Besides the gorgeous views, I will always remember the music from our trip. It was everywhere. The beautiful, moody songs, the fun and rowdy ones, the bagpipes–all of it.

Music can reflect a mood but it also sets a mood. Great music sings directly to our souls.

Heartfelt music and magnificent natural beauty just seem to go together. The music we heard plus the Scottish Highlands’ natural beauty created a stunning sonata for my soul.

One day in Scotland a woman in front of us on the bus turned, as we were exiting, and said “You have a beautiful voice, I am so enjoying it!” Her comment startled me: I wasn’t even aware that during our drive through the highlands, I was glued to the window, softly singing some of the songs we’d heard in Scotland.

On our last day we heard an unusual arrangement playing in a shop, a piece of music I just had to have. The other day we cranked it up in the car and when I looked at the cover notes, I saw why it called to me.

Here it is from YouTube. Listen (but close your eyes because the visuals are really bad.) Here’s a clue: Who’s on guitar? Listen first, then scroll below the video. Remember, close your eyes, because this video actually detracts from the music.

It’s Mark Knopfler (from Dire Straits), the world’s best guitarist. Better than Clapton. Better than Santana. In my opinion. Now that you know, it’s like “of course, that’s who it is!”

It hadn’t occurred to me to think of bagpipes and Mark Knopfler’s fingerstyle guitar in the same piece of music.

He’s playing with the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, Scotland’s cavalry. Their secondary job is their famous pipes and drums band and they’ve expanded beyond traditional pipe and drum to pieces that speak to a broader audience.

The song, Going Home, is a great collaboration and an all too short piece.