Scotland, Part One: Cities and Scotch Whisky

At the moment, I am sitting in a cozy Bed & Breakfast sun-room in Inverinate, Kyle of Lochalsh, the Highlands, watching through huge glass windows as a raging storm whips sheets of rain across Loch Duich. Trees are blowing horizontally and the mountain in front of me has completely vanished into the clouds, leaving a thick smudge of monochrome gray across the horizon.

Meanwhile, our fascinating B&B owner, ex-musician and hobbyist of all things, announces from the corner, “Barometer’s droppin’! No moon tonight. Storm’s a-brewin’! It’s only goin’ to get worse!” He knows how to make blackcurrant wine, distill his own whiskey, whip up homemade jam, sail boats, was in a famous band, basically re-grew a leg, has the Prince of Dubai as his neighbor, a Peruvian parrot as a telephone answering machine and owns a drone that he flies over the Kintail mountains. I can understand about every third word he says, but he keeps us in stitches all the same. His wife just blew in the side door after gathering fresh eggs and berry-picking with no jacket on. “Get wet, dahling?” says he. “Not at all!” replies his wife brightly. These are the types of people you meet in Scotland.

Speaking of the types of people you meet in Scotland, I’d better rewind and start off properly with the very first person we encountered in this nation: the border patrol at Glasgow Airport. We instantly voted this lady the best border patrol employee we’ve ever met, because the first thing she did was grin and tell us her favorite whisky bar in the city. A true welcome, and a true Scot!

Glasgow is a grand city of history, diverse culture, music, nightlife, and food. Underline, bold, italics, on food! We found ourselves smack in the middle of Merchant City, a historic neighborhood in the Old Quarter known for being the cultural heart of the city and an epicenter of international cuisine. Following our Airbnb’s recommendations, we started off at a local pub that served John his first Haggis (a traditional Scottish dish of minced lamb, turnips and potatoes, aka. “neeps and tatties”) and me, piles of delicious Scottish smoked salmon.

The rest of our time in Glasgow basically evolved into a prolific food and whisky tour. I had the best South Indian food of my LIFE at Dakhin (link below), so much so that we unabashedly returned for dinner two nights in a row (and I swear I would have gone back a third, had we not had to leave the next morning.) If you don’t yet know what “dosa” is or have never thrice died and gone to heaven during a meal of lamb curry, buy your ticket to Glasgow now (okay…or India. But Glasgow is closer.)

After a quick cultural spin around Glasgow (…okay…that’s the Cathedral…gorgeous! and here we are in George Square…hmm, everything else looks somewhat like New York City…alright, where was that whisky bar the border patrol recommended??) we scooted right over to The Pot Still, a scotch whisky pub dating back to the 1800’s. Changing hands and growing over the years via several Scottish families, today the wee pub stocks over 700 local and international whiskies and holds numerous Scottish “Whisky Bar of the Year” awards. Needless to say, we fought our way to a seat on a wooden bench and here, among the jovial Saturday crowd, we had our first authentic scotch whisky experience of this trip (spoiler alert: there will be more!) It was golden, toasty, sufficiently burn-y and glorious.

• Where we stayed: Airbnb in Merchant City, a great central location.
• Best Whisky Pub in Glasgow: http://thepotstill.co.uk/
• Best South Indian cuisine I’ve ever had: https://www.dakhin.com/

After hauling our packs (yes, the very same ones…no fear, they have not gotten any less gigantic!) to the train, we stepped off 50 minutes later into another world.

Edinburgh is enchanting in every sense of the word. The Old Town is an expansive network of quaint cobblestone streets, beautiful cathedrals, charming storefronts and detailed medieval architecture. Down the hill and past Princes Street Gardens, the New Town is a lovely complement with it’s elegant rows of terraced Georgian buildings. Edinburgh Castle perches atop Castle Rock, dominating the skyline. John and I quickly agreed that we could “totally live here.”

The first thing we did was obviously join a free Harry Potter walking tour. A young-ish (I can’t tell anymore…I’m 30, is anyone younger than me, “young” now?) history buff in dreadlocks and a Gryffindor scarf showed us all around the Old Town, pointing his wand at notable locations where J.K. Rowling wrote certain books in the series or acquired inspiration for her marvelous story lines. The truth is, the entire city of Edinburgh was a fundamental part of J.K. Rowling’s inspiration for Hogwarts, Diagon Alley, Lord Voldemort, dementor scenes and countless other magical characters and places. It was fascinating to walk in the footsteps of her great imagination. Edinburgh’s spell has officially inspired me to one day author a book of my own (TBD on title, topic, genre, time period, any details whatsoever, etc.)

Of course, we visited all the proper historical sites as well, which were equally as extraordinary. We strolled up and down the beautiful Royal Mile, wandered through Edinburgh Castle (present since the Iron Ages!) breezed by Holyrood Palace and hiked to the rocky peak of Arthur’s Seat for a wonderful albeit windy view of the city. We sipped hot coffee on Victoria Street, had sandwiches in Grassmarket, sought out traditional Scottish Sunday Roast at The Ox (thanks for the rec, L.M.!) and explored the trendy, pub-lined streets of New Town (Pop Quiz: how old was the architect who designed New Town? Answer: 26. He won a royal contest in 1766. Meanwhile, here John and I are, drinking butterbeer and pretending we go to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Time to re-evaluate my accomplishments…)

We loved Edinburgh through and through, and could have stayed much longer. Thanks to the famed Scotch Whisky Experience (info below), we are now proud members of the Scotch Whisky Appreciation Society for one full year and have high incentives to return to Edinburgh; these include discounts on future whisky barrel rides through their virtual distillery, as well as reduced prices at the bar and whisky shop. Being the amateur scotch connoisseurs that we have clearly become, we now discuss regions like “Islay” and “Speyside” and use words like “peaty” and “angel’s share” with full confidence….

Sláinte! The Highlands are calling…it is time for fresh air, epic landscapes, scenic hikes, more castles, more drams and everything else leading up to the perfectly peculiar B&B that I am sitting in now. Scotland, Part Two will be on it’s way shortly.

• Where we stayed: A lovely, sunny Airbnb right off the Royal Mile, message for details!
• Traditional Scottish Fare and Sunday Roast: http://www.theoxedinburgh.com/
• The Scotch Whisky Experience: Highly recommend the Gold tour if you have any interest in whisky. After an interactive experience during which you learn about the intricate process of making scotch whisky and all the regions it hails from, you end up in a tasting room where learned whisky connoisseurs help you navigate through a tray of various single malts and beyond to find your perfect whisky! https://www.scotchwhiskyexperience.co.uk/
  
• Free Walking Tours: …are a great way to get acquainted with a new city. Look for signs posted along the Royal Mile. History tours of all variations run several times a day. Typically, no prior reservations are needed- just walk up and join!
• Because who doesn’t love dessert: We stumbled upon this pleasantly mind-blowing and gluten free local fudge shop on the Royal Mile- trust me, it’s worth it: https://www.fudgekitchen.co.uk/en/shops/edinburgh-fudge-kitchen-shop