit!

Well, we would say in Scotland It gets stuck on you at your aunties.

Gets stuck in at your aunties?

Aye.

Bon appetite, in other words, like you're at your auntie's house.

What am I eating here?

What's haggis made of?

Well, you're eating Scotland's national dish.

Haggis is made from liver, lungs, legs, oatmeal preserve, and it's cooked and boiled in the sheep's stomach.

What arthe liver and lungs from?

Sheep.

Sheep, okay, and cooked in a sheep's stomach.

Well, I love what it's accompanied with, a single malt scotch.

None of this wimpy wine stuff.

Absolutely.

Cheers.

(ph) Slahnge!

Slahnge!

Get it down ya, it'll do you good!

Get it down ya, it'll do ya good.

I got a lot to learn.

Oh, just a wee bit.

(Rudy) All over the Highlands, dramatic castles evoke the era of Jacobite wars and fiercely loyal Clans.

Eilean Donan Castle, set on a promontory, is one of Scotland's most famous and most photographed.

Alex, what is the history of this castle?

When was it first built?

The original castle was built in the 13th century and built very much on the site of Gaelic structures that stood here since the Iron Age.

The castle itself, which we see today is largely a restoration.

It was restored by the Macrae Family.

There have been constables in the castle since the early 16th century.

Has this ever been used as a movie set?

Every year, we make a movie here practically.

It's a very, very popular movie venue, the exterior especially.

We did 2 movies alone last year, "Made of Honor," "Elizabeth: The Golden Age."

It's a very popular movie venue.

And most people will remember it from "Highlder" or maybe James Bond.

Which James Bond movie?

The James Bond movie was called "The World is not Enough" with Pierce Brosnan, 1999.

However, my favorite is much farther back in time with my hero Errol Flynn.

Errol Flynn made a movie here in the early '50s, "The Master of Ballantrae."

(Rudy) Do you have a lot of Macraes stopping in?

(Alex) Oh absolutely!

This is the home of the Clan Macrae, and we come from all over the world, in fact, Mrs. Macrae hosts the international clan gatherings Got a dungeon?

No, the Macraes traditionally didn't keep prisoners, they liked to throw them into the water and bet how long it took to drown!

[Rudy laughs] (Rudy) From Eilean Donan, it's a wee ferry ride to the Isle of Skye.

Bonny Prince Charles, a steward and hero of the Jacobites fled to Skye after his loss at the Battle of Culloden in 1746.

People sll sing a song about his flight to the Isle.

(man) ♪ Speed, bonny boat, like a bird on the wing ♪ ♪ Onward!

The sails cry; ♪ ♪ Carry the lad that's born to be king ♪ ♪ Over the sea to Skye.

♪ The island's name comes from Norse meaning isle of clouds, and aptly named it is for the dramatic clouds, the absolute purity of the light, the ever-changing skyscape.

From its soaring peaks and mountain ranges, seaside cliffs, giant sculptured rocks and rolling moors, the Isle of Skye is a geological wonder and a place of otherworldly beauty.

On Skye, life is lived as it's always been lived.

Shepherds and their dogs drive flocks in waves across the green hills.

♪ ♪ Little pastel fishing villages hug the coast, heather covered fields ripple in the sea breeze, and lighthouses warn of rocky shores.

Skye is stormy, wild, grand, and utterly seductive.

In Skye, you're never more than 5 miles from the coast.

Eerie basalt columns spring from the earth, the result of volcanic upheavals.

Sailors approaching Skye use the rock formation called The Old Man of Storr as a landmark.

I'm looking for a souvenir to take home from Skye, something that captures the sea air, the peat, the rushing rivers.

At Talisker, they've managed to put the Isle of Skye in a glass.

Now, is it like wine, where you first check the color and the nose before tasting it?

Absolutely.

By looking at it, it can tell us lots of different things.

Looking at it can tell us the type of cask maturation that we're using because of the colors.

So with this one, we've got lovely light golden colors, so we're looking at bourbon cask maturation, American Oak.

Also by looking at it and swirling it around in the glass and then watching what we call the legs, which in wine, we call it the tears.

Along the side of the glass.

It'll start to tell us how it's going to feel inside the mouth, what sort of finish we're going to have on the whiskey before we start, then of course, the scent or the aroma.

Peat.

Absolutely.

So the color comes from the wood cask?

Absolutely.

Different types of casks will give a different sort of richness of color.

During the time of maturation, there's obviously a lot of interaction happening with the wood, and also because there's obviously a lot of high alcohols there, a lot of it's going to evaporate out.

We lose 2% of each of our cask's volume... That has a name.

Yeah, absolutely.

We call it the angel share.

And year upon year, we lose this 2%.

The angel share is the alcohol that evaporates while it's aging in the cask.

Absolutely.

We like to believe the angels above Talisker are obviously getting a good dram during the time their whiskey is maturing here, so we've all got a safe place up there afterwards.

Cheers!

Cheers!

Slahnge!

Slahnge (Rudy) Single malt whiskeys were for the longest time the only whiskeys made.

Then in the 19th century a smoother but more bland drink was made by blending whiskies.

The bottling of single malts all but stopped.

But in the 1960s, the robust, unique personality of single malts was rediscovered, and today sales are through the roof.

One recent sale of a bottle of rare single malt went for $75,000 on auction.

[drums & flute play] ♪ ♪ The train is a convenient way to get from city to city within the UK.

You can have breakfast in London and lunch in Edinburgh, or you can take a sleeper car and travel the entire length of the country.

Edinburgh, nicknamed Auld Reekie or Old Smokey for all the coal fires that once spewed forth from dark chimneys.

Edinburgh remains a dusky city, one moment shining, the other glowering.

♪ ♪ From its great castle brooding on a volcanic outcropping over the town, to the modern architectural hodgepodge of the Parliament building, Edinburgh's past and present stand side by side.

It's a dark beauty of a city with weathered old stone churches and shadowy narrow alleys called closets.

♪ ♪ Edinburgh is a ridiculously romantic city with its craggy castle, its nooks and crannies, and its stormy skies.

300 years ago, Scotland reluctantly formed a union with England to end centuries of bitter wars.

Many remember it as though it were yesterday.

In 1999, Scotland secured the right to control its own Parliament and pass laws on matters such as education and health care, but England still controls foreign relations and defense.

♪ ♪ The ancient sprawling complex of Edinburgh Castle winds up to panoramic views of the city.

♪ ♪ In 1561, the beautiful Queen, Mary Queen of Scots, cousin to Elizabeth I, arrived in Scotland from France to take power.

She was a Catholic ruling a Protestant country.

Murder, betrayal, rebellions, and ill-fated love affairs peppered her short reign.

At the age of 24, she was forced to abdicate and exiled to England, where she was later beheaded.

[steady, deep clomp, clomp] [loud roar] At 1:00 every day except Sunday, a cannon fires atop the castle.

The practice began in 1861 so that sailing ships could set their clocks accurately.

[violin plays; bright in tone] ♪ ♪ Edinburgh's mood changes as often as the weather.

In August, the streets fill with performing artists gathered for the world's largest celebration of the arts.

It's called the Edinburgh Festival.

Come see "Apocalypse: the Musical!"

♪ ♪ [crowd cheers] ♪ ♪ (Rudy) The streets are filled with music.

I caught a foot-tapping performance by local band Jacob's Pillow.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ All day long, performers are out on the streets trying to entice people to their evening shows.

This is the way I work, unfortunately.

People just like to make fun of me.

I don't know why.

(Rudy) Everything from edgy theater to classical opera is on offer.

It's a modern-day medieval street fair; colorful, imaginative, and bizae.

♪ ♪ [sardonic laugh] ♪ ♪ [applause & cheers] (Rudy) The Royal Mile is the main street through Edinburgh's Old Town, and during the festival, it's the single most exciting aven in the world.

♪ ♪ [orchestra plays softly] ♪ ♪ As the Scots would say when they're exhausted, I'm Guy Wabbit, and it's time I was away in my patch.

♪ ♪ If I dream of headlines and printing presses that's because the Scotsman Hotel is housed in the former baronial quarters of a newspaper called "The Scotsman."

It's located in the heart of Edinburgh near the Royal Mile.

"The Scotsman's" 1905 building exudes prosperity with it's mahogany wood paneling, marble, and stained glass.

♪ ♪ The paper is still in print, and diners can peruse it in the hotel's cathedral-like bistro.

The Edinburgh Festival culminates at night at the castle with the most spectacular event of all... [bagpipes & drums play a march] ♪ ♪ The musicians in these bands are all servicemen and women, and for them combat must take priority over piping and drumming.

Most have attended the prestigious Army School of Piping.

The term "tattoo" comes from the Dutch cry to close the taps in bars in the low countries.

A military fife and drum corp traditionally accompanied soldiers home at closing time.

[crowd applauds] ♪ ♪ Over the years, more than 12 million people have attended the Tattoo, with an annual attendance of around 200,000.

Not a single performance of the Tattoo has ever been canceled.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [loud crackle of multiple explosions] Monsters in the lochs, fairies in the moors, angels taking their share of the whiskey, in magical Scotland, anything is possible.

In mists and fog, it's a mournful, haunting land.

In brilliant sun, it blinds with its beauty.

"My heart's home," Queen Victoria called Scotland after she bought Balmoral Castle.

Indeed, for anybody, could be easy to toss it all and make this wild and enchanting country home for good.

[with Scottish accent] There's a bonny sight wherever you gone in this land.

Reporting from Scotland, I'm Rudy Maxa.

See ya later.

A trip to Queen Elizabeth's former yacht is an Edinburgh excursion worth making.

The Royal Yacht Britannia has helped to make the Queen the most traveled monarch the world's ever known.

Here, leaders from all over the globe were entertained just as they would be at a royal palace on British soil.

In 1997, the ship was retired after 44 years of service and opened to the public.

Taking the streets by storm every August is Scotland's Edinburgh International Festival and a cluster of spinoff festivals such as the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

According to the organizers, the event was founded in 1947 and grew out of the rubble of the Second World War with the aim of providing "a platform for the flowering of the human spirit."

And flower it does, in every way imaginable, from opera to outrageous street theater.

Here's my advice-- book early, stay in the heart of town, and make the most of the nonstop entertainment.

(woman) For links and photos of the places featured in "Rudy Maxa's World," and other savvy traveling tips, visit maxa.tv.

To order DVDs of "Rudy Maxa's World," visit maxa.tv.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ CC--Armour Captioning & TPT (woman) Funding for "Rudy Maxa's World" is provided by the following... (woman) Orbitz salutes the neverending spirit of adventure and as a proud sponsor of "Rudy Maxa's World" Orbitz offers comprehensive information on the world's great destinations.

From custom vacation packages to in-depth mobile tools your trip begins on Orbitz.

Take vacation back!

[Korean janggu drums play in bright rhythm] (man) Korea, be one with earth and sky.

(woman) And by Delta, serving hundreds of destinations worldwide.

Informationo plan your next trip available at delta.com.

[orchestral fanfare] ♪ ♪