This Little Piggy Went to Market...

Scotland has been truly wonderful to us.  There are stunning castles everywhere, hidden among rolling verdant hills, or surrounded by the sweeping moors.  We've been fortunate that the wild heather is out and bestows stunning violet colours to highlight the beauty of the Scottish moors.

The Scottish border is clearly marked and we couldn't help but take a moment to have a picture.

Edinburgh is truly a pretty place.  The town is of course very old, and was I believe the first city in the world to be granted world heritage status. This of course creates lots of problems for various locals however - including being unable to restore windows that were boarded up in Georgian times to avoid the 'window tax' of that era.

Our accomodation is in a lovely bed and breakfast near the beach.  Whilst it's certainly cool in the evenings, we've been really lucky with the weather and the sun is out more often than not.  Our first night, we walked along the beach to find some dinner and observed some people around a bonfire on the beach. They appeared to be burning old pallets, however Todd thought this was a sign of what was to come if the Scots won their independance from the UK.

Eating experiences here have been hit and miss.  Absolute hit was a three hour walking tour that I did one evening.  The idea is to see the city, but also understand more about the food culture.  I joined a group that visited five or six venues to taste typical Scottish fare.  It was fantastic! The stops were varied; a pub, hotel, a restaurant, french wine bar and also a private whiskey club (where I had haggis, neeps (turnips) and tatties (potatoes) for the first time).

Pork belly from a Californian inspired Scottish restaurant. 

Some sort of dessert with clotted cream, raspberries and short bread.

Unfortuantely, Todd was feeling unwell so couldn't attend, but I would absolutely recommend it to anyone visiting as a great way to see Edinburgh.

One of my less impressive dining experiences was when I popped out to get some lunch from a local fish and chip shop.  I asked for a "hamburger and chips".  The guy behind the counter took pains to explain that he had some items already cooked and ready to go - he showed me variously fish and sausages, all battered and deep fried sitting under the warmer.

There I am, thinking how do any of these things bear a resemblance to a 'hamburger' and so I declined these and said, "no, I really feel like a hamburger."  Well... unfortuantely I don't have a picture of what I got, but suffice to say it was not what I was expecting. Upon opening the box he gave me, I found a bed of chips and two hamburger patties that had been battered and deep fried!

At this stage, it felt too awkward to do anything but walk out of the store and just eat what I had been given.  I've since been advised that I need to ask for a 'cheeseburger' and preferably go to a 'kebab shop' for real hamburgers!

Another of the better meals we had was on board the H.M. Royal Yacht Britannia.  The food was simple, but really tasty and excellently prepared.  We did a tour of the ship and had lunch on the deck which was pleasant, even if it left our wallets significantly lighter for the experience. We stole two of the napkins as recompense (and later saw them for sale in the gift shop!)

Another lovely eating experience was a place called Oink.  They have a whole roast pig on display that they pull the meat off and put it into fresh buns with a choice of only two or three condiments.  The meat is succulent and super tasty. Each roll is about $10AUD, so whilst it's not the cheapest sandwich around, it was definately great value.

This little piggy went to... the abbattoir?

We left Edinburgh for our Inverness self catered accomodation.  This was almost a relief as we finally had room to unpack our suitcases properly and to do some laundry!  We could also stock our own fridge and I'd forgotten that feeling of having a full fridge... It felt a little more like home after that.

Unfortunately the Rekorderlig Peach and Apricot cider you see there was left un-drunk and now I can't find it anywhere... opportunity missed, however I shall not stop looking!

Inverness was also lovely and seemed to be also a little wealthier than other parts of Scotland.  Certainly house blocks were bigger and the ratio of luxury cars on the road was similar to that of England (which was typically higher than Scotland more generally).  We had a wonderful time exploring Loch Ness - including Todd trying to find a path right down to the edge of the water through dense blackberry bushes and trees.  Once down, he had a lot of trouble getting back up.  There is a short video of him attempting to climb up, however I've been forbidden from posting it here.

The Tide is High...

Our accomodation in Berwick was easily the most luxurious so far.  Our host has built a seven bedroom Georgian reproduction manor home and lets out some of the rooms.  The whole place is such perfection that we are scared to slip/drop/mark/stain anything. He also runs a side business as a cake maker/decorator and had some of his creations on display in the guest lounge.  Needless to say, they were also exquisite.

Upon arrival, we were welcomed with refreshments and asked to mind the phone, as our host was just "popping down to Mummy's for ten minutes."

The next day we visited Lindisfarne on the Holy Isle off the coast of Berwick.  There is a causeway that you drive across in order to access the island, however you must take note of the tide times lest you get stranded either on the isle, or on the causeway when the tides catch you. There are warnings everywhere on the island.

We walked all over for about three hours - the countryside there is absolutely stunning.  It is sometimes referred to as the "Cradle of Christianity" in Britain. An abbey, built during the 5th or 6th centuries by St. Aiden and St. Cuthbert and since ruined during the confiscation of the monasteries by Henry VIII in the 16th century, partly remains and attracts pilgrims from all over the country.

Seperately, I was having conniptions about the possibility of being stranded, so had already "accidentally" put insufficient coinage in the parking machine (meaning we'd have to depart earlier than planned). Luckily we left with plenty of time to spare and there were no news stories about two fat Australians being rescued from the roof of their car. As we were walking to the car, I picked up a huge punnet of fresh raspberries for $4AUD.  They were succulent and juicy!

The next day we went for a boat tour of some of the other islands of the eastern coast, a little further south of Berwick.  This was lovely, and we saw seals and various birdlife (including one puffin bird!) Thankfully, I'd taken a Travelcalm pill and so didn't vomit in anyone's face (as was the case with my trip to Kangaroo Island some years ago).

Upon our return home, we walked in the front door to hear music absolutely blasting from deep within the house.  As we went upstairs, it was clear it was coming from near our room. It turns out our host does the cleaning whilst listening to all male, light operatic versions of various songs as diverse as Somewhere Over the Rainbow and All of Me by John Legend.  All played to a volume that would drown out ten lawnmowers! Unfortuantely I made the mistake of politely commenting that "we were enjoying the music" so it basically continued at this volume for another 90 minutes.

The breakfasts here have been some of the best so far and we're yet to find a good rhythm for meals... it seems that to some extent we are basically; eating, sightseeing, eating, resting, eating, sleeping - repeat.