Another country added to our list, or at least 1/2 of of a country, for a total of 18.5: Scotland. Fabulous place... Edinburgh/Scotland, may even eclipse Helsinki/Finland as my favorite places in Europe. Stayed in a lovely B&B, the Kenvie Guest House (another solid Rick Steves' recommendation) and sallied forth from there. Took a day-long bus trip that took us up and around Loch Ness. It included a short cruise on Loch Ness. The first of these photos shows the girls touring Urquhart Castle.

Took the train up to Stirling, a place rich in history as it was quite a strategic locale. William "Braveheart" Wallace defeated the English here, though that was just one of several notable battles which took place over the centuries. You can see his monument in the far distance to the left of the girls.
(Might be hard to believe that we had such gorgeous weather in Oct. in Scotland, but the pictures don't lie...)

Probably our favorite place in Edinburgh itself (other than Mr. Wood's Fossils of course, a magical place...) is Holyrood Park, a massive city park that is the remains of a long-extinct volcano, and the birthplace of modern geology. Once you're in, it's hard to believe that you are still in the center of a bustling, modern city. From bottom to top, St. Leonard's Entrance; Arthur's Seat, the summit at 251m, and handstands on a beautiful afternoon.
Also did one of the mandatory tourist things and took a bus down to Rosslyn Chapel. The girls are pictured in front of, if my recollection is correct, the "Apprentice Pillar." There's a story there, but for another time.