14 April, 2016

L is for Loch Ness


I’m a nerd. You might not be able to tell that from this A to Z challenge, but I am. A Star Wars (and Trek) loving, Monty Python quoting, bookworm of a theatre nerd. If it’s crazy, I probably want to know more.

When I was a kid, I believed in the Loch Ness Monster.


“Believed” might be a strong word, but I REALLY REALLY WANTED it to be true. I read articles, the logical arguments for how this creature could possibly exist, what she may look like, expeditions to discover her, and why she was so elusive. I SO BADLY wanted to be one of the people to find definitive proof.


During our family European trip, in addition to tooling across northern continental Europe, we spent a comparatively large chunk of time in England and Scotland.
We ferried across from Belgium, saw a bit of London, some ruin somewhere north of London, Hadrian’s Wall, Edinburgh, and stayed at a B&B near Loch Ness. (It’s MIGHTY cold that far north, so my parents had compassion on us, and left the tent in the van that night.)
 
Loch Ness in the sunshine isn't nearly as mysterious.



 
 
...but in the fog, ANYTHING might be true!
 
Driving around the Loch, I could’ve sworn I saw some weird shadow that may have been Nessie. Several times.

When we finally stopped in a town to do some tourist-ing, it became pretty clear that it’s all a joke to the locals.


>sigh<

Innocence lost.


Moral of the Story: Know when to let go of your childhood dreams.

12 comments:

  1. I still believe. It's not there now, but it used to be.

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    1. Well that's a comforting thought! Maybe it actually was around when I was a kid. Thanks for that.

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  2. I am with you here.....I want this mystery to be true!!

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    1. Maybe it *was* at one time. She couldn't live forever, could she?

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  3. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  4. Aww, sorry they spoiled it for you! I'm English and I believe! (Also a Trekkie, I do have a Klingon dictionary... but have never read it. Perhaps we are twins?). ~Liz http://www.lizbrownleepoet.com

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    1. It may partly have been my siblings poking holes in my faith.
      I knew a guy in college who actually learned Klingon. I'd love to have a dictionary of it - but like you probably wouldn't learn it.

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  5. Uh, Nessie is out there, and she is going to be SOOOOOOO mad when she finds out you don't believe in her!

    I absolutely want to go to Loch Ness, I went to Edinburgh and fell in love with Scotland.

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    1. Ha! The wrath of a dinosaur!
      We saw Edinburgh too, and took a ferry from either Edinburgh or Glasgow across the North Sea to Copenhagen.

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  6. A joke, huh? I never thought of Nessie as being a she, but now that I think of it, I suppose so.

    Thanks for writing your nerdy stories, Red. I, too, am a nerd though my interests differ somewhat from yours. Nevertheless, I am always curious about these unusual stories. The thing about being a nerd, I find, is that so few people are interested in what fascinates me. It's hard to find someone to tell my stories to, therefore.

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    1. Oh you feel my pain!
      I work at an engineering firm, so you'd think I'd be surrounded by nerds. But no. It's actually quite lonely being me.
      >SIGH<

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  7. I was hoping you might stumble upon the Knights who say Ni.

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I enjoy a good debate. Feel free to shake things up. Tell me I'm wrong. Ask me why I have such a weird opinion. ...or, just laugh and tell how this relates to you and your life.