We began the 2nd week of our European adventure with a fun-filled excursion for Cameron - driving the Autobahn. We arrived at our rental car pick up in Binz only to discover that the facility was closed. We searched open cars, looked all around the building, and tried calling the number on the locked door to no avail. About ready to turn and hop on a train instead, we soon realized that we had made the cardinal Amazing Race rookie mistake…we hadn’t read all of the clue card! Evidently, in fine print at the bottom of the rental email, it indicated that we should travel next door to the gas station and ask the attendant on duty for the car keys. What made this stipulation even more hilarious was that the woman did not speak English and we did not speak German, so her inspection of our American passports made both of us giggle at the trivial formality.
And so we were off. After about an hour, we arrived at the A20, and Cameron floored it. Literally. We sputtered along in our tiny Audi going as fast as we could go, which ended up amounting to about 190 km/hr (120 mph). As a broad grin spread across my husband’s face, I asked him not to tell me how fast we were going until AFTER we had arrived safely in Hamburg! The German countryside was picturesque as it flew by, and we were constantly impressed by the orderliness of German drivers as they quickly merged back into the right lane obediently in order to ensure the steady flow of traffic.
Although the two of us were only in Hamburg for the day, we took an instant liking to it. Upon driving into the city, we were greeted by the sight of a large lake with picnickers, sun bathers, runners, etc. soaking up the late afternoon sunshine. Armed with a recommendation from a friend of a friend, we made our way to a hip district in the city center that would be difficult to find amidst the warehouses if you didn’t know what your were looking for. The cool vibe of Altes Madchen provided us with tasty beers and some live music from Nepalese singers who crooned original, percussive lyrics in English. Nearby food trucks in a parking lot were about as hipster as it gets. We stuffed our faces with surf n’ turf on a stick with homemade sauces and delicious cole slaw as young people in skinny jeans and ironic tee shirts lounged about the parking lot on outdoor bean bags. Alas, our time in Hamburg was short, but sweet.
Although the two of us were only in Hamburg for the day, we took an instant liking to it. Upon driving into the city, we were greeted by the sight of a large lake with picnickers, sun bathers, runners, etc. soaking up the late afternoon sunshine. Armed with a recommendation from a friend of a friend, we made our way to a hip district in the city center that would be difficult to find amidst the warehouses if you didn’t know what your were looking for. The cool vibe of Altes Madchen provided us with tasty beers and some live music from Nepalese singers who crooned original, percussive lyrics in English. Nearby food trucks in a parking lot were about as hipster as it gets. We stuffed our faces with surf n’ turf on a stick with homemade sauces and delicious cole slaw as young people in skinny jeans and ironic tee shirts lounged about the parking lot on outdoor bean bags. Alas, our time in Hamburg was short, but sweet.
Soon we were on our way to Edinburgh on a quick EasyJet flight. We arrived in the city and immediately felt like tourists – from forgetting to fill out a landing card and having to stand in the long, non-EU passport line again to gruff locals who pushed past us in the bus line as we struggled to figure out where we were going and what we were doing. As we rode the jam-packed bus to the city center, we were transported back into time to a city centuries in the making. At the pinnacle of old town lay the Edinburgh castle, a breathtaking site occupied since the 12th century. After wandering through some hideous, temporary bleachers that created a viewing area in front of the castle, we paid to enter through the castle’s gates and wound our way through the various structures now converted to tourist sites and museums. There was the Scottish National War Museum, which I, of course, found highly problematic as the plaques declared the great heroes and victories of various recent wars fought in conjunction with England (all I could see were the stories of the victors who capitalized on the atrocities of colonization, particularly in India, and then erased that history through revelry in national pride). We meandered through old prison cells, military canons and fortifications, and the great hall before embarking on a highly mediated narrative of dynastic fortune that resulted in a viewing of the crown jewels.
Upon exiting the castle, almost everyone and their mother seems to meander down the winding cobblestone streets of the Royal Mile toward the highly modern Parliament Building (and more old school Queen’s Gallery) at the bottom of the hill. Lined with tourist traps (a house of mirrors!) and postcards galore, it is a nice walk nonetheless, particularly when you take a page from our group’s book and decide to stop for high tea and cakes along the way (the Edinburgh steamer with tea, milk, vanilla, and cinnamon was delicious). This would be a trend throughout our stay in Scotland as coffee/tea shops with cute little cakes were prevalent in almost all parts of the city.
While in Edinburgh, we met my in-laws (Hi Tyler and Annika!) and my cute one-year old nephew Noah at our well-appointed Air BnB. Converted it seemed from what used to be the stables behind the mansions, the place was spacious, modern, and clean, and our hosts were welcoming and helpful. They gave us a great list of restaurants and must-see sights, which is one of the reasons that staying at a local spot instead of a hotel is so amazing. One thing that we soon discovered though was that you had to be aware whether the restaurant you wanted to eat at was classified as a bar or a restaurant – if it did not have the proper license then you could not bring in the baby after 8! Regardless, we ate at several tasty spots including an Indian food joint, yummy salads and breakfasts at Treacle, and great salmon at Smoke Stack. The best food experience by far, however, was due to Annika’s eagle eye, when she spotted a farmer’s market food truck festival in a nearby park. While ordering some tasty, local food made by local chefs, we learned that we had just missed Prince Charles and Camilla who had ordered from this very food truck an hour earlier! We lounged on the lawn and listened to some Scottish music while tasting the very best that Edinburgh had to offer.
We walked EVERYWHERE in Edinburgh…from Greek-inspired ruins high upon hilltops to the winding inlets of the University of Edinburgh to huge parks with people recreating. We often woke up late because we were staying up to watch some soccer games on TV, and it rained quite often, but overall the Edinburgh experience was historical, tasty, and fun.
Upon exiting the castle, almost everyone and their mother seems to meander down the winding cobblestone streets of the Royal Mile toward the highly modern Parliament Building (and more old school Queen’s Gallery) at the bottom of the hill. Lined with tourist traps (a house of mirrors!) and postcards galore, it is a nice walk nonetheless, particularly when you take a page from our group’s book and decide to stop for high tea and cakes along the way (the Edinburgh steamer with tea, milk, vanilla, and cinnamon was delicious). This would be a trend throughout our stay in Scotland as coffee/tea shops with cute little cakes were prevalent in almost all parts of the city.
While in Edinburgh, we met my in-laws (Hi Tyler and Annika!) and my cute one-year old nephew Noah at our well-appointed Air BnB. Converted it seemed from what used to be the stables behind the mansions, the place was spacious, modern, and clean, and our hosts were welcoming and helpful. They gave us a great list of restaurants and must-see sights, which is one of the reasons that staying at a local spot instead of a hotel is so amazing. One thing that we soon discovered though was that you had to be aware whether the restaurant you wanted to eat at was classified as a bar or a restaurant – if it did not have the proper license then you could not bring in the baby after 8! Regardless, we ate at several tasty spots including an Indian food joint, yummy salads and breakfasts at Treacle, and great salmon at Smoke Stack. The best food experience by far, however, was due to Annika’s eagle eye, when she spotted a farmer’s market food truck festival in a nearby park. While ordering some tasty, local food made by local chefs, we learned that we had just missed Prince Charles and Camilla who had ordered from this very food truck an hour earlier! We lounged on the lawn and listened to some Scottish music while tasting the very best that Edinburgh had to offer.
We walked EVERYWHERE in Edinburgh…from Greek-inspired ruins high upon hilltops to the winding inlets of the University of Edinburgh to huge parks with people recreating. We often woke up late because we were staying up to watch some soccer games on TV, and it rained quite often, but overall the Edinburgh experience was historical, tasty, and fun.
After 4 nights in Edinburgh, the guys went to pick up the rental car for our quick jaunt to the town of St. Andrews before arriving at our next Air BnB in Drymen in the Scottish Highlands. St. Andrews, as you may or may not know, is a quaint town on the coast just north of Edinburgh. It is home to the college of St. Andrews, a school (I have been informed) that is usually 3rd on the list if you don’t make it into Oxford or Cambridge. This is where Prince William went to school and began his major in art history, and where the next year, the art history program received an unusually high number of applications from women. After checking out the church and the university, we made our way through the doting parents and proud graduates that littered the city streets and found the other site that St. Andrews is renowned for – the golf course. This is supposedly the birthplace of golf (as Cameron jokingly quipped, this is the first place that someone thought to hit a ball with a stick). Through the rain we caught glimpses of the course along the ocean side and the meticulous preparations for the crowds that will be pouring into the town in two weeks for the British Open (held in St. Andrews every 5 years). When I asked the waiter at the local pub if he thought the town was ready, he chuckled and murmured, “We’ll see.”
And with that, we were off to Drymen, a very, VERY small town near the famed Loch (Lake) Lomond. Our Air BnB was nestled in the Scottish countryside, the back part of a newly constructed home that was modern and large with many dogs and cats on the land to greet us. Our hosts were there to welcome us as well and make recommendations about drives and hiking in the area. And those were our two main excursions. In terms of hiking, we managed several picturesque climbs. One was up Duncryne Hill, a muddy ½ mile hike where we could see the hills and the valleys, the river and the lakes, and the many happy cows and sheep through the wildflowers and clouds. Another took us around the grounds of Balloch castle, where we soaked up some sun and enjoyed the lake, trees, and gardens. In terms of driving, we made our way on our last day to the town of Oban, known in the highlands as the gateway to the islands. Nestled into the side of a hill, the town was bustling and lively with tourists, locals, and fisherman. We ate some great seafood at a local spot, Cuan Mor, before making our way over to the local chocolate shop and having an AMAZING cup of hot chocolate. We stood over the highest part of the city, looking down on the sparkling bay before we began our drive home. Somewhere between the soft, rolling hills of Switzerland and the mighty, awesome scenery of Alaska, the highlands were a breath of fresh air from big city stagnation.
And with that, we were off to Drymen, a very, VERY small town near the famed Loch (Lake) Lomond. Our Air BnB was nestled in the Scottish countryside, the back part of a newly constructed home that was modern and large with many dogs and cats on the land to greet us. Our hosts were there to welcome us as well and make recommendations about drives and hiking in the area. And those were our two main excursions. In terms of hiking, we managed several picturesque climbs. One was up Duncryne Hill, a muddy ½ mile hike where we could see the hills and the valleys, the river and the lakes, and the many happy cows and sheep through the wildflowers and clouds. Another took us around the grounds of Balloch castle, where we soaked up some sun and enjoyed the lake, trees, and gardens. In terms of driving, we made our way on our last day to the town of Oban, known in the highlands as the gateway to the islands. Nestled into the side of a hill, the town was bustling and lively with tourists, locals, and fisherman. We ate some great seafood at a local spot, Cuan Mor, before making our way over to the local chocolate shop and having an AMAZING cup of hot chocolate. We stood over the highest part of the city, looking down on the sparkling bay before we began our drive home. Somewhere between the soft, rolling hills of Switzerland and the mighty, awesome scenery of Alaska, the highlands were a breath of fresh air from big city stagnation.
I have saved my favorite part of the trip to Scotland for last. On our first day in Drymen, we decided to take a tour of the nearby Glengoyne Whiskey (Scotch if you will) Distillery. One of the few remaining distilleries actually owned by Scottish people, the distillery was framed by a waterfall (its original source of water) and several buildings that served as tasting rooms and whisky making equipment rooms for the Glengoyne single malt whisky. After touring the facilities, we were brought to a special tasting area where Cameron and I had the chance to taste the 12, 18, and 21-year whiskeys – I didn’t know that I liked whiskey so much! Then, finally, we were taken back to the main shop where the two of us tried out the Cask-Strength Whiskey. While doing this final tasting, the voice of a lone male soloist rose above the conversations of the tourists packed into the shop. At first we thought it was just an extremely talented employee, but soon an entire choir of 20 or so joined in. We later learned that it was a busload of choir members visiting Scotland from none other than Sacramento, California. They sang the lyrics of the very sad, traditional Scottish song about Loch Lomond, which legend has it that it commemorates the bodies of the Scottish rebels who were paraded on the “high” king’s road to Scotland to be buried after being tried in England, while their loved ones traveled the low road:
O ye'll take the high road, and I'll take the low road,
And I'll be in Scotland afore ye,
Where me and my true love will never meet again,
On the bonnie, bonnie banks of Loch Lomond.
As the song concluded, I looked around, and I swear there was not a dry eye in the crowd – the unexpectedness of the song, the fullness of the harmonies, and the intimacies of the room were, as our whiskey tour guide whispered, “about as Scottish as it gets.”
O ye'll take the high road, and I'll take the low road,
And I'll be in Scotland afore ye,
Where me and my true love will never meet again,
On the bonnie, bonnie banks of Loch Lomond.
As the song concluded, I looked around, and I swear there was not a dry eye in the crowd – the unexpectedness of the song, the fullness of the harmonies, and the intimacies of the room were, as our whiskey tour guide whispered, “about as Scottish as it gets.”
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