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Published: June 18th 2008
Scottish gentlemen
Braemar Highland GamesHaggis, Highlands and Heather - - Scotland and a touch of England
Our European adventure began in the land of Scotch and bagpipes, Scotland. As a result of the last leg of our global journey being postponed, we had the good fortune of arriving in Scotland during the Edinburgh Festival. “The girls” (Pammy, Fiona and Rosie!) had been adamant, “You have to visit Scotland during the Edinburgh Festival.” We complied. As anyone whose been to Edinburgh can attest, it’s a gorgeous, historical city with an overabundance to see and do already but throw in a few extra weeks of art, comedy, music, drama, dance and a few pints to drink (Scots are extremely good at that - as are we!) and you have magic. Along with a fabulous place to stay in the trendy area of Grassmarket that looked right out onto the Edinburgh Castle (Thank you, Rosie!), our friends as personal tour guides (Thank you, girls!), and visiting friends from New Zealand and England (Hi to Mel, Rennie, Louise and Beeeeeeeen!), we had a beautiful city with its many sights to explore! Other benefits of the Festival that kept us well fed - the outdoor markets. We had not one,
Tartans of Scotland
On James' (my brother's!) Court but two farmer’s markets to graze and feast. One, the traditional Scottish market where an eclectic mix of pheasants, Highland berries and homemade haggis could be found. Haggis is a traditional Scottish dish - recipes may include sheep's heart, liver and/or lungs, onion, oatmeal, spices/salt, stock, and then it is traditionally boiled in the animal's stomach for 3+ hours! Mmmmmmmm, good! Don’t fret, vegetarians, you won’t be left out of this “tasty” treat, they have a non-meat variety as well. Two, a French market that had traveled across the English Channel just to keep us Festival-goers well supplied with mouthwatering cheeses, cured olives, smoked meats and crunchy baguettes (just in case you tired of the haggis).
We did a lot of sightseeing in Edinburgh including a walking tour of the Royal Mile, which stretches from Edinburgh Castle to Holyrood Abbey, soaking in the architecture, history, and churches - - all as a backdrop to the street performers, musicians, sidewalk shows, and those simply out enjoying the rare sunshine of Scotland. During the Festival, we enjoyed multiple comedy shows and charming pubs, but one of our favorite outings was a combination, the Literary Pub Tour, an entertaining mixture of scandals and
Old Fishmarket Close
Along the Royal Mile, Edinburgh triumphs of Scottish authors (along with Scottish pints of beer!) Edinburgh exudes charm and, like many European cities, is set up to encourage exploring on foot. Wandering the unique neighborhoods, peaking down Closes (labyrinths of narrow alleys branching off the main road - many of them boasting colorful names like Fleshmarket Close), and traversing the river to “New” Town, an 18th century solution to the problem of an increasingly crowded Old Town. On one of the clear days, we took in the gorgeous view of the city by hiking Arthur’s Seat (where our good friend, Fiona, prefers flip-flops as her hiking shoes of choice!).
As we left Edinburgh and traveled north, we encountered many delightful castles including Stirling Castle, the last stronghold of resistance to English rule and for Hollywooders, Braveheart fame. We explored St. Andrews, one feature being the St. Andrews Golf Course, the oldest golf course in the world, dating from 1400 AD. Some fun golf trivia: Golf was banned in 1457 by King James II of Scotland so that his soldiers would practice their archery rather than their golf game! This ban was repeated by succeeding monarchs until James IV threw in the towel and in 1502
Deacon Brodie's Tavern
A man with a colorful past (cabinet maker by day, criminal by night) became a golfer himself! “If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em!”
We had traveled the Bourbon Trails of Kentucky - - now it was our time for Scotch tastings in Scotland. As we pushed north into the Highlands, we spent many days enjoying the tours and tastings of Scotch…from the old family distilleries to the multi-conglomerate companies, all with their unique histories, techniques, equipment and tastes (If you need evidence of this just taste a peaty Scotch from Islay!).
Our travels took us by many scenic Lochs (lakes or sea inlets). Cricket was absolutely convinced she caught a glimpse of Nessie! We loved seeing the shaggy Highland cows and Shetland ponies (like my childhood horse, Licorice) amongst the beautiful purple Heather that grows wild everywhere.
In Scotland, we were lucky to arrive for the Braemar Highland Games, always attended by the royal family (this year, including the Queen!). Cricket kept yelling, “There’s the Queen! There’s the Queen!” As it turns out, the Queen’s summer home, Balmoral Castle, is just up the road from Braemar. The Games cover over 66 events including music, dance, and sports such as Weight over the Bar (good self- explanatory name!) and Tossing the Caber which
entails tossing a large wooden pole called a caber, similar in size to a telephone pole. The object is not the distance of the throw, but rather to have the caber fall directly away from the thrower after landing. A perfect throw ends with the 'top' end nearest to the thrower and the 'bottom' end pointing exactly away, etc. The events may seem very different from our typical American sports but one similarity is the spectators like to sit around drinking beer discussing how they would have done a much better job or had a better strategy if they were the athletes competing!!
We spent time exploring the charming Isle of Skye before skirting our way south down the rugged West Coast. We finished our time in Scotland with a wonderful stop in Glasgow to see our friend, Pammy. We stayed in the trendy West End, the bohemian district of cafés, tea rooms, bars, boutiques, and restaurants in the hinterland of Kelvingrove Park. As an added bonus, we were situated near the University of Glasgow Botanical Gardens, and a fantastic (& free!) art museum, Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum where a week-long tour would barely scratch the surface of exhibits!
The Queen!
Braemar Games Thank you “girls” for your incredible hospitality during our Scottish sojourn!
A Touch of England
From Scotland, we took a quick jaunt down to Northern England to see our friends Ben & Louise (who we’d already been fortunate enough to have seen while in Edinburgh) and Louise’s parents, Ron and Jill. Our first stop was the delightful Lake District - famous for its stunning mountains and, of course, crystal lakes amongst charming English villages. Unfortunately, its beauty is no secret evidenced by the many huge tour buses crowding the narrow village roads but we joined the crowds to stroll the postcard-worthy shires. Quickly, the quaint cottages along with the abundance of summer flowers (and a snack of tasty meat pies!) captivated our attention and dulled any sense of crowd fatigue.
As we continued traveling south, our crazy, not-so-detailed English map caused us a few “detours.” Our favorite mishap (and most humorous) was us standing in a telephone booth in the middle of a town square boasting to Ben over the phone, “We’re here in Shipley. Even with all the English narrow roads, curvy turns, and creased map we made good time to your city.”
Ben: Dead silence. Continued pause.
York Minster
York, England “I said Shepley, not Shipley!!”
What are the odds of having two towns right by one another with almost identical names??!! (Apparently, quite high! Those crazy Brits!!)
Once we could control our laughing, we inquired, “How do we get to Shepley then?” This answer would create even more laughter. Louises’s dad, Ron, would guide us, the old fashioned way, to Shepley where the directions would include no streets or roads but simply train tracks, turns at pubs, veering at forks, over bridges, etc. - - it was a hoot! When we finally pulled up to their front door in Shepley we felt like we’d won the lottery!
Our days in Shepley included a beautiful walk in what can only be described as idyllic English countryside surrounded by stone walls, old farmhouses, and golden rolled hay bales. Our exercise was rewarded by many wonderful meals (Jill even cooked us a traditional Sunday roast complete with Yorkshire pudding!), copious bottles of wine and endless good company and laughs. And no trip to Shepley would be complete without a stop at Farmer’s Boy, a true locals pub where camaraderie and laughter abound!
While in Shepley (not Shipley!), we took a day trip to
English countryside
Mmmmm...wild berries! Where's my pie? explore York, a medieval walled city. Some highlights included York Minster (largest gothic cathedral in Northern Europe) and poking around historic Shambles, a narrow medieval street, lined with shops and tea rooms. You can still see evidence of its prior life as home to the city butcher shops from the meat hooks still hanging about. Now, York will take on even more significance when our friends, Ben & Louise, tie the knot there this winter. In Liverpool, we stopped by to say hello to Ringo, John, Paul and George at the Beatles Museum before jetting off to Ireland.
Thank you Ron, Jill, Louise and Ben for opening your home to us crazy Americans!
What we will miss:
All our friends and their incredible hospitality
Scotch tasting at 11 am (without guilt!)
Endless fields of purple Heather and the windswept cliffs of the west coast
Cricket thinking the whole point of the Queen’s Braemar Games visit was to see her (Cricket does have a good dose of self esteem!)
What we won’t miss:
Blood sausages on our breakfast plates (daily!)
Thinking it’s a good idea to Scotch taste at 11 am (see above!)
One lane roads where it seemed
as though we were the only car ever thinking it proper to yield
Next stop:
Ireland
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Jackie Bird
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Cwickie in Kilt
Cwickie, you look so cute in your kilt! It appears to me that a bit of time was spent in pubs on this excursion. I LOVE the Last Drop! Living vicariously, Jackie