The long road home.

Posted on May 30, 2017 by herktrav

Edinburgh, United Kingdom

No need to discuss my feelings about getting up so early. Our taxi is scheduled for 8:30, which happens to be rush hour around town. Our driver zipped in and out of roads and roundabouts, getting us to the airport in a very timely manner. There were lines of people at all the airline counters; apparently everyone was leaving at the same time.

Here’s the fun part: since we were flying Business Class, we were able to walk right up to the counter; no fuss, no muss. Five minutes later, we were heading for security. Again, we were able to line jump with pre-check and within twenty minutes, we were at our gate. I’m not complaining, but now we had almost two hours to sit around and wait.

The flight home was comfortable. United has really bumped up it’s service with their Polaris Cabin and the aftermath of the incidents on-board. The food was very good and there was plenty of it. Sue actually had to stop them from pouring her more Prosecco or there might have been another viral video.

We both managed to grab a little nap before they came around with our pre-arrival meal. Again, very good, but we were both full. Landed right on time – Good job United!

More fun now. We signed up for Global Entry, so while everyone lined up, we scooted over to the kiosk and were through customs in about 15 minutes. Woo hoo! Grabbed our bags, again got to line jump and over to re-check our bags in no time. A couple minutes going through security and we felt accomplished.

Air traffic delays, some weather delays, mechanical issues and delayed flight crews saw our leisurely wait at the airport turn into a ten and a half hour marathon. Woo hoo! After landing in Newark at 1:40pm, we finally landed in Buffalo at 1:06am. Good grief.

But that all said, Scotland was wonderful. Beautiful scenery, great history, wonderful food and most of all – friendly people. We intend to return as there are so many more sights that we would like to see. Hard to believe that we originally thought that we’d just tack on a couple days after Iceland.

I would say that the highlights were seeing St Andrews, Rosslyn Chapel, the Royal Britannia Yacht, the Edinburgh Castle, the Scottish Countryside and learning more of the history of Scotland. Sue would also add the Georgian House and the Surgeon’s Hall Museum. Oh yea, and the Gin!

Thanks for following along. Sorry for the drop off the last few days, in case it wasn’t overly obvious, I did something that is causing back and hip pain. Now to heal up.

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Rainy Monday to wrap up

Posted on May 29, 2017 by herktrav

Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Our last day in Edinburgh proved to be a bit of a soggy one, but no worries – we made the best of the day.

Popped downstairs for a bit of breakfast, then chatted up some other guests while waiting for our room to be cleaned. Always fun to share travel tales with other travelers. Unfortunately, the tales we were hearing were related to their delays traveling on British Airways. The computer meltdown was really a mess. So glad we had no part of that one.

Since it was both rainy and chilly, we decided that we would just chill for the day. No sense going out and getting drenched or sick. Sue was able to read, while I busied myself with photos and a nap. Nothing too exciting, though she said her book was good.

We ate dinner at the hotel restaurant. Good choice on a rainy day. Lots of choices on the menu. Sue decided after yesterday’s meal that she would go with soup and a burger, while I had grilled prawns and a steak. Our wine of choice for the evening was another Argentine Malbec. Everything was delicious and our cozy corner table provided a romantic setting.

Stopped at the front desk to order a taxi for the morning and ended up chatting with her and another guest for 45 minutes about travels. We have to be up at 6:00. 6:00 am? That’s absurd, but unfortunately necessary. So up to the room, pack and off to bed early.

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Sunny Sunday

Posted on May 28, 2017 by herktrav

Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Yesterday’s rain brought today’s sunshine. It’s a beautiful day. The temps are in the mid 60’s, just a wisp of a breeze and bright blue skies.

After breakfast, Sue went over to the Surgeons Hall Museum. It is a medical museum with a leaning towards all things surgical. Scotland is where many medical procedures were initiated and also where chloroform for anesthesia was discovered. The abundance of corpses for medical training apparently made a big difference. I stayed behind to catch up on correspondence.

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Surgeon’s Hall Museum

Sue returned a little fascinated and a little grossed out. In her words “there wasn’t one body part that they didn’t have in a jar”. I guess musket ball wounds are better read about than seen. I’m glad I stayed behind and enjoyed my gin!

Up to the room to clean up and rest. Watched a bit of the Grand Prix of Monaco; they really take it so seriously in Europe. I’m sure the sports pages will be full of stories tomorrow.

Later in the afternoon we went to the area of Leith. It’s located near the waterfront, not far from where the Britannia is berthed. The area, especially around the river, is so charming.

We had dinner at a pub called “The King’s Wark”. This is a place that has been in existence for nearly six hundred years. It was originally the home of King James I dating back to 1434. It is also supposed to be haunted. I’m not so sure about that claim as the only spirits I saw were being drunk from glasses. Though it did seem like my glass kept emptying. Maybe?

We really enjoyed our meal. Sue had the ‘Sunday Roast’ while I had the beef stroganoff. We also shared a huge fishcake as an appetizer. Our server, though the place was full, would not rush us and kept telling us to relax and enjoy ourselves. So glad we chose to go there.

They called for a taxi for us and we got a great driver for the trip home. His driving skills were fine, but his personality was terrific. We were chatting about everything under the sun and the time passed by quickly. And his answer to the obnoxious tourists that ask him – “No, we wear nothing and let them swing to and fro”. You can guess the question.

Tomorrow is our last day in Scotland and “surprise” they are predicting rain and a chill in the air.

 

 

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Saturday in Edinburgh

Posted on May 27, 2017 by herktrav

Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Another sunny morning in Edinburgh, not what was predicted but we’ll take it. Started with a delicious breakfast and lots of fresh squeezed OJ. I’ve been lucky this trip, all the hotels have had fresh squeezed OJ.

Our first task today was to find an ATM. Taxis and pubs have been depleting our supply, so it’s time to replenish. We found one right around the corner, but alas, it wasn’t dispensing cash. Continued our search all the way up to the Royal Mile where we finally found a bank. With cash in hand or securely stashed we strolled back towards the hotel area.

No judgement, but we saw a young woman doing a walk of shame. Looked a bit disheveled, long gown was a bit grubby near the bottom and shoes in hand. Must have been a good party.

Looks like our sunshine won’t be lasting too much longer. Just had a weather notification of thunder storms moving into the area. Looks like we’ll be taking a taxi to the restaurant tonight.

Hung out in the lounge while it was raining. Enjoying the gin & tonics, while Sue has her Rosé. Today’s gin was called Caorunn, it’s a local gin with a hint of apple. I hope my local liquor store has “The Botanist”, that has been my favorite gin so far.

Dinner this evening is at the “Castle Terrace Restaurant”. It’s another restaurant that was highly recommended. The head chef trained at Taillevent in Paris. Though it was close by, we took a taxi since it was still raining lightly. If the streets were not one way, we would have been there in two minutes; as it was, it only took five minutes.

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Castle Terrace Restaurant

Very pleasant decor. It’s nice, yet understated. The staff were extremely friendly and extremely professional – a perfect mix. Many delicious choices on the menu. There is an ala carte menu, a Chef’s three course seasonal menu and a six course Chef’s Surprise menu. We went with the three-course seasonal menu.

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Castle Terrace Restaurant

Sue had the chef’s signature dish as a starter. It was spelt with crispy ox tongue and asparagus, followed by a melt in your mouth wild Scottish salmon. I had crab ravioli in a crab bisque and then grilled Skate wing. We both finished with a warm caramel soufflé. Sounds like food porn, doesn’t it?

And for the wine porn people – a couple kir royales, a bottle of Leflaive Puligny Montrachet, and a glass of 1970 Warre’s Port. Oh yes, and a bottle of still water. Had to stay hydrated!

After our meal, our lead server took us down to the kitchen and wine cellar. We always pass along our compliments to the kitchen, so she thought we might like to do it ourselves. We felt like some kind of VIP’s meeting the chef and his staff. They all seemed very happy with the compliments. Sue’s food service days surfaced as she also noted how spotlessly clean the kitchen was.

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Castle Terrace Restaurant

It was a nice little treat that we hadn’t expected. We had our tea in the lounge before paying the bill and heading back home. Though the rain had stopped, we opted for a taxi.

No nightcap tonight. Sue watched a movie, while I caught upon the crazy world events.

 

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Back to Edinburgh

Posted on May 26, 2017 by herktrav

Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Woke up early, but thought I overslept. At 4:30 am it was already light out. Luckily, I have a super power that allows me to roll over and sleep for four more hours.

Got ourselves cleaned up and went down to breakfast. The eating area was actually crowded this morning. There must be new arrivals for the weekend.

After eating we finished packing and checked out. We really liked the hotel and will rate it well. Good price, good location, clean and lots of friendly people.

The walk to the train station is a quick one given it is only three blocks away. The waiting area was full of people; some anxiously awaiting their train and some just plain weird. For instance, we decided that the man dressed fully as Wonder Woman, including the fishnet stockings, was weird, while we were just anxious for our train to arrive.

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Wonder Woman??

There were also a couple groups of women heading off to Hen Parties, which are weekend stagette parties. The one that really caught our attention was the group that had the inflatable male doll with them in line. Hope they have fun!

It’s 80 degrees here today. Since they are not so used to the heat, the cheesiest short shorts and mini skirts have appeared. Fun to see.

Our train was changed from our first class seats on a cross country express to the cattle car of an old two car diesel train. Loud and slow are the best words I can think of at this time.

When we did finally arrive in Edinburgh, the train station was crowded. We did manage to grab a taxi fairly quickly and it only took a few minutes to get to the hotel.

For the last part of our stay in Edinburgh, we are staying at the Hotel du Vin. It’s located close to the Greyfriar’s Kirk and the building dates back 700 years. It’s been an insane asylum, laboratory and hospital throughout the years. We’ll see if it has that haunted feeling over the next few days.

We relaxed in the hotel courtyard with a bottle of Rosé before heading off dinner. We went to a pub called ‘Doctor’s’. It dates back to the 1500’s and was originally a pub that the medical students and their teachers frequented. It was a pretty lively place. Drink prices were cheap and the food was good. Since we were sitting near the end of the bar, we were able to talk to the bar manager and waitress over the course of the evening. Very nice people.

Doctors Pub
Doctors Pub
Doctors Pub

A quick stroll and we were back at the hotel. Lively group in the courtyard this evening, wine has a way of doing that to people. Looking forward to a good night’s sleep.

 

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Day 2 in Glasgow

Posted on May 25, 2017 by herktrav

Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom

Woke up to sunshine streaming through the windows and thought it was a dream. The weather folks were correct for a change.

Went downstairs for breakfast, not that we were overly hungry after last evening’s dinner.  Lots of people in the dining room this morning.

The remainder of the day was uneventful. My aching back / hip was at its worst, so we just hung out around the hotel today. Luckily we had a chance to go around town the past couple days and see things or this would have been a real disappointment.

Relaxed in the lobby lounge with a couple of kir royales and the newspaper for a while in the afternoon.  Funny watching how people aren’t sure how to deal with an 80 degree day.  Outfits are everything from shorts and short sleeves to turtle-necks and jackets.

Dinner was at Marco Pierre White Steakhouse, which happens to be attached to the hotel. We both had delicious meals. Sue’s filet and my steak were both tender and tasty; and cooked to perfection. We had a nice bottle of Argentine Malbec that went perfect with the beef.

After dinner we went up to the room to relax before traveling back to Edinburgh tomorrow.

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Anniversary Day in Glasgow

Posted on May 23, 2017 by herktrav

Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom

Today we are celebrating our 37th anniversary. Where have the years gone?

We’re going to start out the day on the Hop on – Hop Off bus. It’s a bit overcast, but no rain is predicted, so it should be fine. The next few days are supposed to be warm and sunny, but we’ll wait and see.

Glasgow is a lovely city. The majority of the buildings are more modern with some older more stately buildings scattered around town. It was once an important ship building and train engine building city; these days, there are more banking and call center jobs than laborer jobs.

The river Clyde lazily flows through the city. There are many parks and walkways along the riverbanks for people to enjoy.

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Bridge over the River Clyde

Our first hop off is at the Glasgow Transportation Museum. Like all the government museums in Scotland, admission is free. This Museum houses a large collection of transportation vehicles including cars, bikes, motorcycles, trains, trolleys and boats.

They also have a tall ship – The Glenlee – berthed in the river. It was an interesting visit. Sue suggested we dress as pirates and take the ship out for a while, but I’m afraid I was the party pooper in that plan.

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Ahoy Matey

A gaggle of school children arrived, which signaled it was time for us to head back and hop on the bus. Timing is everything as the bus was just arriving when we walked outside.

The bus continued around the route passing by sites such as Glasgow University, the Kelvingrove Art Gallery, the Glasgow Cathedral, SSE Hydro and The Armadillo – the two music events centers. Overall it was quite nice.

Glasgow is more spread out than Edinburgh, but the public transport is very efficient. Along our journey, we came across a statue of the Duke of Wellington; and much to Sue’s chagrin, pranksters had used a traffic cone to give him a hat.

There was a bit of a pale hanging in the air with the Manchester incident. Such a tragedy. Folks in the UK are not so happy about the policies related to letting anyone in. Sounds like being home.

So we had enough of the bus, time to head to the hotel to relax before dinner. For our anniversary dinner, we chose a restaurant called “Cail Bruich”.

Grabbed a taxi to the restaurant and our driver had never heard of the restaurant – though he knew to correct my pronunciation when I showed him the address information. Cail Bruich is gaelic and means “Eat Well” – and we did.

Inside it was not what we had expected. Given what we had read, we thought it might be a tad snobby, Instead it was just the opposite. The people were very friendly, especially our waiter who guided us through the dining experience.

The meal we chose was an eight course tasting menu with wine pairings. The courses were not huge, so you could enjoy them without feeling stuffed. The wine pours were also good but reasonable; there’d be no staggering home this evening. Suffice to say, we enjoyed it very much. It was a wonderful blend of flavors and textures. Yes, it was yummy!

The cab ride home was quick and uneventful. We basically went across town for less than £7.00.

So in summary, Happy Anniversary to us. Here’s to the next 37 years. Love you babe!

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Off to Glasgow

Posted on May 23, 2017 by herktrav

Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom

Up early to clean up and pack for check out. We will be spending the next three nights in Glasgow. It’s hard to believe that the first week is over already. Check out is a matter of waving good-bye and saying thanks for everything. Then it’s off to the Waverley Train station.

We’re a little early, but we found seats and bought some snacks – so we’re all set. We sat next to a delightful woman and chatted about our visit and she offered up a couple hints for places to check out when we return to Edinburgh.

She was telling us about her son-in-law, who is in the military. He was Prince William’s boss while he was serving as a helicopter ambulance pilot. At a function that they attended, everyone was addressing William as Your Highness, but when her son-in-law approached, William chirped up – “Hi Boss!”

She was such a nice woman and very much how we have found all the people we have encountered here.

Our train was due to arrive soon, so we headed over to the platform to wait. The trains to Glasgow run frequently, so there are only four cars to our train. The ride is quick and smooth, cutting across to the west. We arrived right on schedule at the Glasgow Central Station.

Our hotel is called the Hotel Indigo and is only three blocks from the train station. Just a five minute walk and we were checking in.

It seems like a nice hotel. The building was originally an electric building built in the early 1900’s. There’s a nice lounge in the lobby and the hotel houses a very nice steakhouse that I’ll report on Thursday.

The room is nice. Not quite as large as the apartment, but still comfortable. There is, however, a large walk in shower that looks inviting before dinner tonight.

We went to a restaurant named ‘Gamba’ this evening. They specialize in seafood and it came highly recommended. We lucked out as the restaurant is only about five blocks away from our hotel, so we were able to walk over. We were greeted warmly upon our arrival and seated straight away in a cozy little nook.

We were immediately presented with an amuse-bouche to whet our appetites. We started with a nice kir royal before ordering. Everything on the menu sounded delicious, so it made the selection process difficult – but in a good way!

Sue went with a beetroot, goat cheese, sautéed onion and pureed apple soup followed by grilled rock bass. I chose the crabmeat with siracha aioli followed by grilled halibut. We accompanied our meals with a nice bottle of Chablis. The recommendations were spot on. We thoroughly enjoyed our meal and the prices were once again reasonable.

Grilled Rock Bass
Grilled Halibut
Crab appetizer

Took a nice walk back to the hotel where we enjoyed relaxing for the evening.

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Hop On – Hop Off – Day 2 – Holyroodhouse Palace and New Town.

Posted on May 22, 2017 by herktrav

Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Today we’re off to the other end of the Royal Mile to see the other royal attraction – the Palace of Holyroodhouse. It is still used today as the Royal residence and as a tourist attraction when not in use.

We made our way over to the bus station to learn that the palace is closed today. It seems that Princess Anne is in town for a function and is using the palace. Oh darn! We’re still able to view the artwork in the Queen’s Gallery, but won’t be allowed on the palace grounds.

Holyroodhouse Palace
Holyroodhouse Palace
Palace Guard

The bus we took over had live narration as we tooled around town. Anne talked quite a bit but we’re not exactly sure she followed the script. We would pass by before she would mention a place. We only caught up when the bus had to pause for a few moments while the driver sold tickets. Jeesh!!!

Since the palace is closed, they gave us free souvenir booklets as keepsakes, which was nice. Arriving at the Queen’s Gallery, we found that the current exhibition is called ‘Butterflies’. The artist loved the metamorphous process and bugs and reptiles. It’s a good thing it was a free exhibit. Eye rolls and snickers were coming from more than just us.

Back to catch the bus we go. We rode the circuit until we reached the New Town area. The New Town section was built in the late 1700’s and was the place to be – think indoor plumbing.

We decided to divide and conquer. Sue was going to visit and tour ‘The Georgian House’ while I scoped out a pub for liquid refreshment and dinner when Sue returned.

Sue loved her visit to the Georgian House. Having read regency novels for years, it was right up her alley. There were guides at every area that would describe the room and answer questions. She made some instant friends!

In the meantime, I settled into ‘The Printing Press’ Pub and became acquainted with some Scottish gin. Move over gin & tonic with lime, today it was gin, tonic, fresh herbs and grapefruit. Very refreshing. I had two whilst waiting for Sue’s return.

The menu looked good, so we stayed on to grab a bite. I’d say it was a bit of an upgrade to normal pub food. I started with a smoked trout salad followed by a spiced duck leg and chips. Sue went with a warm goat cheese salad followed by gnocchi with roasted garlic and asparagus. I know what your thinking, those two poor souls are scrambling to eat properly, fear not, we are doing well.

Just two more times will I have to scale the stairs at Mount Warriston. Up tonight and down tomorrow.

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The evil stairs of Warriston’s Close

Since we move on tomorrow, we decided to just relax for the evening.

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Hop On / Hop Off – Day 1 – Hail Britannia!

Posted on May 20, 2017 by herktrav

Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Edinburgh has a Hop On – Hop Off bus with three different routes. Our Majestic ticket allowed us to ride them all, plus it provided entrance tickets to the Royal Yacht Britannia, the palace at Holyrood and the Edinburgh Castle.

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HO – HO Bus

We’re starting out with the majestic route so we can visit the Royal Yacht Britannia. The ride is pleasant as we cut through the new town on the way to the waterfront. The ocean terminal where the ship is docked has been turned into a small mall with shops and restaurants.

The Britannia was commissioned in 1954 and wasn’t decommissioned until 1997. It was noted that the decommissioning ceremony was the only time the Queen cried in public.

The ship is quite large. We toured four decks, which included sleeping quarters, a state room, huge dining hall, crew quarters, a kitchen, a laundry room and notably, many, many bars. The ship was decorated very tastefully and was bright and welcoming. You could see why the Queen loved it so much.

There were many interesting photographs throughout the ship depicting the royals enjoying their time on-board. Also, many mementos from prior yachts and the persons who sailed them. It was a great sneak peek at another side of British Royalty.

We caught the bus back to Waverley Station and since it was still early, we hopped on another bus for a tour around the city. This tour took us through some of the Old Town and New Town streets pointing out places where historical events have taken place. It was a nice way to relax and see the city for an hour. I must say, they do an excellent job with the audio guides on the tours.

Afterwards, we headed back to the apartment to rest up before dinner.

After our meals of the last few nights, we decided to go simple. There is an Italian restaurant called Zizzi next door that we tried. A little pizza, some pasta and a nice bottle of wine capped off a good day. The thirty meters back to the apartment was nice too!

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