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Dec 24, 2009
Dec 4, 2009
The Highlands(part two)
We have been slacking. We know it has been a long time since we promised our second posting from our trip to Scotland, and for the record, we are sorry. But, do you know what its like to live in Germany and have so many errands to run.....didn't think so. Anyway, the second half of the trip is pretty much the coolest. It was our adventures in the "Highlands" of Scotland.
When people think of Scotland, the highlands are usually the first mental picture of what Scotland is like. Well, maybe after Braveheart and William Wallace. FREEDOOOOOMMMMM!!!! It truly is a beautiful country full of amazing history, rolling hills, and some of God's greatest handiwork. The land is so untouched by human contact that its almost as if you are entering into another world. Elizabeth loved breathing while we were there. I think she added 10 years to her life because of the air quality.
For our trip to the Highlands, we did something we normally tend not to do. We booked a tour guide to take us on a two day journey of the highlights in the Highlands. At the time of booking, we were both unsure of whether or not this would be a prudent decision, but shortly into our trip, we realized this was a surprisingly pleasant way to experience all the Highlands had to offer. We usually try to do things on our own, but having a guide take us directly to the hot spots and explain everything about these said hotpots is very convenient. Also, we got to listen to some sweet Scottish bagpipe music while looking at the scenery and meet some interesting people. Onto the Trip....
The Places
Loch Ness -- The deepest Loch (Lake) in all of Scotland. It is a very long narrow lake that "reportedly" is home to the famous Nessie. Rob did not see anything, but after a few starbucks, Elizabeth spotted her and some monster babies. SO, we are still undecided about whether or not the monster is real. Google claims to have spotted some kind of large shadow while capturing images for Google Earth. There is even a man who has sold everything and lives in a tiny old trailer hoping to capture a glimpse of the "real deal." Regardless of a monster or not, the area is drop dead gorgeous....like Elizabeth.
Inverness -- The capital of the Highlands and are place of lodging during our trip. This is a small city compared to U.S. standards, but it remains the central hub of life in the northern part of Scotland. They actually have grocery stores, a university, and shops which are hard to find anywhere else in the Highlands.
Glen Affric -- Our favorite part of the trip. The ride into this valley alone was worth the trip. We took a small hike and saw some absolutely beautiful stuff. Trees, waterfalls, the sun, hills all around, the trip was one of those...."you have to be there to understand what we are talking about." Rob tried and failed to capture some of the surroundings. We implore you to put this on the itinerary when visiting Scotland.
Urquhart Castle -- On the shores of Loch Ness, the castle is actually just a pile of ruins. However, it is what surrounds this pile that makes all the difference. Of the numerous castles throughout the country, many people claim this is one of the best. We wholeheartedly agree, even though we didn't see that many castles. Plus, we got to see some "fireworks" during our visit, but more on this later
The people
Richard -- Our one and only tour guide. A native of the Highlands he was a wealth of knowledge, not to mention the awesome accent which added to the aura of our trip. The entire trip he was decked out in his traditional family kilt, hiking boots, and knee high wool socks. If you were wondering, they typically do not wear anything under the kilt, so don't ask. He claims this is where the term "going commando" comes from. He was always smoking which is pretty common in the United Kingdom and he seemed to end up in a lot of our pics. A man has to keep his business running with some free marketing.
The Hong Kong Crew -- These guys were awesome. They barely knew english and passed out everytime our van started moving. They paid a lot of money to catch up on some sleep. We would be shocked if they did not have any neck problems because their heads were all over the place with every twist and turn in the road (which there were plenty). Trust us, our seats right behind them allowed for maximum viewing pleasure.
Something Random
The Engagement -- While at Urquhart Castle, love was in the air and fireworks were in the hearts of two young Scottish lovers. We were stationed on the highest point in the castle enjoying the views when the unexpected occurred. Rob took the opportunity to redo his lackluster proposal......just kidding. Seriously though, a larger younger man in a fit of sweat literally fell onto one knee. At first, we thought for sure this dude was having a heart attack or some other major problem judging by all the factors. However, after a few moments we realized that he was just nervously preparing for the rest of his life. We did not really hear all that he said to his girlfriend, but we could see the box and the look on her face, so we concluded this was a proposal. Naturally, I tried to get some camera shots and Elizabeth thought we were watching one of her romantic comedies, but this was real. We don't know if its a good sign or a bad sign, but the bride to be called her man a "sausage" before saying "of course I will marry you." Maybe its a Scottish thing, we don't know. But it was definitely a high point for us on that day and something we still laugh about even now. Rob should have been taking notes instead of pictures.....
That is but a small taste of the many things we did in our two days into this land. We wish we had more time and would suggest to anyone going to this part of Scotland to spend more time because there is so much we did not get to see. Until next time....
When people think of Scotland, the highlands are usually the first mental picture of what Scotland is like. Well, maybe after Braveheart and William Wallace. FREEDOOOOOMMMMM!!!! It truly is a beautiful country full of amazing history, rolling hills, and some of God's greatest handiwork. The land is so untouched by human contact that its almost as if you are entering into another world. Elizabeth loved breathing while we were there. I think she added 10 years to her life because of the air quality.
For our trip to the Highlands, we did something we normally tend not to do. We booked a tour guide to take us on a two day journey of the highlights in the Highlands. At the time of booking, we were both unsure of whether or not this would be a prudent decision, but shortly into our trip, we realized this was a surprisingly pleasant way to experience all the Highlands had to offer. We usually try to do things on our own, but having a guide take us directly to the hot spots and explain everything about these said hotpots is very convenient. Also, we got to listen to some sweet Scottish bagpipe music while looking at the scenery and meet some interesting people. Onto the Trip....
The Places
Loch Ness -- The deepest Loch (Lake) in all of Scotland. It is a very long narrow lake that "reportedly" is home to the famous Nessie. Rob did not see anything, but after a few starbucks, Elizabeth spotted her and some monster babies. SO, we are still undecided about whether or not the monster is real. Google claims to have spotted some kind of large shadow while capturing images for Google Earth. There is even a man who has sold everything and lives in a tiny old trailer hoping to capture a glimpse of the "real deal." Regardless of a monster or not, the area is drop dead gorgeous....like Elizabeth.
Inverness -- The capital of the Highlands and are place of lodging during our trip. This is a small city compared to U.S. standards, but it remains the central hub of life in the northern part of Scotland. They actually have grocery stores, a university, and shops which are hard to find anywhere else in the Highlands.
Glen Affric -- Our favorite part of the trip. The ride into this valley alone was worth the trip. We took a small hike and saw some absolutely beautiful stuff. Trees, waterfalls, the sun, hills all around, the trip was one of those...."you have to be there to understand what we are talking about." Rob tried and failed to capture some of the surroundings. We implore you to put this on the itinerary when visiting Scotland.
Urquhart Castle -- On the shores of Loch Ness, the castle is actually just a pile of ruins. However, it is what surrounds this pile that makes all the difference. Of the numerous castles throughout the country, many people claim this is one of the best. We wholeheartedly agree, even though we didn't see that many castles. Plus, we got to see some "fireworks" during our visit, but more on this later
The people
Richard -- Our one and only tour guide. A native of the Highlands he was a wealth of knowledge, not to mention the awesome accent which added to the aura of our trip. The entire trip he was decked out in his traditional family kilt, hiking boots, and knee high wool socks. If you were wondering, they typically do not wear anything under the kilt, so don't ask. He claims this is where the term "going commando" comes from. He was always smoking which is pretty common in the United Kingdom and he seemed to end up in a lot of our pics. A man has to keep his business running with some free marketing.
The Hong Kong Crew -- These guys were awesome. They barely knew english and passed out everytime our van started moving. They paid a lot of money to catch up on some sleep. We would be shocked if they did not have any neck problems because their heads were all over the place with every twist and turn in the road (which there were plenty). Trust us, our seats right behind them allowed for maximum viewing pleasure.
Something Random
The Engagement -- While at Urquhart Castle, love was in the air and fireworks were in the hearts of two young Scottish lovers. We were stationed on the highest point in the castle enjoying the views when the unexpected occurred. Rob took the opportunity to redo his lackluster proposal......just kidding. Seriously though, a larger younger man in a fit of sweat literally fell onto one knee. At first, we thought for sure this dude was having a heart attack or some other major problem judging by all the factors. However, after a few moments we realized that he was just nervously preparing for the rest of his life. We did not really hear all that he said to his girlfriend, but we could see the box and the look on her face, so we concluded this was a proposal. Naturally, I tried to get some camera shots and Elizabeth thought we were watching one of her romantic comedies, but this was real. We don't know if its a good sign or a bad sign, but the bride to be called her man a "sausage" before saying "of course I will marry you." Maybe its a Scottish thing, we don't know. But it was definitely a high point for us on that day and something we still laugh about even now. Rob should have been taking notes instead of pictures.....
That is but a small taste of the many things we did in our two days into this land. We wish we had more time and would suggest to anyone going to this part of Scotland to spend more time because there is so much we did not get to see. Until next time....
Nov 6, 2009
Great Scots! (part one)
We have returned from our trip to Scotland, and let's just say, AMEN to english speaking countries. The trip was enjoyable and quite refreshing to escape the daily routine of life in small town Germany. There were two parts to our trip, city and country, both of which are unique in their own ways. We did a lot of things, but we hope to give a glimpse into our week long vacation.
The City
Day One
The day started out with a wonderful flight on the extremely low-budget airline, Ryanair. This airline makes Southwest seem like you are flying in your own private jet. They set the standard for making you the most uncomfortable you can possibly be while flying as well as charging you for everything including the bathroom (I guess we are in Europe). Although it seems this airline is unsuitable, they happen to have a 90% on-time arrival rate, and our flight was no exception.
We normally like to take a picture of our lodgings, but since we forgot, we would like to let you know we stayed at 23 Mayfield. This B&B was a very nice house near the city and served traditional scottish fare for breakfast, which we thoroughly enjoyed. Lamb intestines anyone? Haggis is a traditional dish at anytime of day made of sheep's insides and mixed with oats and served like sausage. Rob, with the iron stomach, decided to have a sample, and said it tasted like LIVER. Yummo. Anyway, on to the activities.
First things first, Starbucks. Elizabeth made sure we hit up the Bucks before we went anywhere...she had been having major withdrawals since we've been in Germany. This also had the benefit of making the trip more enjoyable for her man(she had a cup in her hand at all times).
It also gave her the energy to walk up the famous Calton Hill. This is one of the highest points in the city and offers great panoramas of the city skyline. The Stewart Monument, The Scottish National Monument and The Nelson Monument all find their homes on top of Calton Hill, and make for some impressive photos. We did not stay long because of the weather...it's not what you think. Surprisingly for us it was not raining like you would suspect in this part of the world, but it was very windy. People assume we are used to the wind because we are from Chicago??? People need to get their facts straight. Regardless, we had to get off the hill for fear of losing Elizabeth and her ninety pounds.
In Scotland, the sun goes to bed well before the people. So, we spent the rest of the night, and if you're thinking 8 pm or later, try 3:30 pm or later, walking around Princes street and it's adjoining gardens. This street had many upscale shops and boutiques which we perused while waiting for dinner. We ended up eating at The basement . This is nothing like your Mom's basement...but an upscale bar and restaurant that served scottish fare. Nothing like a meat pie and some fish and chips to finish off our first day.
Day Two
We did three major excursions, The Royal Botanical Gardens, Edinburgh Castle, and Mercat Tours.
The Royal Botanical Gardens is a huge nature park located in the northern part of the city. Although it was somewhat gloomy, we took pleasure in strolling through the gardens and seeing some of God's creation. Rob took this opportunity to practice his picture taking abilities which are still lacking (he thinks too hard). Elizabeth seemed to be preoccupied by searching for a bathroom because she just drank a Starbucks.
Edinburgh Castle is a major attraction for those visiting Edinburgh. This giant fortress sits atop a volcanic rock at the end of the Royal Mile (oldest and most famous street in all of Scotland). The structure and its surroundings is very impressive and will leave an impression on anyone. We spent a couple hours touring around and listening to our audio guide to give us a little more historical background about what we were seeing. We were lucky enough to see the famous One o'clock gun being fired at One o'clock. This happens every day except for a couple major holidays. Royal Guards walk around telling parents with little ones to makes sure their ears are covered, as the sound of the boom can be traumatic. So, Elizabeth followed the instructions and buried her head into my coat so she didn't die of a heart attack (she is becoming more and more like her parents each day). After awhile in the castle, we needed to refuel before our tour of the Historic Vaults.
If we made one mistake on this trip, it was taking this tour of underground Scotland. The underground vaults were created in the late 18th Century and abandoned by the 1830s only to be discovered again in 1996. These vaults have since made Edinburgh the capital of paranormal sightings. While we don't believe in ghosts, we thought this tour would be interesting and a little spooky. We were disappointed with all the hype because our guide spoke with such a thick accent that we had a hard time understanding a word he was saying. Our guide mentioned he never believed in ghosts until the day he married his wife, a practicing physic and medium, and now he is also a client. Weird, yea, you don't have to tell us, we were there. Surprisingly, we did not see a ghost, even though our guide resembled one.
Stay tuned for our second installment...The Highlands. Here is the link to the pictures.
The City
Day One
The day started out with a wonderful flight on the extremely low-budget airline, Ryanair. This airline makes Southwest seem like you are flying in your own private jet. They set the standard for making you the most uncomfortable you can possibly be while flying as well as charging you for everything including the bathroom (I guess we are in Europe). Although it seems this airline is unsuitable, they happen to have a 90% on-time arrival rate, and our flight was no exception.
We normally like to take a picture of our lodgings, but since we forgot, we would like to let you know we stayed at 23 Mayfield. This B&B was a very nice house near the city and served traditional scottish fare for breakfast, which we thoroughly enjoyed. Lamb intestines anyone? Haggis is a traditional dish at anytime of day made of sheep's insides and mixed with oats and served like sausage. Rob, with the iron stomach, decided to have a sample, and said it tasted like LIVER. Yummo. Anyway, on to the activities.
First things first, Starbucks. Elizabeth made sure we hit up the Bucks before we went anywhere...she had been having major withdrawals since we've been in Germany. This also had the benefit of making the trip more enjoyable for her man(she had a cup in her hand at all times).
It also gave her the energy to walk up the famous Calton Hill. This is one of the highest points in the city and offers great panoramas of the city skyline. The Stewart Monument, The Scottish National Monument and The Nelson Monument all find their homes on top of Calton Hill, and make for some impressive photos. We did not stay long because of the weather...it's not what you think. Surprisingly for us it was not raining like you would suspect in this part of the world, but it was very windy. People assume we are used to the wind because we are from Chicago??? People need to get their facts straight. Regardless, we had to get off the hill for fear of losing Elizabeth and her ninety pounds.
In Scotland, the sun goes to bed well before the people. So, we spent the rest of the night, and if you're thinking 8 pm or later, try 3:30 pm or later, walking around Princes street and it's adjoining gardens. This street had many upscale shops and boutiques which we perused while waiting for dinner. We ended up eating at The basement . This is nothing like your Mom's basement...but an upscale bar and restaurant that served scottish fare. Nothing like a meat pie and some fish and chips to finish off our first day.
Day Two
We did three major excursions, The Royal Botanical Gardens, Edinburgh Castle, and Mercat Tours.
The Royal Botanical Gardens is a huge nature park located in the northern part of the city. Although it was somewhat gloomy, we took pleasure in strolling through the gardens and seeing some of God's creation. Rob took this opportunity to practice his picture taking abilities which are still lacking (he thinks too hard). Elizabeth seemed to be preoccupied by searching for a bathroom because she just drank a Starbucks.
Edinburgh Castle is a major attraction for those visiting Edinburgh. This giant fortress sits atop a volcanic rock at the end of the Royal Mile (oldest and most famous street in all of Scotland). The structure and its surroundings is very impressive and will leave an impression on anyone. We spent a couple hours touring around and listening to our audio guide to give us a little more historical background about what we were seeing. We were lucky enough to see the famous One o'clock gun being fired at One o'clock. This happens every day except for a couple major holidays. Royal Guards walk around telling parents with little ones to makes sure their ears are covered, as the sound of the boom can be traumatic. So, Elizabeth followed the instructions and buried her head into my coat so she didn't die of a heart attack (she is becoming more and more like her parents each day). After awhile in the castle, we needed to refuel before our tour of the Historic Vaults.
If we made one mistake on this trip, it was taking this tour of underground Scotland. The underground vaults were created in the late 18th Century and abandoned by the 1830s only to be discovered again in 1996. These vaults have since made Edinburgh the capital of paranormal sightings. While we don't believe in ghosts, we thought this tour would be interesting and a little spooky. We were disappointed with all the hype because our guide spoke with such a thick accent that we had a hard time understanding a word he was saying. Our guide mentioned he never believed in ghosts until the day he married his wife, a practicing physic and medium, and now he is also a client. Weird, yea, you don't have to tell us, we were there. Surprisingly, we did not see a ghost, even though our guide resembled one.
Stay tuned for our second installment...The Highlands. Here is the link to the pictures.
Oct 24, 2009
Its All Bruges To Me
I know what you must be thinking....What is Bruges and how do I get there? For those of you who fail to come and visit us, getting to this charming little town would be quite the problem. However, when you have the luxury of being a stone's throw from various attractive European destinations, driving 2 and a half hours to Bruges, Belgium is not such a bad deal. Not to mention easy access to one of the finer aspects of German culture: The Autobahn!!!
Bruges is a very small town on the northwest side of Belgium and about a 15 minute drive to the English Channel. The beauty of this city lies in its ability to convey a sense old European charm that has been spared being damaged from the many wars that have been through this region. Many people refer to it as the "Venice of the North" because of the many canals and style of architecture. In an effort to keep dentist's in business world wide, Bruges has taken the claim of being the chocolate capital of the world. Also, being in Belgium, waffles and "pommes frites" are mandatory. Finally, Bruges is a very romantic setting for enjoying while with your loved one.
Day 1
We spent the day walking around the city and stopping in some of the shops. One of these fine establishments was called the Chocolate Line. This was just one of the gazillion chocolatiers flooding the city. Seriously, its like Starbucks in Seattle, if you blink you might miss one. The Chocolate Line is famous for one very peculiar reason. The owner had the bright idea of creating a machine, as a gift for Mic Jagger of Rolling Stones Fame, that would pulverize cocoa into a very fine powder....as if its not already. This would then be sniffed and used in place of a more traditional drug. All we can say is: Weird. We took a multitude of pictures which we conveniently posted on smugmug (link to the right) for your viewing pleasure.
Day 2
Elizabeth saved the day by booking a fabulous 3 hour bike ride with Pink Bear Bike Tours. Yes, that was a plug because the tour and the guide were excellente (as they say in the spanish). We were outfitted with some sweet mountain bikes and some gloves because Rob was not prepared. Elizabeth actually was able to experience life on an adult bike without an accident. Nice!!! The trip went through some of Bruges, but mainly the Flemish country side surrounding the city. We were able to see some windmills, a variety of animals in their natural setting, and the historic village of Damme. While in Damme, we stopped at a nice little cafe for some famous waffles and beer. Elizabeth wimped out and had a plain waffle with some sugar on the side. I at least asked for some whipped cream on top. I mean if you're gonna do something, you might as well do it right. Both waffles were delicious. Elizabeth claims the beer was good too. Although, I have my doubts. After the bike tour we didn't have much time before heading back so we walked around the city some more and stopped in one of the many Markt Square eateries for some local cuisine.
That was our trip.
Bruges is a very small town on the northwest side of Belgium and about a 15 minute drive to the English Channel. The beauty of this city lies in its ability to convey a sense old European charm that has been spared being damaged from the many wars that have been through this region. Many people refer to it as the "Venice of the North" because of the many canals and style of architecture. In an effort to keep dentist's in business world wide, Bruges has taken the claim of being the chocolate capital of the world. Also, being in Belgium, waffles and "pommes frites" are mandatory. Finally, Bruges is a very romantic setting for enjoying while with your loved one.
Day 1
We spent the day walking around the city and stopping in some of the shops. One of these fine establishments was called the Chocolate Line. This was just one of the gazillion chocolatiers flooding the city. Seriously, its like Starbucks in Seattle, if you blink you might miss one. The Chocolate Line is famous for one very peculiar reason. The owner had the bright idea of creating a machine, as a gift for Mic Jagger of Rolling Stones Fame, that would pulverize cocoa into a very fine powder....as if its not already. This would then be sniffed and used in place of a more traditional drug. All we can say is: Weird. We took a multitude of pictures which we conveniently posted on smugmug (link to the right) for your viewing pleasure.
Day 2
Elizabeth saved the day by booking a fabulous 3 hour bike ride with Pink Bear Bike Tours. Yes, that was a plug because the tour and the guide were excellente (as they say in the spanish). We were outfitted with some sweet mountain bikes and some gloves because Rob was not prepared. Elizabeth actually was able to experience life on an adult bike without an accident. Nice!!! The trip went through some of Bruges, but mainly the Flemish country side surrounding the city. We were able to see some windmills, a variety of animals in their natural setting, and the historic village of Damme. While in Damme, we stopped at a nice little cafe for some famous waffles and beer. Elizabeth wimped out and had a plain waffle with some sugar on the side. I at least asked for some whipped cream on top. I mean if you're gonna do something, you might as well do it right. Both waffles were delicious. Elizabeth claims the beer was good too. Although, I have my doubts. After the bike tour we didn't have much time before heading back so we walked around the city some more and stopped in one of the many Markt Square eateries for some local cuisine.
That was our trip.
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